Holiday Traditions

There is something about this time of year that makes everyone a little more sappy and nostalgic. There's something about holiday traditions that make the season just a bit more magical.

The Yule Log

A tradition that Matt & I have created is what we refer to as "The Yule Log." A few years ago, we happened upon the yule log on TV. That same Christmas I randomly found a Yule Log DVD and bought it for Matt as a joke. It has become our Holiday tradition to pop in the Yule Log whenever we are doing something holiday related (typically while blasting Christmas Carols).

Last year we took a break from decorating to take a photo in front of the yule log.

I think the Yule Log with continue to be a tradition for us for years to come. It is one of the silly, quirky thinks about our life that I just love. The house we are in contract on has a fireplace, but I plan on playing the Yule Log DVD regardless. 
As we have a family, I plan to institute many more Holiday Traditions. There truly is something special about this time of year!

What are your Holiday Traditions?

This conversation epitomizes what I miss about my old job

What you are about to read is all taken from a real life G-Chat.

Me:so many strange things have happened in that office

Previous Co-Worker:  Yes, yes they have.  And they keep happening.  How about this.  Remember the lady with the extra small eyes and the super thick glasses.  One year at Halloween she wore a super low dress to the point her boobies were hanging out?

 Me:  the one who is blind and likes to do crafts with cats? or the awkward one who acts way younger than she is and is obsessed with habitat for humanity?

Previous Co-worker:  no no crafts with cats

that one

Me:  wow, if i didn't know these people really existed i would think we were really good at making people up!

yes i know her

Previous Co-Worker:  Well, she came into the office the other day and said we needed to call 911 for her.  So we did.  And when she explained why, i almost died.

Me:  why???

Previous Co-Worker:  For Halloween, she drew on herself with Permanent Marker to make tattoos and spiderwebs.  Then she was scared because she was "turning black"

Me:  haaaaaaaaaaaaaa

what?!

Previous Co-Worker:  When she explained this to the EMT, he said, "well it's because you drew on yourself with 'black' marker"

Me:  that is really funny.

Previous Co-Worker:  and she said, "I know, but look, it's spreading"

Previous Co-Worker:  He asked if she tried washing it and she said yes, and he said, then it smudged.  You're not turning black ma'am

Me:  hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

i miss those people

Previous Co-Worker:  lol not me

Me:  the crazy, annoying, and sometimes smelly people

And I mean it... I am OK with my current position for now... but I can't wait to get back to working with the crazies. :)  

(please note: all statements were made in amusement. I really do love those people! :) )

It's been awhile...

  

I've been caught up in the craziness of life and haven't posted anything in over a month. Time sure has been flying by since last winter. My work weeks go so fast lately - not complaining, except it seems that life is ticking away as well.



Slow down, please!

So let's see, what have I been up to?

Matt and I finished our first quarter of Grad School. I currently have a 3.7, which I am proud of, but hope to raise next quarter! When did I become this grade-obessed freak? I do not know, but I can't say it's a bad thing. School starts back up mid-January and I am pretty excited.

Speaking of excitement in January, we are set to close on our first home at the end of January! We're currently "in contract" and in the middle of getting everything taken care of with the financing, etc. It's a beautiful house that we both love and can't wait to get our hands on it.

My mom is doing OK with her treatment. I won't say fantastic, because obviously it is a hard time for her. She's been in a lot of pain and very worn out. She's gotten pretty thin, but not scary thin. She's a trooper overall.

Right now, I am just getting excited for the Holidays! We decorated a small table top tree this year and our apartment is looking very cute. I'm excited to spend time with family and enjoy this special time of year.

That is all for now... just a little life update! :)

I don't have a title for this...

After almost two weeks of tests, my mom was diagnosed with cancer last week. There are cancer “nodules” throughout her body: her lymph nodes, her lungs, her liver, her rectum and colon, and even her spine. She started "very aggressive treatment" yesterday with her first round of chemo.

I've had my upset moments. Days. I've had thoughts, regrets, and panics that I couldn't get out of my mind. I keep thinking This isn't the way it's supposed to go. I've cried and prayed and pleaded with God and cried some more.

I've had days when somehow, I pushed it out of my mind and refused to think about it. I distracted myself anyway possible.

