A quick little catch-up

I know I haven't written anything in a while. And it's not because I haven't wanted to. Actually, that's kind of a lie. Besides being (sort of) busy, I just haven't been feelin it lately. And I'm not especially feelin it right now, I'm just bored out of my mind at work and this is one of the few websites they haven't blocked in their latest bout of censorship. (I am still mourning the unexpected loss of Facebook...)

January is almost over, I can't believe it! I have to say, it was a pretty good month. However, I'm kind of partial to it since it happens to be my birthday month!

This year was honestly the best birthday I've had in a really, really long time.

Thanks to an extremely sweet boyfriend, having two days off of work, Cheesecake Factory and this:

it is safe to say I will remember this birthday for a long time.

The rest of January is a little stressful for me since I just discovered that my license expires on the 31st and I have no idea where to go or what I need to do to get a new one. This also means that when I get my new license, I will officially be a Colorado resident. I'm not sure how I feel about that...

I guess that is all for now. My head hurts from staring at the computer today. I really need glasses (and really don't want them...)

Movie Life

The other day while watching the end of The Notebook, I asked Steve (knowing full-well how ridiculous and girly I sounded) if he would write me a love letter. I assumed the response would include a laugh, which it did, but I thought it was worth a shot! His reply: "If we're ever made into a movie, I'll write you one." :)
So just for fun...here's this thing.

Here's how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

opening credits: Bubbly Toes (Jack Johnson)
waking up: One Day I'll Fly Away (Moulin Rouge)
first day at school: Fergalicious (Fergie)
falling in love: Dare You to Move (Switchfoot)
fight song: Tomorrow's Another Day (MxPx)
breaking up: The Long Day is Over (Norah Jones)
prom: I Wanna Be (Chris Brown)
life: Vegas (Sara Bareilles)
mental breakdown: I Heard You (Good Charlotte)
driving: Next to You (Ciara)
flashback: Better Together (Jack Johnson)
wedding: Gravity (Sara Bareilles)
birth of a child: Bella Luna (Jason Mraz)
final battle: Big Girls Don't Cry (Fergie)
funeral song: Work (Jimmy Eat World)
end credit: On Love in Sadness (Jason Mraz)

Not bad.

(obligatory New Year's post coming soon...)

What Christmas Means to Me

I've been trying for days, well, years really, to accurately articulate how and why Christmas is so important to me. I haven't been very successful, but I did have this small epiphany:
It's really important to me. And I mean really, really, really important. In an almost unhealthy, obsessive-compulsive way. (One of the many, many compulsions. But that's an entirely different (and long and amusing) post.)

I think this is where part of the explanation lies. As far back as I can remember, the holidays were always the same. We had the same food, the same routines, the same movies, the same traditions every year. No matter what crappy things had happened that year, we always had Christmas and were reminded that we were still a family and that would never change. For this slightly obsessive-compulsive girl, change doesn't come smoothly. I think I still expect Christmas to mean the same things and feel the same as it always has.

Now, I know that it's perfectly fine to make new traditions and I am excited to make some this year. But deep down in my soul, I can't shake the fear that "Christmas just won't be Christmas without _____."
It's an irrational fear that's very real to me. I know it puts way too much expectation on everyone, including myself, but it's not something that I feel I can help. And really, what is the harm in having to have stockings and a tree and watching A Christmas Story at least 5 times?!

The fact that this year will be my first-ever Christmas not spent with my family scares me. Aside from the obvious sadness, it gives me a panic attack to think that I won't have fudge or white cookies, or a huge Christmas dinner, or stockings "mysteriously" filled with miniature dolls and my favorite candy or............

How will it really be Christmas without my family and all of those things??

