Merry Christmas

December 25, 2007

I don’t really get the point of Christmas cards. Christmas letters, I get. I like to get updates from friends and families, to see a few pictures, hear what has happened during the year. But just the Christmas card that comes in the mail? I don’t understand the point of them. Normally, it just says [...]

Posted in Random | 7 Comments »

NYC Christmas Tree Lighting 2007

November 29, 2007

Sarah and I went up to New York City yesterday to connect with Bob Carlton, (his report on the day here), for a walk-through of the MoMA. We saw some great stuff, including an exhibition of Georges Seurat: “The Drawings.” After some good art at MoMA, we trekked over to Grand Central Station for some [...]

Posted in General | 2 Comments »

Books, books, books.

December 31, 2006

While I can’t necessarily compete with Marko’s Christmas gifts, I did pretty well. Got some new pants ($10/pair at Gap Outlet), some extremely comfortable slippers (with memory foam!) and some cash. Sarah and I received some items still needed off our registry and we treated ourselves to new luggage (yup, using Christmas money for luggage…I [...]

Posted in Books | 4 Comments »

Merry Christmas

December 25, 2006

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Solstice, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy Holidays! Sarah and I spent a week with my folks back in Washington and now we’re celebrating Christmas with the Walker clan in Rochester. Things will most likely be quiet here on the blog until the first of the year, while I think about what [...]

Posted in General | 10 Comments »

Merry Christmas to all(?)

December 25, 2005

“Christmas has been shot.”
“O ghostly town of Bethlehem,
in curfew do you lie,
Your streets are dead, the people dread
to wander lest they die.
No pilgrims visit your hallowed square,
for Christians have been banned;
A crueller plight upon this night,
has never on Earth been planned.”
–from Carols for Palestine–
Bethlehem is a prison…
Bethlehem Christians cling to hope…
Christmas hope in the West [...]

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Christmas Eve Dinner

December 24, 2005

The Cleaveland Family Christmas Eve dinner. Normally we have this meal on Christmas day, but my mom is working that day at the hospital and we thought we’d have the ‘main meal’ for Christmas Eve. Things always get a little hectic around the holidays…

Posted in Random | 9 Comments »

Some megachurches closing on Christmas

December 8, 2005

Megachurches are closing on Christmas (Mark’s blog entry here; CNN article here). A few of the churches that will not be holding Christmas morning services are Willow Creek and North Point. My favorite quote is below:
Cally Parkinson, a spokeswoman for Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, said church leaders decided that organizing services [...]

Posted in Ministry | 61 Comments »

Christmas Traditions…

December 16, 2004

Traditions are beautiful things. Especially around the holidays. I’ve been blessed to be in some places with rich traditions in the the past few years:

Chehalis, WA: My mother “drug” (at least that’s how I viewed it, until I got smart) our family to Handels’ MESSIAH almost every year (the 3-hr version…no abridged versions for the [...]

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Meet the Parents [and sister...]

December 25, 2003

Many of my fellow bloggers are married and have tons of cute pictures/video of their kids they get to put online. But…I’m single. And I have no children. So, you get to see my family’s Christmas picture. Enjoy.
[The Cleavelands :: from left to right :: Bill, June, Allison & Adam]

Posted in General | 1 Comment »

Happy Birthday :: 10,039

December 18, 2003

I arrived in Chehalis just a few minutes ago, after a good flight from Boise - Seattle. Definitely a bit of different scenery from the barren and dry brown of Idaho [which I have come to love...but there is something about the big, snow-covered mountains of the Pacific NW - photo taken from the plane].
But, [...]

Posted in General | 4 Comments »