I tried keeping it to myself. Acknowledging it made it real, so I didn't want to do that. Also, I didn't want to look like that girl trying to get attention or pity. I told my family members I was OK and my husband was the only one I was open with.

Finally I realized, that this is a time that I need support. I was losing sleep and making myself crazy. I was in tears at work throughout the day at the thought of my mom's situation. So, I decided to tell 2 of my very close friends. Because I needed them. I composed and deleted and recomposed a text message telling them what was going on, being honest about how it was affecting me. I don't know why, but this was very hard for me. Of course they said all the right things. And I felt a little better.

Sunday it went public. My sister and aunts and then even my mom posted on their Facebook walls asking for support and prayers as my mom started chemo the next day. I didn't want to.

Then I started receiving texts from people who had seen it on Facebook. I read the amazingly supportive comments people were writing. And I realized that although this was a personal, private issue, sharing it with others was almost a relief. I created a post to show support for my mom and asked others to send her positive thoughts and prayers.

The outpouring of sincere condolences, positivity, and support that I've received is amazing. There are days when I think Facebook is absurd, but I must say in this instance, it's been a comfort to me. I've felt more positive and strong just knowing that so many people are thinking about, praying for, and rallying behind my mom. I hope it is a source of comfort and strength to her too.

P.S.

Put a ring on it



I forgot my wedding rings today, for the first time ever! I must say, it's leaving me feeling much like this:

Naked

It's weird how used to wearing them I actually am. Today has made me realize how often I play with and look at my rings. Maybe this contributes to me feeling just a little off today?

See ya, Funk!

I've been in a funk. I've been feeling crappy about my job, have some other stuff going on, and have overall been feeling uninspired. I woke up this morning feeling blah. I was cranky on my drive to work, angry at the other drivers for cutting me off and such. The outfit I chose feels frumpy.
Then suddenly, I realized, I've got to snap out of it. So, I'm done. I'm choosing to have a good day. I'm choosing to open up to inspiration. I'm choosing happiness.

I have long believed that happiness comes from inside, not external factors. Although I may be facing some challenges, this does not mean I have to succumb to them. So, see ya, funk!

"It's more fun to be a pirate than to join the navy." -Steve Jobs

Blatant Classism

The other day (ok really it was more like 2 weeks ago, but obviously it impacted me because it's still on my mind) Matt and I decided to start our weekend out right with Happy Hour drinks and food on a Friday.


(Side note: Happy Hour seems to be a big deal in Columbus. Of course there are Happy Hour deals everywhere, but in other places we've lived, it was more of something you happened to be in the right place at the right time. But here, Happy Hour is an event. People specifically plan to go to Happy Hour. And I'm not gonna lie... I like it.)

Not when you are thrown at our car, you don't!

So there we are on a sunny Friday late afternoon/early evening, driving along with the radio on, enjoying life, when BAM! A rock hits our windshield.


OK, I may have screamed. It was a loud noise and I was caught off guard. You probably would have too.


We pull over at a gas station to check for damage and figure out what happened. That's when we notice the offenders: a group of young boys, no older than 10 years old. They're standing at a railing that overlooks the road and throwing rocks as cars go by.


Our windshield has no real damage. There is a tiny speck of a mark where the rock hit, but luckily no cracks. The kids are still throwing rocks though, and someone could get hurt or worse. We decide the right thing to do is call the police. Another car stops at the gas station and say their car was hit as well and that they've already called the police. So we all wait.


An officer arrives and asks what happened. We tell her the story.


She immediately says to us, "Well, you aren't going to get anything from them. That's low-income housing. Their parents don't care what they do and even if  you sued them, what are they going to give you, the crappy $4000 house they're living in?"


We quickly explain that we aren't looking for any kind of compensation, that all we have is a tiny speck on the windshield. We just wanted someone to stop the situation before someone got hurt. We simply wanted an officer to stop by and give them a warning, maybe scare the kids a little.


 The officer continues to badmouth the neighborhood. She says that there is no hope for any of the kids, that they're all troublemakers, that they're all going to grow up to be worthless just like their parents, and on and on.


At this point, we are ready to go. We can see that nothing is really being accomplished and are starting to feel sick about the way she was looking down on this group of people.  Plus, we've been there at least a half hour now. It's 6 pm and Happy Hour ends at 7!


