My Weekend....

...was restful, lazy, and rejuvenating! I was fighting off a cold of some sort and took it very easy.

Saturday morning, the rain held off long enough for my mom, sister, and I to go on the Homes for the Holidays Tour in my hometown. It's the first year I've been able to go. It's always fun looking at other people's houses, but overall this year was quite underwhelming. The houses were historic and beautiful, but the actual Christmas decorations were surprisingly sparse.

How awesome is this outside fireplace at one of the first houses we toured? I mean, couldn't they have slapped a wreath on this thing or something?

One house stood out as our favorite by far...

Loved the mailbox. I wonder if it's free of lizards?

A dreamy southern porch...

There were SO many fireplaces in this house. This was in the front den. It's hard to see, but they had pretty candlesticks with a simple silver balls sitting on top...

I loved this wintry kitchen window...

Yet another fireplace in the dinning room...

I also loved the collection of Santa's and the antique Christmas card garland....

And if all of that weren't enough to seal the deal as my favorite house of the day, there was an ENTIRE room with a Braves theme! Pendants, signed baseballs and photos displayed proudly....

Even the pool table was getting its Tomahawk on...

And finally for the weekend wrap-up, my favorite quote was from my mom while we were out eating breakfast:

"I'm surprised this didn't come with fatback. That's what they usually use as garnish here."

The Thankful Scrooge

For the first time in my life, I'm simply not in the holiday spirit! I can't put my finger on it, but the red and green sparkle hasn't hit me yet. Usually I get the holiday fever well before Thanksgiving and then Turkey Day seals the deal with the parade, the food, the taste of Christmas vacation. But not this year. I've tried everything I normally do...

-Listened to all of the Christmas music on my iPod and even turned on my holiday Pandora station- nothing.

-Watched not one, but TWO of Oprah's Favorite Things episodes- the screaming audience was funny as always, but still nothing. Who can afford any of that stuff?

-Watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, a tradition my mom ingrained in us- but the Rockettes cheery kicks did not even put me in the mood.

-Ate a yummy Thanksgiving meal- still felt nothing.

-Watched Elf- ended up falling asleep before the whole lesson of "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear." Guess I could be considered a cotton-headed ninny-muggins?

-Helped my mom with her Christmas tree- nada.

-Sorta kinda tried to go shopping- ended up buying stuff for myself.

-Got invited to a holiday party- don't really want to go.

-Watched the Advent Conspiracy videos- helped, but still not feeling it.

I'm running out of ideas. I still have to watch Little Women, Miracle on 34th Street, and Love Actually- my holiday favorites. And maybe I need to make some cookies, drink some marshmallowy hot chocolate, stir it with a candy cane, and decorate my apartment. I considered not even bothering with the decorating! It's only December 1st, so hopefully I will come out of this holiday funk in time for the big day!

There's something about this time of year that makes me reflect on things. While I know I have so very much to be thankful for and am happy with some of this year's accomplishments, it was not without some deep sadness and challenges. I'm missing Randy more than ever, and feel so alone without him sitting beside me at our holiday table and whispering his sarcastic comments to me.

Since I couldn't bring myself to write a Thanksgiving post last week, I'll take a stab at it now.

I'm so very thankful for...

My view: I started the year staring out an office window looking at a concrete building. Now, I enjoy trees, a lake and a green golf course!

My commute: Used to be one of the worst parts of my day. The angry DC traffic is enough to put anyone in a bad mood. Now, my only traffic jam was waiting for a family of geese to cross the road.

Chemo: I'm not sure my grandfather would agree with me right now as he's in the middle of some tough chemo treatments that's making him weak, skinny, and depend on others for help. But despite the difficult side effects, the latest tests show that the cancer is GONE!!!!

Shira coming home!!: It's been a long year without her and in just a few short weeks, I get to see her! My secret dream of her getting a job and moving to SC didn't exactly come true, but I have a new place to visit once she gets settled.

