Time to Say Goodbye

It is time to say goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011!


I thank each of you for everything you have given me throughout 2010: good advice, a good swift-kick in the pants (when I needed it), guidance, love, support, and some of the best friendships I could ever ask for in this life. (You all know who you are!)


May 2011 be a better year that any year previous! Take care & love to each of you!

Movie Night

Tonight I decided to have a "movie night at home."

Yes, I will admit it! My first choice for the night was Easy A. The plot is simple...Olive is one of those girls who just blends into the scenery during high school. When someone overhears Olive telling her best friend that she had lost her virginity to a college guy over the weekend, Olive's life goes from being a "nobody" to being the school tramp. There is an awesome twist in all of this...Olive is still a virgin! Oh, the tangled webs we weave when trying to fit in during high school.

Here is how the movie is described on IMBd - A clean cut high school student relies on the school's rumor mill to advance social and financial standing. 

I will say this! I am surprised, but it was actually a well-done movie. I enjoyed it. In fact, I loved it.

Movie choice number two is Flipped. I am getting ready to watch it now. Will have to report back on that one.

Santa's Little Helpers

I caught wind of this story, and it made me want to cry.

A Different Christmas

Our Christmas traditions (like our Thanksgiving traditions) went through a bit of an overhaul this year. 


Normally, Dad's family gets together at my Aunt Sue's house for Christmas. This year was the first time we gathered on Christmas Eve or Christmas day in years. We normally gather before the holiday because my cousins have farther to travel during the holidays. 


Somehow we got to gather on Christmas Eve this year. However, there was a change in the gathering place. Instead of meeting at my Aunt Sue's house, I was told we were gathering at my cousin Kelli's apartment. When I inquired as to why we changed, I was told that it was easier for us all to gather there instead of having to transport so many kids. (Among my three cousins, there are T-E-N kids under the age of 10. That's right, uncle Joey has 10 nieces and nephews on this side of the family!) I drove the 2 1/2 hours to Kelli's apartment. My job upon arriving was to help keep the munchkins under control. I am instantly attacked by Dominic and Jacobi. 


All the gifts that were given that night were to the kids. All the adults have stopped buying for each other, and we all purchase gifts for the children. My cousins cannot afford to buy much for Christmas, so we all take care of it. The kids had a blast. There was a DVD player, a slew of DVDs, lots of clothes, Nerf guns, WWE action figures, and some jewelry sets for my nieces. 


I drove back to my house that night. The meteorologists had all predicted all kinds of snow on Christmas day, and I did not want to get stuck. This is the first year in my life that I have not been with my brother and father on Christmas morning. I would not get to partake in my dad making his traditional Christmas breakfast. It was a bit disheartening, but my dad called me early to wish me Merry Christmas and to check on the snowfall report. Oddly enough, we had NO SNOW on Christmas morning. The snow did not start falling until around 10 AM...go figure!


In the afternoon of Christmas day, my brother and I drove to my mother and step-father's house. They live exactly one hour from my brother and one hour from me. When we got to mom's, we all went downstairs to the media room. This is where mom keeps her Christmas tree. (It is also the largest room in the house which means more room for my two nephews, Will and Matthew, to roam. There are less breakables down there, too.) We all settled in for a few hours of conversation. My brother and mother only see each other at Christmas each year. So there is tons of catching up to do. As I sat there, I laughed at how much I am like my mother and how much my brother and step-father are alike. We exchanged gifts, then my mother took us upstairs to load us up with holiday food. My favorite Christmas food from mom...homemade sausage balls. There are none that compare. 


All-in-all, it was a nice Christmas. It was peaceful, and it turned out to be a white Christmas. We RARELY get a white Christmas around here. (Of course, we now have over 6 inches of snow since yesterday, and it is still snowing!) 


Below is a list of some of my Christmas gifts: 


Droid X - It arrives on Wednesday! 

Armani Code - My mother has impeccable taste! 

Superman Watch

Convection Oven - So I can keep on baking! 

Just Dance 2 - This boy's gotta dance! 

Twilight : Eclipse - Yes, I follow the movie and books! 

Zumba DVD set - Yes, I actually asked for this! 