When we ask if we are done and OK to go, the officer says yes, unless we want to press charges. We explain that we don't want to press charges, we just wanted to help discourage this group of kids from doing something like this again with worse consequences. We didn't want anyone to get hurt.


Are you sure? She seems dissapointed.


Yes. We're sure.


We went on to enjoy our Happy Hour, but couldn't stop talking about the situation. And I still can't get it out of my head.


Yes, these kids were wrong to throw rocks into traffic. It was stupid and dangerous.


But should we as a society give up on them?


I say NO.


I understand that the officer we talked to was jaded. I understand that she may have dealt with numerous issues and crimes within this housing complex and completely lost hope.


But it still feels wrong to me.


Those kids could grow up to be anything in the world with the right push. Anything. They are in elementary school. I refuse to believe that their fate is predetermined.

One of the Most Beautiful Love Songs I've Ever Heard

"Her Diamonds," is a song Rob Thomas wrote about his wife Marisol, who suffers from autoimmune disease. This is not the first song he has written about her ("Smooth" ; "Ever the Same"), but this song is so powerful. Every time I listen to this song I can hear the pain in his voice of wanting to help the person he loves, the pain of watching her suffer and not being able to do anything about it. Wow. It is so real and so beautiful.

P.S. I hear she is doing much better these days!

30 by 30... Part 2

Background: I recently decided to set some realistic goals. Inspired by a friend's blog, I am setting 30 goals to accomplish by the age of 30. I am setting out to achieve everything on my list by my 30th birthday, January 2, 2014. Some are measurable goals, some are more of lifestyle changes or habits I would like to create. Some are simply things I've always wanted to do.

It's interesting to see that many of my goals are connected: If I accomplish one goal, I'm setting myself up to accomplish another.

To keep it interesting, I am going to break this into 2 posts... 30 is a lot of things! Click here to see part 1.

Here part 2 of my list (in no particular order):

16. Visit Europe. I would absolutely LOVE to visit Europe. I don't care if I only see one country at a time, I just want to go! This is something that Matt and I will have to save up for... hopefully we can make it by 30!

 

 

So many cute ideas!

17. Host an amazing backyard BBQ party for our close friends and family at our new house. I have so many cute ideas for this. All I need is the space (and the grill!)... Matt and I think that this would be a perfect way to celebrate our 1st anniversary if we have a house by then.



18. Get organized. Ugh... I make messes. Then they stress me out. I need organization in my life. It is my goal to get over this and get organized!!





19. Visit family atleast once every other month. I have an awesome family. My grandparents are the absolute best and my cousins are growing up more each time I see them. I don't want to miss out! Also, it would be nice to alternate between Matt's family and mine, visiting family once a month between the two of them.

 

20. Plan a surprise party for someone special... and really surprise them! Who? I'm not telling. It will ruin the surprise.

21. Take a Yoga class. I took a yoga class in college and absolutely loved it! There are so many healthy and mental benefits to yoga, and I'd love to really get into it!

I just don't know!

22. Advance my career. It's hard to elaborate upon this goal, because I'm still not 100% sure what I want to be when I grow up. So maybe it's as simple as that: realizing what I want to be when I grow up and take steps to achieve this career. I want to be doing something that makes me happy and allows time for my outside life.

23. Become more involved in my community through volunteerism. Something I really miss about my previous job is the many opportunities to help the community. Volunteer opportunities are everywhere if you look for them! Volunteering is a great way to pursue a passion, meet people and make connections, and just help your community. I get excited just thinking about it. Visit www.volunteermatch.org to find opportunities yourself!

 

24. Take a trip to Washington, DC with my husband. I've been to DC three times now and I've enjoyed it each time. There are still plenty of things I haven't seen or done. Matt has never been and really wants to go. I know he will love it; he's very into history. I can't wait to see him experiencing this city! Plus we have multiple friends in the area to visit...

25. Maintain atleast a 3.5 GPA throughout grad school. My GPA from undergrad sucked. I had my reasons for being unfocused throughout college, but now I'm ready to focus and show what I can do. It's really more about proving to myself that I am capable of this.

