Awesome words to wake up to..

I clicked on my Facebook app on my phone this am and see that I have a notification, my sister had tagged me in a post.  I click on it to see what the post is about.  It pops up and it reads…

“what I do, who I’m with, and what I see should be envied. Regrets are for suckers! I’m blessed and I owe all of it to my sister (aka Jamie Gregory Pfister) thanks sis! I love you more than you could ever know sis!”

How awesome is that!  Talk about a great way to start your day!  I am a very lucky girl to have such a great sister.  I hope she knows how much I love her too and how much she means to me.  I hope she knows what it means to me to have her here in Tennessee, to know that she is just a 25 minute drive away, a phone call away, that she is my best friend, she is my strength, my back bone.  How much I value our relationship as sisters.  I am a lucky girl, my kids are lucky to have the best aunt the world. I honestly don’t know what I would do without her.

When I stop and take it all in for a moment I am reminded that I am a very lucky girl when it comes to my life.  I have a wonderful husband that is my world, my best friend, my rock.  He is a man who provides everything we need and much of what we want.  A man who can fix anything from a car to a gloomy day.  He is my everything.  He loves me unconditionally and tells me everyday.  He is the best father to our kids.  I have two fabulous munchkins that are healthy, smart, funny and beautiful.  They can make me smile on the gloomiest of days, they light up a room with their smiles, their laughter.  I am thankful everyday that I wake up to their smiling faces.  I have the best sister a girl could ask for.  Like I said before she is my best friend, my strength, my critic, my biggest fan.  I have my dad and step mom down here now which still blows my mind and I have to pinch myself every now and again. They are the best grandparents kids could ask for.  My kids are their world, my sister and I are their world.  I am thankful to have them here.  I have this life that can’t get any better.  I am surrounded by my loving family and good friends.

 

My munchkins.

 

I am a happy girl, I am a lucky girl, I am a loved….

 

A Smorgasbord Post: A letter, the recap and a benefit.

I have so much to cover.  This is going to be one hell of a smorgasbord of a post.  I could break it up into different posts I guess but…oh what the hell here we go.

First we will start with a letter.  I see a new trend going on with my blog, letters to things that will never write me back.  They (I don’t even know who the hell ‘they’ are) can’t write me back, ‘they’ don’t even have hands to write with, hell ‘they’ aren’t even real people.  So far ‘they’ have been my cold, my eyes, and another cold.  This time it will be a Mother Nature.  I might be going crazy.

Dear Mother Nature,

We need to talk about your weather trends this winter.  I am not happy with your weather, I am not happy with your snow.  One of the reasons I love it here in Tennessee is because of the weather.  It doesn’t *usually* get crazy cold until January and the snow *usually* doesn’t come until late January or February.  This year you decided to start in December with the frigid temperatures and the snow.  Not cool nor is it funny.  I have had it.  I woke up this morning to almost 3 inches of snow on the ground with more coming throughout the day and even more falling and accumulating tomorrow.  What the crap is this, a funny joke?  Well you suck at being a comedian if that is the case.  If you were on a stage I would so throw tomatoes at you.  So now with all this snow on the ground and it being Tennessee, schools are out once again and will be for at least half the week.  Do you not understand that the kids need to go to school?  They need to go so they can learn and most importantly be out of the house in a social setting away from us moms so we can get done what we need to get done.  I don’t mind a snow day later in the week, Wednesday is good or even Thursday.  But to throw up your white stuff on a Sunday night into Monday with even more on a Tuesday..are you kidding me?  Do you not get that we just spent the entire weekend with our kids and we now need a bit of a break?  Now don’t get me wrong I am grateful to not here my annoying beeping alarm in the am but I had stuff to get done today and now that is shot.  Instead I will be in the house with an 8 year old and a non stop talking 5 year old.  I will be less at least one ear come days end.  Take right this second for example, I am trying to type a post and I have my 8 yr old standing in front of me with silly puddy saying ‘Mom, look at this’ every 6 seconds when he puts it in a different shape and my 5 yr old doing the same thing while yelling at the dog for trying to eat her silly puddy.  You obviously have no children and have no idea what you put us moms through.  I would love your cooperation from here on out for the rest of the winter and I would prefer your shenanigans later in the week from now on.  Thank you in advance for listening to my requests and complying.

Sincerely,

Jamie

Ok moving on..

I had a great weekend.   Friday evening brought the old 3 back together with dinner and drinky poos afterwards.  Fan-tabulous!  I had a great time catching up and hanging out.  Much needed.  Saturday needless to say I didn’t exist because I am old and honestly it takes me a day to recover from just a late night anymore.

