HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

YAY!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D This year was terrible!!!!! :( We moved to a house I can't stand, school was difficult and stressful, I lost 2 of my best friends to a new school, my aunt has STAFF infection :cry:, my mom is going through a really bad depression :cry:, severe economic issues :cry:, the ice storm destroyed part of our roof, I've had several fights with my on/off boyfriend, there's a feud between my family and my grandfather :evil:, my parents are more strict on who I talk to :evil:, etc. I could go on and on and on, but I know you guys shouldn't have to listen to my problems :(

I'm just hoping this new year will be better than this year has been :( I'm just so glad to see 2008 go!!! :D

I promised these a long time ago, but I got busy and forgot :lol: These are just a few of the many pictures I took of that powerful ice storm that hit Indiana last week and caused 80% of the population in my county to have power outages.

Trees in my backyard. If you stood under any of them, you most likely got hit in the head with a branch :( I've had personal experience :lol: :roll:

Trees down the street. Yes, this was taken from the car :lol:

Several roads were blocked off due to trees like this, or down power lines. Travel was practically impossible! :(

This tree is from my Grandma's yard. All these branches fell off within a few hours :( Poor tree...:(

Who wants to stand under this tree!? :lol: Yeah right! Branches were falling from this one the whole time I was outside! :shock: The creaking it made will haunt my nightmares for a long time :( I think the sound of trees after an ice storm is one of the most scariest sounds ever! :cry:

My grandma's decorative bird didn't stand a chance :lol:

This poor tree broke right down the center! :shock:

The damage doesn't look bad, but compared to other houses, it's pretty bad :( You wanna know something funny? I lived in this house almost a year now, and only now did I realize those lights on the corner :lol: :lol: :lol:

Branches from our tree fell on the house all weekend :( My room is on the far left in this picture, so I got a lot of the noise :cry: It sounded like thunder! :cry: Every time something hit the house, one of us (almost always me) had to go out and see when damage had been done :( That's how I got hit on the head and had to come in and take a nap :lol: This stick looks really stupid from the road :lol: My mom wants to keep it there and hang a flag on it :lol: I like the idea! :lol: What do you guys think? :lol:

These are some branches from my neighbors yard. Their poor tree didn't stand a chance either :( It was kind of funny seeing them try to clean all this up though :lol: I should have taped it and sent it to America's Funniest Home Videos :lol:

I did!!!! :D :D :D I got more money then anything, which is just fine with me :lol: I actually prefer that over presents :D I went out shopping today with my mom and sister and bought a bunch of village stuff that was on sale :D I just love those little villages!!! :lol: I got a penguin church, a Santa Wonderland that has a moving train :lol:, small buildings, and several little figurines :D :D :D :D It's just a shame I can't put them out this year :cry: I'll have to wait until Chrismtas next year :cry: No fair...:cry:

So what did you guys get? :D

I hope everyone enjoyed the Christmas Eve blogs yesterday :D I thought they came out very well :D Have a great day! :D

I hope everyone enjoyed part 1 last night :D This one will be better because of the pictures :lol:

Tradition of the Candy Cane

The candy cane begins with a stick of white candy. The white symbolizes the purity of the Christmas season. Red stripes are for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we may have eternal life. The candy is formed into a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus. It can also represent the staff of the Good Shepherd. Its hard consistency represents the Solid Rock, the foundation of the church, and the firmness of the promises of God.

St. Nicholas...Santa Claus

The concept of the American Santa Claus originated with St. Nicholas, who was born in Asia Minor in 280 A.D. He was known as a kind, benevolent man; indeed made a saint because of his generosity. In honor of St. Nicholas, December 6 became the traditional day in Europe for the exchange of Christmas gifts and the beginning of the holiday season. Dutch immigrants to the United States brought with them their version of the giftgiving St. Nicholas, known as Sinter Klass. Americans, unaccustomed to the Dutch pronunciation, turned this into "Santa Claus," who is beloved as a symbol of Christmas by children of all ages.