New friends: Let me tell you, trying to meet new friends in your late 20's in SC isn't the easiest thing in the world. People are so settled into their mostly coupley lives with their coupley friends. And the rest of them are deeply grounded with their high school or college cliques. I feel like an intruder in their very established world. But I've met some nice friendly people willing to give me a try! (The pic is from Halloween. Just in case you thought I started wearing a feather in my hair.)

Old friends: When times are tough, like a sudden death in my family that turned our year and world upside down, I had some amazing support from old friends. The kind of friends that you call and they know immediately by the sound of your voice that something is wrong. They're kind of friends that show up or send a card, even if I hadn't talked to them in a while. Or even let you live with them for 5 months. It's hard to believe that my former "new" friends in DC, are now my "old" friends. But thanks to them, and my other close friends from home and college, I'm so thankful that each of them are in my life.

My family: Ohhhhh family. The ups and downs of another year have brought some of us even closer. I am very blessed by my family!

Braves back in the playoffs: Even if they lost a lot of steam at the end of the season, at least they squeaked their way back to a respectful position. Only 120 days until Opening Day! They inspired my jack-o-lantern this year...that I never posted pictures of. It could have been mistaken for an Alabama "A", especially sitting beside the USC pumpkin the week of the USC/Alabama game. But don't be mistaken...it's a Braves "A!" Next year, when they're playing in the World Series, I'll remember to include a tomahawk.

So out with the November blahs and in with a Merry December...I'm already feeling more Christmasy and thankful after writing this post!

A Big To-Do

I think I’m exhausted. I’ve had 2 months of nonstop to-doing. First- the moving To-Do list. It started with the scheduling of the good-byes while simultaneously dealing with the logistics of moving. I got the prescriptions refilled, and stocked up on contacts before my insurance ran out. Done, done, and done.

Then the packing To-Do list. I packed boxes strategically- some to be put in storage, others that I would need sooner rather than later. I purged through clothes and bags, separating them into categories of Goodwill, Dry Clean, Storage, Mom’s house, and my car. I had paperwork to close out my old job, transferring of bills, changing of the address. I moved my life from DC between my last day of one job on a Thursday and starting the new job the following Monday. (Always, ALWAYS take sufficient time to recover and regroup. Got it. Lesson learned.) DONE.

My move required a lot of flexibility as we went from Plan A to at least Plan D- I lost count. I had a string of car maintenance issues that put me between the spare mini van and the mechanic. (Yep, my debut to my new job in my new town was in my mom's old mini van. Don't be jealous! Just keeping it real.) The car's A/C has been recharged, the transmission modules replaced, and rotars replaced and adjusted. That doesn’t count the flat tire I had in the van. I could now be qualified to be a spokesperson for Triple A.

I knew it would be a whirlwind. I knew I had a wedding, graduation celebration and Mother’s Day. All were worked into my plan. I thought I could keep my sanity and balance it all. I would go home a LOT the first month, then spend the summer getting settled in Columbia.

But can I just tell you that I. AM. TIRED. Yet, I can't seem to sleep these days. It's an endless and ironic cycle.

The rest of my To-Do list is taunting me and I really want to know if you can ever really catch-up and be To-Do list free. I’m holding out a glimmer of hope that it is possible. And that the reasons mine has taken a few detours are valid. But still.

To my friends- I’m working on the email responses and call backs. Please don't stop being my friend!
To my family- please excuse me if I sleep all the way through our vacation later this month.
To my new roommate- thank you for helping me when I found 2 suitcases of summer clothes I had forgot about. She helped me finish unpacking and even organized my closet by color.
To Sex in the City 2- I am mad at you for wasting valuable to-do list conquering time. I am trying to forget about you and remember our good times during the show and first movie. To my car- pretty please stay well for a little while.
To my bank account- it’s the car’s fault.
To the Braves-you are making me very happy. Please don’t stop winning.
To my iron skillets- I miss you and will make this up to you with some delicious fresh summer dishes soon.
To my flat iron- I think the "Famously Hot" humidity may have us beat.
To the state of SC- I could never have gotten through this first month without your sunny days, seeing your magnolias bloom, drinking real sweet tea by the gallon, all of the smiling faces, and just being HOME. All the To-Do lists are totally worth it to be right where I am.
To Zac Brown Band- please don’t let me down this weekend! Your Chicken Fried lyrics "There's no dollar sign on a peace of mind, this I've come to know," have never been more true to me!
To my big To-Do List- hope you enjoyed your 15 minutes, cause you're going DOWN! I have more important things To Do. (Told ya I'm sleep deprived. I can't even believe I just tried to make that "joke.")

