Assorted Stuff…

Our Savannah Melody, AKA, "The Miracle Kid," turned 1 year old on November 28^th!  She was 1 pound, 12 ounces, when she was born at somewhere between 25 and 27 weeks.  Now she's over 16 pounds!  I apologize to my out-of-town visitors that I am not good with converting to metric.  Anyway, there are new pics at http://herbthiel.blogdrive.com/galleries along with the pics from last year when she was not much bigger than a Bic pen, with all manner of tubes and wires and bells and whistles hooked up to her.

She has got to be the most beautiful baby that was ever born.  Er, rather, um, ONE OF, the most beautiful babies ever born.  Why, just that big old spontaneous smile that explodes across her face when grampaw says, "Hi Savannah, blblblblbl" is amazing.  We took her out to dinner and there was a little boy there who was around her age.  He just stared and stared at how beautiful she was and finally he said, "Eee-aag-goo-gah-we-wah."  To which she wittily replied by putting her fingers in her mouth and blathering them up and down saying, "buh-bluh-bluh-eeee-eee-blather-blah-bluh!"  All I can say is good thing dad has a shotgun.

There are also pics of our littlest angel putting the angel on top of the tree.

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In other news, that old Cavalry warhorse, my OLD buddy, Staff Sergeant King, referred to by his troops as "The Old Goat" and many other names, has been re-deployed back to the big cat-box again!  I've lost count of how many times he has been over there now.  I probably shouldn't tell this over the Internet, but I think the Army is planning on using Carter's socks as a weapon.  His socks, which are not specifically named in the Geneva Conventions, can easily take out a nest of insurgents.  Throw one of them babies in an enemy bunker and it's better than a grenade.  Seriously, even though the man is a warhorse and a soldier's soldier, he has been over there during both wars and this will be his 3^rd or 4^th time in this war alone.  I know the Army did not issue him a wife and children but in my opinion he has done his fair share.

He follows his orders, however, like a real soldier and acts like a real man about the whole thing, not like some that have made the news.  "Waah, I joined the Army, but I didn't think I'd have to actually go and fight anywhere.  I could get hurt.  My recruiter told me I wouldn't have to go anywhere except to college on Uncle Sam's dime.  Boo-hoo-hoo."  The news ought to follow the career of a guy like this, but he's probably too manly for the media.  If I recall correctly, he was a man 12 years before he was born, making Sledge Hammer just an ordinary guy.

It's a shame he's so ugly, though.

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I am in the church Christmas play as the angel Gabriel and you are all invited.  I suppose I can understand that if you are in Singapore or London, you probably won't be able to make it.  I am enjoying sharing a few lines with my 8 yr old co-star who plays Hark the Herald Angel.  Well, neither of us is the actual star.  Maybe THE Star is the star?  Anyway, it will be at the First Pentecostal Church at Monica & Hancock on Sunday, December 18^th at 10 AM.  It is, of course, a fanciful recreation, based on what we know about the Birth from the Scripture and what we know from history about Roman occupied Israel at the time.  It will be a lot of fun, with a lot of kid's parts in it.  I love watching kids in plays and programs and things; they are the greatest because they are the most sincere.  This would be a good time to remind kids (and adults) what the season is all about.

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I am sad.  I had meant to tell you about this sooner, but, well, it was just so hard to take.  I…I had to trade in the Intrepid.  We needed more room for just the four adults and two teenagers, but then with Savannah and Lizzy's baby on the way, well, it just wasn't practical.  Now we have a '99 Ford Windstar.  Yes, a Ford!  It was easier for Grandma to get in and out of.  It is unequivocally the most annoying car I have ever driven in my life.  Oh, the big things are fine.  For instance the engine has some get-up-and-go.  But it does all manner of annoying things that I guess are supposed to make you feel safer, but really make you feel stupid.  If I go to drive down to the 7-11, less than half a mile away, and I don't wear my seatbelt it makes this atrocious ringing noise that stops for a few minutes and then starts up again.  It is not graceful and looks like a Dodge Grand Caravan, but doesn't give any of the driving pleasure.  Oh, and if you go over 75 mph, it starts with the ringing again!  If you go even 1 or 2 miles over, it starts with this bell that doesn't turn off or reset.  Aaaarrrggghhh!  Anyway, I miss my Intrepid.  Driving the Windstar is just driving.  Except for driving me crazy.  There are other nuisances that I can't recall at the moment, either.  *HEAVY SIGH*

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As I was practicing my lines I got to thinking about the shepherds.  Here are some folks camped out in the mountains and their country has not heard from a prophet of God in over 400 years.  There was one brief moment when they had a righteous leader that they thought might help them, but when he was killed there was no one.  400 years and suddenly a messenger from God appears to them and they were sore afraid.  I love that term, it just means terrified, but it sounds funny.  That's where my last line comes in.  This strange, other-worldly being (Hey!  No comments from the peanut gallery about me and strange, other-worldly beings.) Speaks to them and the first thing he says to them is, "Fear not."  I guess that's probably a good way to greet someone who is terrified of you.  We even do that to animals to calm them, "Don't be afraid."  The angelic messenger then goes on to tell them that they'll find the baby wrapped in barn rags, lying in a feed trough.  They didn't have time to wonder about that because suddenly there was, along with that one angel an innumerable crowd of angels that filled the entire sky with light and song, "Glory to God in the highest and peace on Earth."  My part doesn't call for any singing.  If you come, you won't get to hear me sing and if you have ever heard me sing, you would understand that, too.  Me not singing brings Joy to the World.

Remember, the Good Book says, "There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child."