Tradition of the Christmas Tree

Because it stays green all through the year, the evergreen tree is symbolic of the eternal life offered to Christians through faith in Christ. The treetop points heavenward. A star signifies the special star which guided the wise men to Bethlehem. Lights represent Christ, the "Light of the World." Gifts beneath the tree are representative of God's gift of His only begotten Son, who brings Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace.

Due to the power outage and everything that has happened since then, I've been behind on my blog plans. That means I'll have to make them all in one day :D Here we go:

Legend of the Rooster

Legend states that the only time the rooster crowed at midnight was the night that Jesus was born. In Spanish and Latin American countries "Misa del Gallo," the Mass of the Rooster, is celebrated at midnight on Christmas Eve. The crowing of the rooster at the dawn of each morning symbolizes the daily triumph of light over darkness and the victory of good over evil.

Legend of the Robin

The night that Christ was born a little brown bird shared the stable with the Holy Family. During the night, Joseph built a fire to keep the family warm, but as they slept the fire burned out. From its nest the bird flew down and fanned the embers with its wings. The bird was very close to the fire and the heat turned the bird's feathers red. The breast of the Robin had been red over since to remind us of its love and compassion for the baby Jesus.

Footprints in the Sand

Excerpts from story: One night, a man had a dream. He dreamt he was walking along the beach with God...I noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. God replies..."During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

Symbol of the Guardian Angel Feather

The guardian angel feather symbolizes God's care for his people through the prescence of angels. It is written in Psalm 91:11..."For he shall give his angle charge over thee, to keep thee in all they ways."

Legend of the Sand Dollar

The markings on the shell of the sand dollar symbolize the birth, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ. On the top side of a shell, an outline of the "Easter Lily" appears. At the center of the lily is a five-pointed star representing the Star of Bethlehem. The five narrow openings symbolize the four nail holes and the spear wound made in the body of Christ during the Crucifixion. Turning a sand dollar over, you can see the outline of the Christmas Poinsettia and also a bell. When broken, inside the shell are five "doves of peace." Some say that they are the angels that sang to sheperds on the first Christmas morning.

Tomorrow's blog will have more stories like this, but with pictures! :D :D :D

This is the last of them! :D :D :D

1. Social workers are compassion in action
2. Physical therapists put flexibility back into your life
3. Nurses call all the shots
4. Paramedics are quick to respond
5. Physician assistants are "patient" people
6. X-ray techs see people in a different light
7. Lab techs have lots of culture
8. Optometrists keep things in focus
9. Lawyers never lose their appeal
10. Pet groomers make the fur fly
11. Pets leave pawprints on your heart
12. You + Me = Meant To Be

1. Four-wheelers like to play in the mud!
2. Car racing revs my engine!
3. I can fix anything...with the right tools
4. Teaching is a work of the heart
5. Teachers plant seeds that grow forever
6. Teaching God's world makes an eternal difference
7. School bus drivers make "special" deliveries
8. Volunteers lend a helping hand
9. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams
10. Graphic artists like to color outside the lines!
11. Architects know how to draw the line!
12. Hairstylists bring out the beauty in everyone
13. Nail techs add polish to life
14. Massage therapists rub people the right way!
15. Occupational therapists put the life back into the living

Wow. Most of those were quite cheesy :lol: The ones tomorrow are better :wink:

Northeast Indiana and several surrounding areas got hit with a really bad ice storm on Thursday night :( The good news is I didn't have to go to school on Friday :lol: :P The bad news: power outages for nearly 80% of all Allen County (some can't be fixed until Christmas Eve), my house got part of the blackout (from 8 am yesterday to just a few minutes ago), trees are down everywhere and are blocking major roads, and a limb fell off of our tree and fell right through the roof :shock: :cry: The damage isn't as bad as it sounds though :D But we did get the worst of it on our street :evil: :cry: I got hit in the head with a limb too :( My head hurt so bad I had to come in and take a nap :lol: :roll:

I've got lots and lots of damage pictures to share, so I'll post those tomorrow or Monday :D :D :D