Christmas Part 1

This past weekend was the Hurley portion of the Holiday week. When Kevin and I got engaged, we set up a yearly way of splitting up the holidays. We spend Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve with one of our families and Christmas Day with the other. This back and forth system has worked pretty well in the past, until this year. This year it is the Bratcher's year to have us on Christmas Day and the Hurley's year to have us on Christmas Even. But because of Kevin's crazy "days of leave" it made more sense for us to spend Monday and Tuesday at the Hurleys. Kevin's brother, Mark, came into town on Saturday and the Hurley extended family Christmas party was that same night, so Kevin and I decided to spend Saturday thru Tuesday with his family.

Saturday evenings Hurley Christmas party was similar to past years...we weren't sure who was coming, there were some interesting presents in the gift exchange, and I lost at poker due to frustration. Let me explain...first the gift exchange. The Hurley's do a gift exchange similar to many people. Each person draws a number 1 - however many people are there. The first person opens a present from under the tree. Then the second person can either steal the first person's present or pick another one from under the tree. This goes on until everyone has a present. The difference between a normal gift exchange and the one at the Hurley's is that the Hurleys have some strange rules. Strange rule number one is that the person that draws #1 gets to be the last person to steal a present...I have never seen this done in any other circle. The other rule that is non-existant is that a gift can be stolen several times in one round.

So, here is the situation. There were two presents where lottery tickets were involved. Mark, Kevin's cousin-in-law Nikki and Kevin's cousin McKayla all wanted lottery tickets. Mark and Nikki both had lottery ticket gifts, and McKayla stole Mark's gift, so Mark stole Nikki's, so Nikki stole McKayla. This circle went round and round about four times before Nikki finally decided to steal something else. It was the most entertaining part of the evening.

The other funny part of the gift exchange was the gifts themselves. Steve, my father-in-law, brought tow-ropes (which he wanted for himself), then chose his own gift when his number came around. Kevin ended up with a coffeemaker that was the gift his Aunt Donna had won in last year's gift exchange. And Mark brought what he called a "party in a bag," which turned out to be a 24 oz Budweiser and some lottery tickets. It made for a hilarious evening. All in all it was an interesting evening.

Sunday was a nice dinner at Mark Manley's house. Kevin had hoped that he would cook for his family while they were all in town, and Mark kindly agreed. It was an extremely relaxing evening filled with good food, great conversation and wonderful company. Definitely one of the highlights of the evening.

We spent Monday and Tuesday playing the wii, having a nice "Christmas" dinner, opening presents, watching movies, hanging out and laughing at the hilarious things Mark Hurley tends to say. These past few days have just made it more clear that Kevin and I would love to live closer to his brother -- we simply do not see him enough.

Tomorrow Kevin is going to work, yes, on Christmas Eve. We will have dinner with Mark Manley and his family, sing in the Westminster Christmas Eve service, then head down to the Bratcher's for Christmas day. I am extremely excited to see my family and I am hoping it is a relaxing and fun weekend. I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas and special time with the ones that you love. I feel truly blessed to have two families, the Bratchers and the Hurleys, that I love very much. Merry Christmas!

Brit Signs Off

While I know many of you might not care, this evening was Brit Hume's last evening anchoring the Fox News program "Special Report with Brit Hume". Brit has been with the Fox News Channel for over 10 years and his program is the highest rated political program on cable television. Why am I dedicating a post to this? Because Brit has become a part of mine and Kevin's daily life. Each night we sit down after dinner or during and watch Brit talk about the national news. This is something we've done consistantly since we got married 2.5 years ago.

Brit will definitely be missed. Kevin and I hope that his replacement, Bret Baier, will be as consistant, entertaining and balanced as Brit always has been. Scoff if you want, but for a Fox News reporter, I feel that Brit has always managed to lead a discussion that shows two points of view - something severely lacking from many news programs. While Brit is not leaving Fox News altogether, we will not see him as regulary, and he will be missed.

The Reason for the Season

With Christmas a little more than a week away, I have been busy preparing the house with decorations, wrapping Christmas gifts and trying to wrap things up at work before my holiday break. With two families to shop for it is easy to get overwhelmed with Christmas shopping. I've managed to plan pretty well this year and get as much shopping done early as possible. Last week I spent an evening wrapping gifts, which always puts me in a good mood. I even managed to make some packages look like Linda Bratcher wrapped them, which to me feels impressive (I know, it's the littlest things, isn't it).

Santa's workshop

One of the wrapped presents I'm so proud of. impressed, aren't you?