Yesterday was the benefit for Brandi and it was A-Mazing!  I arrived around 3:30, the music started at 4.  When I got there the place was already 85% full!  Unbelievable!!!!!  Throughout the night it just kept filling to the point that there wasn’t an empty seat in the place and you couldn’t walk through.  It was amazing to see all the people and feel all the love and support that was in that place.  50-60 people drove up from Louisiana (where Brandi is from) to be there with her for this event.  Absolutely amazing.  And a band from New Orleans came up to play.  I felt like I was right there on Bourbon Street.  Brandi got up and used every ounce of energy she had to be on stage with the Wooten Brothers.  She is a true trooper.  Throughout the evening they had a silent auction with amazing items.  The music talent I don’t even have words for…it was amazing.  Between the New Orleans band to famous musicians in Nashville I was wowed every time new people took the stage.  When I left last night at 7:45 they had already raised $8,000 and this morning I heard they raised $11,000 last night and that does not include money from the silent auction.  The Kenny Rogers even donated $1,000 to Brandi plus another grand from another well known country musician.  Un-believable!  Brandi is much loved throughout our town.  I heart Nashville for so many reasons and one main reason is the way this town comes together.  It was first proved to me when we had the flood and again last night when the place almost met capacity.  Brandi is loved by all and she will strive and win this battle with cancer.

We love you Brandi!

And to you Nashville, I love you, I am proud to call this wonderful city home.  To see everyone come together for whatever cause it is and to witness the love this city can show is by far hands down what makes this the most amazing city to live in.  The only complaint I have now with you is the weather and hopefully my letter to Mother Nature will heed much needed results in that department.

Sunshine and Smiles.

It’s amazing what some sunshine, a good friend and a new outfit will do for your attitude.  It makes you smile and puts an extra spring in your step.

A few things that makes me smile on any given day:

• Spending an afternoon with a good friend and making her smile.
• Pretty toes freshly pedicured.
• Rocking a new outfit.
• Walking through a room to be stopped suddenly by my husband for a random hug and being told that I am beautiful and loved.
• A great fitting pair of jeans, a good purse and awesome boots.
• flip flops
• Coming home to find that my dog didn’t chew up anything and make a mess.
• Sunshine after too many dab and dreary days.
• A full tank of gas with the feeling “I can go anywhere”
• Closing my eyes and smelling the ocean.
• Hearing a random and sincere ‘thank you’ from my son.
• My kid’s smiles and laughter.
• My daughter’s random questions.
• Watching my daughter’s sense of humor grow and come alive. (i’m doomed)
• Listening to my kids feed off of each other with their style of humor.
• A great conversation with my sister.
• Hearing ‘I love you’
• My daughter breaking out the scale and saying “Mommy lets see what you weigh”  You step on with your eyes closed, open one up and slowly look down and immediately think “Hell yeah!”
• When everything just ‘goes right’ throughout an entire day.
• Having a part in making a complete stranger smile.
• My husband.

Yesterday was an awesome day.

The sun was shining and I got to take my friend for her birthday pedicures and spend a couple of hours with her catching up.  It was a great time and we have beautiful toes now.  I took off next to Walmart to get some much needed household supplies.  I hate that place but I have to admit it was a smooth trip for the most part, (I even had 2 employees smile and say hello!  This NEVER happens) until I got to the check out and the woman in front of me had more crap in her cart than I have ever seen.  It took for.ev.er.  I think she bought everything in the Christmas clearance aisle.  But when it was finally my turn the old check out lady was in a terrific mood and wanted to cut up with me..this never happens!  3 happy employees in Walmart on the same day…Did they give out happy drugs before they went on the clock?  Both kids walked in from school with huge smiles on their faces and were in excellent moods.  I had the kids go through all their video games to see if there were any they were tired of to trade in at GameStop.  We had a whole bag full when all said and done.  We took off to Gamestop to trade them in and get a new game.  I love GameStop.  I know almost all the guys that work in there and they love me.  (I obviously spend way too much time in there with my kids)  I dropped the games off at the counter and went to check out the games with the kids.  The guy comes to tell me how much credit we have and it’s $151.00!!!!  WHAT!  They are running a promotion right now and you get 50% trade in.  SCORE!

We are the Trade In Champions.

*We are the champions – my friends
And we’ll keep on fighting – till the end -
We are the champions -
We are the champions
No time for losers
‘Cause we are the champions – of the world -*

We walked out of there with 2 brand new games, a used game and pre ordered my son’s new Pokemon game and still have a little credit left.  My son is ecstatic, needless to say.  Now he has to wait till March to get it.  Oh the anticipation!