First Snow

The snow on Friday (and again on Sunday) was my first of the season. It was lovely indeed, but it wasn't long before I remembered the love-hate relationship I have with snow.
The first not-so-fun experience was driving to pick up the boy from work. I have terrible night vision as it is, but pair that with the blowing snow and glaring headlights in my eyes, and it's a disastrous combination. It wasn't too bad, but by the time I got there my hands hurt from being clenched tightly on the wheel and my eyes hurt from focusing on the road. Needless to say, I didn't drive on the way back.
The second-and worst-snow experience occurred on Saturday morning. I slept through my alarm and woke up 15 minutes before we had to leave to take the boy to work. Knowing it was going to be snowy and cold, I put on my new "Nine West version" Ugg boots for their winter-weather debut. It's important to note the house sits on a hill and you have to tread down this hill to get to the street where my car was parked. Knowing the driveway would be icy and slick, I opted for the snow-covered, grassy part of the hill thinking my new boots could handle it. That's what they're for, after all!
I had a little slip, but didn't think anything of it. The boy saw and warned me to be careful, while trying to get my hand. But he wasn't quick enough, as my next step was my downfall, literally. I slipped and fell flat on my back into the inch of snow!! I don't know if it was the fact that I was so tired, or stressed from running late, or angry at my shoes, or embarrassed that I fell, or in pain from falling, but tears immediately filled my eyes and they wouldn't stop!! The boy helped me up and brushed me off and we managed to get to the car without another mishap.
Once I had calmed down, the boy asked me what the bottoms of my shoes looked like. I mentioned that they were snow boots and should have a good sole, but when I showed him he cracked up laughing. (Which in turn made me cry again, I have no idea...) I believe his exact words were, "I bet you have flip flops with more traction than those things!" :(
I was not amused. I was irate at my stupid shoes. He tried to console me by saying, "At least they look good.." and I blew up "NO THEY DON'T! They are hideous and ugly and stupid. I hate the way they look, the only reason I wear them is because I thought they would be good for the snow!"
Once my tears dried, I was able to laugh a little. But once the boy said, "I looked back and saw you laying on the ground and thought, 'what are doing, making snow angels?! I gotta get to work!'" there was no stopping the laughter. Things like that are just some of the many reasons I'm so head over heels for him. :)

So, I was rudely reminded that although the snow is beautiful and enchanting and lovely, it's not always very nice. I love it and then I hate it and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon.

Turkey Power

I wish I was good at coming up with clever titles...

I am worried that I have officially become the "nagging girlfriend". And all because of one very important topic: Thanksgiving turkey.
I inadvertently asked the boy to make the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. I was apprehensive, but he was immediately excited and started plotting the perfect plan. Seeing his enthusiasm made me feel bad for doubting him, but I couldn't help it. Giving up control of something as important as the turkey is tough. I mean, that's the center of the whole dinner! And my family is picky. The bird has been simply slathered in butter and oven roasted for as long as I can remember. We don't even put salt and pepper let alone sage, thyme, etc. And this boy--the same one who doctors up EVERYTHING he makes with Checker's Creole Seasoning-- is going to be in charge of the most important part of the meal.
Suddenly, horrible thoughts of frozen turkey, dried out turkey, even cajun turkey flooded my brain. What would he do to it? (Nothing, it will be perfectly fine.) Would it come out ok? (Of course! It will be juicy and delicious.) Does he realize the significance of this task? (Of course he does.) It doesn't help that he won't tell me anything about what he has planned for it. He finds it humorous that I'm so nervous about it and gets some kind of sick joy out of torturing me. His recent favorite thing to say is that he's going to put candles all over it and make it a turkey birthday Thanksgiving cake... Do you now understand my anxiety?? :)
I have been incapable of restraining from asking/reminding/questioning/pondering/nagging him about the turkey. I know it has to be frustrating and I wish I could simply relinquish the control. But I am so nervous! Surely this is all unnecessary. I'm positive it's going to be perfectly wonderful.

Right??

Preparations

Needless to say, I am very excited to be hosting Thanksgiving this year. It will be nice to be with my family again since I haven't spent Thanksgiving with them since I moved here (2 1/2 years ago). This will also be the first time the "kids" will spend a holiday together without our parents. That's a little strange, I have to admit. It makes me feel like we're grown ups. Not to mention the fact that my baby brother is graduating high school this year. But that's another topic entirely...

