Two days before Christmas, 12/23/08, Nashville, TN, 6:47 a.m., C.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

Hello!  Sorry if I haven't written in so very long; it's just that college has kept me soooo freekin' busy!  I hope you understand!  I also have my boyfriend; Tank keeps me grounded, too!  :)  (Except this time he's not witih me:  he's back home in Texas.  Chickenpox!!  LOL  Didn't want him to expose my family to chickenpox, sooooo....LOL)

Steffi here.  I'm back home in Tennessee, visiting my family during Christmas break.  I don't go back to school until January eighth, so I have at least two more weeks here.  I'm happy to be home; ma has been spoiling me with her famous homemade cookies, and daddy has been telling me his stupid jokes, trying to make me laugh! 

The kids have been glad to see me, too; they're all getting so big!  It's hard to believe that Ian and Isaiah, my littlest brothers, are now walking/talking up a storm.  They are so active; I'd love to have a fraction of their energy!  WOW!!  LOL

Jodie has her feet in casts:  she had foot surgery a few weeks ago; she's still recovering.  She did great, according to mama; she was in the hospital for only four days, which for her is fabulous!!

Ronee' is now driving; in fact, she drove me to the store, so I could get a last minute present for Tank, which I will take with me when I go back to Texas.  She drives really good; I'm proud of her!

Johnny is busy too, with the Cantata:  he does the sign language, so the deaf members of our church congregation can follow along with the play/music.  He does a wonderful job; he didn't make one mistake!  I couldn't do that; I'd sign the wrong thing or get stage fright (one of the two)!  LOL Ma said over the weekend, he was signing during the Cantata, and his hearing aids conked out; a lady had to help him.  Boy, talk about embarrassing!  Poor Johnny!!

Roberto looks like a football player:  he's all muscle, solid as a rock.  He's about as strong as one; he and I got into an arm wrestling match.  He won.  *OW*  About broke my arm, too!  He's strong!!  Holy mackeral!!

Must be from using his crutches all these years!  LOL

He also loves to wrestle.  He'd play football if he could; but it's hard trying to run with the ball on crutches, plus he has heart problems, so that keeps him grounded, too.  He's had several surgeries in the past; the last one several years ago nearly killed him.  He had a lot of post-operation complications; we thought we were going to lose him, but thank God he survived!  It was nothing short of a miracle!!

Anh has a girlfriend:  Thu.  She looks just like a child:  she's even littler than mom, and mom is only 4'7" tall!  She's really cute; I just love her!

Seems we're all getting older, bigger, drifting apart.  This is why I'm glad there's holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, where we can get back together, catch up on what's been going on in our lives, see what's happening.    Such as the case with this diary, as I'm recording family news!  LOL  With our family, any little thing IS the news, seeing we're so big! LOLOLOL

Ma and daddy are sponsoring a little six-year-old boy in Africa.  Name's Amuko.  Cute little guy; they started sponsoring him last month, and they send him money, gifts every month, through the Christian Children's Fund.  I also have a new brother in Vincente; he was a foster child, but ma and daddy've since adopted him.  He's cute, but a handful!  He and Roberto could make a tag team, with their energy level!  LOLOL

The weather here in Nashville is cold!  (Back home, where I live, in Fort Worth, Texas, it's mild:  temps in the fifties, sixties; in fact, for Christmas day, they're calling for sunny weather, with temps in the upper sixties!  Now how crazy is that????)  And we have snow:  I haven't seen a white Christmas in a year; I've really missed the snow!

Oh, great:  just saw the weather forecast for Nashville:  more ice expected today!  Guess we won't be getting out today!  A good day to sit by the fireplace, enjoy each other's company!

Well, I am going to go now.  Daddy's made breakfast; I can smell sausage, eggs cooking in the kitchen.  Yum; smells heavenly!  Guess that means the others will be rising soon to join me and daddy; they're still asleep in their beds!  It's nice and quiet (for once)!  LOL  On that note, I am going to eat too; my stomach's really talking!  Severe thunderstorm warning for Belly County!  LOL  Take care and may you have the merriest of Christmases EVER!  God bless you abundantly, too!

~Love, your friend from Texas (now in Tennessee!  LOLOL), Steffi.  :D