I hope everyone else had a great Christmas holiday! Take care! 

A Huge THANK YOU!

I love selfless acts of kindness, generosity, thoughtfulness, etc.

Today I received a card in the mail. It was a card from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Some very good friends of mine made a donation to the hospital in my honor. It is a gift that truly keeps on giving. Knowing that St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a place close to my heart, I cannot say thank you enough for a gift such as this.

This is the type of gift that I have asked so many for this year. I don't need anything tangible for my gift. I am much more content and happy knowing that this, and other donations will be used to help find cures for childhood catastrophic illnesses.

So a HUGE THANK YOU to Mikeal and Mandi! Love you guys!

-----------------------------------------

Coincidentally, I ordered a Christmas gift for a fellow blogger today. The funny thing is that this blogger will have absolutely NO CLUE this is coming. It was a random, spur of the moment, happening. I couldn't help myself. It is supposed to arrive at said blogger's home on Thursday! I love sending the random gift from time to time. Hope it brighten's this blogger's day!

Pics That Make Me Smile

Tonight I have settled into my couch with an amazing cup of fresh hot chocolate. I decided to chop up Dove chocolate pieces, melt them slowly, and add them to steaming hot milk. It is probably one of the best cups of hot chocolate I have had in a pretty long time! 


As I sit here tonight, I have been laughing (something that I definitely needed) at pictures that I have caught on Facebook. Thought I would share a few.

First, meet Santa Claus...aka My Father! Yes, this is an actual picture of my dad. Every year he grows out his hair and beard starting in August and ending in December. I will admit that he does look like Santa Claus. However, the hair drives me up the wall and down again! Little kids will see us at restaurants, and they will stare at my father who they believe to be Santa. 


My Christmas present each year is that he shaves on Christmas Day! I cannot help but hate the long hair. It makes him look so much older than he is. 

Today I found this picture from a friend's Christmas party. Some lady that came to the party made these little treats. Yes, they look like little mice on a plate. I am dying to try and make these. From what I can tell it is a chocolate-covered graham cookie for the base, a chocolate-covered cherry for the body and tail, a Hershey's kiss for the face, slivered almonds for the ears, and some red decorating gel for the eyes. It looks complicated but simple. I think I will try to make these for a party I am attending on Tuesday. 

My friend, Amanda, is obsessed with her cats. She will someday be the ultimate cat-lady. She posted this picture today of one of her cats looking festive for the holiday season. Poor cat looks miserable in his antlers. 


The other picture that I was tempted to post was of Amanda holding down the cat. I commented that it was sad she had to forcibly hold down the cat to make him wear those antlers. 

I found this picture on an article titled "Holiday Stress." I just loved the picture. I actually start devouring my gingerbread man with the legs. I always save the face for last. Someone asked me why, and of course my evil comment was that I wanted the gingerbread man to suffer and watch as he is eaten alive. (Insert evil laugh here!) 

This picture is of my youngest nephew, Dominic. He just turned 5. What a cute kid. He is so full of energy. I often laugh when his mother gets frustrated with him. He is so cute, it is hard to stay angry with him. I can't wait to see him on Friday! 

I Voted...A Lot!

I Was Put on This Earth

Last night I read the latest post from Joe over at My Complicated Life in Provo and it struck a certain nerve within me. Seems that a close friend of Joe’s is being shunned and secluded from family events at the family home simply because he is gay.

I can’t say that I identify with this dilemma. I have been blessed to have a family that has been nothing but supportive my entire life. I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like if my family decided that I was no longer allowed to come to family events, being shunned for who I am, and (what is worse in my eyes) not being allowed to see my beautiful nieces and nephews.

What is so frightening is that I understand the intolerance, the fear, and the state of mind of these family members. I grew up in a very Southern Baptist family. So much of the doctrine is laid into our psyche very early in life. To question it is a no-no. I was always worried that if my family knew about me that I would be shunned. Amazingly, I have not experienced that yet in my family.

I sat here last night trying to come up with some words of advice for Joe and his friend. I also looked for a song to offer support. I searched high and low. I finally found a song that amazed me.

So, I offer up this song to Joe and his friend going through such a rough time.

