What can we say? We're excited for Christmas!!

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Reflections on the Savior

In the spirit of Christmas, this fits so well. Thanks to a good friend for sharing, and blessing a part of my day with inspiration and clarity.

Turn your volume up, and enjoy.

http://www.reflectionsmg.com/reflections-of-christ-videos.php

Let me know what you think. What better time of the year to reflect on our Savior and his life?

Merry Christmas.

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. ~Confucius

So it came,

and it went,

And now it all really begins.

The tassel's worth the hassle

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

You're on your own.And you know what you know.

You are the guy who'll decide where to go.

~Dr. Seuss

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Today is GRADUATION DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Give me a minute to be excited!!!! (insert awkward victory dance here)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Gown ironed, family commuting to town, tickets arranged, reservations for dinner done, watch out y'all 'cause I'm about to graduate!

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Pictures to follow.....

Christmas is coming!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper, definitly paper. It just feels more like Christmas to unwrap a present. Gift bags are for birthdays.

2. Real tree or artificial? Real. I've never had to cope with a fake tree, and thankfully David won't make me!

3. When do you put up the tree? Yesterday for fhe. So I guess around the 8th of December.

4. Do you like eggnog? Yes please!!

5. Favorite gift received as a child? Christmas when I was 6 or 7, our parents hid my sister and I's toys in a barbie tent in the kitchen. We woke up and didn't have any presents under the tree, I think just the trauma from not having presents at first made everything we got that much better!

6. Hardest person to buy for? If it's not David then it's definitely any of the other Goode boys. They are nearly impossible!

7. Easiest person to buy for? Anna and Kim. Children are much much easier to buy for.

8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes! Thank you Maggie! I've been hunting for one that I liked ever since we were married. Maggie (my darling sister in law) made me one that I LOVE at her wards super Saturday. So YES! we finally have a nativity.

9. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Mail. Duh.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I'm not sure.

11. Favorite Christmas movie? Elf (Does it have sugar in it? Then Yes!) Rudolf, and The Christmas Story.

12. When do you start shopping? November I start planning, and mid-way buying.

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably......

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Grams toffee bars, Shortbread cookie balls, and layer cookies. Sweets apparently.

15. Lights on the tree? Do people not pout lights on their trees? I say the more the merrier.

16. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night. Preferable sung by Sis. Mazarra. And anything from Handel's 'Messiah'.

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? This year we're home. Next year we'll travel, and so on and so forth.
18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, but do you recall? The most famous reindeer of all? Rudolf!

19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star. As a child we always had the pointy ball looking thing though.

20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One present each on Christmas Eve; the rest the next morning

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? That it ends.

22. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham, sweet potatoes, and some sort of bread.

23. What do you want for Christmas this year? A few things....

Thanksgiving and Home

We just got back from our Thanksgiving in Palm Bay. It was a wonderful few days that we were sad to see end. It's always good to be able to go back and be reminded of the lessons we have learned. That dirt doesn't hurt; that you can get sunburned when it's 65 degrees outside; 7 year olds are the sweetest; that homemade is always better than store bought; that I want to be like my mother; and that no matter what I do or where I go I have an amazing family of wonderful people that will always love me. Lessons that have already been learned, it's just nice to have reminders sometimes.

From shadow puppets outside, and moms garden, to our Saturday picnic (see above), here are some glimpses of our weekend:

#23-30

23. Sisters
24. Hootenanny's
25. Education
26. Employment
27. Oak Trees
28. Florida weather
29. Relief Society

So at first this '30 days of thankful' was a little awkward. Besides the generic things it was difficult in the beginning to identify the little, less obvious blessings that we have in our lives. The awkwardness quickly passed though, and I am happy to report that today's post took approximatly 1 minute (and that was mostly because of my typing deficit). Our lives are so blessed. It is really kind of sad that it took us literally 'counting our blessings' to begin to understand HOW many blessings we have in our lives. So this brings me to my final number, not that I couldn't keep going, because I definitely could. It's just '30 days of thankful' wouldn't be very honest if it went on into the bazillions.

