Christmas Music... Commercialism?

This year they began playing Christmas music on the radio a week before Thanksgiving. Usually, they officially begin the day after Thanksgiving. Christmas decorations and merchandise were also sold in stores the day after Halloween... Right next to the leftover Halloween candy (poor, dejected candy...).

Is this too early? Too much commercialism and marketing so soon? Do we need to pull in the reigns or is this acceptable since it does happen only once a year and it's amazing anyways?

Please reply with thoughts and comments then I will post my own :)

Holidays 101

I decided that with the sudden rush of the holidays, I would write the little isms I have for experiencing them :)

1. (I might as well get this one off my chest right here right now) don't hold back. These next precious weeks occur only once a year and require a bit of indulgence.

2. Wear loose, comfortable clothing at all opportunities. Yoga pants anyone?

3. Exercise. Go for walks every opportunity given or just do some exercises in the warmth of your home! I know it's tempting to shlep every moment away snuggled up on the couch, drinking hot cocoa, and watching Christmas classics, but trust me, you will find that your holiday experience will be much more fulfilling if you aren't having to be rolled everywhere.

4. Participate in everything! Whether it's hauling a sappy Christmas tree, hanging every last ornament on it, or helping clean up after the family dinners, do it.

5. Cooking is one of my favorite parts of the season so gear up for that but don't let it consume you: leave some energy for being able to enjoy the time (even if it means a desperate treck to the local grocer for their holiday specialties).

6. Enjoy the people around you. This is hopefully a daily practice but if it isn't, the holidays are the perfect time to begin loving that one person who always annoys you by eating the cookie you had your eyes on.

7. Dress up for those special evening events, get festive! Dressing up gives events more significance. Plus, it's fun and you look fantastic I'm sure :)

8. For the meals such as Thanksgiving where you know you're doomed to leave stuffed like the turkey: pace yourself and have small portions. Fight the urge to take a huge glop of the cinnamon yams. This way, you aren't stuck with a large portion of something you don't plan to finish, and you can always go back for the foods you liked.

9. Have traditions. They give a personal touch to every holiday and traditions give you something specific to bond over every year. For example, during Thanksgiving dinner, my family and I write everything we are thankful for on plastic cups with Sharpies.

10. (I saved the best for last) This may sound cliche, but in all of this glitz and glamour, do not, under any circumstance, forget what these holidays are about and the reasons we have them. Stay focused and appreciate them! It isn't every day the entire world participates in celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ (whether intentionally or not).

Luke 2:10 But the angels said to them "Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you, you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly, a great company if the heavenly host appeared with the angels, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, and goodwill to men on whom His favor rests."

Note: if you have any other tips and tricks you find helpful and would like to add to this please let me know :)

A Foggy Day (In London Town)

This is a story inspired by the song Michael Buble covers, A Foggy Day In London Town.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The sound of my alarm sent me flying into consciousness as I fumble to find the snooze button. The alarm clock clatters to the floor, still ringing. I could hear my neighbors banging on the other side of the wall, yelling for me to shut up (in a bit more colorful language). I finally slammed the off button down and am suddenly plunged into complete silence. The red numbers flashed off and on as I replace my clock to my night stand, it was 6:00am. Rubbing my eyes and trying to stretch out the stiffness in my muscles, I pull the curtains aside. Even though the sun is hardly up, the small street I looked out upon is already bustling with people, a dense layer of fog still lurking in the streets and covering the roofs of houses. Sirens blare in the distance and a few seconds later flashing lights split through the darkness like lightning as the Fire Engine careens by. I close the curtains and step away, pulling the clothes I had layed out the night before off of my small chest to pull them on. My coffee pot beeps -the highlight of my morning so far- so I empty the last of my coffee grounds into the filter, give my favorite mug a rinse, and slide it under the dispenser. As the coffee slowly drips into my mug, I rinse my face and begin brushing my teeth. Covered in shaving cream, I'm gazing at the tired looking man staring back at me in the mirror when I catch a whiff of an acidic smell wafting in from the hall.

"Coffee!" I shout, running into my kitchen just in time to shatter my ear drums as the fire alarm goes off. Five minutes later -after a battle including getting zapped by my coffee maker and smashing my fire alarm to pieces with a mop-, I am sprawled out on the kitchen floor, holding a bag of cold peas to my head.