Last night I went to my favorite store to (finally) go Thanksgiving grocery shopping. It's Walmart, by the way. And I know, I know. But I just don't care-I love it! And here's why:
I had a massive shopping list, y'all. This was partly because I had to buy everything, even the basics like flour, sugar, spices, etc. Basically, it was every single ingredient needed to make an entire Thanksgiving dinner in my shopping cart. (And you should know that when I say an entire Thanksgiving dinner, I really mean, 'enough food to feed half the country'.)
So anyway, I love grocery shopping at Walmart. I know where everything is (and just in case I didn't, they supplied these handy laminated Holiday Shopping Guides that listed every ingredient you might need for Holiday cooking and which aisle they were located on. So wonderful!). I know about how much everything costs. I know which brands I like, which I prefer and which I have to choose from. All of this has made me a pretty good grocery shopper. I can almost always get out of there under budget and with quite a few bags of groceries. But last night...I outdid myself.
My sister and I had a dollar amount in our heads. Granted, when you think about it, it was a bit much to spend on one meal but you have to remember this is the biggest meal of the year. And we're feeding 6+ people and LOVE leftovers. Anyway, we had this dollar amount in our heads. Secretly, I was hoping it would be less than that, but I didn't want to have to skimp on anything. Howevery, my super-human grocery shopping powers were in full force last night. An hour and a half later, I was checking out and holding my breath (metaphorically, not literally). When the grand total was announced, I thought for sure she had forgotten to scan a couple bags of stuff. I checked the conveyor belt and, sure enough, it was empty. Everything was bagged and in my cart and I had finished $40 under budget!! It was amazing.

Now the cooking begins. I'm going to start early this year. Prep and some of the food will be made the day before to ensure it all gets done on time (and I'm not dead by the time we sit down to eat). Here's the menu...it doesn't look like anything fancy. (No fancy ingredients or cooking techniques in the titles, sorry. But it is ALL homemade from scratch.) And if you've tasted this food, you know I'm telling the truth when I say it's simply going to be the best dinner. Ever.

Appetizers:
cheese ball w/assortment of crackers
deviled eggs
relish tray (pickles, olives, spicy veggies, etc)

Main Course:
turkey
twice baked potatoes
cornbread stuffing
candied yams
green bean casserole
pasta salad
corn
cranberry sauce
rolls
turkey gravy

Dessert:
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Banana Pudding
Mississippi Mud Pie

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Just Another Day in the Life

I've decided that I'm going to start actually using my blog. yay! I'm thinking of writing just about the everyday musings and occurrences of my daily life. Not because I think anyone really wants to read them, but because I feel like writing and think this is a good outlet. So here goes nothin.

Yesterday I discovered the non-stop Christmas music station on the radio. I had heard rumors, but didn't realize they were already playing it. Needless to say, I was very excited. However, the song that was on at that time just didn't work for me. I didn't want that song to be the first Christmas song I heard of the season. My second (okay, third) attempt- It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! by Johnny Mathis -was a much better selection. I happily sang along and grew more and more excited for the coming holidays.
Today was wonderfully winter-esque. I didn't care too much for the 1/4" of ice on my windshield this morning (especially because I don't have an ice scraper for my new car yet...must make a mental note to go to wal-mart) but I loved the fact that the sky was gray and I could wear boots and my nice coat. My favorite part of the day was driving home from work listening to the "All Christmas All the Time" station and seeing the twinkle lights outside my apartment. It's the simple things, I tell ya.

I'm trying to decide how detailed I want to get in this blog. I'm sure I won't be able to go for long without mentioning a few people, so maybe I'll just outline the major players now.
the boyfriend= the boy
my sister= S
my mom= mom
a friend= R
the boyfriend's roommate= J

that should about cover it for now. I have a feeling this might get confusing...

One more thing. I'm super excited that my family is coming for Thanksgiving. Just the brothers and sister (and husband) but that's 4. Add me and the boy (and possibly J) and that's a full table! I'm excited to cook all my holiday favorites and share them with the people I love. Thanksgiving is edging closer to stealing first place from Christmas on my list of favorite holidays. But who am I kidding.. that will never happen!