So now that it's almost over, everyone is reminiscing about the past year and the highlights that mean the most to them. As I have had a pretty stellar year, I guess I'll do the same. These are the best moments from my 2013, counting down to the best:)
Substituting has become one of the best decisions I have ever made. Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever become a teacher, but after I got more invested in my degree and experimented with substitute teaching, I grew to love the kids at my school and I will be very sad when I have to leave them for my internship next year. I've become fond of the middle school environment and I'm excited to see where the new year takes me and my career.
I got a chance to go zip-lining with my in-laws this fall and it was a great experience. If you know me at all, I'm terrified of heights, so this was also a huge challenge for me. However, I had a ton of support from my new family and they helped me through it. There were moments where I was more scared than excited, but I would still do it again if given the opportunity and I urge anyone thinking about it to do the same. So much fun!
This year my husband and I got to go to two amazing Comic Conventions in New England. We went to the Boston Comic Con and then the Rhode Island Comic Con, which were both packed with books, celebrities, costumes and more. I had never been to one before, but my husband wants to go into that line of business some day and let me tell you, if he does, I would have absolutely no problem going to any of those with him to support him. They are nice people, the literary works are intricate and the artists are extraordinary, so it's definitely an experience worth having. I'm looking forward to visiting more in 2014.
We moved from Dover to Exeter to Newmarket, NH this year. It was stressful, but totally worth it. We went from living with other people to living with my father to finally living on our own. Sometimes we need to move back home, just for a little while, to get back on your feet and set your affairs in order. For now we're happy in our tiny apartment, but we're patiently waiting for a chance to get a house. You have to start small to move up.
St. Louis was an awesome highlight for my 2013. We went for business, but if you had been there you could barely tell. It was one of the most fun trips I've been on and I would do it again in a heartbeat. So many genuinely nice people in one place, such good food and great sight-seeing made for a great mini vacation. Hopefully I get more chances to travel in 2014.
I graduated in 2013! It doesn't feel like it because I'm still in school for my Masters, but I obtained a Bachelor's degree. It's a great achievement for anyone to finish college, and the fact that I went back for round two is even more great, (and somewhat crazy, according to some people). I am proud of my degree and I will be even more proud when I am officially certified by the state of New Hampshire as a licensed educator. Then I can have my own students and I can finally start my career. I am excited about what's left to come on this journey, including a lot of interviews and starting the internship process next fall, so I guess we'll see where I end up.
(us at Space Mountain for the 4th time)
One of the top moments for me in 2013 was my honeymoon. We are truly kids at heart, so going to Disneyworld was one of the best trips of my life. I've been before loads of times, but this time we were in control, we made the rules and we did whatever we wanted to do. We ate magnificent food, spent some quality time together and made a lot of memories we can share with our kids in the future. My favorite parts were probably everything we did at Epcot and also our trip to Universal Studios on Tom's birthday and going to Harry Potter World:) That made my life complete!
The very best moment for me this year has to be my wedding. It was a long time coming. We've been together for five years now, and the only thing I ever felt that was missing was being his wife. It was the crowning moment on a lifetime of disappointment, hardships and struggling with relationships. I finally found my soul mate and I couldn't have asked for a better man. We are looking forward to the years to come and what the future may hold for us. We are enjoying our married life so far and it feels so great to be Mrs. Lapierre. I love him more than words could ever say.
So that was my year in review for 2013! So many great moments to pick from, it was hard to chose just a few. Otherwise, this would've gone on forever... I had a lot of terrible things happen this year as well, like my health problems, Lupus flares and other things, which I didn't necessarily want to include in here, but they are still a part of my life that I have to live with. Tom takes good care of me, so I'm looking forward to a happier and healthier 2014. There will be lots of changes, many obstacles and hopefully some rewards for all my hard work in the coming months. We'll have to wait and see! Thursday's blog is up in the air as of now, but I'm hoping to have some pictures from tonight for you guys, so stay tuned. If you have an idea for what I should talk about on Thursday, leave it in the comments! Otherwise, I'll think of something. Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
With Blogmas officially coming to a close, I'd like to say thank you to all my family and friends who contributed to my awesome Christmas. I had a great day and made my goal of seeing everyone a reality, so it was worth driving around all day. I will not soon forget this Christmas, so I hope next year is just as good! Now with the New Year rolling in, there are some preparations that must be done.