Pass the Popcorn

With reruns and bad summer tv, what's a tv junkie to do? Answer: Watch some Braves and then catch up on movies! I've been on a definite movie kick lately. Oldies and newbies and everything in-between, my Netflix subscription is coming in handy this summer!

(STS= Sweet Tea Scale)

Oldies:

Girls Just Want to Have Fun- Makes you want to crimp the hair, have a girls night, pop some popcorn, and dance. Definitely worth the $5 Target purchase and a 4 on the STS.

Beaches- I may be one of the last people to actually see this movie. I knew this was going to be sad. I was warned. I read about it. I figured out what was going to happen. And it STILL got to me. Big time waterworks. If you're behind the times like me, and haven't seen it yet, make sure you have the Kleenex ready. A sappy 5 on the STS.

In-Between:

Definitely, Maybe- This one left a lot to be desired. I had no idea that a political campaign would have a cheesy role. It didn't really work for me. A low 3 on the STS.

Fool's Gold- I was bored, okay? Matthew McConaughey was shirtless a lot of the movie, so what's not to love? Seriously though, it's kind of a cute movie, especially if you have a thing for good old fashioned treasure hunts. A high 3 on the STS.

Confessions of a Shopaholic- Cute and typical, but entertaining. A lot of the movie is too materialistic for my taste. A high 3 on the STS.

Frost/Nixon- Very serious and slow in parts, but well worth the watch. A 4 on the STS.

Revolutionary Road- Really makes you think and has great acting. Earns a 4 on the STS.

Newbies:

My Sister's Keeper- Glad I saw it, but won't be buying it when it's on the Target $5 shelf. I'm told that, as usual, the book is better. A 3 on my STS.

The Proposal- Surprisingly funny. Lots of laughing out loud. Great cast. Ryan Reynolds is adorable. A high 4 on the STS.

I also watched HBO's documentary on Ted Kennedy last week. No matter what your political leaning or feeling about Sen. Kennedy, his life story (as most of the other Kennedy's) is truly fascinating and a built-in history lesson. I definitely recommend it.

Have you seen any of these? If so, what did you think? What else are you watching this summer?

I'm still determined to see Away We Go and simply CAN'T wait for Julie and Julia. The book so far is fab! A twenty-something, a blog, Amy Adams, food, and a cooking legend all rolled into one!!!

April Showers

Literally- all April has brought us so far are showers! Seriously though, what happened to March?

First- to close out March, I thought I'd share a picture of the birthday cake I made Shira. I made my grandmother's chocolate pound cake recipe (FROM SCRATCH) and decorated it with flowers I learned how to make in the cake decorating classes I've taken. I do believe that is the impression of Shira's finger in the side...she really likes the icing!

We celebrated with dinner at Mexicali Blues and had lots of fun.

There's a lot to look forward to in April...everything seems to come back to life! Most importantly- Baseball season begins! Hey, I warned y'all to brace yourself! You know where I'll be Sunday evening- Opening night- Braves vs. Phillies, so please do not disturb. I am not kidding.