This past Friday, Lauren and I met for lunch halfway between Indianapolis and Middletown. I had not seen Lauren since August when she first found out she was pregnant. Now that she is 4.5 months pregnant, she is beginning to get the cutest little baby bump. She found out right before Thanksgiving that she is having a boy, and I am so excited for her. I am not ready to be a mom, but I can't wait to be an Aunt :)

As Lauren and I were leaving lunch, we saw this older gentleman walking up to Chili's carrying a life size cross. He had it over his shoulder, using his other hand to hold his cane that he needed to walk. He set the cross down outside of Chili's and walked in as we were walking out. As we passed him in the entry way, he said to us "Jesus is the reason for the season. We shouldn't wait all year to adore Him, he should be adored all year."

It struck me that I get so wrapped up in the busyness of Christmas that I forget to remember the real reason we celebrate. It was nice to have this simple (and large) reminder.

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins"

Matthew 1:21

December Already

This year has truly flown by. Kevin has already been with the Air Force 5 months, I've been at HRTC 3 months, and we are only a few months from finding out where we will be living next year. In January we will get the list of all of the bases with available openings in Kevin's field. We will rank them 1 - however many there are and then we wait. Again. Hopefully by the end of March we will know what's what and can begin making plans.

While Dayton is a possibility, Kevin and I are having fun picturing the other places we might live next year. I have to admit that Arizona, Phoenix more specifically, is very tempting. Kevin's brother lives there and it would be great to finally live closer to him. He also has an aunt and uncle and some cousins there, all of whom we love to be around. I also have an in for a job there with the development director at the Opera in Arizona. It's not a sure thing, but I think Lisa would try to help me out as best she could, either at her organization or maybe somewhere else. It is a Southwest Airlines city, so both of our families could travel there easily as well as us visit them. It isn't far from San Diego and Vegas. The sunny weather and beautiful scenary would just be the icing on the cake.

Of course, there are other closer, more realistic choices as well. Boston is very tempting to me, or Charleston. Anywhere in Florida looks good to Kevin. And while there are a lot of exciting places we could end up, there are also some that would be lackluster...Texas...Oklahoma...there are of course places I do not want to live. But Kevin and I have decided that no matter where we get placed, it will be a new adventure. Something exciting. Somewhere we've never been. This makes the future feel very exciting.

A little over a month ago was the wonderful wedding of Emma Kuhl (one of my oldest and dearest friends) and her now-husband Shanon Pitts. The ceremony and reception were gorgeous. It was held at the Henry Clay, a remodeled building in downtown Louisville. Emma’s older brother Karl performed the ceremony. It was light, funny and he preached the gospel…it was really great. But the best part of the wedding was watching Emma. I have known Emma for many many years, and I guarantee I have never seen her that happy. Now, I know that sounds cliché, a happy bride – but it was more than that. The way she continuously giggled, threw her head back during her laughter and smiled more widely then I have ever seen...her happiness was infectious. I smiled and cried throughout the entire ceremony. Congratulations Emma and Shanon. I know you both will be so happy. (photo by Eric Graf)

The Christmas festivities are officially in full swing. This Saturday is Kevin's work party, Monday is my work's holiday luncheon...then it will be family Christmas parties, spending time with the Manleys, Christmas Eve service at Westminster and time with our families. I love this time of year...not for the gifts, but for the opportunity to enjoy those you love. Before we know it, it will be 2009. It is amazing how quickly the time passes us by.

Missing Garth

Lately I've been thinking about Garth a lot. I always think about Garth, but it has been different. I've started having the dreams again, where I'm with him. They're never anything special. Typically we're just hanging out, like we used to do on any typical day at Anderson. Going for a ride on the bike, or watching a movie. I even have dreams about us grocery shopping -- crazy right? But I wake up feeling sad.

I have a picture of us on top of the Empire State Building from 2002 stuck in the mirror I get ready at every morning. That trip was one of the best of my life. Kevin, Marci, Dan, Garth and I went to NYC to celebrate Marci and Kevin's graduation from Anderson. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt for $80 a night (which we split 5 ways) and we took turns going up to and leaving the room, so that the maids wouldn't rat us out -- we were really only supposed to have two people in that room.

There are so many hilarious memories from that trip. Going to the Yankees game in the freezing cold, sitting in the $8 bleacher seats and listening to the locals call out their cheers that they all had memorized..."Dave! Dave! Dave! Dave! Is a sex....MACHINE!" no joke, that was one of the cheers yelled as a guy, presumably Dave, would stand on top of his bleacher seat and flex his muscles. Absolutely hysterical. Halfway through the game, due to coldness and boredom, I decided I wanted to leave. Garth and I left, caught a train to the hotel to get more clothing (it was very cold for May), and had a chance to walk through the city and talk. I have no clue what we talked about that night, but I remember enjoying his company and feeling happy that he was my friend.

