I am still recovering from watching this movie. I feel almost as disturbed after watching this movie as I have watching movies about human cruelty. I'm still detoxing. I went to the fridge for some skim string cheese and a tangerine afterwards, but I feel like I won't be a whole woman until I've had bell-peppers or something.

Practice with the early mornings

Steve went hiking this morning so he was up at 5. I woke up about 5 min. before his alarm went off for my routine bathroom trip, and couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided, what's vacation if not a chance to get up and make pancakes in the "wee sma's"? I'll head back to bed soon for a nice, satisfying sleep-in while I still can, especially because early morning L.A. news is dismal.

Today before my NST appointment I will probably go in to work and start getting my stuff packed up to come home. I've been in that office for 6 1/2 of my 7 1/2 years, which is more than I've lived in any one place since I left my parents' house. It will be so strange to pack up that part of my life. I don't think I could have really prepared this change. I have so identified myself as a working woman that making such a huge career change will be a bit of a shock.

In other news... a San Bernadino County Jesus is missing. Basically someone took a bolt cutter to the life-sized Jesus and have taken him away somewhere. Surprisingly the local media is outraged.

The first of 3 Christmases

I think we're lucky to only have 3 Christmases... The La Mirada Earles, the Sørensens on Christmas Eve, and the Earles of Almaden (San Jose) on Christmas Night. Luckily I no longer have to have Christmas with the Brunswicks or the extended Sørensens. It just would be too much.

This was my favorite Christmas gift from my husband this Christmas. I wondered at first why he chose purple until he told me that amethyst is the February birthstone! I'm telling you, this guy pulls out the stops. The Christmas before our wedding, he knew I was trying to find pearls to borrow, and I was starting to stress out about it, so he bought me these beatiful pearls. What a guy!


Today we had our traditional aebleskiver with our cousins, and the afternoon has consisted of picking tangerines and oranges, making blueberry pie, and breaking in Mom and Dad's new SWEET leather recliners while watching football. People keep insisting I get off my feet, which doesn't take much convincing. I can't think of a better way to spend Christmas.

Snow in L.A.

This is in response to Sarah's question... thought it deserved its own post.

The last time it snowed in L.A. was January 10, 1949. This is 8 days after my mother's first birthday.

Happy first day of winter!

For Stuck in OK

Just thought you should know it got up to 80 degrees today. I put on the air conditioner in my car. Currenly it is 57 degrees. Might be time to pull out my scarf. I feel very at home here when all the palm trees have lights on them. This is one of those days I would have loved to be at Disneyland--they make their own "snow" there at Christmas, and it's fun to see it come down in So Cal temperatures.

Optical challenge

I had a hard time seeing the face in all this... but notice the face takes up the whole picture. The bright spot over the top is the curve of her head, the bright spot lower down is the bridge of her nose and you can see the eye slits. She's laid back with the top of her head to the right. It was so sweet... she was sucking a little bit while she slept. Even the Ultrasound tech let out an "awww!"

Bad days, good endings

I had one of those days today. Some unpleasantness in the morning, then a yucky meeting in the afternoon. I was a bit of a hormonal disaster anyway, and I got a little rough with someone in the meeting. But the weird thing was, everyone in the meeting was proud of me instead of rebuking me. I stood up to someone who had been speaking out of turn (idealogically, not like "Roger's Rules of Order"), and just didn't want to muck around anymore. I should have known it would be a mucky day when I hit not one, but TWO trains on the way to an appointment, not to mention every conceivable red light between point A and point B! However, the evening was wonderful, with a wonderful husband, a sweet little brother, and some good Sweedish Meatballs. What else could I ask for?

My new education

This wasn't our teacher... this lady looks a lot more normal.

Tonight I began the shift from higher education--supporting Masters degree students and learning about graduate subjects myself--to being educated about how to clean poop. Welcome to my new life. Actually, I learned more in the first 5 minutes than I expected to learn all night. I learned you only swaddle an infant for the first two weeks, that you sponge bathe the baby until their umbilical cord falls off, and that I'm REALLY glad I'm having a girl... no fountains of joy.

