Ooof.  Y’all.  Don’t ask me why I’m up at 6:45 am when I went to bed at 2 am.  It’s all Vann’s fault!  For the first time ever, he took my Dad and me to see “Mission: Impossible IV” at the IMAX last night.  At 10:45 pm.  That is completely unprecedented.  Usually I’m the one who is begging him to take me to a late movie – which he almost always does, and even to the ones that involve teenage vampires – isn’t he good to me??  I do have a sweet hubby.  The movie was CRAZY, y’all – and we all know I love me some good Tom Cruise gossip (although I DO think he is coo-coo for cocoa puffs) and even though his unauthorized biography is chock-full of good tabloid fodder the man is a MOVIE STAR.  He was wearing very expensive suits in the movie and all of his pants were too tight and you know they try to make him look like he’s 6 feet tall although he’s really like, 5 feet.  Supposedly he did all of his own stunts.  Hmmm…I seem to be the stark face of reality in these action movies because while Vann and my Dad are like two kids in a candy store I’m the one very loudly saying things like “NU UH!” and “C’MON!” and “Oh, GIVE ME A BREAK!” or trying to figure out plot points.  I’m a great movie date! Anyway, after two nights of super fun Christmas parties, I am pooped!  I was just saying to a friend last night that Christmas with kids involves so much prep – and then it’s over in a flash.  I wish the actual day could stretch out a little longer.  It really is one of my very favorite days.  I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who are still reading.  I can’t tell you how much it has touched my heart to receive so many kind words about my writing.  I’ve trained my whole life for something entirely different than this – but as it turns out maybe all those years of scribbling away in a journal and sending short stories to “Seventeen” magazine were in fact pointing me here.  Vann has been such a champion of this blog since the beginning but especially since last spring when I decided to “up the ante”, as it were.  At any rate, I’m always convinced no one reads what I write so it’s such a pleasant surprise to hear otherwise.  It really does fill my heart with such joy.  So, thanks. Merry Christmas, friends – we have Christmas Eve service at church today and then lots to do to prepare for Santa’s arrival!  We also have to go pick out a cake for Jesus’ birthday – a tradition that my sweet niece started and I just love.  Because, as always, celebrating Christ’s birth really IS the “reason for the season” and the most miraculous story ever told. Luke 2: 9-12: And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger."