Christmas and Other Things

Here's a fun little Christmas Survey:


Do you believe in Santa Clause: Oh Yes!

Do you put up a christmas tree: Most definitely

Do you decorate the outside of your house: On occasion

Do you decorate the inside of your house: Yup, I don't go overboard though

White lights or Colored: White lights on the Christmas tree, and I'll always love those old C9 colored bulbs.

When do you usually start listening to Christmas music: After Thanksgiving

Do you peek at presents: No, but I'm in the habit of buying my own and collecting the $$ later. Stupid I know, but I buy most stuff on eBay and the parents don't know how to use it.

Do you make gingerbread houses: Not since high school home ec. class, but I LOVE making my soft and chewy gingerbread cookies!

When do you start your shopping: Around Thanksgiving sometime, and I don't stop until Christmas Eve!

Do you like snow: I like to watch it come down under the street lamps when I'm inside all cozy and warm. Other than that, no, I hate it.

Do you like to build snowman or have snowball fights: Hmm, not since I was a little kid. I'm always up for some sledding though!

When do you get up on christmas: When I was a kid, 5am. Now, it's my usual 8:00.

What do you do first eat or open gifts: Eat!

Are you in the Christmas spirit yet: I start getting into the spirit after my birthday in Nov.

Whats Christmas eve like for you: After cooking all day, get all dressed up for the Christmas Eve service, go to church and then out for a late supper. Go home and open a present.

What about the day before that: Last minute shopping!

Are you anticipating christmas: I love this advent season, I am eagerly anticipating the celebration of my savior's birthday!

What is your favorite Christmas memory: Going into my brothers' room and saying, "Wake up it's Christmas, let's go see what Santa brought!" and proceeding to tear into our stockings and play all morning long with our goodies.

What is the best gift you ever gave: My memory fails me on this one.

What is the best gift you ever received: The gift of everlasting life when God sent His Son to Earth to die for me. Other than that, I guess my Aiwa stereo system when I was about 15. I still use it to this day!

Who do you usually spend Christmas with: The immediate fam.

Is Christmas usually celebrated at your house or someone elses: Always wherever my parents are.

Do you get everyone in your family a present: That would be financially impossible - unless we only spent $10 on everyone.

What is your favorite Christmas tradtion: The Christmas Eve events.

Do you like eggnog: Ooo yes. Especially Starbucks eggnog lattes. Although, I heard a newscaster the other day refer to it as "Liquid Cheeseburger." Thanks for that thought.

Do you have any shirts or sweaters with a Christmas design on it: No, but I'm going to an ugly Christmas sweater party, so I will be acquiring one soon!

What is your favorite Christmas album: Any of the Time Life Christmas Albums. Currently on my Christmas playlist: 'Sleigh Ride' by the Ronettes, 'Ave Maria' by Beyonce, "Cool Yule' by Louis Armstrong, 'What Child is This?' by Sarah McLachlan and 'O Come, O Come Emanuel" by Enya, 'The Nutcracker Suite' by the Brian Setzer Band and 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' by Relient K.

Do you open your presents Christmas morning or Christmas Eve: Christmas Morning

Do you go to Church on Christmas Eve: Yup

Do you get a real or a fake tree: Fake, I don't want a fire.

Who decorates the tree: Me, actually, I never take it down, I just take the entire intact tree to the basement when we're finished!


Okay, on another note, I've really been in a rut with the house and need some inspiriation to keep it looking nice, so, Adam and I have decided to repaing the entire interior! He got me a Sherwin-Williams architect's palette with 5 x 5 paint chips - I'm so excited! This morning, I woke up and began re-arranging furniture in our bedroom. Here's the results:



Any ideas on paint color?

I will have to post some more later, Brianna is awake from her nap!