Then there was the time that Garth, Dan and I were at Virgin Records in Times Square. Garth and I were meeting Marci and Kevin at a matinee of Chicago that we had 2nd row seats to. We were planning on meeting there at 2:30 for the 3pm show...except the show started at 2pm. Kevin and Marci called our phones repeatedly, which we didn't hear, until 5 minutes til when we finally got one of the messages. We yelled goodbye to Dan and went running, frantically, through Times Square. Garth's legs were a lot longer than mine, so he would get pretty far ahead of me and then have to stop and wait for me to catch up. The streets were crowded, as they almost always are in Times Square, so between the running and dodging in and out of people, we were sweaty and out of breath by the time we reached the theatre. We then did the walk of shame to the front of the house while the opening number was going on. But the performance turned out to be amazing, and that memory makes me laugh every time I think about it.

One of the last times I saw Garth was the night before Thanksgiving in 2005. He was in Louisville to see a band play, My Morning's Jacket. Kevin and I were in Louisville to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family, and we gave Garth a ride downtown and then picked him up when it was over. When we picked him up close to 1am, he was begging us to go to an afterparty with him that the band was going to be at. He was not able to convince us, but we had a good time listening to him describe the concert and catch us up on his life. I guess with Thanksgiving around the corner, I have had him on my mind more.

Garth was such an incredible person. There are a million different stories that I could share and this entry could be many more pages long. I know that the time that we spent as friends has left me with some of the best memories of my life. And even though it's been 2.5 years since his death, I still have times where I think about claling him, inviting him over, or just going to visit him. It is only then that my head remembers what my heart refuses to acknowledge...that in this life he is gone and that I will not see him again on this earth. I believe that I will see Garth one day in heaven because of our shared believes, but for now I will have to be content to see him in my dreams.

The group in NYC in 2002. Marci, Dan, Kevin, me and Garth in the front. This was taken after the Yankees game.

"I'm falling apart

I'm barely breathing

With a broken heart

That's still beating

In the pain

There is healing

In your name

I find meaning

So I'm holding on

I'm barely holding on to you"

- Lifehouse

Moving Forward

The past week has created many different memories, some sad, some fun and some disappointing. I have waited to write because I needed to let the reality of election day sink in. As I previously wrote, Senator Obama's win was no surprise to me. I thought it would be uncharacteristically difficult for anyone to win as the republican nominee in this election, especially a moderate like John McCain. I will admit that the evening of the election, I cried for our country. I do not know what an Obama administration holds, so I am just hoping that I am wrong about him.

One election result that I was pleased with was that of Mitch McConnell. He has served the state of Kentucky with dignity and grace for several years and has truly represented the conservative values that are strong in my homestate. I was worried that he would lose his seat, but thankfully, he won with no problems.

The unfortunate fallout of McCain's loss has been the lack of grace of those who worked for him. Stories began coming out about Sarah Palin before the election was even lost. Anonymous sources trying to save their political futures began telling reporters ridiculous stories about the VP nominee in hopes that the old gradeschool logic would win out..."if I can make someone else look bad, I will then look better." It is childish and a complete disgrace to the Republican party. Things Palin said while on the campaign trail were used against her...that she didn't know Africa was a continent...stuff like that. The truth it, candidates all make mistakes when speaking on the trail. Biden didn't know who was President during the Great Depression or that there weren't really televisions yet. Barack Obama said they had been to 47 states and were going on to 11 more. Does anyone really believe that Obama thinks there at 58 states? of course not.

I think the best thing that could happen is for the Republican party to stop looking back and begin to move forward from this point. If Palin is interested in becoming a serious contender for president in 2012, she needs to go back to Alaska, do her job there, and spend the next two years reading everything she can. If she does this, she may be able to add the knowledge necessary to the already charismatic personality she has and be a real leader in this party. But I don't think she is there yet.

But enough about politics. Last Saturday Kevin and I hosted a bonfire at the Hurley's house in Xenia. We played football, cooked hotdogs and made smores. The weather was absolutely perfect - not too cold but cold enough to enjoy the fire - and we had a nice turnout of people. I was especially excited that Marium came, because I hadn't seen her in so long. Below are some pictures from the bonfire and the football game.

The other interesting news of the week is that I am officially finished at the Playhouse. Nine weeks after giving my notice, I have finally finished my time there and am 100% at the Human Race. Yesterday was my last day there, and it was bittersweet for sure. During my time there I have grown to love many of the other employees and creating some really great friendships. As I was cleaning out my desk and thinking back on my time there, I began to wonder if I made the right decision. I think that is the hardest part -- making a decision and then trying to stick to it. I think time will tell.

What I believe I will miss most is Sydney, Ryan and Mandy. Sydney has been like a mentor to me since I was in school at CCM. Not only has she set forth a wonderful example to me professionally, but she has always been there for me on a personal level as well. Her and Russ are one of those couples that I respect and admire, and hope to be similar to some day. I will miss Mandy dropping by my office to talk about the latest episode of the office, tell me stories about what is happening during production, or just to laugh with and lighten my day.

