Little Drummer Boy

The Christmas season is coming to an end and I could not help putting up more Christmas pictures. Here is my brother David one Christmas morning holding his stocking.

I assume it is Christmas day because of the "Christmas mess" that is all over the floor. If I am right, then when this picture was taken, David will be celebrating his birthday in 5 days.

December 30th (today) is David's birthday.

This picture is prophetic, because David (in the center) grew up a drummer. Glory and Mom were clarinetist and I a flutist. None of us are practicing musicians, but with David I ALWAYS think of him as a drummer.

Drumming WIPE OUT in the garage on 11th street until the police (prompted by the neighbors) told him to stop. Drumming in the living room on his trap set. Drumming on glasses, chair arms, me, or anything that made a noise. His favorite noise is the sound cymbals make.

Later (much later) he was a drummer in church (I played the flute). That's when he became the founding member of The David Hanna Band (think Spinal Tap). The David Hanna band has never cut an album, or even made demo for that matter, but it is my favorite band because of David.

Happy Birthday Baby David.

The Power of the Poinsettia

Shane, Julie, Lesa and I delivered poinsettias to all those people (25) who hosted tables at our Young Life fish fry (remember that?).

People would light up like we where walking in with roses or diamonds. Poinsettias are pretty and they have the power to make people happy; or more accurately I should say showing gratitude has the power to make people happy. So show some.

Extreme Dog Make-Over

About two weeks ago we had a cold morning so I put on brown tights and a skirt and went out into the world. Later that morning I looked down at my legs and realized with tights on I had become a human lint brush. I have a great dog, however she has a lot of fur and during the course of the morning I had picked up a lot of fur on my legs.

ENOUGH ALREADY!

I took her in for a new furdoo. We were both scared. I told the groomer that I wanted all that mess gone, but I still wanted Cookie to look like Cookie. Not sure I was doing the right thing, I left the kennel, thinking "it can grow out." After all was said and done, I think Cookie likes her new look. She seems sassier. It took me a little while to adapt to the new dog....she looked younger, so I just pretended I got a new puppy. She is so cute.

Before

Afters

Deacon of the Week

I have been a member of First Baptist Church of Rockport for a couple of years. Since I didn’t grow up in the Baptist church, I sometimes feel like an observer of Baptist culture.

One thing that I like about the church is Baptist have men who serve as deacons. I googled deacon and found that the word can be translated servant, or waiter. The office of deacon was established by the Apostles. For historical reference please read the following scriptures:

Acts 6:1-4 in those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, it would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.

Every week at First Baptist Rockport they have a Deacon of the Week and his name and phone number is published in the weekly bulletin. We are instructed to call on them if we have a need. I am not a widow, but I am not married. I don’t have a tool box or a ladder or many fix-it skills. So I save up odd jobs around my house that I really need help with and when one of my friends is Deacon of the Week I call them. They always come through like champs. I love deacons and their Acts of Service (there that phrase is again).

Here's Deacon Barney fixing the flag on my mail box. He also added a handle to the door so I could open it easily without scruffing up my fingernails. Aren't deacons a great idea?

How Long Will It Last?

Well, December 1st is here and thanks to Anne, my tree is up. This tree was purchased by one of my coop classes at RFHS. They collected money from everyone in the room ($3 and some change) and then sent a representative to Castaways for the sole purpose of getting us a tree. As you can see it is delightful.

If you recall, last year the tree was toppled and shattered by Buttons and Bo, then only being kittens, on the 23rd. I feel they have matured and believe we can make it until the 25th without any tree disasters. For added insurance, there are very few breakable ornaments on this season's tree. I will now suggest that someone start a pool to see how long before this becomes a tumbling tannenbaum. The count down begins.

Also, on a completely different note, I would like to make mention that tonight I went out for coffee with friends and the City of Rockport put on a fire works show. I've heard of Christmas in July, but not the other way around. It was fun.

Bo starts his investigation.....the clock is ticking.

Standing Tall

Today is Bill's birthday.

The first born of B.T. and Carlene Hanna.

Look how well he represents his family.

Leading by an example of kindheartedness,

he is first in line, then Glory, then David,

then me and Tom.

Bill really is a very nice person.

I hope he has a very nice birthday.

I know, come to Rockport!