Fact

26. Maintain the close friendships I have and strive to be a better friend. I have some of the best friends anyone could ask for. Really. So far, we've done a great job maintaining our friendships for the most part, but I know that as time passes and life progresses, people often lost touch and stop making friendship a priority. I don't want this to happen. Ever. Also, I'd like to work at being the best friend I can be by visiting/communicating more and showing appreciation and support.

Did I mention Matt & I like to cook together?

 27. Plan meals ahead & try new recipes. I have tons of recipes that I would like to try. Recipes in cookbooks and recipes I've collected online. But I rarely plan ahead when cooking, so I rarely try them. Instead I rush to find something quick and easy, usually reverting to the same old standby's. It is my goal to plan the week's meals before heading to the grocery store and only buy the ingredients needed. Doing this will cut costs and keep dinner interesting among other things.



Kids get cancer too.

28. Raise money to fight childhood cancer. Two of my best friends were devastated about a year and a half ago when their one-year-old daughter, Caroline, was diagnosed with a rare cancer called hepatoblastoma. Caroline had amazing doctors and parents who took excellent care of her, and luckily after a scary surgery, lots of need pricks, chemo, and hospital stays, she is now healthy and cancer free. So many families are not so lucky. Just thinking of what Caroline's family went through brings me to tears. It was such a hard time for them (and everyone who loves them). It is heartbreaking to think about what children with cancer and their families go through. I'm not sure what to do yet, but I want to do something.

 



 29. To continue to grow as a couple. To laugh together, be there for one another, and remember why we chose to get married. To have fun adventures. To not take one another for granted. To love each other even more! At each stage in our relationship, Matt and I have thought we were so close, knew each other so well and were so in love. Then a couple years pass and we look back and think "wow! we've grown so much. we didn't know anything back then." It is my goal that at 30 I can look back to now, to our wedding even, and see how much we've grown.

30. To write, write, write, blog, blog, blog. For so long I stopped expressing myself through written word and now that I'm doing it again, I love it! Maybe some day I'll do something worthwhile with my writing, maybe not. I really don't know or care. It's just something for me.

30 By 30... Part 1

I recently decided to set some realistic goals. Inspired by a friend's blog, I am setting 30 goals to accomplish by the age of 30. I am setting out to achieve everything on my list by my 30th birthday, January 2, 2014.  Some are measurable goals, some are more of lifestyle changes or habits I would like to create. Some are simply things I've always wanted to do.

It's interesting to see that many of my goals are connected: If I accomplish one goal, I'm setting myself up to accomplish another.

To keep it interesting, I am going to break this into 2 posts... 30 is a lot of things!

Here part 1 of my list (in no particular order):





1. A home. Now that we are married and both working at great jobs, Matt and I are ready to create a home of our very own. Since 2002 (almost 10 years!) I have lived in 8 different places, not counting the summer months that I spent living in dorms for my previous job. I have packed and unpacked, lugged and hauled. I'm ready to be done with that. I love our current clean, new-smelling apartment, but am sick of baren white walls. I'm ready for some color! I don't want to hear the echoes of neighbors through paper-thin walls, or worry that my own footsteps are too loud. I want space to live. I want a big backyard to enjoy and a spacious kitchen. I want a basement for Matt to putter around in and a cozy living room to lounge in. I want to fill our space without worrying about what a pain everything will be to move. I want something permanent (or at least long-term). I want something that is ours. I want to create an environment of warmth and love, a place to look forward to coming back to when we are away. I want that unmistakeable feeling that we are exactly where we are supposed to be: home.




Maybe we'll take a family portrait like this?

2. To begin our family. Something very important to both Matt and me is starting our own legacy, our family. Family is something very meaningful to the two of us, especially as we grow as a couple. There are so many things I could say about this subject, but I will keep it sweet and simple. We are ready to create our own sense of family, create our own traditions, and provide opportunities for our children to succeed in whatever it is they choose to do. I am very excited about this next chapter in our lives!  





Now I just need a Master's Degree

3. To obtain my Master's Degree. I've taken the first step to meeting this goal by applying to Grad School (last minute!) and getting accepted!! I have to say, this was a goal that I was really terrified about for the past few years. After facing the real world and realizing more of the direction I wanted to go, I knew I wanted to get my Master's Degree. Because of my poor GPA, I thought there was NO WAY I'd be accepted. Now that I've gotten over that hurdle, I know this is an achievable goal!