Reflections

Ahh, this is a great time of the year. Everyone is in a good mood (for the most part ;P), time is spent with families, comfort food is served in abundance (at least at my house it is), I can wear all my cozy sweaters again and Christmas music is heard all around.
In this time of economic uncertainty, I am feeling especially thankful for the finanacial security God has provided us. Even now, if Adam were to come home one day and tell me he no longer posesses a job (which is becoming increasingly likely), I am certain we could get by if I went back to work full-time. These are scary times and I am constantly being reminded of the hardships people are facing out there when I go to work and hear all the beauty shop gossip. I honestly don't know how or when we as a nation are going to dig out of this, but we always do. I hope that this will teach us all a lesson that we shouldn't be tempted to buy things that are out of our reach. I know I've learned my lesson. I look at my closet full of brand name clothes I don't even wear or only wore once or twice and I am disgusted. I currently have my once coveted Louis Vuitton wallet up for bids on ebay and don't even feel a twinge of sadness. You know, it's just stuff. In the end, none of it matters. The things in life that should be important like, oh I don't know, God, family and relationships have seemed to take the backburner in my life and I have had to reprioritize.
On a happier note, I am so excited for the holidays. We're going to fry up a turkey for Thanksgiving, eat some stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and some pumpkin pie. I'm salivating over the thought :). I love Thanksgiving. I'll always remember as a kid, sitting in the family room watching the Macy's Day Parade on TV. The one Thanksgiving I particularly remember was crisp and cool but the sun was shining on the deck outside the sliding glass doors, and my Dad's huge family was all coming over later. I must have been about 8 or 9. Mom was busy in the kitchen and the aroma of a great big turkey roasting in the oven was in the air. Later, I was playing a game called Enchanted Forest in my room with my cousins. (That's the best game ever, by the way). That memory is so vivid in my mind that I can almost feel myself there.
It's the holidays when I really miss the house I grew up in. To me, when my parents moved out of that house, it was almost like a death in the family. I have the same longing for the tangible memory of the house that I have for my Papa. Just about every Christmas that I can remember, I would go wake my brothers up and we would creep down the stairs in the dark to where our stockings were on the piano, and we would take them into the living room and tear into them and play all morning with whatever Santa had brought us while the Time Life Christmas album was playing in the background. I can just see my silly little brothers jumping around the house to "Feliz Navidad", or NaviDOT as they used to call it. Yup. That was the best house. Ever. It's hard to believe that some other family is now making their memories within those very same walls. I guess it's only appropriate that another family would be able to enjoy such a treasure of a place to call home. I am grateful to God that I am fortunate to have wonderful childhood memories such as these.
This year for Chrismas, we are going to change it up a bit and instead of slaving over a great feast, we're just going to have a nice big breakfast and do whatever for lunch. I think a nacho bar sounds good. A number of my clients have told me that the idea sounds great and they are now considering doing the same. I also think I might just spend the whole day in my PJ's. I'm looking forward to seeing how Brianna reacts to Christmastime this year. She's just so full of wonder now, and really aware of her surroundings. I think she's really going to enjoy it.
Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and hopefully we'll be spending a lot of it together!

Catch-Up!

I thought it was about time to update this thing...so here goes...I'm warning you this is going to be pretty random and long. :)

I think I left off with MOPS last time. Since then Brianna and I have been to two meetings. So far, it has been great! It's a great time for mommies and mommies-to-be to come together to share stories, advice and laughter. Hopefully some great friendships will come from this too. I've come to the conclusion that it is time for me to start surrounding myself with people who lift me up, encourage me and keep me accountable on this earthly journey we call life instead of people who bring me down and make me go off course. Brianna seems to enjoy being a Moppet. It's fun to watch her interact with the other kiddos. Between taking her to church on Sundays and that, she has had two colds in the last two weeks, not to mention, she has got one more tooth to add to the other 5 she already has. Did I mention I have been covered in baby slobber and snot this whole week? Unfortunately, I don't think she is done because she is still a drool factory and was up screaming all of Sunday night.

That brings me to another thought. All through Brianna's infancy, she has been a great little sleeper. From the night we brought her home from the hospital, she has slept through the night without so much as a whimper and we have never had trouble putting her down for naps. Until now. She wakes up at least 2 or 3 times a night now! I guess it's payback for the sweet serenity of nights gone by during her infancy.

Another change would be her diet. Instead of heating up a bottle of milk for a meal and opening up a jar of baby food, I have now switched her to real people food. This requires me to chop everything we eat into little bite-sized pieces and lets just say I keep the food processor out on the counter top at all times now. She still can't have anything with nuts in it and she only drinks whole milk or water. Sometimes I let her have some diluted 100% juice even though it's against her doc's wishes. I never thought I'd be one of those picky "healthy" moms, but like all other parents, we want the best for our children. That is why I only buy organic milk and choose organic foods and prepare everything as close to its natural state as possible. It's scary when you start to read food labels and can't recognize half the ingredients, let alone, pronounce them. No wonder we all have cancer.

So, it is now fall. Today is also a strange weather day for fall. This morning, we woke up to a very dense fog that pretty much burned off by noon. Then the sun came out and I could see patches of blue sky mixed with the heavy gray clouds, and looming over the mountains was this huge dark cloud. I was at Target with Brianna looking at all the fun Halloween stuff when there was a very loud crack of thunder and then the sound of rainfall on the metal roof. By the time I got my shopping done and was walking out to the car, the dark clouds were way off in the distance and the sun was back out. It is now 4:00 in the afternoon and it is quite blustery and we are once again surrounded by dark clouds with rumbling thunder in the distance. I believe the forecast is calling for overnight snow as well. Not your typical fall day around here. At any rate, I have come to the conclusion that this is my favorite season. Summertime in Colorado has just gotten too darn hot. I can't believe I used to live without air conditioning. Anyway, thanks to a wet late summer, the colors are vibrant against that deep blue Colorado sky. I like having days when I can wear shorts and a tank top and days when I can wear a nice cozy sweater. The only thing though, is that I know winter is imminent and I HATE winter. I'm one of those people who has seasonal affective disorder during the long winter months. I like that first good snow, when you get all excited. You're constantly looking out the window to see how much has accumulated while you're inside all cozy by the fire sipping hot chocolate. Yes, after that, I'm ready to feel the warmth of the sun again. Thank goodness for the cheery Christmas season to break it up a bit. That and the tanning salon. I love my tanning salon, they have it all decorated to look like a Mayan plaza complete with Spanish tile and a nice big fountain in the middle of the room. You almost feel like ordering a drink when you walk up to the front desk, which happens to have a thatched grass awning over it. I lather on my pina colada scented tanning lotion and lay in the complete warmth of the bed for a few minutes like I'm laying on the beach in the sun. Mmmmmm nice. Most times I fall asleep. I know I talk about being healthy and all, but that is my secret indulgence. Besides, I'm getting a nice dose of vitamin D and it keeps my mental health in check. :) I only tan during the winter.

*Disclaimer* The following paragraph reflects my political and religious beliefs as well as some graphic descriptions and is not intended to offend anyone.
So I went to vote today. Early voting rocks! It literally took me 5 minutes to get in and out of there. I can't stand election years. I hate all the bickering and politically loaded conversations that go on in the salon, on TV and everywhere else. I'm not very politically inclined, but I do have personal values which I am passionate about. Hear me out. I always vote Republican and always will so long as the Democrats support abortion. Abortion is the most inhumane and disgusting practice. I don't see how anyone can justify it. It's murder. Simply put. Do a little research on the methods used to abort a baby at any stage and I'm sure any normal thinking human being would have to agree, all reasoning set aside. As a mommy, the very first moment you know there is a tiny little human life growing inside of you, you feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility to protect that precious, delicate little being, and would be rather distraught if anything were to happen to that life. The only difference between that baby and one who ends up being aborted is that it's mother made a choice, either to keep or to destroy. They are both human beings capable of being viable beyond the womb. It is so incredibly selfish for moms who chose to end their baby's life just because it would be an inconvenience. The argument for mothers whose health is in danger isn't a good enough reason for me either. Abortion procedures alone are dangerous to the mother and are responsible for many deaths as well as sterility among women who later want to become mommies. People don't realize that abortion hurts women too. After a long list of complications that can occur, you also have the mental and emotional affects, especially for women who either didn't know what abortion is all about or who were unwillingly pushed into it. In the rare cases where victims of rape become impregnated, it is unfortunate that there is a second victim when a baby is created. Why not turn a tragic situation into one that creates much happiness by allowing a couple unable to get pregnant have their dreams come true to adopt that sweet baby? All I know is that God never allows a life to be created without a purpose. Don't believe me? Read Angie's blog. Audrey Caroline is now an angel in heaven with a legend here on earth. I was watching the news one day and a nurse came on to tell her forrifying experience in the birthing ward. A woman came in to have a late term abortion where they induce labor in a very violent way and the baby is supposed to die during the birth so that it is dead by the time it comes out. Well, unfortunately some of these babies survive the birth and in this particular instance, the nurse went to the utility closet and found the unwanted child covered in blankets whimpering on the cold floor where it was left to die. She sat there and rocked him until the little boy passed. You can't tell me that this is legal!!! Here in the United States of America where everyone is supposed to have rights! The last convincing thing that has me supporting the unborn is the former abortionist who admits that babies at 12 weeks gestation react to the suction tube. The baby's heart rate goes up as it's warm and comfy environment is abruptly and violently disrupted and the amniotic fluid it breaths is drained. In a video he shows, the baby is obviously trying to "get away" from the tube and it opens it's mouth in what is described as a silent scream. Its struggle finally ends as it's tiny arms and legs are ripped away from it's body. How can you not stand up for that sweet, sweet little baby? Sorry to be so blunt...I said I was passionate!