My day ended with the biggest hug from my son and the most genuine thank you.  I love that kid!

Today I am determined to have another wonderful day!  I have a lunch date with a friend and a girls night out tonight in my hot boots!  Oh yeah baby!

Let’s do this!

WORD.

 

My 100th Post..It’s Epic. Well not really I just Called it That.

Well people…this is it…are you ready?  Hold on to your pants because I am about to blow them off!  It’s my 100th post.  It’s Epic.

No, not really but that was one hell of an intro wasn’t it!   It is my 100th post but the blowing your pants off with my epicness is the questionable part.  

I started this blog back when ever I did my first post and I didn’t know what to expect out of it.  Was I going to keep up with it?  What the hell was I going to blog about?  Did I have anything at all interesting to say?  Is anybody going to give a darn about it?  I have found that the answer was YES to all the above questions!  Unbelievable!  Seriously, I am blown away.

I started my blog so I would have a place to write things down, make notes of my life, a place to put down my thoughts, my rants, share my photos, and vent if I need to.  I never intended for anyone to really keep up with it and/or care what came out of my brain, I just thought of it as mine.  Well I have been taken back by the fact that there are some fellow bloggers that actually do keep up with it, care what I have to say, think that I am funny, and comment to reassure I am not crazy.  There are fellow bloggers that click on my blog while scanning the 100,000′s of other blogs out there.  Wow.  Some just read and leave, some most probably start reading and then move on, but some actually take the time to comment.  That is pretty darn cool.

When I started this venture, like I said before, I didn’t know what to expect or hell, what I was doing for that matter.  What I have learned is blogging is awesome, I find it therapeutic, it is nerve calming, it is reassuring, it is comforting, it is scary.  I used to write when I was younger, keeping a journal of sorts, jotting things down here or there, I was a doodler..big time, I kept a binder full of poems that I would write, usually about something crazy that was going on.  But as I got older and busier that went to the way side.  I had forgotten how much I enjoy writing, not that it is professional in any way shape or form.  I am sure anyone would have a hay day given my blog and a red pen.  I am not a professional writer, never claimed to be, don’t want to be.  I write as I would say it to you if we were having a conversation in person, as it flows (flows thats a good one..like anything just ‘flows’ from my brain) from my mind.  I don’t have time for big words and all that jazz.  My blog is me..who I am…the person I have grown to be…it is my life.

I said I find it therapeutic, and after blogging for awhile I was amazed to realize this.  I noticed how much better I felt after I did a post, especially a post about touchy subjects in my life, or when I was irate and needed to vent.  Getting it out feels so good.  I write, I feel better, I move on.  Another thing I have noticed is how scary it is.  I am one that thinks..out of sight out of mind.  I took this to the extreme when I had my 2 kids..yes my eyes were closed through both births…out of sight out of mind at it’s finest.  ”I have my eyes closed and can’t see that I am pushing a baby out so it’s not really happening, so what the hell is that pain I am feeling????”  Wow..talk about getting off track..jumping back on..aaaaand continue.  But what I mean is when I sit to post about some touchier subjects they become real again, you relive the emotions, the fears, the feelings.  That is scary but again, so therapeutic.  I guess you can say my blog has become my therapy with some life happenings…and its Free!  Hells Yeah!

The comments…they are awesome.  First and foremost it proves people actually read my blog…still funny to me.  But it’s cool because some comments reconfirm that I am not crazy or losing my mind, it lets me know others have had similar feelings or thoughts, that I am not alone in some of my thinking, and others have been in similar situations and with that you get advice.  I have taken some of the advice and have applied it to my every day life or in certain situations.  Thank you to all that reads and comments!  You all rock my world!

Another cool factor of blogging…the community that I have found in it with fellow bloggers…complete strangers.  I love meeting new people, hearing what they have to say, learning about them..their lives, I love the diversity of it all.  What blows my mind is finding complete strangers that are similar to myself, that have or are going through the same things, reading their blogs and thinking “I have been through that too!” and seeing how they handled it.  Its pretty darn coolio.  I have found my twin  ;)  a couple of states away…we share the same brain at times, I always look forward to reading her blog. Shout out!..you know who you are!   I have found other bloggers that I look forward to reading their blogs because they always make me laugh and put a smile on my face…word, others are more on the serious side and get me thinking, others are from older people that share their stories of times past..fascinating!  Its just neat, what a generic word. but it is just that.  The community aspect of blogging is something I was unaware of and didn’t know I would find or didn’t know I was looking for.  But I did and it’s Awesome.