I did end up getting a lot of the things I wanted, mainly warmer clothing so that I don't freeze to death at work. I also got a pretty awesome Power Ranger morpher with power coins, the complete Harry Potter DVD collection and Chromecast, so now I can watch my YouTube channels on my TV! I also got two books that I'm excited to read: the Amy Tan novel I mentioned a while back called The Valley of Amazement and The Book Thief. After the first of the year, I will be starting to read for leisure again, so on Thursdays I will be posting the books I'm reading, the progress I've made in the book and my initial thoughts so far. This will culminate into a book review on my Reviews page, but I'm excited to dive back into my literature. I also can't wait to go back to school because I miss my kiddos!
Post-Christmas for kids usually involves continual play with toys received the previous morning and so on, (until eventually bored). But for adults, it's a little different. We have jobs, priorities and plans that are typically unknown to the younger generation. Any errands Mom or Dad have to run the day after Christmas are none of my concern; I'll just stay here and play Pokemon all afternoon while you're gone. The day after Christmas is the most hectic shopping day of the year, save for Black Friday. Everyone NEEDS to return unwanted gifts as soon as possible, for fear of bursting into flame and being sent straight to Hell. Or so I believe, because that's the way most people act...
Just some tips for those shoppers who may feel a bit overwhelmed or anyone who thinks that retail personnel are like peasants: DO NOT freak out at the customer service representatives. We are just that, representatives. It is likely that we have zero control over what happens in the store we work in, including the price of certain Christmas items that have had less than 24 hours to rot on our shelves.
I'm sorry this snow globe wasn't 50% off like you thought, but honestly I think it was just in the wrong section. Not good enough? Let me just change the price for you so it's practically free. Are you happy now? No? You'd still like to see a manager so you can complain to him about our Christmas merchandise that is STILL "ridiculously priced" and that we should fix it immediately? Like you'll be back tomorrow to check... Ok, I'll get right on that...
Calm down. Take a deep breath, check to see where you are going, (no, really, some people come in and forget where they are within a five minute time frame...), and be nice. Treat the cashiers and the customer service representatives like real people because we are real people. The only thing separating you from us is a counter and trust me, sometimes I wish the counter wasn't there so I can slug the person in front of me, but I smile and tell them to "Have a nice day," because it's my job and we have little to no control in what goes on around us. Just keep that in mind if you need to do some Christmas returns or exchanges. If you are nice to us, we'll be nice to you. It's that simple.
Anyway, that's basically all I have for today. The day after Christmas can be somewhat depressing for some people, so I try to keep the spirit alive for at least another week before giving up and hoping for Valentine's Day. The truth is nothing really happens again until summer vacation, so you're just waiting for another break in the clouds. I will be posting again Tuesday about New Years Eve and popular trends and traditions. Looking forward to spending time with friends again soon! Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
It's Christmas Eve! I hope everyone is off having a great time with family today and tonight:) I've been baking, wrapping and watching Elf all afternoon so far. Today I want to talk about traditions and how much they impact our lives and the lives of those around us.
For as long as I can remember, my family has done a huge fish fry for Christmas Eve dinner. Apparently in Italian-American tradition, the Festa dei sette pesci, or the Feast of Seven Fishes, is customary Christmas Eve dinner and includes the consumption of at least seven different types of seafood. This tradition originated with the Roman Catholics, who refrained from eating meat or dairy for Lent and instead fried fish in oil.
