Monday, December 31, 2007

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.
Oprah Winfrey

Well, I can never say that 2007 wasn't an exciting year! In 2007, it was the first time that I...

...was the maid of honor in a wedding.

...received a gift from Tiffany & Co. Little blue box and all.

...bet on a horserace (and I won!).

...stood on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

...got my own office at work.

...played a full 18 holes of golf without cheating, taking a shortcut or picking up my ball.

...lived on my own without a roommate.

...visited NASA.

...became engaged! WOOHOO!

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Grow old with me! The best is yet to be.
Robert Browning


I'm engaged! Nick proposed this evening at my 25th birthday party... how exciting! It was wonderful to be surrounded by my closest family and friends and then called my momma.

So happy. That's it. Just happy.
There are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might
get un-birthday presents ... and only one for birthday presents, you know.
Lewis Carroll


HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Friday, December 28, 2007

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.
Eleanor Roosevelt

In the movie, The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, Juliette Moore's character, Evelyn Ryan, said a line that I have always remebered since.

"I'm done with this day. I'm ready for a new one."

Well, yesterday was just one of those days. Not that anything tragic happened and in the overall grand scheme of things I was fine. But it was just one thing after another. It was just one of those days when all you want to do is get home to your PJ's and a bowl of Peppermint Stick ice cream.

The final straw was stepping in a pile of gooey gum with my pretty patent leather heels in the parking lot of Sam's Club.

I had a good cry on the way home from work but once I was back to my place in my comfy clothes playing with my iPod and new camera I had calmed down. And my iPod now plays the happy birthday song (only two more days!). How could that not make you smile?

After a good night's sleep, I am certainly ready for this new and lovely day.


Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Never too old to learn.
Latin Proverb

I'm officially old. No, really, it is true.

I received an iPod for Christmas which was a wonderful surprise! It was pretty, and black and very fun to play with it's touch screen and snazzy pictures. Can you tell how much I really know about it? I like it because it is pretty and lets me watch Sex and the City episodes off of YouTube.

So I went to Best Buy today to get some sort of adapter so I could listen to it in my car. I poked around at the selection and found a few that were wireless and then another that was an old school tape to insert with a cord.

I found one of the smart-techy guys in a blue shirt and asked him a few questions about it. Does this work with the iPod Touch? Would you buy this one versus this one? Is it worth it to spend more money?

He quickly answered by questions.

Yes. That one. Yes.

And moved on to the next customer leaving me there juggling a few akward boxes and still sort of confused. I turn to my left and this young kid (he was not a day over 14, so that is young in my world) looks at me and shakes his head. He pulls his ear phones, oh excuse me,"ear buds" out and says, "Ya want help?"

Um, yes please?


He turned around to the display, took what I have out of my hands, puts them all back on the shelf and then hands me two additional boxes. He pulls his iPod out of his pocket (oooo... he has the same one has me!) and says with one of the ear buds still contected to his head, "Get this and this. We have a bad ass iPod. Do it justice."

He said I needed to get the wireless car adapter that also has the charger (and he found me one that was opened and returned so it was discounted $30) because it doesn't distort the sound, charges when you don't have your computer and you don't have a bunch of wires everywhere.

He also handed me a clear protector case because of the sensitive touch screen and the shiny metal back that gets "scrapped up all to hell" if you don't cover it. And it has to be clear so you can show off your unscraped shiny metal back.


I nodded my head in agreement as he rattled through the features of each.

He pulled his hair out of his face, smiled, shoved his ear buds back in and shuffled off in his Rainbow flip flops leaving me standing there an official old woman with a Coach bag and a sweater tied around my shoulders.

Hey, at least this old lady has a bad ass iPod.
Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.
Mary Ellen Chase

Here are some pictures from our lovely Christmas long weekend!

Nick's sister Leah came into town for Christmas and met us along with my old friend Britt for dinner on Sunday night.

My mom and I took Nick and Leah out to St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota for
lunch on Christmas Eve.

On pretty St. Armand's Circle.

