I saw The Passion last night...I don't know how to sum up how I feel about this movie. Granted, I had a few small complaints, but they are quickly cast aside for the intense truth of the rest of the movie. Gibson did a great job making the viewer feel every little detail, not just the beatings, but every little (and big) painful touch, bump, and fall on a mangled body...every punch, every spit, even the touch of a robe. I found myself wishing Jesus would die so he could rise again pain-free. Remarkably, I spent the entire movie feeling very possessive of Jesus. He was my Jesus. I wanted to catch him when he fell and protect him from every hit. What a strange position to be in, to want desparately to stop something that you need desparately to happen. And there was a second element to it with so much focus on Jesus' mother. Now that I have a son, parts of the movie hurt deeply in a different way. A third surprising element was the emphasized role of satan. Obviously he was very involved, but scripture doesn't go into specifically, but where else would satan be on that day? So Gibson had to use some artistic license to fill in the gaps. I appreciated some of that, but other parts just confused me. (And the woman who wiped his face is a traditional Catholic story. I believe her name was Veronica but she is not mentioned anywhere in any of the gospels.) And may I say "Bravo" to James Caviezel. What an undertaking! (Too bad he followed it up with a redneck, hydroplane movie.) I can't wait to buy this film and watch it regularly just for attitude adjustment. It really puts things into perspective. I think we will be buying a lot of these as Christmas presents.

Yesterday's weather made such a difference. I feel so much better. Thanks for asking.

I'm not sure about that goal of building an entertainment center. Oh, I still think I'm capable, but I looked at the price of pine boards and it would cost just about as much as one already built. I'll have to go back and look at some other types of material available. After that is done, I plan to save some of Jason's money and install new kitchen cabinets. I think that would be fun to do and necessary if I want to sell this house.

I used my new level with the lazer in it yesterday. That was pretty cool. It also finds studs. But I don't need that feature. I've already got Jason.

Speaking of Jason...He sent me flowers yesterday. Now before you say "Awww" and get weepy, you should know the rest of the story. I was surprised and very appreciative when I got it but I kept thinking, "Man, this is ugly. Jason hasn't given me flowers since we were dating and this is what I get. He knows I don't like mixed bouquets. It's got crappy carnations in it. Wait a second...it's the thought that counts, just deal with it and pretend they are beautiful." So I was torn between being thankful that he thought about me and mad that he spent money on something he knew I didn't want. So I tried to be thankful. When he got home, he looked at them and said, "These are a lot smaller than I thought. I'm sorry. I spent a lot of money on those...That doesn't even look like what I ordered." He went back online and looked at what he ordered. It turns out he ordered a bunch of yellow daisies in a clear vase. They were beautiful and a lot like something I would have given myself if it were socially acceptable to do so. So he called them back today. They said it was an older version of the same name. I think he should get his money back. They ruined the surprise. It could have been a special day. Anyways, Jason, being the peace-lover he is, is just having them send the right ones. I could have had the cash equivalent, dang it. I'll give the ugly ones to Abby. Oh, and if you are wondering why Jason would suddenly send me flowers for the first time in over 5 years, it's no big deal. I was just suicidal because I hate winter so much. He was trying to make it spring for me. What a great guy! I may survive February after all.

I'm up to 2.5 miles now. I'm slow but I get it done. I can't wait to see the old people passing me.

I've heard of old people dying from the cold weather. I think I may be the youngest person to do that. Each winter gets longer, colder, and darker for me. Just think what I'll be like in 5 years. February is the worst because I'm expecting warmer weather but then it snows. I love that the days are getting longer. But I don't think I can handle the cold much longer. I'm going insane. Need heat... Need to redo my kitchen...

Is movieoke coming here soon? That would be cool to watch but embarrassing to do. What scene would I pick? What scene would you pick?

I've been napping a lot lately. I say it's because I'm so tired in the morning, but I really think I'm just bored. I'm still running. I hate it already. I did some lunges Sunday while watching FitTV and now my legs are really sore. I'm not sure how I'm going to run 2.25 miles today when my inner thighs feel like they have knives embedded in them. I've got a lot of unused muscle. Waking it all up is going to be painful. Man, I'm bored and I just don't care. Bad combination.

What a day I had yesterday! It started out all right. I had slept better the night before than I had since early in my pregnancy. I was going to need that. I was watching a movie called "Into Thin Air," a true story of climbers on Mt. Everest. I think they are stupid. Anyway, I had to stop watching the movie with a half hour left because I had to get the three of us ready for Luke's doctor apointment. I had a hard time stopping the movie so we were running late and I was already a little stressed. The parking lot was like snot and it was snowing. When we got to the doctor's, the nurse lady reminded me we owed her money. Well, get in line, sister. Anyway, the doctor's appointment was going well until she said she wanted to run blood tests on Luke to check his liver function and the lab in that building didn't do infants. Great, I had to pack up the kids to drive a half mile and unload them at the St. Mary's diagnostic place. And may I mention here that it was already 11:15 and that was when Luke needed to eat. I figured we'd just get this done and Luke would eat late. We went back to the nurses. One checked his veins by putting a tourniquet on his arm. That didn't look good. Then I saw a big vile and plastic tube. They were going to take a lot of blood the hard way. They said my insurance required a certain amount regardless. Gotta love insurance. Anyway, the nurse couldn't find a suitable vein so she got somebody else. This one put a baby tourniquet on him and felt a small vein. They said I could go with them but I had to stay with Abby so they took Luke away. Abby and I just sat there for 5 minutes but never heard any crying. They carried him back in and she said she didn't feel comfortable with his veins so I would need to go to St. Mary's hospital lab. Now it's 11:40. So I asked them if I can feed Luke there in some room. (Nursing away from home is a real pain.) They asked around and finally found an open office and we proceded. I'm about a minute into feeding Luke when Abby says she has to potty. I tell her to hold it and she starts pacing the floor. She then sees a snowman on the wall so she climbs on the seat next to me. I guess she was distracted by the snowman to the point of not holding it anymore. She stared at me and looked down at her legs as the pee flowed out onto this woman's office chair. This can't be happening. So I have Abby sit on the floor as the puddle soaks into the chair and I continue to feed Luke. After a bunch of apologies and thank you's, I got us all bundled up again and out to the car. Now Abby and I are starving and she's wet. So I got to Taco Bell's drive thru and then home. I got Abby changed and Luke changed and then we finally ate. We rebundled and got back in the car for St. Mary's where we have to wait to sign in like we're staying the night before we even get to the lab. Then we waited in the waiting area for about an hour. There was a 4 year-old kid there who was a nightmare. He did the opposite of whatever his mom said. He was loud and kept punching her in the butt while she was trying to talk. She was a bilingual assistant for some spanish-speaking patients. Why on earth was her son there? So she bought him some candy to help him sit still. They deserved each other. It's our turn. The good news is, at St. Mary's they don't have to take so much blood. They just did a heel prick, which Luke slept through. We rebundle and get home just in time to put Abby in bed (though she never slept) so I can run 2 miles. I needed that 2 miles to unwind. The rest of the day was good. I even got to finish that movie because it was on again later. The End.