January 21st

22 days and counting

"I do my moves, I do my dance moves"

Season 2 of Flight of the Conchords starts January 18th. We will be downloading it on Apple TV, but for now you can watch the first episode here. Also, enjoy this little reminder of how great Bret and Jermaine are.

Reflection of 2008

I stole this from Allison.

1) What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before? Hosted a baby shower, helped open the Refinery, moved into a house with Jonathan, threw an Olympics party, vacationed in Colorado, traveled to Kenya, and had Christmas at my house.

2) Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I worked towards some of my goals, but 2008 passed more quickly than most years. My goals this year are very similar to last year's goals.

3) Did anyone close to you give birth? Jana, Courtney, and Jaime

4) Did anyone close to you die? No

5) What countries did you visit? Kenya

6) What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? More time for myself and with my friends.

7) What date(s) from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Friday, June 20th the day the Refinery opened.

8) What was your biggest achievement of the year? I'm not sure.

9) Did you suffer illness or injury? Just when I cut my leg on the plastic tub.

10) What was the best thing you bought? Big Dipper Arc Lamp

11) Whose behavior merited celebration? All our friends who helped us move. The Student Ministries team for enduring one crazy summer.

12) Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? No one worth mentioning.

13) Where did most of your money go? Target

14) What did you get really, really, really excited about? Seeing Allison in Kenya, moving into our house

15) What song will always remind you of 2008? Bleeding Love, Viva la Vida

16) Compared to this time last year, are you: Wiser? Yes. Healthier? Not Really. Richer? No.

17) What do you wish you'd done more of? Reading

18) What do you wish you'd done less of? Worried.

19) How did you spend Christmas? At home. Watching movies and eating delicious food.

20) Did you fall in love in 2008? Over and over again everyday...with my husband.

21) What was your favorite TV program? LOST, Gossip Girl, Greek and The Office.

22) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No.

23) What was the best book you read? Twilight

24) What was your greatest musical discovery? The Ting Tings

25) What did you want and get? Lots of stuff for my house

26) What did you want and not get? Not a lot.

27) What was your favorite film of this year? Mama Mia!

28) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 26, went to Disneyland and Janu concert.

29) Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most? Victoria Beckham and Seth Rogen

30) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Cute comfort in a hurry.

31) What kept you sane? Laughter.

32) Who did you miss? Allison, my mom.

33) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Tomorrow is a new day.

34) What did you gain this year? Experience.

35) What did you lose this year? Nothing worth remembering.

36) Who was the best new person you met? Raegan Rutenbar

37) Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"We're not the same, dear, as we used to be
The seasons have changed and so have we"
The Ice is Getting Thinner - Death Cab for Cutie

Gift Giving

Some of my favorite things I/we gave as gifts this Christmas:

You gotta get them what they want right? Don't judge.

One Last Gift

I know Christmas just passed, but if you were looking for a gift to buy me I saw two at Borders in RSM tonight that I would love to have.

I like what I like, and I am pretty predictable.

Sending Out An S.O.S.

Dear Friends of Just Call me Ryanne,
I am looking for something I have seemed to misplace.
1. Lost: Season 2
2. Veronica Mars: Season 3
I have called and texted everyone I can think of that I might have loaned them to.
If I loaned these to you...would you so graciously return them to me?
You know you love me.
XOXO
Ryanne

The Six Greatest Gifts...

One of my top three favorite blogs Zen Habits had a post today titled:
The Six Greatest Gifts You Can Give Your Loved Ones

1. Your Presence.

2. Your Love.

3. Your Compassion.

4. A Voice.

5. A Healthy Lifestyle.

6. Your Belief in Them.

Obviously very timely with giving gifts for Christmas and all, but it also got me thinking about how much time people spend with their extended family this time of year. Make sure to remember the reason we celebrate and exchange gifts this Christmas!

Lunch Time Gift Exchange

Every year Jonathan and I exchange ornaments. Both of us were so excited we couldn't wait until Christmas to open them.

I got Jonathan a cheeseburger (they were all out of pizza slices).

Jonathan got me a Twilight ornament.

I put them on our tree that had only lights and garland, but no ornaments. They were so great they inspired me to put up some of the other ornaments!