Anyway, I'm sure you all are wanting me to wrap this up, and I have to go make Chicken Pot Pie from scratch anyway, so until next time, take care!

Random Rantings

So, the other day, as I was highlighting my client's hair, she told me about a recent incident involving her 15-year-old son and his female teacher. Over the course of a few months, she had been trying to befriend him with compliments and gestures, first by giving him her home phone # in case there was anything at all that he needed to contact her for. At first, his mom didn't think much of it, she questioned it but then dismissed it only to find out that he was the only one of her students to have that number. Then one day, her son told her that his teacher had said that she was going to buy him a hoodie of a popular brand for Christmas, his mom asked him if she was planning to buy all of her students a gift...of course not. At this point she went to the school officials only to be disappointed to hear that they couldn't do much of anything. This is Denver Public Schools by the way. At a later time, he told his mom that she was going to get him a Victoria's Secret gift card so he could buy some sexy lingerie for his girlfriend. The straw that broke the camel's back? A pornographic text sent to his phone by her. This was enough incriminating evidence for his mom to go to the police. During this whole investigation, his teacher harassed him and told everyone he was a snitch, turning a lot of his friends against him. This family has since moved out of the area and out of the school district hoping for a fresh start. As for the teacher, a slap on the hand and a fine. The charge: endangerment to a child. The good that came out of this? All the employees at that school have been given a background check and will now have random routine checks, and hopefully this teacher will never be given another chance to work with minors. Seriously, what was she thinking??? Are schools just no longer safe? Random violence, sexual harassment, hazing - I really don't want my children attending public school.

Speaking of other threats to our kids, I was reading Angie's blog about how she went to target looking for size 6 princess panties for her two daughters only to find nothing but "butt crack" low-rise panties with questionable graphics. CHILDREN'S SIZE 6!!! Can you believe they also make thong-style panties in this size??? Something else you can find in this section? Padded training bras. Seriously people, where is the innocence in childhood anymore? I'm not dissing this style of panties, I myself wear the lacy, sexy styles but I am 28, not 6.

Anyway, thanks for hearing me out. So today, I am exited to go to my first ever session of MOPS! (Mothers Of Preschoolers). Brianna doesn't know yet, but she is going to be a Moppet. How exciting. :) However, it is now 7am and I should be in the shower, so I will write more on this later!