Earth Day is also coming up later this month on April 22nd. I know, I know, some people get REALLY tired of hearing the Go Green stuff. But are you really going to argue that it's not important to be more aware of how we're treating our beautiful earth? We can all so something to decrease the waste we create and the resources we use. I heard a stat this morning that if everyone on earth used as much resources as Americans do, it would take 4 earths to provide for everyone! I've tried over the last few years to be more aware and take some small steps. I dream of the day I can have my own rain barrel in my yard, composting system, and own garden. But I know those aren't things I can realistically do right now, especially since I'm a renter and all. So I stick to the small things like recycling everything we can, turning out lights, unplugging things not in use, and using the reusable bags at the grocery store.

Also- have you seen the ads for Disney's new movie called Earth? It's coming out on Earth Day. The directors are from the Planet Earth team- which I LOVE. This will also be the first film in the new Disney Nature series- so there's more to come!

Happy Friday to everyone!

Farewell Winter

Do you hear the Hallelujah Chorus? Cause I do.... IT'S SPRING!!!

Time to shed all the winter baggage, get outside, and enjoy all the new life around us. Soon the Cherry Blossoms will be blooming here- which have a way of waking up the city. It's still a bit chilly here, but I'm doing my best to ignore it. It's technically spring and that's enough for me to come out of my winter hibernation. By the way- you know that I love all of you southerners, but stop rubbing your flip flops and nice weather in my face by your facebook status. We get it- you have nice weather...and don't forget how short your spring typically is and how humid it's about to be. So there. (You can see that I'm not at all jealous.)

Of course spring means one more fabulous thing- BASEBALL. We are now officially 16 days away from opening day. Brace yourself.

Make a Wish!

January was all about Change, Hope, History, Inspiration, and New Beginnings. February is all about ME! Just kidding...well, sort of. Despite the fact that February means it's still winter, (which you should know by now just isn't my favorite season), it's a good month. It's the month of my birth, Valentine's Day, and the start of Spring Training (10 days until pitchers and catchers report.)

So my official New Year is off to a good start. I finally caught up on all the errands, organizing, and cleaning I wanted to do before the start of the 2009. My friends and family are the best and helped me celebrate a fun Birthday over the weekend! By the third rendition of Happy Birthday, I made a comment that I had the chance to make several birthday candle wishes. My very tactful friend, Shira, said something to the effect of, "I'm trying to give you lots of chances so your wishes will come true and you'll have a better year than last!" She even had one of those candles that keeps relighting itself so I had to keep blowing it out.

So here's to a great 27th year!

NOOOOOOOOOO!

I try to play to my audience most of the time on this blog. For the most part, I know that my readers are amazing, creative, talented friends and family. And I will continue to do that with one exception.

If you know me, you already know the following fact about me. But for some of you that may not know, I'm kind of an Atlanta Braves fan. And by kind of, I mean I get more excited about opening day than I do about Christmas morning. By kind of, I mean that my mom used to let me go home from school early on opening day to watch the game since it was almost always an afternoon game. By kind of, I mean that through middle school, high school, and college, I didn't miss watching many games. By kind of, I mean that after moving to DC and going through withdrawal b/c up here in yankeeville, we don't have stations like Turner South and Turner Movie Channel, on which the Braves games are usually shown. By kind of I mean that I had to break down and buy the MLB package last year in order to watch the games. By kind of, I mean I actually did a big project for a writing class in college that compared and recommended who the 5th starter should be that year. (It helped A LOT that my professor was a big fan as well.) By kind of, I really mean more like Major. Huge. Addict. LOVE.

Get the picture? So as you can tell, the Braves bring me happiness. They're a part of me. And the Braves will be part of my Blog.

I have to admit that I had this blog drafted yesterday and ready to post this week in a bit of excitement that spring training is just around the corner. I was giving you plenty of warning about my love of all things Braves.

IMAGINE my utter surprise and disappointment to wake up this morning to the news that my all-time favorite Brave, JOHN SMOLTZ, is planning to sign with the Red Sox. I am speechless. I am in disbelief that this could actually be happening.

I have loved the Braves through a lot, but THIS is just too much for my heart. I am NOT okay with this whatsoever. I can't handle it. So begins the grieving process...