1.5%

Do you know there are recommendations/guidelines for what percentage of your yearly income you should spend on housing, groceries, utilities, etc.? For instance, when I was in college it was recommended that consumers allot 25% of your income on housing. Since that was a long time ago, I know that percentage has been increased. After a little research (Googling) I found that it is now recommended you spend 30 - 33% of your yearly income on housing.

Today I heard on the news that Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) recommends you allot 1.5% of your yearly income on Christmas expenses. Those expenses include: gifts, cards, postage, increased grocery costs (Spice Tea, Cookies, Divinity, Fudge, Chex-Mix, that Peppermint Bark stuff), travel expenses and pet boarding expenses. I like CCC because they remind consumers of all the things we don't think of in an effort to help us prevent indebtedness.

So I did the math and I think I can spend $225.00 on Christmas this year. The problem is I don't have $225.00. I should have done the math in January 2007 and then put $18.75 in savings for this purpose every month prior to December 2007. Sadly, I didn't do that.


But that's OK, I have ideas in my head/heart and I have PLENTY of gift wrap. we've already started.

Glory's Birthday Blog

My sister and I share a few things in common. The first is our compulsion for white shirts. Put either of us in a pair of khaki pants and a white button down and we are ready for ANY occasion. People I know refer to it as "my uniform" but people Glory knows take it one step further.

Last year everyone at Glory's works dressed up as GLORY for Halloween. They donned blond wigs, glasses, neutral slacks and white button down shirts. The sign of authenticity was Starbucks cups and coffee stains on the front of their shirts. (Hanna's are dribblers).

My sister is the recipient of the most sincere form of flattery....imitation.
I am proud of her, her life, and her antics.......Happy Birthday Golly!

Love Languages

There is a book out and in it the author proposes that we all demonstrate or receive love in one of five different ways. I haven't read the book, but all the young newly marrieds I know seem to read it, so I hear things.

Let's review what I know about a book I haven't read....shall we?
The five love languages are:

1. Quality Time- if this is your language, then you love spending time with people..."quality time"....whatever that means (you can see this isn't my language).
2. Physical Touch- hugging, touching, squeezing....the idea makes me want to run for the hills.
3. Words of Affirmation- you need to hear you are appreciated and special and important.....what a wiener.
4. GIFTS - bingo! You got it. I love gifts. But what is cool about people who receive love through gifts is the gift doesn't have to be grand. In my case, if you gave me a roll of TP, and said "Here, I got this for you." I would feel the love.
5. Acts of Service - I like this one too. HELP ME! I was having trouble deciding between this and gifts, then I learned you could have a primary love language AND a secondary language. Since this is my secondary language, I have decided to add Acts of Service to my Needs and Wants List (2008). You are so welcome.

So there you have it, the five love languages. If you want to tell me you love me effectively then buy me something, or help me out with the laundry and heavy lifting.

But more than that, I would appreciate it if you would keep your hands to yourself.

Catherine’s Wishes and Wants List 2007

Note: High Priority Items listed first.

J. Crew City Fit Chinos in size 2Tall - Thank You Jerry and Marsha

A Year’s Supply of any of the following:
Folgers Classic Roast Coffee - Thank You Anne and Seth
Laundry Detergent (Tide with or w/o Bleach or Gain)
Paper Towels - Thank You YL for the leftovers from the Fish Fry
Cat Litter (Tidy Cat)
Crest White Strips
Northern Quilted Bathroom Tissues - Thank you Cecelia...I was getting desperate!
Easy Macs - Thank You Bootsie and Lesa

Gift Cards at the following in order of importance to me:
H.E.B. to purchase items mentioned above - Thanks Mom!
Starbucks - Thank you Helen, Julie, Cecelia, Jerry and Marsha, and my favorite Barrista Ashley
iTunes - Thank you to everyone who gave me a Starbucks card because I took the cards into the store and used them to buy the Starbucks cards that had the free iTunes downloads on them......I can't believe they let me do it. Now I have 24 free downloads and counting.

A Gift Certificate at:
Bealls (we have one in Rpt) for Clinique foundation and mascara
Radio Shack (ask for Chris at 361-729-1751) so I can buy:
1. iGo Auto ($29.99) - Thank you Seth and Anne!
2. A32 Power Tip for my Razor MV3 - Thank you Seth and Anne!
3. iGo Power Tip A61 for my iPod
4. A Motorola Razor Clear Shield to protect my new free Razor mV3 phone
5. A clear shield for my iPod, but they are out of stock right now.

