Thirty five

I certainly had different expectations about turning 35. Since my birthday is so close to the new year, I can't help but reflect on the year that has passed. I have a bunch of stuff to say about this year and am working on getting it down. For now, though, I'm going to snuggle with my husband, daughter, and dog.

Merry Christmas

I wish you all:
An extra helping of mashed potatoes.
A white Christmas, though it appears we won't have one here.
A stop under the mistletoe.
A beautifully wrapped present.
A warm cup of cocoa.
A cold glass of egg nog.
The warmth of a snuggly blanked shared with a loved one.

Most of all I wish you peace, joy, and love.


Merry Christmas, my friends.

My kind of Christmas Carols

Disclaimer: this first list is not my work. I copied it from an email I received today.

CHRISTMAS CAROLS FOR THE DISTURBED

1. Schizophrenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?

2. Multiple Personality Disorder --- We Three Kings Disoriented Are

3. Dementia --- I Think I'll be Home for Christmas

4. Narcissistic --- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

5. Manic --- Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and.....

6. Paranoid --- Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me

7. Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire

8. Personality Disorder --- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why

9. Attention Deficit Disorder --- Silent night, Holy oooh look at the Froggy - can I have a chocolate, why is France so far away?

10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder -- - Jingle Bells,! Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle, Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells , Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells


I thought I'd share my Christmas song playlist. I'm not a huge fan of carols, but these are on regular rotation right now. Many of these are not sung by the original artist, simply the artist and version I prefer right now. That can and often does change for me throughout the season.

1. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - The Fray
2. Please Come Home For Christmas - Jon Bon Jovi
3. All I Want For Christmas Is You - Olivia Olson (from the movie Love Actually)
4. Jingle Bells - James Taylor
5. Ave Maria - Josh Groban
6. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Hannah Montana
7. O Holy Night - Barlow Girl
8. Gabriel's Message - Sting
9. Christmastime Is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio (from A Charlie Brown Christmas)
10. Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

What are your favorite Christmas songs?

Recommendations

My friend Nick got his letter to the editor posted in the USA Today! Go check it out. Nick and I have many things in common politically and I love the eloquence of this letter.

One more thing....do you know any college basketball fans? If so, I would highly recommend ordering this book. The two authors are life long friends from Oak Harbor, OH. It's a small town next to the one I grew up in. They traveled across the country interviewing many legendary NCAA basketball coaches. The book is wonderfully written and a great all-in-one anthology of some of the best coaches in the game.

Holy crap

I'm all registered for classes in January!

Anatomy & Physiology and Psychology here I come! I will be in class Saturday from about 8-3 and Sunday night from 6-9. Go me. I think :-)

Thank you

You guys are the best. Your comments today really gave me the boost I needed.

I love the idea of writing something as a gift.

Thank you, a thousand times thank you!

Winter blues

I have been in a serious funk lately. My lack of a full time job is taking it's toll on our checking account. Just in time for Christmas. I think that's why I'm struggling so much right now. I love Christmas. I love buying gifts for my loved ones and I get so much joy from picking out just the right things. Problem this year is my budget is so much less. So much less that it's comical. Now, I am fully aware that my adult friends do not need anything and they will not think any less of me if I simply make them some candy or cookies and include a nice card. Why, then, can't I just accept that? I can talk the talk and explain how great it is that I'm home more, less stressed out, and going to start classes in January. But, well, I've been an equal provider in our family since we began our family and now I feel inadequate somehow. It's stupid, I know, but it's there.

I'm working through this funk. My writing voice is still eluding me, hopefully it'll come back soon.

Christmas cards

I'm still designing my Christmas cards. I'm making them instead of buying. The one problem is the working on the inside. None of my stamp sets have decent inside wording. They are all simply "happy holidays" or "have a merry Christmas."

This year, especially, I wanted to do something a little more personal. I am really not a fan of the Christmas letter, it just seems arrogant to me. But this year, of all years, needed something more. We survived this year. We are stronger and better and much more aware of how incredibly lucky we are to have this life together.

I pre-printed blank cards on the computer and will be designing/decorating the fronts. The inside will say this:

This year, we celebrate the peace and joy of Christmas with extra gratitude for those we hold dear. We look ahead with renewed faith and hope. Have a wonderfully Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Love, The Snob Family

(Act surprised when you receive it)

Lots to tell you about, friends. This weekend we celebrated Booger's sixth birthday. I'm still recovering from a weekend full of go go go but can't wait to tell you about it. I used to laugh when people complained about time flying. But, holy crap. She's 6!

Paging Dr. Freud

I was just entering my email address to log into a site and typed .cok instead of .com.

Made me chuckle a bit.