Fun with Christmas Beards.

For some good reasons, I've finally done it. Like removing ornaments from the tree for the season. I shaved. But I did it in some fun stages. I've included one. First, full beard glory.

And, what I like to call the guy you shouldn't buy a set of used tires from.

My hat's off to the gents over at whiskerino for keeping hope alive. It was just time for me. Next year, I'm gonna play for real chips.

Christmas 2005!

Here are a few moments...

Ella got "Doe A Deer" on DVD. Her new favorite movie.


Evan got a baby Taylor - the perfect size guitar to learn on. Fun times ahead!


He also scored some serious Star Wars stuff. Jude, he's ready to play when you're here!


Even Peanut scored a new pillow. This is to make up for lots of suffering. ;)


We are mindful this year of the many suffering all around the globe. Probably the most meaningful part of our Christmas was spent later that night at the "Room at the Inn" celebration.

Evan's bus driver from school picks up about 10 guys from the streets in Nashville and they enjoy a good meal and sleep overnight at the church.


We got to hear a lot of stories, and sang a lot of songs together. Isaac, here with David and I, sang "Silent Night." Probably the sweetest moment of the evening. I hope it will develop into a new family tradition.

Great moments from 2005 (Cartoons)

Happy Christmas!

From Evan, Ella, and Peanut. Some of you will get this in your post, a little late this year. For everyone, here's our "on time" version.



Happy Christmas!

From this morning's funnies...

After recovering from a spirited exchange over not desiring to share a toy, Ella went over to Evan and gave him a hug. She then said (as it sounded),"Ehhvan.......we shoood get merhweed."

To which Evan said,"We can't do THAT! It's against the law!"

Date with Ella...

Evan had a birthday party to attend tonight, and Lis saw a movie with Carlen, which gave me the perfect set-up for a date with Ella. It was wonderful. I picked her up from her gymnastics class, after getting to snap a few shots with my new camera! We ate at Las Palmas, one of my favorite mexican restaurants. It was a sweet time - we held court, side by side, at a four-person table.

She has a lot to say about things, and when we're together alone, I get wonderfully random hugs and many "I love you, Daddy"s. I'm sure this is what I'm gonna look back on and miss in the years to come.

War to be waged, with good intel.

From an article By J. Weisman/A. Cooperman:

When hundreds of religious activists try to get arrested today to protest cutting programs for the poor, prominent conservatives such as James Dobson, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell will not be among them.

That is a great relief to Republican leaders, who have dismissed the burgeoning protests as the work of liberals. But it raises the question: Why in recent years have conservative Christians asserted their influence on efforts to relieve Third World debt, AIDS in Africa, strife in Sudan and international sex trafficking -- but remained on the sidelines while liberal Christians protest domestic spending cuts?

Conservative Christian groups such as Focus on the Family say it is a matter of priorities, and their priorities are abortion, same-sex marriage and seating judges who will back their position against those practices.

"It's not a question of the poor not being important or that meeting their needs is not important," said Paul Hetrick, a spokesman for Focus on the Family, Dobson's influential, Colorado-based Christian organization. "But whether or not a baby is killed in the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy, that is less important than help for the poor? We would respectfully disagree with that."
_________

Hmm. But not as important, eh?

Barack Obama, US Senator from Illinois, and author/activist Jim Wallis have both observed, as it seems inconsistent with the Christian pro-life stance, that conservative-republican-God-fearin' evangelicals subscribe to a social darwinism once the baby gets out of the womb. They happily cut the umbilical cord and the programs that would help that now-born child stay alive, and develop a life. I like "pro-out-of-the-womb" as more consistent with their policies. It sounds like, as Wallis has said, republican christians are comfortable balancing our country's budget on the backs of the poor. Jesus wouldn't stand for that.

Dickens of a good time...

Those across the pond will find this mildly entertaining. In downtown Franklin, we had the "Dickens of a Christmas" walk this weekend. Interacting with characters and eating lots of kettle corn. Here are some photos...

Carolers sang ye olden Christmas hymns.

Evan and I hung out with Marley's ghost. Dig the holiday beard!

Evan, Ella and Lis with Santa. He was non-commital in answering Evan's inquiry concerning the whereabouts of his reindeer and sleigh.

Happy Christmas!