Welcome 2009

I adore our connection and wish you:

A New Year minted from love

Gilded with courage

Dusted with wonder

Embraced by contradiction

Comfortable with discomfort

Tenderized by self-kindness

Held in the hands of our Source"

Jennifer Louden www.comfortqueen.com

Holiday On Ice

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Amy Grant. Ok, I will admit it, I am a fan-girl. For my birthday my cool mom bought tickets for the Holiday On Ice performance staring, you guessed it, AMY GRANT...oh yea, and Nancy Kerrigan, Michael W. Smith and some other skaters..... I did my best to take some pictures, but they are not all that clear. And since the event was being filmed for TV, I couldn't get up and take better shots. Here is what I have to share.

The Stage - it was really pretty

Nancy Kerrigan - she had a baby 3 months ago, so here jumps were not high up in the air, but she looked beautiful. My friend Barbara (also LaRae's cousin) and my mom. I had to sneak up and take my mom's picture since she does not like it much..... I like this picture as she was so enjoying herself and the skating and the company.

The blurry image in the middle is really Amy Grant. I truly love Christmas Music and I love her and skating is pretty cool too.....so, it was a perfect evening.

Amy has a new Christmas CD this year and on it she has written a new song called "I Need a Silent Night" and it is amazing...I'm a bit obsessed with it at the moment. On the CD, her 4 year old daughter Corina Grant-Gill reads the Savior's birth story from Luke and it is adorable. How cool to have your child's voice recorded for all time on a song you wrote and sang.

This is a YouTube video of Amy's new Christmas Song "I Need a Silent Night." It isn't a great quality video, so to read the lyrics, see my new widget on my blog.....Pretty cool and high tech, huh?

I hope a few of you caught the Holiday on Ice show this past Sunday at 1 pm PST....I used the trusty DVR to "tape" it for me and I've watched it a few times now, fast forwarding to Amy's parts. The show was great - fun to go out with my "girl-friends" .....just one comment...MORE AMY, less skating next time!!

Celebration of the day I was born

Howdy - I have lots to catch up on.... Let's start with pictures from my birthday weekend - Me at 43 Dinner at White Chocolate Grill --- gotta love a place that has desert on the menu before anything else! Seared Ahi Tuna - my favorite!! Sharing some volcanic chocolate thing with my man Then on Sunday - Dinner at my folks - Steak, Artichoke, twice baked potatoes and.....

Desert at my parents on Sunday - Texas Sheet Cake - delish!

And to top off a perfect night --

a few hours of Aggravation (do you remember this game?) I found this one on eBay...and we play every week.

"I got a crush on Obama"

Today is the day we have been waiting for and it is getting pretty exciting. I have not been shy about my support for Mr. Obama. The words; "I got a crush on Obama" has been sung by me often. I admire his integrity, his fighting for what he has believed in and for staying the course throughout his life. His life's beginning has been of interest to me as I find that in my work I see people who come from poverty, disadvantage and struggle can go either way - they either brake out of their disadvantage or they continue to find struggle and disadvantage. It depends on attitude. Attitude determines their altitude. My parents and I have had many disagreements over this election. When I was 18 and went to register to vote my dad said, "Don't come home a democrat," so even though that is the party I wanted to join, I registered republican and stayed a republican until 2006 - then I took the leap and became a democrat as my support and friendship with Dina Titus was strong. So, here I am, a democrat, watching the election returns with hope and with a greater excitement than I have felt in quite some time. 8 pm Pacific time....Hello Mr. President Elect Obama! (TEARS)