It's one of those days. One of those really loud days.

Daily coffeee dosage-less and briefcase in hand, I step out to face the world. Of course, the metro is late. I'm beginning to wonder if this day could get any worse when my tie gets shut in the doors. Awesome. Already having missed my morning meeting, I decide to slip into a coffee shop to escape the chilly morning fog and try attempt number two at getting a cup of coffee. I place my order and receive my coffee successfully. So far so good. Joy pulses through my veins as I cup my hands around the warm, paper cup and the strong sense of coffee with cream clears my thoughts. Ahh, sweet relief. A smile is spreading on my lips as I step from the bustle of the coffee shop into the bustle of the street. I check my watch, just in time to make it to the next meeting. The fog has closed in on the streets in a dense cloud so I keep my gaze on the ground and on the path in front of me to keep from stumbling and spilling my coffee. I pull my scarf up around my neck, why is it always so cold? Why is it always so foggy here? I grumble to myself, bringing my cup up to my lips for a sip and then SLAM. In a blur of coffee and a flurry of arms and briefcase articles, I am on the ground, staring up at the grey abyss stretching in front of me. I sit up to assess the damage on my coat but the sudden movement sends the world spinning so I slump back down, figuring the cold, cobble-stone side walk is more safe than the world that treads on it. This day really could not get any worse. I should have noticed the signs in my apartment, locked the door, and hid under the covers. Instead here I am, lying in a puddle of coffee in the middle of the sidewalk with a raging headache and I-

"I am so sorry!" A voice interrupts my self pity wallowing and I look up to see a young woman watching me with a concerned and horrified expression. She is also covered in coffee -I smell it is mine judging by the essence of hazelnut. "I didn't see you, are you okay?" She asks, kneeling beside me. "I'm such a klutz," she shakes her head, "I'm sorry. I really should start paying attention to my surroundings at some point in time..."

She continues on but I can't focus on her words. She is using her handkerchief (I didn't know those even existed anymore) to blot the coffee from my face and coat. Her hair is long and brown, shining with beads of water from the fog. I study her face as she continues talking, each word barely breaching my consciousness. Who is she? I have never seen her before and very few tourists venture into these small streets. Her accent is also a give away: she is definitely not from around here. A fellow American possibly?

"Do you hear me?" Her voice brings me back to reality and I realize she is looking into my eyes, holding out the papers from my briefcase.

I shake my head to clear it and force a friendly smile, quickly standing to brush myself off and stuffing the papers back into my briefcase. "Yes, sorry, I just-" I break off as the world swims around me. She catches me, staggering back a moment then helping me erect myself.

"Let's get you cleaned up," she says, giving me a concerned, dazzling smile. I can only nod, having given up on my verbal abilities. It is probably best to keep my mouth shut as much as possible until I can think clearly. "Come on, I know a small cafe where we can buy you another coffee and wait for your coat to dry. Do you have time?"

I smile and nod my head with a shrug, "I do now."

A smile spreads on her face and suddenly, the fog has faded. Like in the movies when a ray of heavenly light gleams down from heaven. I can almost hear the hallelujah chorus... Today is going to be a very good day.

ThisismegivingthisatitlebecauseIcan'tthinkofone

First, I must say that I am very angry right now. VERY. I had a huge post typed up about my day today then suddenly the page reloaded and it was gone. It was just great. I love it when my computer does that. No really. It's great. Makes my life so much better...

Anyways, I’m typing this up on a document in Pages so it is going to be all right! Second times a charm.

So! Today... Today was a very important day in my life. So far in my college experience, I have had 3 very important days (I say “very” because every day is important, these 3 were particularly important though). The first was I participated in my very first protest! I will explain that in another post though a different time because it’s a whole different story. The second is, I turned 18. Which I feel is a very significant age. I can now ride a bike without a helmet legally! Hah! No more helmet hair. And I can vote (it just got really real up in here). And last but not least, today. And that is what I am going to write about. It involved the President, two teams, an aircraft carrier, and of course, a basketball. And for some strange reason Pamela Anderson... Don’t ask me why though because I am baffled too.

It began when I received a scholarship from the Scholarships for Military Children Foundation through my local Commissary. I expected to be dropped like a hot potato as they moved onto the next applicant after giving me my funds but instead was surprised to come home one day with an email from them in my inbox, asking if I wanted to participate in a brief ceremony at the Carrier Classic.

