CHRISTMAS TIME!!!

I'm in Boiling Springs, SC with my in-laws (and I love them). It's great! I have basically two weeks to sit around, sleep, eat, get and give presents (I like both), see people I don't get to see alot, and read.

Right now Brandie and Casey (my sister-in-law) are out driving Brandie's (pig-mauled) Honda, because Casey likes to drive and doesn't get to do it that much since she has no car. Casey and I just got finished driving my Scion around a Middle School across the street...I was teaching her how to drive a manual transmission; she did very well. I was horrible the first time I attempted that, and like other people I've seen try to learn it, I got frustrated.

Tonight is Christmas Eve. This evening is my favorite night of all nights. Strange and wodnerful things happen on Christmas Eve: Santa comes by, and presents magically appear around the tree, no one sleeps for that long, and people get up so early to see what happened overnight. I think this Christmas will be a great one!

I already "did" Christmas with my Dad and my step-family. That was a good time, we played "half-rubber"...I think...it's where you hit a half of a rubber ball with a wooden stick..I did ok considering I'm a crippple; though I think my ankle is getting better (however still black, red, and blue).

One of the things that I'm looking forward to most this Christmas is my lunch time with George on the 27th...I haven't seen him in some time...it feels like years, so that will be good. I am also excited about what Brandie may be getting for Christmas...which I can't tell you yet...maybe some other time.

Also, speaking of other posts, I've had such a demand for the "pig pictures" I will put them on here later...after Christmas...and if you have children they may not want to see it..though there isn't any blood or anything...just a dead (hit by a Honda) pig.

I'm almost done with reading Let the Nations be Glad by John Piper (I already finished Spiritual Leadership by Henry Blackaby), and I'm learning alot about Missions and about God's heart for the lost all around the world and what that should mean to us as Christians. It does make me aggravated with some of the things that I see going on around me at CSU, from the Christians and non-Christians alike, though I don't want to promote feelings of discontentment within myself (I suppose).

Missing everyone in Chucktown, wish that all of our families and everyone could share Christmas together, but this is where we are.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE BALLENGERS!

Something warm...something cold

It was 26F when I was driving to work this morning; I know this because of two reasons: 1)The water that was ice that melted when I used the defrost this morning, turned back into ice after I turned the defrost off...which is amazing, and 2) Because the thermostat in my car says it was(the picture is deifnitely not from Summerville...if that happens in Summerville, then there's a problem).

So the "wild pig adventures with Brandie" story has officially been told at my work. Most of the people feel bad for Brandie and then they laugh hysterically.

Apparently, Brandie's mom spoke with the insurance company and it'll cost us like $250 to get everything repaired...which is fine; that's not so bad ultimately...could've been a lot worse. So I guess we'll be doing some fixing up of the Honda while we're in GSP.

Anyways, it's my last day at work until January 3rd today, and I'm really looking forward to some time off because...well, because I would prefer not to do anything but eat, sleep and open and give presents. I'm excited about getting the children in our family toys, because I think that was my favorite thing about Christmas was the toys when I was a kid; and I'm still kinda one.

We still haven't done any "real" shopping this year for Christmas yet, but Brandie and I both have scheduled shopping times with our moms, so hopefully we'll be able to knock it out in one day...one exhaustive day.

A Pig...a what? I believe she hit a wild pig....no...no one will ever believe that

So here goes...

My wife and I were driving back from church last night (she was driving about a mile behind me in her car). We have a cut-through road that has just recently been developed and we very much enjoy the large amount of time it cuts off our drive everyday.

As I proceeded through the road, it was very dark, and i turned on my bright lights to see better. When I did that I saw not one, but three large wild pigs (hairy...just really hairy...like some of my friends), and so I slowed down and began to call Brandie on the phone since she was behind me and I wanted to make sure that she saw them ahead of time.

Well, I called her, she answered:

Brandie: Hey.
Nick: Hey, where are you?
Brandie: I'm on the cut-through road....OH MY GOD, I JUST HIT SOMETHING. ::tears::
Nick: Yeah I know...I'll be right there.

Not fun...just not cool. Anyways, apparently one of the three pigs ran out in the middle of the road as she was driving (and these things are dark black), and my wife clipped it with the front driver-side of her car.

So now we pretty much have to get a new bumper, and maybe some other random things, but I'm mostly happy that the airbags didn't go off, cause that would've prolly done some serious damage.

So then we both got home and I proceeded to go back out to my car with our digital camera and take pictures of her car and the dead pig (with a police officer, who couldn't believe what she was looking at). Also, we had another officer (whose daughter goes to CSU) come up to our apartment and write up a police report about it...so my wife has her own police report now.

It's funny, because it's so random, and I'm suprised that my "randomness of tragedy and weirdness" ability transferred to my wife...I mean normally the random weird junk happens to me...like when my toe got cut off by a conch shell....or when I fell of a rope swing 50ft. in the air and didn't die....or falling off a wall of a major american revolution fort while trying to climb it using a belt from wal-mart...that kinda stuff. Though it is funny, and ultimately something that I think we'll laugh at later on, it really didn't make me feel that good to hear all of that over the phone, especially my wife screaming part...not cool.

Anyways, work today, and tomorrow, and then I'm done till January...and that makes me happy.

Our First Post

No one ever told Brandie that one day she would be waiting hand and foot on her crippled husband, but alas, here we are. I sprained my ankle playing basketball the other day and supposedly I'll have these crutches till Christmas. Right now Brandie is playing with my birthday card that she bought me; it quotes the Blues Brothers Movie that I like so much..."It's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses...hit it"...I love it, and Brandie says it cracks her up.

Tonight we had egg noodles and meatballs in soup. It was good, but I suck at eating noodles in soup with a fork...it's all over our kitchen table now. So, also tonight, Brandie and I sat down to make our Christmas list for everyone. And we've decided that we're not getting anything for anyone...we'll be happy to accept presents...but you people are just to hard to buy for (now she's using my crutch as a gun and shooting the Christmas tree).

My wonderful wife (gun shooter that she is) has bought for me a Taylor 714ce guitar for my birthday (which was the 13th)...so now all I do is play the guitar.

Brandie's bored...at least I think so, cause she's shaking the crutch like a trophy and singing "We are the Champions" by Queen.

I'm glad this was our first post, it seems to have been very...enthralling at least.