Up next when time and motivation coincide, Europe!!!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
29 and 2010 - A Great Year
29 was awesome and here's hoping that 30 is even better...
All of my friends are calling it 29.2. :)
By the numbers:
2 - Weddings attended - The Gilbert's and The O'Leary's.
9 - Countries traveled to - Saint Lucia, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Maarten, Spain, France, Portugal, Barbados, Dominica, USVI
12 - Months at my great company
14 - States visited
56 - Flights flown
And the best part is that is was a year that I got to see ALL of my best friends!
Let's get 30 started off on the right foot!
Thanks for all the birthday love, everyone!!
All of my friends are calling it 29.2. :)
By the numbers:
2 - Weddings attended - The Gilbert's and The O'Leary's.
9 - Countries traveled to - Saint Lucia, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Maarten, Spain, France, Portugal, Barbados, Dominica, USVI
12 - Months at my great company
14 - States visited
56 - Flights flown
And the best part is that is was a year that I got to see ALL of my best friends!
Let's get 30 started off on the right foot!
Thanks for all the birthday love, everyone!!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Got My Mojo (Temporarily) Back
Ever since Europe, life has been crazy and I just didn't have enough motivation to get to scrapbooking the daunting pile of pictures I had on my table. In the last two weeks I got into a little groove and gotten a few pages knocked out.
First up was our trip to St Louis to see the Cubs take on the Cardinals.
First up was our trip to St Louis to see the Cubs take on the Cardinals.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
In the spirit of Christmas giving. Merry Christmas all!
The Bloggess and the Christmas Gift Card Miracle of 2010
The Bloggess and the Christmas Gift Card Miracle of 2010
Christmas Tradition
In 2003, to celebrate my first Christmas out of college, I got my first Christmas tree. I wanted to do something special that year that I could continue each year. I found a Hallmark ornament series in its first year so that I would eventually end the collection with every ornament in the series. The series I chose was "Father Christmas."
I look forward to getting my ornament each year so the next year there is a new addition to my tree!
I look forward to getting my ornament each year so the next year there is a new addition to my tree!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
My Favorite Ornaments
Ever since I was little, one of the things I loved to do most while on vacation was to pick up an ornament from a place or two along our journey. This is a tradition I have continued and hope to continue.
Here are a few I've picked up the last couple years.
First from my trip up to see Jenny and our outing to Mount Vernon.
From our Caribbean trip in January, specifically our visits to St. Lucia and St. Maarten.
My family and friends are even getting in on giving ornaments as well!
This one is in a set of four my aunt gave me this year after admiring her set she bought last Christmas. The set includes Love, Believe, Wish and Hope.
And this one came to me as a gift from Laura all the way from Italy!
Can't wait to see what additions I make to my collection over the next year!
Here are a few I've picked up the last couple years.
First from my trip up to see Jenny and our outing to Mount Vernon.
From our Caribbean trip in January, specifically our visits to St. Lucia and St. Maarten.
My family and friends are even getting in on giving ornaments as well!
This one is in a set of four my aunt gave me this year after admiring her set she bought last Christmas. The set includes Love, Believe, Wish and Hope.
And this one came to me as a gift from Laura all the way from Italy!
Can't wait to see what additions I make to my collection over the next year!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
O Christmas Tree
After a year's hiatus I decided to put up my tree this year. I'm really glad I did! It's been so cheerful having it up in my living room.
Monday, December 20, 2010
A Christmas Story
A man named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night. His 4-year-old daughter Barbara sat on his lap quietly sobbing. Bobs wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer.
Little Barbara couldn't understand why her mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dad's eyes and asked, “Why isn't Mommy just like everybody else's Mommy?” Bob's jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears.
Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger. It had been the story of Bob's life. Life always had to be different for Bob.
Small when he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys. He was too little at the time to compete in sports. He was often called names he'd rather not remember. From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in. Bob did complete college, married his loving wife and was grateful to get his job as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward during the Great Depression. Then he was blessed with his little girl. But it was all short-lived. Evelyn's bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in he Chicago slums. Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938.
Bob struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn't even afford to buy a Christmas gift. But if he couldn't buy a gift, he was determined a make one – a storybook! Bob had created a character in his own mind and told the animal's story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope. Again and again Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling. Who was the character? What was the story all about? The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was. The name of the character? A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose. Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day. But the story doesn't end there.
The general manager of Montgomery Ward caught wind of the little storybook and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book. Wards went on to print “ Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and distribute it to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores. By 1946 Wards had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph. That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated version of the book.
In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Wards returned all rights back to Bob May. The book became a best seller. Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter. But the story doesn't end there either.
Bob's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore , it was recorded by the “singing cowboy”, Gene Autry. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of “White Christmas.”
The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago kept on returning back to bless him again and again. And Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being different isn't so bad. In fact, being different can be a blessing.
Note: I'm not 100% positive about all the facts of this story I received but the bones of the story are true. Regardless I thought it was wonderful reminder of the power of Christmas!
Little Barbara couldn't understand why her mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dad's eyes and asked, “Why isn't Mommy just like everybody else's Mommy?” Bob's jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears.
Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger. It had been the story of Bob's life. Life always had to be different for Bob.
Small when he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys. He was too little at the time to compete in sports. He was often called names he'd rather not remember. From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in. Bob did complete college, married his loving wife and was grateful to get his job as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward during the Great Depression. Then he was blessed with his little girl. But it was all short-lived. Evelyn's bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in he Chicago slums. Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938.
Bob struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn't even afford to buy a Christmas gift. But if he couldn't buy a gift, he was determined a make one – a storybook! Bob had created a character in his own mind and told the animal's story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope. Again and again Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling. Who was the character? What was the story all about? The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was. The name of the character? A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose. Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day. But the story doesn't end there.
The general manager of Montgomery Ward caught wind of the little storybook and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book. Wards went on to print “ Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and distribute it to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores. By 1946 Wards had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph. That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated version of the book.
In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Wards returned all rights back to Bob May. The book became a best seller. Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter. But the story doesn't end there either.
Bob's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore , it was recorded by the “singing cowboy”, Gene Autry. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of “White Christmas.”
The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago kept on returning back to bless him again and again. And Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being different isn't so bad. In fact, being different can be a blessing.
Note: I'm not 100% positive about all the facts of this story I received but the bones of the story are true. Regardless I thought it was wonderful reminder of the power of Christmas!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Bear Down!
We all had a fantastic time cheering on the Bears at Ford Field! While the win was not pretty it was a win no less!
Other pictures from the day.
Other pictures from the day.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
A First
On Sunday, Darren and I were joined by his parents, sister and mom's boyfriend Jerry. Marlene and Jerry have been together now for a long time. While we were watching warm ups, Jerry tells us this was his first football game. While I'm not sure if he meant first ever football game of any level but definitely his first NFL game and as a lifelong Bears fan I'm sure this was a real thrill for him.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Warm Up
We got to Ford Field a little early and got to watch the Bears warm up. Michelle and I went down front to take a closer look at the action.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Santa Claus
Has come to the Nashville International Airport!
Free pictures and $20 southwest vouchers! Yay for Christmas time!
Free pictures and $20 southwest vouchers! Yay for Christmas time!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Happy Birthday Mom!
I was out of town this weekend and wanted to throw out a happy belated birthday to mom! Love you!
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