For my family, we usually have calamari, which is raw or fried squid, fried shrimp and haddock, shrimp scampi, something we call "pizza fish," and chicken nuggets with french fries...for the kids, (although I've been known to sneak a plate full...no judgment). "Pizza fish" is simply a white fish with bread crumbs, tomato sauce and parmesan cheese placed on a baking sheet and cooked in the oven. It is to die for! I love everything about this meal and it's something I've looked forward to every year for Christmas since I was little. Getting together with my Italian family makes my heart soar:)
Since getting married, I have had to alter my traditions ever so slightly to accommodate my husband, who also has a family, (I know, right?). This year is his year, so we will be going to his aunt and uncle's house for chop suey and a movie-themed Yankee Swap. I had never done a Yankee Swap before I met my husband, so the concept is still a little new to me. I guess usually the hosts of the party pick a theme, (Alphabet, color, etc.), and each guest has a price limit to spend on a gift for the swap. Once the swap has started, each person draws a number and they pick presents at random in the number order. Depending on where each person falls on the number line, whenever they pick up a gift they have the opportunity to swap with another person who has already gone. The person who has picked the number one spot has his or her choice of any of the presents.
We had a tough enough time last time we went thinking of a gift with a movie theme...so this year was just as difficult. Luckily we found something perfect! We have only been to his family's gathering a couple of times since being together, but it's always fun to see everyone and it's so warm and inviting. I'm still getting used to not being with my family every year, but it's been a lot easier this year and I haven't cried yet! So I'm keeping my spirits high and looking forward to eating and spending time with the Lapierre clan:)
Another thing about tonight is that we have to bring a dessert or an appetizer. I probably should have gone with an appetizer, because the brownies I made look less than satisfactory... I tried a new recipe, without testing it first, and doubled the ingredients so it would feed everyone at least once. Unfortunately I think my plan backfired because I definitely used too much of something, (I'm guessing brown sugar, since that's basically all it is at this point). I'm hoping they still taste good, but I'll have to cut them up and taste test before packaging them up for tonight.
That's all I have for today! I have to get back to wrapping, but if you have a cool family tradition for Christmas Eve or for Christmas day, let me know in the comments! I can't wait for tomorrow, I am so excited!! All the joy and happiness makes me feel great and it's what Christmas should be about. The real spirit of Christmas is alive and well inside of me, so I hope my good vibes rub off on you today! Enjoy your family, enjoy the food and enjoy Christmas! I'll be back Thursday for the woes of after-Christmas retail returns and tips to survive the after-holiday blues. Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
Welcome to Blogmas Week 3! This week, we will be counting down the best Christmas movies to watch during the holidays. Unfortunately, I'm not well versed in the classics like Miracle on 34th Street or White Christmas and I get sick and tired of the A Christmas Story marathon, so these are just my personal favorites and don't reflect any sort of majority ruling over holiday movies, but I think they're pretty awesome!
10. A Wish For Wings That Work- This one is hard to explain, but it has become an important part of my new family tradition. My husband's family watches this movie every year on Christmas day, all huddled together around some cinnamon rolls. It is hilarious and you should definitely give it a shot!
9. The Polar Express- Everyone knows about The Polar Express, and if you don't I feel bad for you. It's another book turned to film story about a boy taken on a joyous train ride to the North Pole. Definitely a feel-good family movie for those of you who'd like to sit together for almost two hours listening to Tom Hanks speak. My idea of a good time.
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas- A definite classic, if you can't get over the fact that Halloween is over, but you still love Christmas, this movie is for you. It's not one of my main picks, but it's on the list because when I am in the mood to watch it, nothing can stop me. I enjoy it more during the Halloween season solely because it's one of the only "scary" movies I can handle, but still a great Christmas film with an awesome soundtrack to boot!
7. A Charlie Brown Christmas- Always on TV anyway, Charlie Brown always meant Christmas to me. Although he has amounted a plethora of escapades, some of which involving him with an unfortunately encounter with a football, Charlie Brown's Christmas special is still my all-time favorite and really sings through the meaning of the holiday season. No one can forget the musical styling of Schroeder!
6. How The Grinch Stole Christmas- Jim Carrey is a God among men for these miraculous acting skills. He personifies the Grinch in every aspect of the word and commits to the character flawlessly. I will always like the original Dr. Seuss cartoon, however, this live-action movie blew me away with it's wit, satire and moving performances all around. Always a crowd favorite. Cindy Lou Who is a gem!