“As I Am”

Forgive me
I didn’t realize till now
That our cold, self-righteous words
Could hurt you so.

I was taught very young
By those who came before me
To fear and condemn
The things I don’t know.

There is fear in the hearts of those who would change you
Fear of the light that shines from you
They don’t know that light was designed by God
Who gave it a brilliant and beautiful hue

And to those who would change you or send you away
You must proudly stand your ground and say

I was put on this Earth as I am
I was put here to fill the world with magic
I know all the love with which I was born
Can conquer your taunting
Can conquer your scorn

I was put on this Earth as I am
I was born with my own special blessing
I’ll let them shine and not give a damn
I was put on this Earth…as I am.

There is envy in those who recklessly judge you
Wishing their hearts could love like yours
They don’t understand they can reach within
And find all the love forgiveness restores

And to those who condemn you with fury and shame
You must strongly plant your feet and proclaim

I was put on this Earth as I am
I was put here to live as His creation
And I know I am loved in virtue and sin
I’m calm and content within our own skin

I was put on this Earth as I am
I was born with my own special blessings
I’ll let them shine and not give a damn
I was put on this Earth…as I am.

A Perfect Weekend

Rarely do I ever call anything perfect, but I cannot refuse given what a wonderful weekend I have just had.

FRIDAY
After sending all the kids home Friday afternoon, I took off for the bank. It was their annual open house. This is the bank at which I worked from the time I was a senior in college until I decided 3 years later to return to school and get my master’s degree.

When I first began working at the bank, I was a roaming teller. That meant I would fill in at whatever branch needed me. I worked at all 13 of the bank branches in our region. I got to know every one in the entire bank family. I always loved our annual Christmas party simply because I got to see everyone at the same time. After a year at the bank, the CEO himself came down to the teller line to ask me if I ever would consider a career in his bank. I was shocked! It was such a difficult decision to leave the bank family I loved so much.

I got to the bank around 3:30 on Friday. I took time to visit every floor of the bank, just to make sure I saw everyone I knew. Even though it has been a little over 8 years since I left the bank, most of the people are still there. It felt like going home again. I miss them all so much.

After leaving the bank, I drove to my friend Susan’s home for dinner. Susan is a substitute teacher in our school. She is phenomenal. Everyone wants her as their substitute. I never fear when she is in my classroom. On top of that, she has become a wonderful friend. Dinner consisted of roasted pork with a cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes with bleu and parmesan cheese (yumm-o), peas, and herb-crusted bread. Dessert was peppermint ice cream with chocolate sauce. (Eat your heart out, Mandi!)

Once dinner was over Susan, Calvin (her husband), and I went to the local university’s Chorale Christmas concert. The concert was beautiful.  The music was classical. Most of the music was in Italian, German, Hungarian, etc. Listening to them gave me goosebumps and almost brought me to tears.

Saturday
I chose to be rather lazy on Saturday. Those that are close to me will tell you that is something I never do. However, I wanted to slow down for a bit and just relax. I lounged around the house for several house on Saturday morning and afternoon. Around 2:00, I got out of the house. I did a bit of shopping around town. It was insane out there. It seemed that everyone and their mother was out and about.

I finally decided to go see a movie. I chose Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 3-D. I get to the theater and run into a fellow teacher from my school. Her husband and two sons were there, too. One of her sons is a former student of mine, and the other is a student at my school but on another team. The movie was pretty good. I won’t say it was as great as the previous two movies in the series. However, I did enjoy it. I don’t really think the 3-D effect added anything to the movie.

Sunday
I was looking forward to Sunday all weekend long. My friends Mikeal and Mandi were in my part of the state for the weekend. We decided to meet up for brunch in Knoxville. I was super-excited to see them. I had not seen them in soooooo long!

We decided to eat at a restaurant called the Tomato Head. The food was incredible. Mandi ended up getting some form of huevos rancheros. Mikeal got these awesome biscuits with bacon and eggs smothered in gravy. Munchkin 1 ordered a ham-n-cheese omelet that came with cheesy grits and a biscuit. Munchkins 2 and 3 split two gigantic belgian waffles. I ended up with an egg sandwich that was locally produced scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, Andouille sausage, and locally smoked-cheddar.   Mine also came with a variety of fruit (grapes, apple, and orange). The spread of food was insane.