I have had some rough patches along the way of my blogging experience..pissing some people off, I’m good at that I have learned.  But it is what it is.  I think they are just way to touchy but whatever.  I have learned what I can and can’t blog about or at least how to go about it more discreetly.  I have learned people don’t like to be called out in my blog…oops, truth hurts doesn’t it?  It is all a learning experience and with anything you learn from your mistakes and grow from it and become better.  And I have learned how to use the ‘Private’ post button and use it when I really need to get things out..specific things.  Sadly I have to make it for my eyes only because god forbid I piss another person off.  If I could go back and change one thing from my blogging experience, I would have never, never, ever, never, made it known to personal everyday friends and family.  I made that mistake when I got Freshly Pressed, I was just so excited and made the mistake in all the hoopla.  OOPS!  Oh well…too late now.

Which leads me to getting Freshly Pressed for a post I did titled It is What it is When You Wear What you Wear.  That was a funny, crazy, whirlwind couple of days.  300+ comments and over 10,000 views.  I didn’t realize I couldn’t get that many people’s panties in a bunch.  I never set out in hopes to get FP’d so that day when the first comment came in congratulating me on getting FP’d my first thought “they just commented on the wrong blog” then I immediately went to the front page and there it was.  Holy Flippity!  What cracks me up is I wrote that post in about 10-15 minutes and was being a complete smart ass in some of it and people read it, twisted it, yelled at me, agreed with me, tweeted it, reposted it, handed my ass to me, applauded me etc.  What an experience that was and I am pretty sure I am ok with that 15 minutes of fame for awhile.  No more FP’d for me please!

So with all that said…I am thankful for finding my blogging home, I am thankful for all of you who takes a couple of minutes out of your day to read it and share your comments, advice, and stories.  I am thankful for the friends that have been made, your stories, your blogs.  I am thankful for free therapy!

So here’s to the next 100!

Cheers!  and always…..KEEP ROCK’N!

 

The Difference between Snow here, up North and down South.

Image via Wikipedia

The first flakes of snow are falling now and it is so pretty.  Just a flurry or two throughout the day is all they are calling for, the ground is still too warm to hold the snow but it is just beautiful.  A snow event here in Tennessee is quite amusing and it was even more of an event when I lived in Georgia.  Let me explain…

I am from Indiana, a born and raised true Hoosier where snow falls and accumulates over an inch, ice collects on the roads, and people know how to drive in both and not too much freaking out occurs unless it is a big one.  You go to school unless there is a mass amount of snow on the ground or if there is ice on the roads, you don’t get out of work because you can’t make it (I called into work one day because I was not driving on 3 inches of ice and they sent someone to come get me), they don’t close businesses and stores unless it is Bad.  Hell, on my wedding day we woke up to 8 inches of snow and frozen pipes but the wedding still went on and yes people came to our wedding.  In Georgia and here that is not the case.  When we lived in Georgia (about 30 miles east of Atlanta) I was sitting at work one day when a ‘snow storm’ came.  You would think an F5 twister was headed towards the office.  The office stopped and my fellow co-workers started staring out the windows, the chatter started about whether or not they should leave before it starts accumulating, wondering about their kids in school, their husbands and wives out in this awful weather etc.  I sat, I watched, I listened, and I chuckled inside my head.  I couldn’t get over the spectacle this was turning into, it was great entertainment.  *In no way do I intend this to sound mean because if it doesn’t happen very often and you are not used to it, it can be quite a situation to be in.  This was my first time witnessing snow in Georgia and it was something to see.*  About an hour later after the snow started to fall they ended up closing the office and sent everyone home…for 2 days.  The store was the first stop on a fews trip home..got to have that bread and milk, others went off to pick up their kids or spouse.  I called my husband who worked about a mile a way and I will admit we had a laugh out of this.  I headed home myself and that was an experience all in itself.   There is a reason that I stay off the roads now when a snow event happens…people that aren’t used to it can’t drive in it and that makes the roads a dangerous place.  That ‘snow event’ in Georgia landed not even 3 inches of snow and the whole town stopped and shut down for 2 days.  It was something but hey it’s Georgia and that kind of thing doesn’t happen all the time.