Those of you that know my spouse would have been proud. He did quite well. I only had to correct him once, but I think it will be easier to remember to fold the diaper top down when there's a crazy umbilical stump sticking out there to remind him.

Ah, December

We learned a new Christmas tradition this year from Rick Steves. Apparently the Norwegians make rice porridge and an almond is hidden in one of the bowls. If you find the almond, you win the Marzipan Pig. I suppose some of our little traditions must sound equally random abroad...



The quick updates:
* Steve loved his bike! I even got a few features I didn't realize he really wanted, like the chain guard and nice, fat fenders.
* Narnia was wonderful! I will say, it still doesn't compare to reading the book. There are so many places in the book where I am so deeply moved by the interaction with Aslan, but really I'm not complaining.
* I did a pass at Kringler, a Danish sugar pretzel cookie thing, but realized my mom is still the expert.
* We go in tonight to learn how to care for an infant. This should be comical. I have my old cabbage patch doll to assist.
* Tomorrow (hopefully) we will finally have our doctor's appointment to find out about my marginal placenta previa, and what this means for the next 8 1/2 weeks of pregnancy for me.
* 8 1/2 weeks, and only 5 more pounds allowed... don't think I'll make it under the wire with Christmas coming up!
* Training one of my "replacements" this week and next still. I am nervous about covering it all... but God has been faithful thus far.

Happy Birthday, Beloved!

Today is a good day!! On this day many, many, many years ago my dear Steven came into the world. He is a wonderful, loving husband, and upright and righteous man, and one of the most FUN people I've ever known. I'm thankful daily that God broke Dan Maltby's computer so that I could bump into this guy. Have a wonderful day, Love!

The stuff in my head today

1.) Feel sorry for me. I have six family birthdays between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Okay, the last one is on January 2nd, but still, I had better have a gift ready by then. And the real bummer is one of them is my husband's birthday, so while I'm running around trying to get ready for Christmas, I still want to try to make his birthday special and not an afterthought.

2.) I spent time tonight on the "La Leche League" website, just trying to figure out how in the world you nurse in public. I want to get a few shirts that allow you to nurse without giving public offense.

3.) I'm training the second new employee who will be taking over my position. The first person is pretty well trained now, and I'm confident about the 2nd. Training is a lot of work though.

4.) Would Condi be a good candidate for President? I don't know enough about her, but she is an amazing communicator. I would kill for her poise.

5.) Do the Seahawks have a chance at the Bowl? Could the West Coast have a new conquistador?

O Tannenbaum!

Okay, this isn't the tree... I can't find my cord to upload the pictures, and I don't have it decorated yet anyway, but I thought I needed a picture to commemorate the getting of the tree. We went back to the Douglas this year... it's so much cheaper and smells just as good. The whole house just smells divine. We looked into fakey trees, but we discovered that it would take 9 years of real trees to catch up to the price we pay for our little Doug. We might look for a fakey after Christmas to see if there's a deal to be had, but so far we're back to the real. Besides, Hans would have ben appaled had we gone fake!

New loyalties

As of today, I am now officially a Seahawks/Sonics/Mariners/Huskies fan. I've been moving that direction for some time, and I've always been partial to Seattle, but now my own blood is flowing in the beautiful state of Washington. My sister and my two sweet nieces landed within the last several minutes in their new home, to be greeted by their daddy (the girls' daddy, not my sister's daddy). I was surprised at how teary I felt all week thinking of their departure, even though I said my goodbyes on Saturday. I will miss them so much! But we have always been a tight family, and she and I are daily email/ichatters, and plenty of phonecalls too. And I'm so happy for them. This is the right career for J, the right company, and a city they've wanted for a long time. But I still get a little choked up when I think about my mom standing in the airport saying goodbye.

Welcome home, Wallies.

Earle and Habbestad give it two thumbs up!

Or was that two tissues up? Had no idea I would get teary in this movie! I went in skeptical, but they nailed it. A few places to nit-pick, but why bother? It was a beautiful movie visually and audibly. The characters were just right. I think what struck me most was the subtleties that were brought out in the film. The BBC version will always be the classic, and reminds me now of a stage play. But this new version has captured my heart and, once out on DVD, will become a permanent part of my favorite collection.