Did I mention the cinnamon roll that was ordered as an appetizer…yes, and appetizer for breakfast! It was flaky, soft, and smothered in icing. We all dug into that huge pastry like starving orphans in a third-world country. It was delicious.

The food was great, but the company was what made my day. I love Mikeal and Mandi so much. They are just wonderful people, and I love to be around them. Of course, they gave me a hard time saying that I really am not Southern. I took it as a compliment. My entire family is southern, redneck, backwoods, etc. I take pride in moving beyond that. So, I am not so Southern. THANK YOU MANDI!

After our meal, we went into this quirky shop in Market Square. All of the items in that shop are just fun. The munchkins picked out Corndog flavored mints. Let’s just say Mandi didn’t go for those. I ended up purchasing some rubber duck soap for my classroom. It had a berry scent, so I could tolerate that. The fact that it was a rubber duck meant I had to get it for the classroom.

After our brief shopping stint, we parted ways so we could each get home safely before the impending snow storm. We only got to spend a few hours together. However, it made my weekend…perhaps my month!

Monday
Yes, I am counting Monday as part of my weekend! We ended up getting the day off because of the snow storm. I measured 4-6 inches of snow in my yard…depending on where you measured it. All the roads were covered this morning. Everything was pristine white! I love that look of cleanliness that can only come with a fresh snow storm. It is beautiful!

Around noon I was finally able to get out of the house for a bit. I ended up at the school cleaning cabinets, bookshelves, recycling papers, etc. I cleaned for 3 hours. BUT IT IS CLEAN!

So the weekend was perfect! I wish more weekends were this wonderful. Now my week will begin tomorrow morning. We are on a 2-hour delay  tomorrow then it is benchmark testing for our kids. Oh the fun that will entail!

The best part about this week is that as of Friday I will be on a two-week WINTER BREAK!

Take care, my friends!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Winter is certainly making its entrance a bit early this year. We have seen snow all day long. I am loving it. The only question that remains is "Will we have a delay or a cancellation of school tomorrow?"

Some of the surrounding school systems have already called off school for tomorrow. Others have already issued delays. Of course, there are surrounding school systems that are higher up in the mountains, and they cancel at every mention of SNOW!

I have been in contact with our Director of Schools today via Facebook. (Yes, my Director of Schools is "hip" enough to be on Facebook.) His last update said:

Fingers crossed for a regular schedule tomorrow. Would like avoid this until at least January!


I wrote back to him and said I knew he was anxious to try our new messenger system out tomorrow. Recently, our "techno-forward" system FINALLY got a text messaging, robo-call, and email alert system. It took a two-year study for them to finally choose one. Over the past two weeks parents have been signing up for the new system. The director told me that it would not be ready to go until mid-week. I laughed!

It is on days like these that I do not envy his job.

What's worse is that I have two meetings tomorrow at Central Office, and I am speaking in front of the School Board tomorrow night. I certainly hope the snow lays off this week so we can get through the week until Winter Break (December 17!!!!!!!!).

Last year was an awful winter. Some of the surrounding school systems had so much snow that they only went to school a total of 12 days between December and January. I pray it won't be as bad this year.

But I LOVE THE SNOW!

What Would You Do

Will post some comments about this later, but I definitely found this interesting.

What would you do?

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Happy Hanukkah

Wait a sec...I'm not Jewish!

However, to my Jewish brethren, I thought I would post a Happy Hanukkah wish for each of you.

Today I have been rummaging the net looking for and listening to various types of music. Somehow I stumbled onto an A Capella group called the Maccabeats. They are a Jewish A Capella group from Yeshiva University. I don't know what it is about A Capella music, but I love it. I was amazed at how much I loved the music of the Maccabeats.

The video of their's that has gone viral recently is called Candlelight. It is a play on Taio Cruz's Dynamite.

As I researched them some more, I found some of their other music that I kept listening to for about an hour or two.

If you get a chance, check out CD Baby or iTunes.