Here in Tennessee it is almost the same but it does take a little bit more of the snow and ice to shut everything down.  Well that might be a lie.  One morning I got up to get Will ready for school, I looked outside and it was snowing and there was a thin blanket of snow on the ground already.  I went ahead and got him up and ready for school and made the mistake of not turning on the news because I thought to myself he are going to school the roads are fine and not a whole lot of accumulation is predicted.  WRONG.  After getting him ready I turned on the news and there it was “School Closed”.  Oh my oh my.  Lesson learned.  Even if it is flurrying turn on the news in the morning.  I think that day we got maybe an inch of snow.  There was an evening last year when we did get a crazy amount of snow for around here and I had plans to go to the bar with some friends.  One opted to stay home because where she lives it is all hills and I would have probably stayed home too, another just didn’t want to get out in it.  It ended up being me and two other yankee friends, one from New Jersey and one from Ohio.  Needless to say the bar was pretty empty, there were a few in there that braved it but we still had an excellent time.  The roads were covered by the time I headed home and everyone was driving 2mph, not really icy roads just snow and slush.  Again, if you don’t know how to drive in it, it can be scary.  I do and the other people that don’t know are the ones that frighten me.

It is just so different here than up North and that is to be expected when the average snow fall isn’t much each year.  I am cool with one good snow fall a year, and maybe one on Christmas day, one time to play in it, build a snow man and then it is time to move on and warm up.  I do not miss Indiana’s winters at all.  I am convinced I am meant to live some where warm, preferably tropical.  I see us retired in the Keys somewhere.  Hey I can dream!  

So for now I will watch the beautiful snow fall and not accumulate, start a fire in the fireplace and enjoy the first snow of the season.

 

The Angel Tree Angels

Yesterday my sister and I took my kids to pick Angels off the Salvation Army Angel Tree.  What an awarding and wonderful feeling.

Before we left the house we sat the kids down to explain to them what we were doing.  Both of them understood the main reason…giving to the less fortunate so they too can have a wonderful Christmas and receive what they wished for.  What was hard was trying to explain why we must get the kids the gifts that they wished for instead of Santa.  My sister and I were put to the creative story test, I think we finally passed but we came real close to failing a couple of times thanks to my son being too smart for his own good and he kept calling us out on our story.  There was a fine line that we didn’t want to cross exposing the Santa truth.  We made it through without spilling the beans.

We went to the mall and each of us picked an Angel.  Will picked a boy his age (8), Emily picked a little 3 year old girl, Linds picked a 10 year old girl and myself I picked a 5 year old little boy.  Each of the Angels had a toy and clothing for their wishes.  We started with my little boy who wanted a DS game, off to gamestop for our first gift.  Done.  We headed to JC Pennys for the clothing.   Emily’s little girl made out with an outfit and a christmas dress, Will was funny with his, I went to pick out a pair of jeans for his and he said no way, I don’t like jeans I like comfy pants so my Angel is getting comfy pants.  Done.  Lindsey’s little girl wears sizes in the junior department so we headed there next.  That was a tough one because 1. she is a girl 2. she is in the junior dept and she is 10 3. we don’t know her likes, style and body type.  It makes it difficult because you want something 10 year old like and not revealing or too old, it’s hard to buy jeans because you don’t know the body type.  Lindsey picked out a couple of shirts and a coat for her and then changed her mind.  As she is putting the clothes back she gets tears in her eyes because it is so heartbreaking knowing that there are kids out there who are less fortunate, who just want the simple things in life and plus Linds wants the Angel’s Christmas to be perfect.  She decided on a shirt and a nice guitar since that was the other thing on the little girls wish list.

We headed to Toys R Us next.  We needed a cool skateboard for Will’s, Dora dolls for Em’s, a beautiful pink acoustic guitar for Linds’s.  I think they will be very excited Christmas morning to learn they received all the things on their wish lists!  The rest of the shopping was dedicated to Toys 4 Tots for a benefit my sister was going to last night.  We filled the cart to the top with games, footballs, hot wheels, barbies and slinkies.  Toys 4 Tots was getting one great donation from Linds!

The kids had a blast shopping for their Angels and Lindsey and I had a great time too.  Knowing that you are making a child’s wish list come true is a truly wonderful feeling.  It warms your heart in so many ways and makes you want to do so much more.  We were fortunate to have $300 to spend on our Angels and Toys 4 Tots from a charity benefit my sister threw awhile back.  I only wish I had that extra money each year during this time to give.  Maybe I will start a change jar this year and throw all extra change in there to cash in for next Christmas so we can do this again.

A true heartwarming experience.

When they still believe.

Image by George Eastman House via Flickr

As a child the majority of us believed in Santa and what fun times they were making our lists, marking the catalogs, writing the letter, sitting on his lap in the mall asking for a million things, making the plate of cookies and milk to sit out and of course the reindeer food, you can’t forget them!  I remember waking my sister up at the crack of dawn saying “Santa came, Get Up!”.  We would both run to the living room, gasp at the gifts and run to wake up mom and dad.  They would get up, Mom would turn on the Christmas Music and the morning would begin.  What wonderful memories.