5. The Muppet Christmas Carol- I am not ashamed to say that I actually watched this today because I FINALLY found it online somewhere and I fell in love all over again! This is the Charles Dickens's version, obviously with a twist. The muppets brings the light-hearted hilarity in this classic story. Michael Caine isn't too bad as Scrooge either. If you've never seen it or even heard of it, GO FIND IT and watch it right now! You'll be glad you did. How could you say no to muppets?!
4. The Santa Clause- This movie has always been one of my favorites. The originals are usually the best, and this is no exception. It's the kind of movie you'll wait around for until Christmas comes along. The story between the father and son make this movie family-friendly, (and a bit tear-jerky...). Tim Allen's not bad as Santa either, but you'll have to watch to find out! Another great classic.
3. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York- Again, I couldn't help myself, so I watched this yesterday. Another great family film, but different from the original in the sense that he ends up in New York, the best city in the world to be in at Christmas time. Who wouldn't want to do what Kevin does? Tim Curry and Rob Schneider give rousing performances as well. This one will always be my favorite out of the three existing Home Alone movies.
2. Elf- Obviously this has become a cult classic Christmas movie among the holiday elite. The strangers you meet every day out in public know this movie and can, (and probably will), quote it with you. It has become almost everybody's favorite Christmas movie of all time and remains the top pick in my house for next week's Christmas movie marathon. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear...
*1. Rankin Bass Trifecta (plus The Year Without A Santa Claus)-
If some of you are confused, I lumped these movies together into one category for two reasons. The first is that they usually come in a boxed set anyway, so listing them as separate movies just seemed wrong. The second is that they are the epitome of Christmas classics and I couldn't choose just one. If some of you are still confused, these movies are Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, The Little Drummer Boy, and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. I included The Year Without a Santa Claus because it's still a Rankin Bass production and it's one of my favorites, (plus nobody really watches The Little Drummer Boy anyway). All the movies are filmed in stop-motion animation, which require a great deal of skill, time and effort. These were TV specials, first introduced in the 1960s, have become some of the most recognizable characters of Christmas and have melted the hearts of many viewers. You can find most of these films on YouTube, so if you're unfamiliar with them I suggest you make yourself familiar before Christmas. These are what classics should be.
So there you have it, my Top 10 favorite Christmas movies of all time. I have already gotten through half of this list by now, so I plan on finishing strong within the next week. If your favorite movie didn't make my own list, leave it in the comments! Only 6 more days until Christmas!! And it's my birthday today!!! (which is why I posted early). Next Tuesday is Christmas Eve, so I'll be talking about family traditions and tips for Yankee Swap! Until next time, I remain your faithful Christmas correspondent.
That's right, I'm officially DONE with my fall semester! One more semester to go before my full-year internship next year. It seems like I still have so much to do, but I also feel like I'm in the home stretch...it's a weird feeling I can't really explain. It doesn't seem like much, but I know that when I'm really done, it'll be for good. Until then, I'll be enjoying my winter vacation as best I can and looking forward to another great semester in January.
(Does this look plowed to you?)
Apparently the weather is against us up here in New Hampshire. Did I mention it's not supposed to get above 20 degrees today?! We had a mild blizzard this past weekend where we got at least a foot of snow in some places and we're expected to get more snow this afternoon, so I might be snowed in again today. I don't mind too much, I just hate clearing off my car... My husband is one of those guys who feels obligated to shovel everyone out so that the other tenants can get to where they need to go. Just based on that, I know I bagged myself a good one. Thanks to the shoddy work the plowing company did on our driveway, (or didn't do). I'm grateful that my own spot is clear, but as for the other two tenants, they have to shovel themselves out I guess. You had one job plow guys.
So far in our decorating endeavors we added a few things to our collection. A nice door mount complete with white poinsettias and pine cones as well as some twinkly icicle lights to hang somewhere in our living room. Unfortunately, we're in desperate need of more outlets and extension cords. Luckily my father hooked us up with an extra power strip, so we might be able to plug our tree and the lights into that, but we'll see when it's all done. I'll be sure to take more pictures!