30. I am so thankful for a loving Father in Heaven who sees fit to fill our lives with so many blessings. All we have to do is try to do what's right, and he answers with an outpouring of blessing that make our lives so much easier.

Hopefully with this lesson learned, and a little more fully understood, we'll be able to notice more often all of the things that we have to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,

The Goodes

#17-22

17. Cold weather
18. Institute
19. Jacksonville
20. Cars
21. Personal revelation
22.Washing Machines

I was tagged by Nicole

6 UnSpEcTaUlAr QuIrKs

1. I don't eat pizza rolls whole. I really don't eat any 'bite size' thing (candy bars, pizza rolls, mini quiches) whole. Are my bites too small, or the worlds too big? Im not really sure...

2. I make a wreath for every holiday/season. Naked doors are kind of sad.

3. I brush my teeth as soon as I wake up in the mornings, and then again after I eat breakfast. My morning routine is actually quite rigid!

4. I have patience to teach children with disabilities how to read, but not enough patience to sit through one traffic light cycle.

5. I would rather be 40 minutes early than 1 minute late. (Everyone from church just laughed out loud, but I swear our tardiness is all David!!) When Im going to a place (class, school, someones house, church) I plan to leave at least 1/2 hour before Im supposed to be there...being late stresses me out.

6. I love going places, but hate to drive. Roadtrips and new places are my absolute favorite! Good thing my hubby doesn't mind driving =)

I TAG: Jac, Brittany, Carrie, Jenilee, Stephanie, and Lisa. Have fun ladies!


Here are the rules: 1.Link to the person who tagged you and comment in the comment section on their original "quirk" post 2.Mention the rules on your blog 3.Tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you 4. tag 6 bloggers (or more!) by linking to them.

Christmas is coming...

And I'm getting excited. Lucky for me I have friends who are just as Christmas crazy as I am. This past week we got together and look what we did..

Christmas
Present Trees
2008

#6 through #16

Well, this has not worked out quite like I thought it would. I think when I planned '30 days of thankful', in my mind I would post every night, reflecting on something that I was really thankful for that day. WhatI failed to remember was that I would have to fit blogging in second to: finishing a portfolio, a class of 44 students, an observation by a pricnipal, a visit from a supervisor, appplying for a job, signing up for certification exams, attending intern seminars, a young womens annual planning retreat (which involved LOTS of planning and prepration), a husband who has been seriously neglected, maintaining a clean living space, grocery shopping, finding a home inspector and scheduling an inspection, a few drives down to Middleburg to sign the never ending amount of paperwork for the house, attempting to begin packing a very unorganized apartment, keeping in touch with family, applying for graduation, the start of Top Chef, a long over due girls night, furniture shopping, showering, eating, and if there's time sleeping, AND starting to prepare for Christmas.

Needless to say, I've been a little pressed for time these days. So my '30 Days of Thankful' is going to be a little different than intended. So here it is, my attempt to catch up and reflect on the good things in my life. After all it's still November, and heaven knows I've still got a lot to be thankful for.

The list began with :

1. The gospel
2. Music
3. David
4. Democracy

and continues with Daivd's input to include:

5. Monty. He's one crazy cat
6. Our health
7. Holidays. Don't let dabid fool you, he loves the decorating that comes with each one.
8. Weekends. Especially Stake conference ones.
9. Good books. And with that the library.
10. Our big ol' family and all their support and silliness.
11. Fall time/seasons
12. La Napolera
13. Chinese food
14. Pickels
15. Target. Because without them we'd be forced to shop at Wal Mart for everything.
16. Employment. We've had some jobs let me tell you, but at this point we're both enjoying what we're doing. And that is something to be thankful for!

Now, lets see how the rest of the month goes....