My kids are now 8 and 5 and I am thrilled to say they both still believe in Santa Claus.  I am coming to terms with the fact that this will most likely be the last year my son (8) will believe and it makes me sad.  I can only hope that when he does figure it out he plays along with for awhile longer for the fun of his sister still believing.  But for now they both still do and it is so much fun.  My husband has them both convinced that he talks to Santa once a month throughout the year.  He will walk in the room and say to the kids “I talked to Santa today and he asked how you two were doing and if you are behaving”.  Each time the kids light up and my daughter gets this cheesy grin on her face.  Its priceless.  My daughter just asked me the other day as she pointed to the fireplace, “How does Santa get down our chimney and not hurt his butt on the pointy things?”  Oh Santa is magic!  He never gets hurt!  There is something special when you hear your kids talk about Santa and see the excitement on their faces.  Just this morning my daughter looked at me and said “It’s almost Christmas!”  Yes I told her just 25 more days.  She lit up like the Christmas tree.  I have a feeling that this will be the best year yet.  I take it all in because one day they will figure it out and the excitement of Santa will soon be lost.  I hope to always keep the excitement and the thought of Santa alive like my mom did for us.  Up until we moved out my mom would get up in the middle of the night and sit out Santa’s gifts for us.  So yes up until I was 18/19 years old Santa always came and we were always surprised by what he would bring.

One day last year I heard a debate coming from my son’s room between him and his buddy.  His best buddy, Jman, doesn’t believe anymore, ever since he called his mom out last year.  I overheard my son say something about Santa and Jman immediately chimed in with “there is no Santa”.  I about fell out of my chair while screaming “Nooooooo!”  I went in to intercept the conversation immediately and before I got in the room I hear my son say “yes there is my dad talks to him all the time”.  Shew!  My son was not having any of the ‘there is no Santa’ business.  Awwweee..and relax.  I thought for sure he would come running in to me asking questions I wasn’t prepared to answer nor did I want to answer.  That was not the case thank goodness.  Safe for just a little while longer.  I pulled Jman in the living room with me and explained to him that both of my kids still believe and he must play along and that while he was in my house I didn’t want to hear ‘there is no Santa’.  I have heard them a couple of times since then talking about Santa and every now and again Jman will say something about there not being one and all I have to do is shoot him a look and he stops, all the while my son is still standing his ground and just downright ignoring Jman’s claims.  I am amazed.  The other day Jman came down to play and when his mom dropped him off my husband was on the roof cleaning the gutters.  Jman looked up and asked what he was doing and Billy replied “I’m cleaning the roof and chimney for Santa”.  Jman had one confused look on his face.  His mom later told me that Jman is now contemplating if there is a Santa.  Poor kid is so confused.  

There is something about believing in Santa that still brings butterflies to my stomach just thinking about it.  Yes I know there is no Santa but the thought is something amazing.  Every year on Christmas Eve we check in on Santa’s whereabouts via NORAD Santa Tracker throughout the day.  If you have not checked this out with your kids I highly suggest it.  It tracks where Santa is and has been all around the world.  They mark where he has been with gifts on a map which you can click on and watch a little 30 second clip about the area.  There are also clips of the ‘trackers’ hard at work and it shows a group of people in a conference room with their laptops and headsets on trying to find the latest Santa whereabouts.  The kids just love it and I will admit I get butterflies.  I don’t know if its from watching the kids get so excited or if its the little kid that is still alive in me and the love of Santa that I have kept in my heart since I was a little girl.  Confession: when the late night news comes on Christmas Eve and they do their little Where’s Santa story and when he is due to be in our area I get goosebumps and my eyes get a little watery.  Playing Santa on Christmas is definitely a high point of being a parent!

I can only hope that once the time comes and my kids figure out that there is not a Santa Claus that they will keep him alive in their hearts for many years to come and always treasure the memory of when he was real.

A Wonderful Weekend.

