Friday, November 23, 2012

'Tis the Season for Jamming Out

Well it's been approximately 24 hours since my family's Thanksgiving feast which can only mean one thing: it's time to trim the tree up in here.
And that can only mean one other thing: it's time to pump up the volume on my iTunes Christmas playlist. 
With over 6 hours of songs to choose from, I usually just select shuffle mode and jam out. And while I love each tune for the Christmas spirit it brings, there are some for which I always have to hit repeat (maybe 2 or 20 times).

My top 13 favorite songs of the Season (in no particular order) are as follows:

O Holy Night by 'N Sync

God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman/We Three Kings by Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan

Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms

The Christmas Song by Dave Matthews

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee

Deck the Rooftop by the Glee Cast

We Three Kings by Jim Brickman

Angels We Have Heard on High by Josh Groban & Brian McKnight

Wait. Where were we? Sorry, I got distracted by the smooth butter that Josh & Brian's voices just melted in my ears.
Ah yes, my next favorite songs of the Season:

All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey

Mele Kalikimaka by Jimmy Buffet

The 12 Days of Christmas by Straight No Chaser

Love is Christmas by Sara Bareilles

And last, but certainly not least:

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by 'N Sync (seriously the entire album is my favorite)

If you're not in the spirit now, then I think you need to start from the top and read this post again.

No matter what you're jamming out to, remember to be good to one another, this Black Friday and every day. Happy Holidays, y'all!



Thursday, November 22, 2012

The Things I'm Most Thankful For

"The best things in life are not things." -Art Buchwald

Just some of the many "things" to be thankful for this year...




























What "things" are you thankful for this year?

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!



Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Full Circle

This Sunday I had the honor of seeing my lifelong friend, Erin, have her daughter baptized. 



Sweet baby Nora was baptized in the church where I was baptized, where Erin and I made our First Communion, where Erin and Nick were married...life truly has come full circle.


After the baptism, we went back to Erin & Nick's house for brunch and I got some quality time with the little star herself. Could she be any cuter?


It was also great to be with Jenny & Gord, and to catch up with Kara & Wade. It had literally been since Derby that we were all last together! That means events like this are even more special since they are so few and far between.



I'm so happy for Erin and Nick, and so thankful to have been able to share this special day with them! God Bless sweet baby Nora.




Monday, November 12, 2012

Give Thanks

This weekend as I was putting away the Halloween decor, I came across this beauty. I had totally forgotten that I bought it at the end of the season last year! Pure blingin' bliss. 
It's the little things for me, people. 'Cause seriously, the little things really do become the big things.

Take this past week, for example. The check engine light came on in my car (4 days after I had taken it for an oil change, mind you). I took it back to the dealer thinking it'd be a couple hours & a couple hundred dollars. So you can imagine my dismay when they called to say it would be days until they could fix my engine at 9 times the cost I originally thought it would be (do the math, then gulp). 
Goodbye new couch. Farewell new mirrored dressers.

So after I did the ugly cry for a few hours (I'm talking gasping for air, tears & snot streaming), I received a text with this precious picture. Magically, the tears stopped. Alright, well they didn't stop so to speak, but at least they were flowing for a happy reason. Love this little girl so much! 
I told Kate that she couldn't have texted me at a better time. I went on to explain the car sitch and the next thing I knew, she and Micah were on their way over with dinner and my sweet niece. 
And the support didn't stop there. 
My friend Ruthie  drove out of her way to give me a ride to work on Monday morning. My mom let me drive her car to work on Tuesday so I could hold parent conferences. My sister and her boyfriend agreed to carpool to work on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday so that I could use her car. Not to mention the thoughtful ride offers from my dad, friends, and coworkers. 

They may not have realized it, but those little gestures meant a whole lot to me and reminded me of how truly blessed I am to have such wonderful family and friends. 

So yeah, the bank account took a huge hit, but my car is finally back, I have a fresh purple pedicure, and a mug of hot chocolate & Bailey's. Not to mention some awesome people who always have my back. 
So. Thankful.