#4: Democracy

At least I think I am =). There was something so invigorating about going to the polls to vote. I am thankful to live in a country where i count, and my opinion matters. I am thankful for The United States of America, and the great country it is.

# 3: David

I decided yesterday that I wasn't going to put David high on my list. I really don't like it when people get all mushy gooshy about how perfect their marriages and spouses are, so to save everyone else the gag factor, I decided that I wouldn't put David too high on my list. This is what I get.

You know it's bad when you are already dreading the planning retreat that is two weeks away and spending one night 5 minutes down the raod away from him. Or when the first thought you tend to have about things during the day is "I wonder what David would think", or "I wonder what he would say" (because it'll probably be something hilarious and wonderful). OR when you prefer a night sitting on the couch doing absolutly nothing with him there to a night out with the girls. Im not really sure when it got this bad. Or when I decided that David may actually be the greatest husband in the world (go ahead and argue with me, I have data to support this), and the smartest most wonderful man EVER. But it has happened. And holy guacamole am I ever so grateful for him. For our marriage in the temple. For the way I feel when I'm with him. For the peaceful quiet and stillness he brings into my c.r.a.z.y. life. For his sense of humor, and his understanding of mine (not many people get me). For his love of the jaguars, and hate of seafood. For his understanding of the gospel, and his desire to live it.

I am thankful for David.

NOVEMBER

Sacrament meeting today was really great in our ward. Sister Caruso, the ward chorister and my Visting Teacher, mentioned in her testimony how much she enjoys November. She talked about how she tries to spend time each day thinking about things she is thankful for. It sounded a little like a challenge to me, and so with out further adu.....

30 days of thankful begins!

I'll really try to keep up with this, if I miss a day, I'll do my best to make up for it. My goal here is to find at least one thing every day that I am thankful for. I don't anticipate it being difficult, I know that my life is full of blessings. I just think it will be good to really focus on the good things in my life, and to reflect on how truely blessed I am.

So......

1. The Gospel.

Tonight David and I got to go to a CES broadcast in the Mandarin bldg. There is something about broadcasts, and hearing a General Authority speak, that renews my testimony of the restored gospel. I am so thankful for the knowledge I have of the gospel, and the peace and joy I have in my life because of it.

2. Music.

I love music. I'm pretty sure I am part music. Music is my color. It completes me (thank you for the line Tom Cruise). I am thankful for music. For good music that matches my many moods, that inspires me, uplifts me, encourages me, moves me, motivates me, reminds me. I am thankful for music.

HaLlOwEeN PaRtY

Last night. At the Trunks. Brittani, Jac, and I planned our little hearts out, and successfully threw the best halloween par-tay ever. At least I thought it was. Lots of food, and lots of good friends, and some super scary decorations curtosy of Jac's shopaholisim. so here are the pictures, though they don't really do it justice. David and I are Mario and Princess Toadstool, an ode to Super Mario b]=Brothers. Clif and Brittani were Luigi and Princess Daisy. Between the four of us, and Adam (who game dressed as 'gamer') we had a complete vidoe game tribute going!

Be it ever so humble

Be it ever so humble,

As some of you know we've been looking for a house in clay county for the past little while. We've looked everywhere, and even had a contract with a builder in a neighborhood in southern Orange Park. Nothing has worked like we thought it would, and we've really gotten our hopes up for a lot of different things just to be disappointed. Our last experience we made an offer on a house that we truely did love. The location (at the front of Argyle) was great, the lay out was lovely, and the yard was a BIG blank slate waiting for me to create something beautiful. So we made the offer (actually above what was being asked) and the waiting game started. We waited 2 weeks, anxiously calling our realtor every day just to have him say that there was still no news. I had all but given up, and we had made appointments to see some other places when we got the call. And much to our surprise it was eactly what we wanted to hear! The bank accepted our offer, and we are set to close (pending a good home inspection) on November 16th! We're so excited, and couldnt be more happy with the way things have worked out!

