Friday Fave Five - December 18th

Wow - another week has flown by! The challenge? List five of your favorite parts of the week -if you'd like to share them, head on over to Susanne's blog!

1. My church - we have such a fun congregation! This week I got to have dinner and watch a movie with a fun group. We had a great choral service on Sunday with a "cookie" brunch afterwards - so fun! Went to my book group with some fabulous women. Had a fancy Christmas lunch with another group of fabulous women. Experienced the peace and comfort of having the sanctuary lit with candles for prayer. And, went caroling with about 20 people! And that's not to mention all the interesting conversations in the office throughout the week...

(Can you guess which movie we watched?)

2. Going to my little sister's Madrigal Dinner on Saturday. It was the last one that someone from our family will participate in. The end of an era! So fun to remember all the songs and hear how great the choirs still are at my old high school. My former choir director was even still there - and hadn't changed a bit! Sometimes, it's comforting to see that some things haven't changed...

3. The cookies are DONE! This year, I made 15 kinds of cookies and treats... Dozens of each kind. Phew! It's a lot of work - but so fun to see people's faces when they get their cookie tins!

(So after several days of baking... This mess... became...

This!)

4. Open Sanctuary was beautiful last night. The sanctuary was dimly lit, the candle flames were dancing... Poinsettias decorate the altar and choir loft... To sit in that space alone is a feeling unlike any other. And then... the carolers started warming up in the other room. You could faintly hear "Silent Night" and "Joy to the World" coming through the walls. It was a surreal moment - straight out of a movie! Beautiful. (Several people stopped by last night for a moment of peace in this busy week - what an honor to be able to provide that moment for them! I love this part of my ministry.)

5. Today is going to be one of my fave fives, too. I have the day to myself... I think there are a lot of possibilities! I love that!

Things I am thankful for today:

1. A day off.
2. Friendly clerks at stores.
3. Close parking spaces.
4. A quick stop at the drive-through bank teller.
5. Great sales.
6. The hubby's honest opinion.
7. Going to the Guthrie Theatre for "A Christmas Carol" - so fun!
8. The little kids sitting behind us, asking their mom all kinds of questions about the play.
9. Dinner at Spoonriver - yum!
10. An exciting stop at the Guthrie bar after the show - and sitting next to "Carlos" from "Desperate Housewives" at the bar! Kind of fun!