Friday night my husband and I got an invite to go out with some friends.  When crunch time came and it was time to decide so I could shower and get ready if we were going to go, I looked at my husband for an answer.  He looked at me and said I know you want to go and I don’t but I don’t want you to be bummed if I say no.  My answer, well if you don’t want to go you don’t want to go..and the pouting began.  I am a good pouter, and I can be a bit of a weenie when I do pout.  He called me out for being short with him and not stirring up too much conversation.  I defended myself with “well I’m BORED”.  It’s Friday night, we have no kids and I feel like we should be doing something.  He looked at me and said..”I’m bored too and I don’t get the chance to just be bored, I like being bored every now and again”.  I stopped in my tracks and thought about that.  He was exactly right.  He doesn’t get to be bored very often, he doesn’t get to just stay in his pj’s all day.  He always has something to do whether it be work on something around the house, cave to the begging “will you play a game with me” from the kids, his darn phone ringing with work constantly, there is always something.  I immediately stopped my pouting and enjoyed the boredom with him.  He was happy that he didn’t get dressed, his phone wasn’t ringing, the kids weren’t here needing him, he didn’t have to do something.  I felt bad that I reacted in such a childish selfish way with my pouting so I apologized and enjoyed the rest of the evening with him.  Our highlight of Friday night was a trip to Taco Bell’s drivethu in our pj’s, a marathon of Pinks All Out and we ended the night with a battle on the Xbox Kinect.  It ended up being a great boring night and for him it was just what the doctor ordered and exactly what he needed.  I wouldn’t have wanted anything else.

The rest of the weekend was nice, the kids were home, we put up the Christmas Tree and decorated the house.  The greatest time was putting the ornaments on the tree with the kids.  I am so ridiculously anal with my tree and I used to find myself rearranging ornaments after the kids put them on or telling them where to put them so it was all even and nice.  I am becoming better with that.  Even though it took me forever to get to the ornament hanging due to trying to do the tree different this year, getting into a fight with the ribbon (at one point it looked like the ribbon monster threw up in my living room, there were about 5 different kinds of ribbon everywhere) putting it on and taking it off 4 different times and not having any creativity there for a bit it was finally time.  I have to give it to my kids, they were so patient with me and my tree trials this year.  They waited patiently for their time.  I am still anal with a few ornaments that are very special to me and those have specific places on the tree but beside those it was anything goes for the kids.  My daughter sang christmas carols while she hung her ornaments, which was the cutest thing ever,  and my son (who has a little bit of myself in him) wanted to show me every ornament he hung to make sure it was in the right place.  I would just look at him and tell him it was perfect, if he wanted it there then so did I.  It is a beautiful tree and I am proud of it and so are the kiddos.  It’s perfect.

Don't mind the bottom..the dog has already gotten into it..dumb dog!

 

A Family Gathering.

I was reminded yesterday how wonderful it is to have family close to spend these precious holidays with.  As the kids played and the 3 of us girls were in the kitchen and the guys were in the barn cooking the turkey I stopped and took it all in for a moment.  What a wonderful day.  I enjoyed being in the kitchen cooking with my step mom more than anything else yesterday.  We cracked open our wine and cooked away.  We had great conversations, laughed much, made many messes and just enjoyed the time together.  We had Christmas music playing in the background as we cooked and Tennessee Christmas came on the radio.  I stopped and looked at Susie (stepmom) and said “This year you get to have a Tennessee Christmas”.  That brought some tears as she listened to the words of the beautiful song and said “yes I am and I couldn’t be happier”.  Love her!   As we all came together at the table for the first time in many many years for our Thanksgiving dinner we went around the table and said what we are thankful for.  My daughter (who is 5) led the way and instantly brought tears to the whole table.  She said without being coached mind you “I am thankful for Pa-pa and my family”.  I am pretty sure with that comment that she can get anything she wants from her Pa-pa now.  She said it with such sincerity in her voice and the cutest genuine smile on her face you could tell it came straight from her heart.  My son was thankful for the ham and the candy crust, as he calls it, that is on the ham.  Way to be truthful kiddo!  I love that kid.  The rest of us had our turn and when it came to my stepmom and dad they couldn’t hold back their emotion which made the rest of us a little choked up.  They were so thankful for all of us to be together again, as a family on this holiday.  Like I said before it has been over 10 years since we have all spent Thanksgiving together and it was wonderful.  I am so thankful to have them close to us again.  It was a wonderful wonderful day.

Growing up we always went to my grandmother’s house on Thanksgiving and it was my grandma and my 3 aunts in the kitchen cooking away.  The kids never really helped.  Then I went straight to cooking my own Thanksgiving dinner when we moved away so the only person I ever had in the kitchen with me was my sister and on occasion my sister in law when they would come visit.  So yesterday was amazing for me.  To be in the kitchen with my sister and Susie and contribute to the dinner with my own recipes that have became tradition with my small family over the years was truly touching for me.  I felt like such a big girl     haha!  It was very heart warming for me and I look forward to many more holidays in the kitchen with them in the years to come.

After dinner we all sat down stuffed and lazy around the living room and played a game as a family.  It was fantastic.  It has been, again, many years since this has happened.  Just sitting here thinking about it puts such a smile on my face and warms my heart.  We laughed, we played and we were..a family.

I am happy.