Presents of Interest
New Black Pumps to go with the fancy new clothes Glory got me.
A “Plug-In” room freshener from Bath and Body Works (heard they were great).

Birthday Philosophy

I have a very definite birthday philosophy that I wish the world would adopt. So, knowing you won't go back into the archives and read what I wrote regarding birthdays last year, the teacher in me feels it is time for a review.

• One day is not long enough to celebrate the life you have been given. It was for that reason I celebrate the Twelve Days of Catherine, starting on November 1st and ending on my actual birthday, the 12th.
• By dragging out your birthday, you are doing your friends a service. No longer are they pinned down to one day to pat you on the back. They have 12 days (in my case) to do something. Pick a day my friends....it's all good.
• Enjoying your birthday is your responsibility. It's all about attitude....or should I say gratitude.
• Have humble expectations. Don't dream up wild birthday wishes that no one can fulfill. Learn to acknowledge the life you have been given as "the gift". The apostle Paul wrote that he "learned" to be content whether he abased or abound.

With this review in mind I would like to say that today I am filled with inner birthday struggles. The Young Life Annual Fish Fry is also scheduled for November 12th. I don't mind sharing the night, after all, what a great night to have 200 of my closest friends in one spot for dinner. The problem lies in the fact that every day leading up to the Fish Fry I am responsible for coordinating all the little details that go into pulling something like this off. UGH! When am I going to find the time to coordinate all the little details that go into the 12 Days of ME! It's enough to drive the most stable person crazy.

Now you see my dilemma. I feel like the kid who's birthday is December 25th. My heart goes out to all you holiday babies. So this year during the 12 days of Catherine I am really being tested. I'm having to walk the walk in spite of the circumstances.

That being said, "the review" was for my benefit. God bless me.

On the First Day of Catherine

The government gave to me my Medicare card. I applied for it two years ago and got it in August (of this year). It became effective today. So on the first day of Catherine I took it down to Dr. Haun's office and got a flu shot.
The accountant told me the bill was $30.00 but when I whipped out my card she said, "Oh, then it doesn't cost anything."
I took a picture of my Medicare card to share with you but then I realized it had my social security number on it. I didn't feel posting that information on the enterweb would be prudent.

Surprises!

I want to record for posterity Carlene's 81st birthday surprise at Starbucks in Pearland, TX.


On October 17th I drove to Freeport to spend the night with Mom in order to take her to Starbucks the morning of her birthday (Oct. 18th). The closest Starbucks to Freeport is in Pearland (45 miles) and Mom was all for it.


What she didn't know was Glory was flying into Houston the same morning for her Brazosport High School 40 year reunion. We didn't know who would get there first, but either way, it was going to be a surprise.

As Mom entered Glory pats the chair next to her and says, "Hey, why don't you go ahead and sit here." Mom stared at the chair, then looked at Glory for a minute. .....processing.....then it hit her. Next came the hugging and some weepy babbling. Then in a moment of clarity Carlene looked at me asked, "Did you know about this?"




We all had our coffee and told Mom all about our scheming. Bill called my cell phone to say happy birthday, so I gave her the phone and they talked for a bit. Then about two minutes later HE WALKED IN and kissed Mom on the cheek. I had no idea and neither did Glory. It was such a good switcheroo that it felt like it was my birthday too. We all sat there together, drinking coffee and basking in our cleverness.

Happy Birthday Gweema!

Halloween or Hallowon't?

Halloween is hard. I am conflicted. I have taken two approaches to this night. The first is to turn off all the lights and hide in my house, sometimes I just evacuate all together. The second approach is a mild participation in the "festivities". I buy a bag of candy and wait for the little ones to come to my door dressed as ghouls, ghosts, pirates, and hookers.

Tonight I sit here with a bag of candy and NO ONE has knocked on my door. Such is the case with me and Halloween. If I don't buy the candy they swarm my front porch like scary moths, but if I buy the candy they stay away like vampires avoiding the sun. I remember last year going outside and snagging kids off the street trying to get them to take my candy.....then I saw this strange look in one dad's eyes and I thought maybe I was being a little pushy. So I retreated to my house and turned out the lights.