Hold on... Let me think about that. There will be food there? And hundreds of young men running around in uniforms? If you insist :)

The next thing I knew, I was standing on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson with the wind whipping my hair into a beautiful bird’s nest and people bustling past in splurges of excitement as famous people emerged from who-knows-where. I was practically raised on aircraft carriers so the feel of the strong wind, the groan of the boat shifting with the tide, and the grippy tar under my feet, were all too familiar. But today was a completely different feeling. The deck was packed with hundreds of people. Hundreds of LOUD people. All yelling into their phones and raising their voices above the wind as they waved frantically to their friends lost in the sea of people. It was actually really funny to watch. One woman stood on her seat for a full 5 minutes waving her arms back and forth trying to get the person sitting in the bleachers across the court to see her. I kept waiting for her iPhone to fly out of her hands. Thankfully, it didn’t and I think she gave up. Anyways, there was a lot of people everywhere,and most of them were wearing one of three things, either Carolina blue to represent North Carolina, forest green to represent Michigan, or a uniform. I was one of the few and the proud wearing a neutral color.

I arrived at 12 but the game didn’t begin until 4 so I had 4 delightful, hours of riveting fun until game time. I stood in line with my dad for cold hot dogs and luke warm mustard and ketchup (mmm, my favorite), sat and chatted with the President of the Fisher House Foundation, John, who is in charge of distributing the scholarship money the Scholarships for Military Children Foundation gave me, and watched the band sing their hearts out in every genre known to man.

At around 3:30, Airforce One flew past. The President was on island. This sent the audience into a frenzy and everyone stood, anxiously awaiting his arrival until the Captain of the ship’s voice boomed from the Tower and graciously informed us that the important people stepping on and off the court were only practicing. In reply to this, John shouted back indignantly that “we were practicing too!” And I realized he and I were going to get along very well. A few minutes later, the teams took the court and the Secretary of the NAVY introduced himself. About 3 of the players were 6’11”. 6’11”. Jeez. I assumed that these types of basketball players were what began the saying “TALL, dark, and handsome.” Finally, at 4:00, the President and Mrs. Obama were introduced and stepped onto the court, waving and smiling to every human being possible. Standing in the bleachers, it was so strange to think that I was in the presence of one of the most important people in America right now. I could feel a buzz stir in the crowd and couldn’t help but feel my heart race with adrenaline. To be this close to him was crazy. I have heard stories before of people who fainted when they saw him. Thankfully, I didn’t faint though, and no one else did either. After he gave a few words and shook hands with several people, the game began. Let me tell you, these boys play with passion. And they’re huge too. So it’s like watching giants battle against each other. At one point, a smaller player was brought into the game and all I could picture was a little bug being squished. You will all be happy to know he made it through without being squished once, his size was actually an advantage because he could move more quickly than the bigger players.

A few minutes before halftime, a representative from State Farm lead the other scholarship recipients, John, and myself down to the court where we sat on the player’s empty seats until it was our time. I sat and talked with the young businessmen from State Farm sitting next to me as we waited and found myself wishing I could be like them one day, working hard, walking around in classy business suits, and meeting all sorts of important people. This moment did not last very long though because in the next moment, I was escorted into the middle of the court where I stood awkwardly awaiting further instruction. I stood next to John and smiled for the cameras as they flashed and filmed. It was over as quickly as it happened and I was soon walking off the court back to my seat. By this time, the players were back on and preparing for the second half. I wished them luck as they thundered by, feeling like a little shrimp. At one point, one of the boys from Michigan walked past me and I literally had to look straight up in order to see his face.

After halftime, my dad was ready to leave so we beat the masses of traffic and blew that popsicle stand. We went to T.G.I. Fridays to watch the rest of the game and have their Veterans Day Special then finished the night with a Gold Rush Sunday from Ghirardelli (so much for being good...). We also went to Urban Outfitters where I drooled over their awesome camera collection and took pictures with my dad with glasses and mustaches on.

All in all, it was amazing and I had an amazing time with all sorts of amazing people. And that was one of the most important days of my life :)

(Note: I have not personally gone through and spell checked this. So please excuse any despicable errors)