Lesson learned: As hard as it can be to want something and not get it, there is always a reason. We've been able to see the hand of the Lord in our lives as we've sought after things that weren't quite what we needed. Even if the inspection fails and we end up somewhere else in the end, I know that it will be the right place for us.

So here we go, it should be an exciting month. Home inspections, WDO's, closings, and then all of the things we want to do to the house. Wish us luck!

There's no place like home.

I am: Heather Elizabeth Goode

I know: families can be together forever.
I want: peace.
I have: a million other things I should be doing right now.
I dislike: judgmental people.
I miss: the barn, pine cone wars, and mud baths.
I feel: blessed, very, very blessed.
I hear: kids outside on the playground.
I smell: cinnimon oil on the pinecones.
I crave: grams tomato relish on roast beef.
I cry: when other people cry.
I search: the scriptures.
I wonder: what our kids will look like, and if they'll like me.
I regret: hurting peoples feelings.
I love: music. and David. especially music with David.
I care: what other people are feeling.
I worry: about my family.
I remember: when we met.
I believe: in people. all kinds of people.
I dance: when I sing. which is all the time.
I don't: like my car.
I argue: when it matters.
I write: every night.
I win: everytime I want to.
I lose: the rest of the time.
I wish: the world was nicer. kinder.
I listen: to anyone who wants to talk. and lots of music.
I can usually be found: with children.
I am scared: to death of the dark.
I need: a haircut.
I forget: how wonderful my life is.
I am happy: period.

That was way too much fun!

"It is one of the

blessings

of

old friends

that you can

afford to be

stupid

with them."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The past weeks events (none of huge consequence, mostly just everyday happenings that for whatever reason I paid a little more attention to) have led to some rather serious reflections on the people I choose to associate with. These reflections have led to one big conclusion: it turns out I have great associations, and quite a bit to be greatful for by way of those who provide me commradory.

So here it is...an ode to friends, a special shout out, a deep thank you to those whom I call

FRIEND.

Top seven reasons I love my friends:
1. Laughter. All of the ridiculous laughter.

2. 6 am, grape eating crabs, and a life guard stand (if it dosn't apply move on to number three).

3. For indulging me as I discuss the horrors of politics, and my anger with the world. (I can't imagine how old it gets listening to me, but you all do it so well anyways =))

4. For seeing past my sometimes social awkwardness, and all of my many shortcomings to enjoy my company anyways.

5. For supporting me in my quest to try everything dipped in chocholate.

6. For enjoying everything dipped in chocholate with me.

7. For being such plesant and wonderful reminders of so many principles of the gospel (charity, kindness, patience, faith), and really motivatiog me to be a better person.

"Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together"

- Woodrow Wilson

OCTOBER!!!

It has been a beautiful day here in Jakcsonville, and you just can't help but be excited that it's fall! The air is a little (stress LITTLE) bit cooler, the trees are just starting to looses their lush green-ness, and soon it'll be a full blown Florida fall! WOOOO!

David and I are on our way out the door to enjoy the fallish weather in a game of tennis. Really what we do can hardly be considered tennis, and be too impressed thinking we're athleticly inclined. Anybody who knows anything about tennis would be embarresed to watch us hit the ball around on the court =) The few times I manage to send it back over the net to David it is either so high that you loose it in the glare of the lights, or it interupts the game on the adjacent court. But what can you do? It's always good to laugh, and we have fun. It's just another testament to my theory that he and I were clearly ment for eachother!

Just practicing...

Really just want to see what things look like posted =) Excuse me while I practice play...

Celebrate Goode Times!

Okay, so maybe that's a little cheesy, but Im kind of excited to get started here! This is really just a trial post (it's my first time you know) so I'm going to keep it short. A special shout out to Mrs. Seizmore, she is absolutly my inspiration to do this! Just go look at her super cute blog, and you'll understand =). So here we go....Im offically blogging!