My friends Gail and David mailed me this coin purse with a Starbucks card inside for Halloween. The card came with a sticker on it saying I could download two iTunes for FREE. What a great, goofy thing to get in the mail. Sue sent me a cute card with a kitten wearing a witches hat. It is this goofiness that makes me like Halloween....and my goofy friends. Thank you friends.

I also want to apologize to all the people over 40 for the orange font color. I KNOW IT IS HARD TO READ!

State of Mind

Glory and I covered a lot of ground during our trip. We have roamed the USA several times in our lives together. This got me to thinking about all the different people I have taken road trips with and all the place we had been.

Let this post serve as my official 2007 State Visitation Inventory. The criteria for this inventory is NOT that I had a quality experience. All I had to do was cross over the state's boarder, if only briefly, by land (not air).

TEXAS - born here

Oklahoma

Kansas

Iowa

Minnesota

Nebraska

Missouri

Arkansas

Louisiana

Mississippi

Alabama

Georgia

Florida

Virginia

North Carolina

Tennessee (I think, with Glory once)

Washington D.C.

Maryland

Delaware

New Jersey

Pennsylvania

New York

Connecticut

Rhode Island

Massachusetts

New Mexico

Colorado

You might want to think about taking your own inventory at this time.

Dorothy Was Right

There's no place like home.

Reconnecting

Back in Atlanta I got to reconnect with a friend of mine from my college days in Dallas. She and I both attended the same megachurch and met in a home cell group. I haven't seen Anita in 15 years (since my last road trip to Florida). I had to google her several months ago to find her in fact. Isn't Google convenient and scary?

We all met at P.F. Changs (hence the horse sculptures) and it was like NO time had transpired between us. I love that. I love you Anita; our lunch was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Everyone needs to think of someone they need to reconnect with RIGHT NOW....who is it?
Call them.

Lost in Harlem

Glory and I spent our last night in New York in a town called White Plains. I strategically suggested it because I new that the oldest pet cemetery in America was on the same road several exits up in the Hamlet of Hartsdale.

We had to get on the road and return the medical equipment, the rent car, see the Statue of Liberty and make a 3:00 p.m. train to Washington D.C. Glory demonstrated great patience in humoring me on my odd adventure. So while Glory sat in the car with the motor running, I ran around the cemetery like a girl "picking daisies" in a meadow. It was fun.

The last picture you see here is of the War Dog Memorial where heroic dogs of "the world war" are buried. When they made the tombstone, little did they know another world war was on it's way.

We continued our trek into the city and got lost in Harlem. Then we got locked down in traffic by Central Park. Then we got lost in Battery Park. Finally about 2 hours and 45 minutes later we could see our destinations with our eyes but didn't know how to get to them with the car (major road construction as it was Ground Zero).

We were able to return the equipment and rent car, but I never got to see Lady Liberty. I did however get to see Malto Mario in Penn Station. Those of you who watch Food TV will know of whom I am speaking.

For those of you who are interested, I added more pictures to the "Road Trip" album; click and see.

Why Would a Friend Do This?

I received this in an email WHILE I was on vacation. Doesn't Cookie look PITIFUL?

Divine Providence

When leaving Cape Cod I suggested (repeatedly) that we we drive through Providence, Rhode Island to get a picture of the First Baptist Church in America.

My history with the Baptist has been short, therefore I felt I could benefit from a "pilgrimage" of sorts. I met a lady named Diane and told her about joining my first Sunday School class. I told her we were studying Matthew and she said, "That's an undertaking." I could tell I was talking too much so I grabbed a brochure and got the hell out of there.

http://www.fbcia.org/

A Morning on the Beach

While we were driving to Cape Cod I got on the phone and called Amanda so I could say, "Glory and I are driving to Hyannis Port to get some seafood." I'm horrible, but think about it, when will I be able to say that again.

We ate seafood, but I've got news for all you Gulf Coast residence, New Englanders don't fry their seafood. There wasn't a Fried Seafood Platter on ANY menu. Glory had the steak and lobster. I ordered Halibut....... for the hell of it.....literally just so I could say that.

Now enjoy our pretty pictures (more in Cat's Photo Album).