This week is special to me not only because finals are over, but because my birthday is on Thursday! I will be 24 and I know that's not a huge deal or anything, but I definitely feel it this time. Because my birthday is in December, I've always been bombarded with storms and winter weather, ruining any real plans. This year it looks like I'll be free from the torment of Father Winter and finally be able to enjoy my birthday. So far I have plans with my father for breakfast and his famous pancakes, finishing up my Christmas shopping, a lovely trip down to Boston for a nice dinner date with my husband and spending some quality time with my mother, whom I haven't actually seen on my birthday in about six years. My birthday memories with her are my fondest; she used to call me out of school and we'd go wherever I wanted all day. I'm really excited to get to spend time with her again. It's been far too long.
So that's my recap for the past few days. I'm really looking forward to all the fun things I'll get to do this week and knowing Christmas is literally right around the corner makes it even sweeter! I'm so excited this year and now I feel like I can finally enjoy the holidays! Christmas cards have been sent, (major wife points right there), and presents have begun to be wrapped, so it's only a matter of time! Our first Christmas as husband and wife has been so rewarding to me thus far, and it'll only get better:) Check out Thursday's Blogmas post where I will list my Top 5 Christmas movies! Until next time, I remain your faithful Christmas correspondent.
We're celebrating week two of Blogmas with your favorite Christmas songs! Here are my Top 5 favorite Christmas albums, counting down to number one, all for your listening pleasure:)
5. Pentatonix Christmas- This album is brand new this year. For those of you who don't know, (or who didn't read my last post), I am a HUGE fan of The Sing-Off, which Pentatonix won last season. So, naturally, I had to research their Christmas album. As I suspected, it's pure gold, with their A-Capella rendition of "The Little Drummer Boy" receiving a lot of publicity as of late. A definite must-grab if you're in the mood for something different!
4. Michael Buble Christmas- Obviously I had to put Michael Buble on here, solely because of his Sinatra-esq sound and undeniable charm. His voice just makes you want to go ice skating, get hot cocoa and curl up on the couch in front of the fire. It's just that good. He can serenade me any day.
3. N*Sync Christmas- Playing to the 90s kid inside of me, this is a no-brainer. Everyone knows this album and hopes that they hear their favorite track play on the radio when the Christmas music takes over, (personally, mine is "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays," but who's isn't?). This is the type of album you can jam out to in your car while you're alone...or with a friend...or with your husband staring at you blankly, waiting for an explanation that will never come...
2. NOW That's What I Call Christmas, Vol. 1- The original is always the best, am I right? This album is no exception. They might be on NOW Vol. 87 by now for all I care, but their original Christmas album has ALL the classics you've been waiting to hear on one CD, including classic songs by Nat King Cole, Elvis, Dean Martin, Burl Ives, Brenda Lee, The Boss, Britney Spears and MUCH more. You would be crazy not to own this album by the end of the week.
*1. The Beach Boys' Christmas Album- The number one spot, for me, goes to the Beach Boys. This will always and forever be my all-time favorite Christmas album. My father owned the vinyl record and we listened to it EVERY year on Christmas day. Now we have the CD and it's just as great to look back at the good ol' days and remember what it was like to be a kid. It will always be a symbol of Christmas and family togetherness to me, and that's what makes it so special. You can't help but smile and sing along when these songs come on, so get to it!
So there you have it, my Top 5 Christmas albums of all time! If you'd like to listen to any of the albums featured in this post, I highly suggest YouTube. If you'd like to purchase any of these albums, however, I recommend Amazon.com. If your favorite album didn't make my list, let me know in the comments! Everyone has their own special Christmas albums that they listen to, so whether they're from your past or a part of your present, they will always get you in the spirit of the holidays! Tune in next week for Blogmas Week 3 and another Top 5!! Until then, I remain your faithful correspondent.
*(only 13 more days until Christmas!)
Hello all, it is another fine Tuesday here in New Hampshire and boy is it friggin cold... It's been snowing off and on for the last couple days and I don't think it's supposed to get above 35 degrees tomorrow, so that's fantastic. Although I am looking forward to having a few days off from work.