Thanks, K-Day, for the great girls' night out!

The "All About Me" Show

Biola has had an Employee Spotlight section in their on-line Employee Newsletter, and I thought I'd steal their questions.

What do you do?
For another 26 workdays, I am the Administrator of Student and Faculty Development for the Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership at Biola University. (Talk about a mouth-ful!) After that, I will assume an on-call consultant role with the MOL which will translate into a few hours a month while I assume my REAL new career as a Mommy. (P.S. I'm looking for a kick-butt description of what a Mom is... like "Primary Care Giver, Spiritual Advisor, Chef, etc."

Years working at Biola?
7.5

Height?
5'6"

Home Church?
Grace EV Free, La Mirada

Favorite thing about Biola?
The Community. I appreciate that this school is increasingly concerned about the importance of solid academics, and the marriage of academics with character.

Where did you work before you worked at Biola?
The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

What time do you wake up in the morning?
6:45a.m.

Do you hit the snooze button?
Heck yeah!

What did you eat for breakfast today?
Wheat English Muffins

What was the last movie you watched?
Harry Potter... and Pride and Prejudice tonight!

What book(s) are you reading?
Just finished "Til We Have Faces," working on "Your Pregnancy Week by Week," "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer," "Tears of the Giraffee" (part of the "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series"), and thinking I might give myself the treat of re-reading a Jane Austen.

What CD is in your player right now?
CD? What's that? My husband gave me permisssion to buy a Christmas CD today... and at the moment I'm listening to The Nutcracker, which is just vintage.

Favorite cartoon character:


Favorite flavor of ice cream:
Anything with fudge, anything with caramel. Cookie dough. No nuts.

Do you prefer Coke or Pepsi:
Pepsi for sure! (I miss caffiene!)

Do you prefer coffee or tea:
Coffee!! I love tea, though.

Favorite type of food:
REAL Italian food. Best meal ever was Ravioli in Sorrento.
or GOOD Seafood. the OTHER best meal ever was Crab-stuffed lobster at Legal Seafood in Boston

Favorite smell:
Christmas Tree

Favorite kitchen appliance:
KitchenAid!

Favorite color:
Depends... Red half the time, muted blues and greens other times.

Favorite holiday:
Christmas Eve

Favorite movie:
Tough one! Probably the Lord of the Rings movies, but Narnia could sweep them.

Favorite sports team:
My poor 9'ers. I still remember the 80's and 90's guys.

Favorite TV show:
Scrubs, except that it gets a little too raunchy occasionally.

Favorite travel destination:
Europe

Book you think everyone should read:
The Great Divorce, The Chronicles of Narnia. They have taught me more about God than any others I know of

Family
Where did you grow up?
The San Joaquin Valley

How many siblings do you have?
One older sister and one younger brother.

Are you the oldest, youngest, or a middle child?
The middle is definitely the best!

Do you have kids? How many?
1 daughter-to-be

Do you have any pets?
Not presently. Maybe a dog one day if it doesn't give me allergies.

Are you related to anyone famous?
Eric the Red
Tim Salmon (sort of)

The Unusual
What is something that most people would not know about you?
That I can actually be kind of shy sometimes. If I have to go to a party where I don't know anyone, I am extremely shy. I also really like being alone. Not all the time, but I enjoy my alone time.

What are your hobbies?
Piano, reading, crochet, travel, being with my friends and family, listening to good music, watching good movies

What is the most unique or random concert that you have attended?
Lowen and Navarro, which was held in a guitar shop in Santa Monica. It was really intimate feeling and the music was fantastic!

Have you lived anywhere unique?
One mile from the Capitol Building of the United States.

Have you had your 15 minutes of fame?
When I was in the 8th grade I reported for and produced a 1/2 radio show for a Fresno PBS station about the Yosemite Institute, which is a Science program for elementary school kids held in Yosemite Valley.