Mark Twain Had Eleven Cats

Glory and I left Massachusetts and headed to Hartford, CT. It seemed like a nice place to stop for the evening. I noticed on the map, in microscopic print, the words: The Mark Twain House. So after finding a hotel we determined to visit the home of Samuel Clemens (his real name) in the morning. Sam's (as the tour guide referred to him) had a very swanky house. It was fitted with the most modern conveniences: electricity, indoor plumbing, a telephone, wall to wall carpet. Glory got reprimanded for touching the piano. She toured the rest of the house with her hands clasped behind her back. I had an uncontrollable urge to plop down in a chair.

After our tour I found out I wasn't the only Texan in Connecticut that day.

On the Road

Glory and I left NYC and headed north to the Adirondacks. We stayed with her friends Al and Nancy in Chestertown, NY. They took us on a tour of the area which is the same setting for the novel Last of the Mohicans. It was a place of winding roads and scenic views. After two days Glory, Al and Nancy plotted our path and we were off again.

Heading to the Birkshires our next stop was Stockbridge, Massachusetts to see the Norman Rockwell Museum and the Red Lion Inn (est. 1773).

In 1941 President Roosevelt gave his State of the Union Address and in it he declared Four Freedoms that all Americans were entitled to:

1. Freedom of Speech
2. Freedom of Worship
3. Freedom from Want
4. Freedom from Fear

Norman Rockwell was so inspired by this speech that he created four paintings illustrating each and all four were covers for the Saturday Evening Post. These four paintings were used to promote the purchase of war bonds. No other campaign did as well in the war effort.

Almost two hundred years earlier at the Red Lion Inn colonists/farmers met and organized a protest of British oppression and unfair taxation. Lead by Daniel Sheys, Stockbridge became know as the headquarters for "Sheys Rebellion".

You can see pictures of our road trip in Cat's Photo Album in the sidebar. I encourage you to google "The Four Freedoms". You can also read about the Red Lion Inn at http://www.redlioninn.com/.

Reluctant Tourist

I never intended to go to Ground Zero. I just don't think of it as a place for "tourism". That being said, when we arrived at our hotel, Glory called me over to the window .
There it was: Ground Zero. I couldn't believe it.

I knew that since we were there, then the church that served as a sanctuary for workers and volunteers during the aftermath of the disaster had to be near by.

St. Paul's Episcopal Chapel (est. 1766) answered the call to an unexpected ministry that lasted from September 11th until June 2nd.

Can you see in the picture on this sign how much debris is in the churchyard? It took them two years to clean up the fall out.

Below is a "monument" of patches from the service workers uniforms. It is displayed in the sanctuary.

You can see more pictures in Cat's Photo Albums (Ground Zero) or read more about the church at http://www.saintpaulschapel.org/.

The Big Apple

Arriving in NYC can be described as SUPERsizing life. I was overwhelmed with the magnitude of people and spaces. I just started taking pictures. When you look in my NYC photo album (found in Cat's Photo Albums in the sidebar) you may think the pictures are random....well they are, I was snapping from buses, cabs, windows, street corners, etc.

There is so much to do, so we started by taking a tour bus around a small section of the town. We got off the bus to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and found ourselves in the middle of a parade.

Turns out the parade was not for Glory and me, but instead it was the 50th German-American Steuben Parade. The Grand Marshal was Henry Kissenger (no picture...sorry Kissenger fans).

I forced my sister to take me to TWO quilt shops. She was very tolerant and suggested this photo op. I stood in the pink section for the picture as it is my favorite color.

It's hard to write about Jersey Boys. Know in advance that there is no way I can get the experience down in words. How can you describe something so sensory? But I want you to know how I came to be a fan, so here it goes.

It all started last year when I made a birthday CD for Glory. I got Bill, Sue and David to tell me songs she loved when she was in high school. One of the songs on the CD was "Can't Take My Eyes of of You" by Frankie Valli. I was intrigued and I ended up downloading more songs by him and the Four Seasons for myself.

When asked what play I wanted to see while in NYC, the first thing that came to my mind was Jersey Boys. Tickets of course were sold out, or cost $345.00 a seat, but as the boys say "Big Girls Don't Cry".

Glory managed to get "actor's seats" from someone, who knew someone ,who had a nephew who was a producer. We were 8th row, center and the whole thing was wondersful. I sat there and sang all the words to every song. I even got a little emotion when he sang "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You. I am happy that most of the songs are already on my iPod.

How much do you think these two bags of chips cost? Go ahead, guess. The answer is in Cat's Photo Album under NYC. I laughed out loud when the clerk told me.