Before church on Christmas Eve.

Before church with Nick and Leah

Our lovely Christmas tree.

Funny boxer shorts and hat from Nick's mom.

Bill in his new Navy hat.

Putting the angel on the tree.

Taking pictures by the water before Christmas dinner.

With Nick at Christmas dinner.


Pretty Christmas table.

Brendan's new PJ's courtsey of my mom!


Monday, December 24, 2007

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.
Judy Garland
I hope you all a wonderful Christmas! Here is my very favorite Christmas piece that my mother reads each year. Enjoy!

From the Editorial Page of The New York Sun, written by Francis P. Church, September 21, 1897.

Dear Editor--I am 8 years old."Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus."Papa says, 'If you see it in The Sun, it's so.'"Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O'Hanlon,115 West Ninety-fifth Street

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no child-like faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Friday, December 21, 2007

When in doubt, wear red.
Bill Blass

I'm not much of a bright nail polish girl. French manicure, please. But the rush of Christmas came over me yesterday thanks to watching Clash of the Choirs, Sparkling Cinnamon Yankee Candles and gift wrap with Santas all over it. So I went with RED on my mani and pedi to put me in the festive holiday spirit.

If now is not the time to have red nails and toes then when is?!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duck.
Proverb

My office, and it's parking lot, are located right next to a large lake. When I started working here I noticed there were a lot of ducks hanging out by the lakes edge. They were cute, they quacked and I always said hello to them on the way to my car. What can I say, I love animals, especially when they waddle.

As the months passed I noticed, as well as everyone else in my office, that the ducks were getting closer toward the building and now spending their days in the parking lot. At first, it was funny to watching the waddle through the parking lot. You know, maybe they were going to Publix to pick up a few things.

Well, now, not so cute. They are not just in the parking lot, they are on the sidewalks around the building. Not just four or five ducks - we're talking ten to fifteen ducks. All.the.time. People have to slow down and stop in while pulling in to let the ducks get out of the way. And not to hurt their feelings but they aren't even pretty ducks, like Mallards or something, they are those funky looking Muscogees.

The other day I caught a lady who works in my building red handed, feeding them. Now I'm all for taking care of animals, leaving food out for a stray cat or whatever. But there is just no need to feed a group of wild animals that have a perfectly good food source in the lake right next store. Especially now that they think any human has food and proceed to rush, more like quickly waddle, up to you every morning and every night.

So when you hesitate to walk to your car alone at night, feel lucky that you aren't going to be accosted by a gang of fast-waddling ducks.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

It's the most wonderful time of the year!
Andy Williams

When I walk into my office each morning I can smell fresh coffee brewing and the crisp, sweet aroma of the fresh Christmas tree in the lobby. Makes me smile every time.

I love, love, love Christmas. Not just the day but the whole season. From the day after Thanksgiving until we ring in the new year on December 31. With Christmas and my birthday in between it all!

All of my shopping is done and my stocking stuffers are ready to be wrapped up and stored away until one week from today (hooray!). I'm heading home to my mom on Saturday with howling Bella and lots of presents in tow. Nick and his sister, Leah, will be joining us on Sunday.

Even here in Florida it is supposed to be cool - highs in the 60's with lows in the 40's. Hey, that's cold for us! I am just taking it all in. Singing Christmas carols at the top of my lungs, dragging Bella away from the Poinsettias and enjoying my very favorite time of the year.

You know, it is wonderful.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Random: lacking any definite plan or order or purpose
  • Working, working, working. Hmmm, that about sums up the last week.
  • I finished my very last masters course on Sunday night with the mother of all literature reviews - just my capstone/thesis next semester and I'm done!
  • My mom is coming into to town on Saturday to attend my sorority alumnae Christmas Tea - I'm so excited to have her here!
  • I started wrapping a few of the Christmas presents I already purchased. Then Bella proceded to knaw off the cute red raffia on each one. "Merry Christmas. Here's some dried cat spit."
  • I received by Christmas bonus at - it very, very jolly and a much appreciated.
 
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