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well, here it is….the moment virtually no one has been waiting for. my 07 christmas card. i’ll apologize in advance for it’s length. we’re pushing 2 minutes and 56 seconds so please do go to the bathroom before sitting down to watch. i’m not sure why it’s so long. i guess i did a lot this year. besides, how often do you talk to me anyway? and this is probably a much more efficient way to keep track of what’s happened to me this year than actually communicating frequently throughout the year would be. 365 days in 176 seconds. not bad when you look at it that way, is it? also, i apologize it isn’t more creative, the writers’ strike has hit us all really hard.

if you’re not gonna click the link, then i will say this. i’m so thankful to all of my friends who have put forth effort to encourage and support me this year. the people who have made the time and had the interest. the people i’ve effectively “done life” with. i am truly blessed beyond anything i deserve (whereas just 4 short years ago i was thoroughly convinced that IIIII was the blessing and was the one getting the shaft on the receipt of blessings). it has been such an amazing year for me, and i thank you for your contributions.

so, CLICK HERE for the link to my video christmas card. hope you enjoy the card as i enjoy you all.

oh, and if you were curious what africa looked like (though the scent is what really stuck with you, and i couldn’t photograph that) or care to see more of what i did this year, you can hit my picasa albums at http://picasaweb.google.com/CharlesBreland/

oh, and here’s just one shot from the year

well, it was a bit of a rough Christmas as my family passed a virus back and forth around the household. actual quote from my dad, “if that’s what a virus feels like, then i’ve never had a virus before in my life.” i had to step in and read the Christmas story due to his inability to perform on Christmas eve.
everybody did feel ok Christmas morn, though, and i did get a flexible keyboard and a cow that sings “tis the season” entirely in moos. later ronnie, katrina and madison showed up and we got to have our annual football punting competition in the backyard. i was able to take ronnie and jeremy out, one of my proudest sports moments.
anyway, the highlight was that ronnie received a remote control airplane. This is the story of that plane. The video tracks the planes from its nascent begginings where we learn that two heads are better than one and that i’d rather video tape them putting the plane together than help them put it together(“where’s the fuselage?”), through flight training (determining the launch angle), on to its first timid steps at flight, to its untimely demise (“land it, land it!!”).
ronnie was pretty bummed afterwards so we bought him some fireworks to cheer him up. those we proceeded to shoot off in the backyard (again this is Christmas night) for an hour or so (and no todd, there was no breaking of sticks). i am just bummed that i somehow didn’t capture video of our firework tank races. oh well, next time. a highlight of the video is jeremy setting the backyard on fire and having to take off to put it out. good times. and that’s Christmas in satsuma, Christmas in dixie.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. actually….to be completely honest, christmas has more or less snuck up on me this year. as many of you know, i’ve been working early and late and weekends lately and have been struggling to stay afloat. i haven’t even had a chance to watch “christmas story” or “christmas vacation” yet, but i hope to rectify that in the next few days. it really has been a wonderful year though; empirically it’s been one of my most difficult, but for some reason it hasn’t felt that bad. i’ve learned a tremendous amount and had a ton of amazing times, and i am so filled with hope for next year. i’m starting to get back into helping out a little with girls volleyball, my rehab on my shoulder and neck is almost done (from my wreck) and i’m running and playing a lot of sports, and i’m looking forward to us really ramping up our involvement in Nicaragua this year. i actually included a few pictures i took in Nicaragua in the video. i’m hoping to make it back down there before march and we’re just finalizing plans to commission a study there.

aaaaaaand it goes without saying that i am SOOOOO looking forward to finishing up my project for the state of oklahoma and moving on.

i hope this post finds you all well and that you have every happiness this christmas. i’m about to get of town and spend some QT with the fam.

Click this link for my ’06 video Christmas Card.