Good advice... harder than it sounds!

 4. Be a better listener. I think that good communication is the key to success, whether in the workplace or in relationships. When I think of some of the best friends that I have, I can remember them listening to me. Not waiting to talk, or being distracted. Truely listening. Sometimes I talk to much. Sometimes I completely zone out. I am going to try to make a habit of listening.

 5. Explore my beliefs. “To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there,”- Kofi Annan.  I have never been one to blindly believe something just because it was popular or believed by my family, etc. I hope to further dwelve into finding out who I am and what I believe, developing my own personal creed.

6. Read more books. And not just for school! I used to read ALL THE TIME growing up. And I still enjoy reading when I actually make time it. Plus there are so many benefits to reading: it enhances creativity, broadens our vocabulary, and can help us escape from everyday stress for a bit. Plus, the library is free! :) By 30 I hope to have made a habit of reading at least 2 full books a month. I know I could read much more, but I'm trying to be realistic, knowing I will have an increasingly busy schedule.



Fresh veggies.. yum!

7.  To grow a huge vegetable garden and feed my family home grown veggies throughout the year! I love this idea because it is healthy, economical and fun! Matt and I planted a garden a few years ago at his parent's house and we really enjoyed it. I plan to learn the best (and healthiest) ways to can/ preserve as well. (Of course, all of this is dependent upon a backyard ;) ).

8. Speaking of which, I would like to eat less processed food. Sometimes, I try not to think about what I am putting in my body or where my food came from. This is a bad thing. This needs to change. I know I will never completely give up EVERYTHING that is bad for me, but I can atleast change my typical daily diet.

Oh to be on the open sea... in the sun... with fruity drinks... Sign me up!

9. Go on a cruise. This is just something fun that I have been wanting to do for awhile now. The people I know who go on cruises, swear by it. Matt's Aunt & Uncle go on a cruise every year and have asked us to go next July. I think we're going to do it!!

Word.

10. Wake up early (and go to bed early too!).  This is a habit I really need to work on forming. Currently, I tend to wake up half an hour before I need to be out the door. That's 30 minutes to wake up, make coffee, figure out my clothing, shower, brush my teeth, get dressed, throw my hair up, feed the cat, figure out lunch, and rush out the door. Sometimes I find time for a bit of makeup. Usually theres no time to put my contacts in. Sometimes I have time to pack my lunch, but usually not. Sometimes I remember to grab a piece of fruit for breakfast as I rush out.I have just enough time to get to work, and if I meet heavier traffic than usual, I will be late. If I accidentally press snooz, I am screwed. I don't look my best, leaving me with a lower confidence throughout the day.  Starting out my day in such a frazzled state is setting me up for failure, chaos, and stress. So, you can see the benefits of this goal! (( If anyone has tips on waking up early, I would love to hear them!))

It can be so easy.

11. Recycle. To be honest, in this day and age it is embarrassing to admit that we do not currently recycle at home. Our excuse: our apartment complex does not offer this service. And it is just that, an excuse. I know there are people who save their items for recycling and deliver them themselves. Once we have a home, I hope that we will be able to have our recycling picked up. If not, we need to figure out another solution. It's an easy way to help the world and I just feel too guilty not to!

12. To refine and cultivate my personal style. My sense of fashion is all over the place. And that's ok. But I'd like to consistantly look well put together with a lasting personal style that I can incorporate trends into here and there.

13. Make a quilt. This one is nothing life-changing, but it's something I'd like to do. When I was younger, my sister and I spent a whole summer cutting out squares to make a quilt... but then we got bored or distracted and never finished. I hope to finish this time!

Workout outfit?

14. To exercise regularly. I will find a fitness plan that suits me... and stick to it! Preferably, this plan will incorporate biking. I'm not looking to lose weight, just tighten up and be healthy.

15. Financial Stability. I'm not saying I want to be rich. I just want "stability." Meaning, if my car breaks down I can fix it without stressing out. If I get sick, I don't freak out about adding medical bills. You get the jist. I feel like Matt and I are pretty close to this now and if we stay on track, we should be able to easily meet this goal by 30.