Snow Day baby!!!

Gosh, I feel like a kid of 10 again! We got a snow day today!!! (Do you remember those days? Waking up and watching the morning news just to see if your school would flash across the bottom of the screen with the word "closed" next to it? Ahh, the minute I would see "Southern Hancock Community School Corporation", it was back to bed for me! Those were the days!)

Anyway, we in the Queen City (aka Cincinnati) got a good three inches of snow last night, with about four more mixed with ice on the way today. So our office deicded to have a snow day! It's amazing! I took a morning nap, and then Yankee and I went outside to play it. She's really never seen that much snow before and I was laughing out loud at her playing in it. She just basically a dog with rabbit and cat-like actions--meaning, she pounces. And jumps on things. And pounces some more. The problem is that she can only last about five minutes out there, but I bundled her up in her coat and we went outside to play! Gosh, I really don't know what I would do if I didn't have my pup in my life.

Yankee really likes to put her face all the way in the snow! She pops up with it all over her face!

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Grand Ole Party?

So this is the week--the week our country has a shift in power. The week we usher in a new President, a new administration, a new everything. Everyone keeps talking about change. This change that we'll see in Washington. A change for the future. Before we get excited about our future, can we please take a look at our past? After all, we don't know where we're going, until we know where we've been. And where we've been has been rocky, but steady. Where we've been has been stressful, but safe. Where we've been has been controversial, but faithful. And for that, we have one man to thank. I'm not sure how I will embrace President Obama, but there is no question how I feel about President George W. Bush.

Thank you, President Bush, for keeping our country safe for the past eight years. Thank you, President Bush, for your faith and your strong leadership during times of terror. Thank you, President Bush, for your humility during times of praise and your praying nature during times of trouble. Thank you, President Bush, for making the tough decisions--decisions that have not made you popular but were for the greater good of the country. Thank you, President Bush, for your loyalty to this country, to the office that you held, and your pride for America. Thank you, President Bush, for loving your wife and loving your family. And lastly, thank you President Bush for serving America strongly and dedicating your life to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for the past eight years. Your legacy will be one of controversy, of making difficult decisions, of safety during horrific times, and of faith and prayer. You will be greatly missed.

With a changing of the guard comes hard feelings for the losing party. As difficult as the next four years will be for our country, it is time we unite. We may not respect the man in the office, but we have to respect the position that he holds. And that's the beauty of America. That's the freedom that most take for granted. Pray for the office. Pray for the man in the position of power....because he will definitely need it. Pray for the safety of this great country we live in.

Love your country. Your country is the land where your parents sleep, where is spoken that language in which the chosen of your heart, blushing, whispered the first word of love; it is the home that God has given you that by striving to perfect yourselves therein you may prepare to ascend to him. ~Giuseppe Mazzini

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I. Am. Resolved.

Kelby here...

So it's that time of year. The time of year to make "resolutions". I use that word losely because I'm not sure how I feel about it. C'mon now...you know what I mean. I feel like New Year's resolutions are just meant to be broken. Honestly, who out there has made one AND kept one throughout the course of the year?? If you have, I'd like to meet you.

But on the other hand, I do like what a new year stands for. A clean slate. A chance to start over and make the next 365 days even better than the last 365 were. So, in the spirit of new-ness, I've made some goals for 2009. Call them what you want--resolutions, goals, whatever--but I feel if I put them in writing, I'm more likely to stick to them. And be held accountable for them. So here we go...

#1. "I have fought the good fight. I have ran the race. I have kept the faith." I began running in 2008 and it is something I would like to continue doing in 2009. Mainly, I want to run my very first marathon in the fall of 2009...the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington, D.C. Yup. A marathon. 26.2 miles. Running. Woohoo. It is a goal that will take me most of 2009 to train for. But I'm looking forward to accomplishing this goal. I've heard that there is nothing like crossing the finish line of your first marathon--and I'm excited that Mom and Dad are already planning on making the trip out with me to cheer me on! And some of my girls have talked about coming too. Go Team Kelby!!

#2. "Communication is the invisible thread bonding our society." I am who I am because of those who have entered and impacted my life. And I will spend 2009 reconnecting with people--friends and family--who have entered, and unfortunately, exited my life for some reason or another. I have cousins whom I haven't spoken to in years. I want to fix that. I will also make more of an effort to grow relationships that currently exist. Burg and I want to make a trip to Boston to see our cousins Kari and Jamie. I want to get to Nashville to see Brian and Melissa, and to spend some quality time with my family down there. I want to be a figure in the lives of all of my friend's children...Blaine, Branson, Lily, Connor, Mackenna, Reagan. I love my friends, and I love their children because of that--and I want all of these little boogers to know that I am in their lives to stay. I want to do road trips with my girls. I want to travel with my college roomies! Just because I live in a different state, doesn't mean our relationship has to change...and I need to make more of an effort.

#3. Shortcake and Co. Yes. Burgess and I are doing it. We are starting our own business!! It is overwhelming and a lot of work, but we are so excited about it!! In 2009, it is our goal to grow Shortcake both online and throughout Indiana through fairs and shows. Look for our website soon....www.hicksgirls.com. (I'm sure you're wondering where Shortcake came from. Well it's an inside story between me and Burg, but one I'll share with you. Growing up, we had Strawberry Shortcake phones in our rooms--phones that were used only to call each other. After we outgrew the phones, we had a hole in our closet wall from where the cords connected. When we got in trouble--which was often--we would go into our closets and talk to each other through the hole. I know, it sounds juvenile but it is one of my favorite childhood memories!)

#4. No Coke for you! This will probably be the most difficult resolution to keep....but I am giving up pop in 2009, with the exception of Coke Zero. In an effort to get a bikini body (I'm sure all that running I will be doing will help too) I have decided to give up pop. Mt. Dew will no longer enter my body. No more root beer at work. Nothing. Its only the third day of the new year, but I'm holding strong. Coke Zero and Sweet Tea will be my new best friends.

#5. The year of my career. With the start and launch of Shortcake, I feel as though I am on the verge of something new...or something better for my career. This will have to be a God thing...and I refuse to put Him in a box by saying what I want to do or where I see my career going. I am putting my entire faith in God for this. He knows my strengths. He knows my weaknesses. And He will put something in my path that will steer me to a career path that fits me and His plan for my life.

That's my top 5. There are definitely more things that I will be working on in 2009...some more personal, some more obvious. Wish me luck with these though. And Happy New Year!

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