As some of you may know, I had what I hope to be my LAST grammar final tonight. I literally just got home from campus, and I have to say, I'm a lot more optimistic this time around. It helps that the professor is weighing my graduate project heavier than the midterm I basically failed. Even though I'm 80% sure I'll be fine, I'm still playing the waiting game at this point. Send positive vibes, good prayers and happy thoughts my way as I await my imminent future.
Now that I'm done with this final, I can refocus my energy on more important things, including the enjoyment of my winter vacation. So far, I've got a birthday coming up, (more on that next Tuesday), Christmas events as well as more shopping to do before next weekend. I also have to finish my revision for my Digital Literacies project I did on YouTube, which I will share here if you'd like to read my ten-page paper on YouTube celebrity. Let me know in the comments and I'll try to make it happen. I would also like to make time for my friends, (if they still exist at this point), of whom I am severely lacking. I'm already planning a weekend trip to Maine in the coming months, so who knows what else could happen? My social calendar is starting to perk up.
At this point, the plan to decorate the apartment is going slow... We got our own 4' tree, (see above), complete with lights, bobbles and jingling garland. We also grabbed our own personal ornaments from our parents to put on our tree. My husband came up with the idea of picking out only one of our own ornaments while picking nine of each other's ornaments, thus simultaneously creating our own little tradition. It was really great to go through all of his ornaments, some of which I had never seen before, and pick the ones I thought would look great on our tree. It feels great to be able to tap into our history while creating a new history together.
I want to take an opportunity here to tell all of you that one of my favorite TV shows is BACK: The Sing Off!!! I am beyond excited about this and look forward to watching with my husband this season. If you are into A Capella and need a new show to watch, this is it! Check it out here:)
I almost forgot to tell everyone that I joined Bloglovin', which is a site dedicated to bringing bloggers together to share and follow each other. It's a really great community, so if you'd like to start blogging or would like to get your foot in the game to meet new people from all over the world, this is a great place to go! You can check out Bloglovin' and my profile here.
That's all I have for today. Unfortunately I have been devoting most of my time to work and my studies, so I promise my Thursday Blogmas post will be chock full of Christmas stuff. I will be rating and ranking my Top 5 Christmas albums, so if you have a suggestion for one that should make the list, let me know in the comments! I'll be taking a poll on my Tumblr and Facebook, (links are at the top of my page!), so be on the lookout for that! Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
Happy first week of Blogmas! So these posts I do for Blogmas will feature Christmas themes and ideas to make your holiday season happy and bright. So to start, I will be talking about a few random Christmas-y things today:
Some families have certain books that they read to their kids every night before Christmas. My family was not one of them, however I do like the idea and will hopefully be implementing it in my own future home. That being said, here are my top three favorite classic Christmas books.
1. The Polar Express- by Chris Van Allsburg, a crowd favorite, especially combined with the movie of the same name. Such a great choice for kids of all ages!
2. The Night Before Christmas- by Clement Moore, a traditional classic, short, sweet and to the point. Everyone knows this story.
3. A Christmas Carol- by Charles Dickens, another great classic, with a bit of cruelty and creepiness to satisfy your inner horror geek, this is a true tale of goodwill towards man. Another book with good movie options as well.
If you'd like to check out any of these awesome reads, click on the title and it'll take you to each Barnes and Noble page respectively to learn more.
This blogger also has a great list of Christmas books to read in her blog, if you want to check her out: 320 Sycamore There are some awesome picks for every age group and every interest. Also, if anyone has any suggestions for any adult Christmas-themed books, feel free to leave recommendations in the comments below! I'll keep my eyes peeled in the mean time.
So each town around the world usually has it's own set of Christmas gatherings, parties and parades. For instance, my town has a tree lighting ceremony as well as a tree auction, where people come to bid on pre-decorated Christmas trees for good causes. These events are typically fun and include a heaping amount of Christmas cheer and holiday spirit. Just grab some hot chocolate, your jacket and mittens and come on down! The details for what's going on in my town can be found here.
As I was raised Catholic, the Advent Calendar meant a lot more than just getting a piece of chocolate every day until Christmas, (or so I led my parents to believe...). Nowadays I do still love opening my Advent calendar, but I remained blissfully unaware that there are other types of Advent calendars besides your basic chocolate variety. This has recently come to my attention, so I thought I'd educate the rest of you who are also unaware that there are different prizes to be had.