 

On this day I am thankful…

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I will be up and at’em bright and early cooking my goodies for the dinner at my parent’s house so I thought I would go ahead and do my thankful post today.

What I am thankful for this Thanksgiving…

• My beautiful kids.  They make me smile on the gloomiest of days, make me laugh on a constant basis, can brighten up any room, and they fill my heart with love making it whole and complete.  They are loving, caring, great little people and they forever will be my little buddies.  I am thankful that I was blessed with two beautiful, healthy kids that will brighten many people’s lives in the years to come.
• My husband.  He is one of the most genuine, caring, loving people I have had in my life.  He loves me unconditionally, makes me laugh on a daily basis, has my back in any situation, is there for me when I need him, can cure my blues with one hug.  He is my soul mate, he is my love, he is my world.  I am thankful to have him here with me everyday.  I am thankful for the man he is and father he will always be.  He is the best dad to our children and the best husband a girl could ask for.  Even though he worked a 12 hours day he will still come home and spend hours on the floor with the kids playing games, acting silly and goofy, making them laugh, teaching them life lessons that they will forever carry with them.  He loves his kids more than life itself and he shows it everyday.  He is the world’s best dad.  I love him with all my heart.
• My sister.  She is my best friend, my backbone, my confidant, my strength, my fashion stylist, my critic, my secret teller and holder.  I am thankful everyday that I have her in my life and that mom gave me the best sister in the world.  We can fight one day and love the next.  We are both unique in our own ways but creepy similar in others.  She is there for me when I need someone to hold my hand, to vent to, a shoulder to cry on, and when I just need a friend.  She is there to share the laughter, the tears, the screams, the stories and is there when I need to just ‘be’.  She is a very unique person who has her own outlook on life, she is who she is with no regrets, she is strong and creative and goes after what she wants and I admire her for that.  She doesn’t cave to anyone and what they think, she is her own person.  My sister is one of the strongest, independent, awesome and amazing women I know.  I love you Lindz.
• My Dad and Stepmom.  I am so thankful that they took the leap to move down here leaving the only life they have ever known behind to be here with us and their grandchildren.  I am thankful for the parents they are to my sister and I, always being there for us and for loving us unconditionally.  I am thankful for the grandparents they are to my children.  They are the best, caring, loving, playful grandparents kids could ask for.  They love these kids more than life itself and it is shown in the way they look at the kids, you can see the love in their eyes.  I am thankful that my kids are fortunate enough to have them close now, to have two genuine people love them unconditionally, to help teach them the ways of the world, to take my son hunting and instill the love of nature in them both.  They give my children the most precious gifts…the gift of grandparent’s love.
• My friends near and far.  You can’t make it through life without a couple of great friends.  They become your support system, your partners in crime.  They are there when you need someone, a listening ear, a good laugh, a shoulder to cry on, and a glass of wine.  I don’t know where I would be without my friends that are close to me.  A true friend loves you for who you are, can finish your sentences, knows what you are thinking before you do, doesn’t judge you, accepts you for who you are, I am very lucky to have so many that do just that.  I am thankful each and everyday for the good, genuine people that I surround myself with.
• The life that I have been given.  I feel very fortunate to be able to lead the life that I do.  My husband is a great provider for his family, giving us the opportunity to do pretty much what we want and have the things that want and all of the things that we need.  I am grateful that he and I share the same outlook on life and that is to live everyday to the fullest.  You can’t take life for granted and that it will always be here because it can be gone in a blink of an eye.  I am thankful for all the love that surrounds me on a daily basis.  I am thankful for the life lessons that I learn everyday.  I am proud of who I am and the woman I have grown to be.  I am a loving, caring, giving, and an honest person and I am thankful for my parents who took the time to instill those great qualities within me.
• I am thankful that I was taught not everything is peachy and perfect, that the world can be an ugly and not so pleasant place sometimes, that people can be cruel and evil, that sometimes it just is what it is, that you don’t have to keep up with jone’s, that you should embrace who you are and be who you are without regrets.  I am thankful for always having the truth told to me so not to grow up with blinders and many misconceptions of how life and the world can sometimes be.  I am thankful for understanding life is what you make of it, you make your own happiness and you make your own sadness.  I am thankful that while growing up that the truth of the world was never hidden from me.  I am thankful that I see life and the way things are for what they are as ugly or as great as they can be.

I hope everyone is thankful on this day for everything great you have and that you don’t take this beautiful life you are given for granted.  So as you sit surrounded by your family and friends stop and take a moment to look around and take it all in.  Take in the love that you have surrounding you and be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you, your family, your friends, your loved ones.