Good Question?

I saw this hanging on the wall right next to the sink in the Women's Restroom of Buca di Beppo last night. Do you know the answer?

Team Mom

For our Student Ministries Christmas Gift Exchange this year we drew names and made shirts for each other. I drew Jaime. She takes care of all of us, and is usually the first person I ask a question to when Jonathan or I are sick. So deeming her "Team Mom" seemed appropriate. I put all of our pictures in buttons - like the kind you get when you are a soccer mom.

Christmas, Christmas Time is Here...

Today as I was getting ready for work I heard the UPS truck pull up, and the doorbell ring. This is normal for when the UPS guy comes. I have strict orders from my husband to not LOOK at any packages that come to the door in the next few days. But then I heard the UPS guy come up to the door again and knock on the door, and I was worried that he wouldn't leave the packages. So I went downstairs and opened the door.

I actually laughed out loud when I saw the amount of boxes on the porch.


Now my husband is an excellent gift-giver and very sweet, but you can rest assured they aren't all for me. Since Christmas is at our house this year lots of packages have been arriving lately. So I brought each of them in looking only at who they were to and not where they had come from, and added them to the pre-existing pile of boxes.

It must be Christmas time!

Raegan Watching TV

Well actually she is watching football.
You can read about Raegan's other adventures on her blog.

Touche Mr. Potato Head

There is a common war amongst the So Cal Witts. It revolves around how many times we are going to ride the Buzz Lightyear ride when we go to Disneyland.

Once is plenty for me, however Jonathan would like to ride over and over and over and over and over again. Sometimes the war becomes bigger and other people get involved and it becomes girls vs. boys.

I have always been a Pirates girl. So much nostalgia with a few drops. (I am also very partial to Big Thunder Mountain if the line isn't too long.) Jonathan prefers something that is a little more interactive, and the line at Buzz Lightyear can't usually be beat.

BUT I think a Christmas Miracle has occurred! Jonathan and I have come to an agreement on a new favorite. We have finally found a compromise...the new Toy Story Mania! ride at California Adventure could be my favorite ride, and for Jonathan it has all the appeal of BL and more. 3-D, Shooting at Targets, and seems like a pretty long ride.

I was Player 2, and I know there is no proof but Jonathan was in the car behind me and I definitely scored higher than him.

Kenya: Part 3 (Media Edition)

I found the Kenya video I was looking for. It is the day we went to the high school, and little kids in the slums all around the high school came out to see us. They really like Katie who lead them in a game of Shadow. They followed Katie's every move, and said whatever came out of her mouth...even though they didn't understand a word she was saying. The more she made them do stuff, the more kids that came to follow her. This video is just a taste of her exhausting job of entertaining them for about an hour.

My So Called Video Game Life

On the way to Disneyland on Friday we made our usual dinner stop of Chick-fil-A before heading to the Happiest Place on Earth. The first french fry I pulled out looked just like Pac-Man. Adam and Jonathan weren't really that excited, but I just couldn't believe my luck.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

While looking for some videos from my Kenya trip I came across this gem. You are welcome!

Kenya: Part 2

Once we got to Kitale we were on the schedule that Allison has been on since she has gotten there. It entailed meeting a lot of people, and was a little overwhelming...but it was SO fun when we walked somewhere and I knew someone by name that we passed. Between all of us we took some great pictures - but the following are just my favorites.

Kenya: Part 1

Oh yeah...so...I went to Kenya about three weeks ago. Katie and I traveled there to see Allison, and meet all the people she has been working with over there. Allison and Daina met us in Nairobi and we went on Safari before we went to Kitale. I was the only one who hadn't been on safari yet, and even though the other girls still thought it was cool I was a like a little kid at Disneyland for the first time.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

If I made this cake, I wouldn't want anyone to eat it. So amazing!

I Don't Wanna Wait...

Tonight at the World AIDS Day Event for our students Phil was teaching me how to use the HIV/AIDS Cube...similar to the Evangecube or the ecube...and I noticed this painting of James Van Der Beek (I looked it up - his name is 4 words long) in the upper right hand corner of Step 4. I thought I had seen every episode of Dawson's Creek.