Background Part II

After a three month tour in Bosnia, Adam was set to be discharged from the Army in August of 2000. His plans were to return home to Alabama. I just couldn't even bear the thought of not being with him, so I made a life-changing decision to follow him to the Deep South. I had never been more excited in my life. I was young, ready for change and had no intentions to ever move back to Colorado. The morning I left, I had my little blue Geo Prizm packed to the brim with all of my possessions. I remember hugging my Dad goodbye and feeling the sadness in his arms. Only now after having a child of my own do I know what he must have been feeling. My mom flew out there the next day to set me up in a little one-bedroom apartment and to help me register for classes at UAB. Wow, I was all growed-up and living on my own. I got a job at Michael's working back stockroom 5am-1pm. That was fun. When I got tired of that I started working at this ritzy outdoor mall, The Summit at Illuminations. I would come home smelling like candles - that was the only good part. My brief experiences in retail make me all the more thankful that I love my current job. Adam had a full-time job painting for his friend's dad. When we picked my apartment location, we didn't realize it was 25 minutes from Adam's parent's house. So, between that, my job, Adam's job and school, there wasn't much time for socializing and I was starting to feel pretty lonely. Homesick. Needless to say, I was back in Colorado by May of the following year. I'm glad for the experience though. I still am in love with the South; the landscape, the people, the way-of-life. You'd have to visit there to know what I'm talking about. Adam had just started a job at UPS, so he stayed through the summer before moving back. At that time we knew we were going to get married so there were no hesitations when it came to following me back. :)
My rule, or rather, my parents' rule was that I had to finish school before getting married. At this point, I was so far behind from transferring schools and losing credits, I talked my parents into letting me take classes at the Community College to get my Associates degree in Management and then on to Cosmetology school to become a hairstylist. Cosmetology school was so much fun. I went to Antoine du Chez Academy in Cherry Creek and got so much more hands-on experience there than I would've anywhere else. By the time I left, I was doing on average, 3-5 highlights/colors per day and not so many old lady perms and roller sets. YUCK.
Adam couldn't get in with UPS, so he applied at Sherwin-Williams to be a full-timer. Good move, five years later, he is a Sales Rep, driving a company car and making a decent salary with many promises for promotion. All this with no college education. Just goes to show what a little hard work and dedication can do. Sorry, but I'm proud of him. :)
On June 26, 2004, I married my best friend. We chose an apartment in Fort Collins and lived there for our entire first year as newlyweds. We bought our first place three years ago and we are still here. Mostly due to the housing market, but we are content. If we have another baby though, we will have to seriously consider moving. Somewhere closer to Denver preferably.
After a year of trying and one miscarriage, our firstborn arrived 5 weeks early in July of 2007. What a precious gift from God she is! I think we could probably have 1 or 2 more of her, God-willing. Parenthood is wonderful, I highly recommend it!
Well now, I think we are all up to date. I have to go marinate my chicken for supper!

Here's a Riddle For You to Solve

80% of Kindergartners got this right compared to 17% of Harvard students. I actually got this right but didn't realize it at first.


What is greater than God, More evil than the devil, The poor have it, The
rich need it, And if you eat it, you'll die?
scroll to see the answer.

































NOTHING.

Oprah is Scary

This morning I was going through all of my emails and I came across this video. I just feel like I should share it. For all of you Oprah lovers out there, I hope you take everything she says with a grain of salt.

A Bit of Background

Let me begin by rewinding the clock a bit. I was born and raised in Boulder, CO. Yes, I know. It's funny the stigma that comes along with being from a particular place. I never realized it until I moved away. It is often referred to as "The People's Republic of Boulder". Enough said. So then there's my family, a middle-class, stay-at-home mom, conservative Christian household. Thank you Mom and Dad! I lived in the same home for 20 years and only recently have my parents picked up and moved out of Boulder. I can't believe how incredibly sad that was. Moving out of that house was like ripping a part of my childhood from me. The last time I was in that house, I sat in the middle of my empty room soaking in every square inch of that space and crying on the phone to my brother. There will always be the memories I guess.

So after graduating from high school in '98, I packed up my things and moved into McCowen Hall at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Good times, but I don't want to go into detail. It was there that I met my future husband, Adam. We don't have this amazing story of how we met, but if you would have told me on the night that I met him that I would be spending the rest of my life with him, I would have told you you were crazy. My friend Erin had met a group of guys from the Fort Carson Army base the week before, so she invited them to come up and hang out with us. So, late one Friday evening in January, 1999, my roomie and I were waiting on the couch in the common area of our dorms when a group of about 5 handsome young men came wandering in through the doors. We immediately knew who they were. I have to say, I got butterflies when I saw them. They were definitely different from all the other guys we were used to, looking like Abercrombie threw up on them. From the beginning of that night, I had singled Adam out. He was 6' 3" and had the bluest eyes I had ever seen with just a touch of a Southern accent. Right off the bat I thought they were all just a bit too cocky for me. They didn't care if we liked them or not. They certainly weren't trying to impress us. Over the next couple of months though, Adam and I continued to get to know eachother while dating other people and finally became "official" that spring. That was the beginning of a 5 year long courtship. More on that later though, it's my bedtime.

First-Time Blogger!

So, the whole blogging world is completely foreign to me right now, but it seems it is finally time for me to jump on the "blogwagon". My motivation for starting one of these? Because I think it would be great to have something to document my days as a young mommy for both myself and for my kiddos. Writing is definitely not my forte and neither is comedy, so don't expect anything of actual entertainment value from these typing fingers of mine. Just a warning. :) As Oprah says though, everyone has a story.
I'm not feeling especially creative right now...I seem to have some sort of yucky stomach bug, but I intend to post something sometime soon, so stay tuned...