What place have you never visited but wish you could?
Benton, PA

Let's All Go to the Moooo-vies

I'm very much looking forward to this one. I had previously been skeptical of it because, hey, how can you beat the BBC version with Colin Firth? How can you do this wonderful book in 2 hours? But two Jane Austen fans (notice I said Jane Austen FANS, not Jane Austen FANATICS) have told me they really liked the movie, so I'm set to go. The Wonder Woman is my companion this evening, and we look forward to sipping our Starbucks and falling in love with Mr. Darcy all over again.

Ultrasound news

It's confirmed... it is in fact a girl. =) She gave us a really nice butt shot that left no doubts. Thank goodness... I have enough pink that's been given to me to last a lifetime! She is also a big baby... 3 pounds, 8 oz. already! This puts us either at having a big baby, or else it puts us a week ahead of schedule. We'll see. She is healthy, and so far seems content in there.

The other news is that my placenta has not moved up from the cervix. It was expected to grow upwards with my uterus, but it has not moved. Ther is no threat to the baby, but does mean we will need to talk about delivery options. What this would have meant if we didn't know about it is that there would have been quite a bit of bleeding, endangering me more than the baby. However, because modern medicine knows to check for this, it's really not a big deal. There is a chance, possibly a good chance, that I will need to do a C-section. We'll see... I find out Monday. I am not worried, though.

The Baby Wash

Thanksgiving week was officially a success. After an evening drive up to Selma on Tuesday, we had an early "feast" (as Emma calls it) with my sister and brother-in-law before he left Thanksgiving Day for Seattle. (He arrived safely on Saturday and starts work on Monday morning).

Then we had a nice time on Thanksgiving Day with Steve's brother's girlfriend's family in Oakdale. Mom Earle and I declined the Black Friday shopping and enjoyed sleeping in. The major hilight, of course was when Jamie's dog ate two of our host's chickens. The Hershey visitor center, on the other hand, was a big disappointment.

Then back to Selma/Reedley for my "Danish" shower. My aunt put on a really nice tea for me with the Danish relatives invited. I love this group... we just sit around and gab and gab. They really spoiled me, too, and I just keep hoping there are no surprises when this baby is born, because if it turns out to be a boy, he's going to have a very pink identity crisis. =) We get another ultrasound tomorrow, so I will get to check again. Emma was sort of the mascot of the shower. She couldn't remember that it was called a shower, and coined the term, "Baby Wash." She was my little helper with the gifts, which was so cute. And I just have to say, I ROCK... my thank you's are finished already!

The dreams continue

Okay, this time I dreamt that the pope was shot. My family was invited to the funeral, and while there I discovered that I was in possession of the gun! I knew I hadn't shot him, but didn't know what to do with the gun. I was trying to take care of my little niece, Abby, and she was a handful, so I never got around to telling anyone about the gun. The longer I waited, the more nervous I was that they were going to think I did it! Steve asked if I was feeling threatened by Catholocism...

Two Day Week!

I'm working a little later tonight, but it doesn't bother me at all, seeing as how I work only 2 days this week. Today I go do academic advising at our Orange County site, which should be fun. This seems like a nice group. I have several other groups who are very demanding. This one seems to understand that if you have a question or concern, you ask politely. Go figure.

I had the craziest dream last night that kinda freaked me out. I dreamt that I looked outside and this white VW Jetta was sitting outside our house, and a guy who looked a lot like Jack Nickelson was just staring at our house. (Of course it was late at night in the dream.) I went outside--for some reason I went through the window--and the guy pulled a small machine gun out on me. I got back inside the house in time, and he didn't shoot, but apparently I wasn't to leave my house. I woke up still feeling like I was supposed to call the cops.

Then I dreamed Steve and I were going through our wedding ceremony again, and I hadn't done my hair, and couldn't find my wedding dress and shoes.

In cinematic news... Harry Potter, two thumbs up with a special thumbs up for Patrick Doyle's new score... Scrubs took a little while to warm up, but is still quite funny, though I'm still bummed they have to let it be crass once in awhile... and Madagascar was cute.