-Religious: Advent calendars that hold true to history and feature no candy or toy, but a bible verse and pretty picture inside each compartment. Especially made for all religious folk.
-Toys: Instead of chocolate, each compartment has a small toy inside related to Christmas or any other thing really, including, (but not limited to), pirates, princesses and ponies. Oh my!
-Makeup: I'm not one of those girls who wear a lot of makeup, (actually I really don't wear any, except on special occasions, but that's besides the point), but if I did, these Advent calendars would be awesome! To think, every day you open a compartment and a nail polish or lip gloss will be waiting for you! Check out Benefit Cosmetics for their themed Advent calendar.
-Food: Yes, there are compartments filled with jam, nuts and other holiday treats, (other than chocolate) just waiting to get eaten. I can't decide if that's a good or bad idea, but I'm going with it.
Also, if you're curious to see what other types of crafty Advent calendars there are out there, check out this blog for 25 different themed calendars.
So if you've just started working on your Advent calendar or you needed a good Christmas book to curl up with, I hope these suggestions help your holiday spirit! If you know of any Christmas book, special event or Advent calendar that's special to you or you just feel like sharing some Christmas stuff, comment below or tweet me about it! I'm already excited for next week's Blogmas post!! Only 20 more days till Christmas!!! Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday and long weekend. I know I thoroughly enjoyed mowing the delicious and glorious home-made lasagna my uncle made, (on top of the usual fixings mind you). It has remained unmatched in my search for the best pasta dish.
Speaking of holidays, they are finally upon us! For me, it seems like Christmas actually started in October, because I work retail, but now since it is officially December, we can trade pumpkin for peppermint, listen to the continuous flow of Christmas music and decorate the crap out of our places of residence. I, for one, love the holidays, so this is truly the most wonderful time of the year in my opinion. As you can see, I take my Christmas tree very seriously and I never miss a year to go out with my dad to cut a fresh one down. This one is Theodore and he is marvelous, don't you think?
This year, for the month of December, I have decided to participate in "Blogmas," which is when bloggers post every day until Christmas. Although I want to participate to the fullest extent, I honestly don't believe I'm capable of posting every day just yet, (lack of planning, plus finishing up my fall semester coupled with work and other things will make it virtually impossible). So I compromised by setting a goal of twice a week. Tuesdays will remain my random posting days, with a slightly more Christmas-y theme and Thursdays I will post about specific Christmas happenings and traditions, including books, movies, songs and more. This way I can cover all the Christmas bases while still giving myself enough time to get all my mandatory work done and not overload. I am really excited to dive head first into the Christmas spirit and can't wait to post more favorites about the holidays:)
That being said, I would also like to inform everyone that I will hopefully be starting to live tweet certain shows on Sundays starting this weekend. Live tweeting, for those who don't know, is when someone follows a show or movie whilst tweeting, simultaneously watching and tweeting at the same time. I've always wanted to and since I don't have cable at my house, I will be participating while I'm at my dad's on Sunday night. The shows I watch Sundays are The Amazing Race, (season finale this Sunday at 8pm), and Once Upon A Time. Since they both air at the same time, I usually rely on the football schedule going over for me to catch both in one night. Sometimes that doesn't happen, but I'll keep you posted via Twitter if I don't think I'll be able to do both. I definitely want to catch the finale of Amazing Race, so Once may have to wait until Monday, but we shall see.
Other than that, that's basically it for me. I got to spend a lot of time with my families and enjoyed every minute of it! I wish I had more time with them, but the point of the holidays is to bring families together, especially if you don't normally get to spend a lot of time with them. Definitely looking forward to Christmas and seeing everyone again, giving people their presents, (I got some good ones already, I can't wait to see their faces!!), and eating more great food. I've also decided to decorate my apartment this year, so I'm looking forward to going shopping this weekend again for more presents and decorations. I'm certainly in the holiday cheer mode, so I hope you guys are too. Check back on Thursday for my first Blogmas post!! Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