And then there's Ryan. Though we've only worked together for a little more than a year, I have become deeply appreciative of our friendship. He is one of those people who I know I can depend on, but who also challenges me to look at things from a different prospective. While me might not agree on all issues, I always felt that I could learn something through our conversations, whether it be about politics, religion or a specific social issue. I will miss our lunches at Bruegger's and our conversations.

So, even though I have already worked six weeks at the Human Race, I feel like I am just now taking that next step. What will happen during my time there? Time will tell. I'll keep you posted on how it is going...

The boys getting ready to play football. Lesley and I played, but not that well...

Kevin and I enjoying the fire. Trying not to fall in...

Lesley and Rocky Leisman...fast becoming two of my most favorite people.

Impending Doom

With only two days until the election, I feel that I need to speak my piece and then let it go. With the polls showing this weekend that John McCain is still trailing anywhere from 2-10 points, I truly do not know what to expect. However, I am expecting the worst.


I think it is truly possible that the most liberal, least experienced presidential candidate in history will become the 44th President of the United States. This possibility gives me a completely different shiver up my leg then the ones creeping up the legs of "reporters" over at MSNBC. I think it is unfortunate that our country has come to this point - so interested in teaching George W. Bush a lesson that it would prefer to put someone in the highest position possible that has only been in charge of one thing throughout his career, his presidential campaign.

Now I will not argue that Obama has not run a good campaign, because he certainly has. He has stayed on message, given extraoridary speeches, and he has "brought people together." I in no way wish to diminish what Obama has accomplished because I truly hope that his presidential bid, win or lose, will discontinue the conversation of race in this country. I hope that in 2012 we see many more diverse candidates and that it won't be considered historic, just the norm.

Here is what I expect from an Obama Presidency (and I truly hope I'm wrong):

1. His economic plans laid out during the election will become a distant memory quickly. As he becomes more informed of the economic status of this country, he will forget about lowering taxes for anyone and revert back to his liberal ways, which is raising taxes. Just like when he ran for the Senate on the basis of lowered taxes, those who voted for him to become a Senator are still wait to see a decrease in their taxes. He has never ONCE voted for lower taxes. Why anyone expects something different if he becomes President, I may never understand.

2. He will pull out of Iraq whether the war is won or not. Whether or not you think we should have gone into Iraq in the first place, we are there now. While McCain would be committed to finishing what we started, I think Obama will pull troops whether the war is won or not. The irony of the Iraq war is that the surge that McCain supported turned the tide in Iraq, making it a non-issue for the 2008 election. Because of McCain's wisdom, he managed to take the issue off the table that he has the most experience in - national security.

3. Universal Health Care will be implemented and throw this country into further debt. While Obama has campaigned that he will balance the budget, he will be much more interested in pushing through programs that are important to him while he has tne majority in the House and Senate. The additional $1 Trillion dollars in new spending he proposes will not be made up by the tax increases on the wealthy. This will mean more tax hikes for households with a lower income, and yes, that means those making less than $250,000 a year.

What will be good about an Obama presidency?

1. Obama will crack the ceiling for diverse political candidates and will hopefully take race off the table once and for all. If Obama is elected, I will feel proud that America has finally instituted a little colorblindness when it comes to our leadership.

2. The Republican Party will be forced, either way, to reorganize and strengthen. In 1992 Republicans decided that they had turned away from their core values and made a promise to the American public. in 1994, they went on to become the majority in the Senate once again and were successful until 2004, when they became cocky, turned against the public they were serving and began to overspend in every area. I believe that just like in 1992, the Republican party will reorganize and get back to basics. Back to responsible politics with conservative values and fiscal responsibility. I, as a Republican, am ready to be proud of my party again and I hope that this happens.

3. Maybe the arts will become a real priority in the White House. If Obama follows through with one thing, this is the one I hope he pulls through on.

4. With all of the hype and celebrity-like following, there is little chance that Obama will live up to the hype. As a liberal politician, he will show his true colors, lean more and more to the left, and make a 2012 republican presidency win more and more of a reality. Conservatives and those in the middle will realize that Obama is not who he said he was, that he does not relate to the everyday person, and that he promised a lot to become president that he did not deliver.

I have been a bad mood all day, and I think a lot of it is because I am worried about this election. I am worried about an Obama presidency and what the next four years will look like. However, Kevin made an interesting point today. He said that in 2000 and again in 2004, he noticed what sore losers the democrats were. In fact, I just read a NYTimes article today that characterized the last two elections as being STOLEN. It has been 8 years and they still can't let it go. So Kevin said that he is determined to not be a sore loser if Obama wins, and I agree. I will not pout, I will not throw a tantrum, and I will not wear black on Wednesday. What will be will be. And who knows, maybe we're all in for a surprise....but I'm not getting my hopes up.