Top 10 Biggest Little Things of 2009

It has become a tradition here on my blog the last couple of years to end out each year with my Biggest Little Things List.  This year I have put the list together again and hope you have been keeping up all year so you know when most of these happened… and if not… you have some catching up to do!

Top 10 Biggest Little Things of 2009

10.  Almost becoming a Grad Student.

  9. Giveaways on the blog, including a Wii Console and Wii Fit game.

  8. A few amazing photos

  7. Becoming a Girl Scout Leader

  6. Having the internet installation guy think he might know me from high school till I told him what year I graduated… which was over 10 years before he did!

  5. Learning how to make a tasty vanilla chai with Mr. M and learning that I even like chai

  4. The braces investment for Kass

  3. Our biggest snowfall in over 10 years

  2. Jas getting accepted to Governor’s School

  1. Meeting Mr. M.

Well there you have it… the top 10 Biggest Little Things of 2009. 

It’s been quite a year… there were several more things I thought of that didn’t make the list.

What were some big / little things that happened to you this year?

Find yourself… keeping it real.

Technorati Tags: relationships,chai,vanilla chai,staying young,girl scouts,photography,snow,Governor's School,single moms dating,braces,Wii Gaming Console,Graduate School

Photo credit: http://himynameis.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/top10.jpg

Love is Like a Battlefield….

 

Have you heard this song on pop radio channels?  It addresses a truth.

So the next thing you want to ask is…. “Are you talking about Mr. M.?”  Not this time.  No, when I heard this song the other day…. it made me think about a current situation and a recent “battle” I had to initiate…with my brother.

Surely you have heard the phrase, “tough love” and that is exactly what I am referring to here with the heading… Love is a Battlefield.  My brother is going through “something.”  Without sharing too much here on my public blog… I will just say I am not exactly sure just what he is going through… but it is something and he has not been himself for weeks.  With that being said…. he was not planning to participate with family Christmas get-togethers.  This was disturbing and I felt I had to do something.  It was more than him being lazy… he’s not being his normal self and never missed a Christmas celebration in the past.  So I went to see him the day we (my sister’s family and my brother along with his wife) were supposed to celebrate Christmas together at my house. 

He had not answered his phone for the previous 24 hours – so I just went over there and showed up on his doorstep.  As his sister I had to intervene… let him know that I was concerned along with about 45 minutes worth of a speech about getting back to living… and making the choice to ‘do something’ for himself in the midst of his current crisis.

Something I said clicked, for that day at least… he decided to jump a hurdle in his life he had been avoiding – a face to face conversation he was dreading with his boss and then he ended up coming to my house that night as planned for our celebration.

Hoping he had turned the corner, I was expecting him to also come to our aunt’s house the next day for the extended family celebration on our mother’s side of the family.  Sadly he disappointed us and didn’t show.  So much for my enlightening speech… but hopefully he will pick himself up out of this muck, brush himself off, and move forward from here…. facing what life has around the corner and making the most of it. 

That’s all any of us can do when crisis comes our way, right?  Hibernating and closing ourselves off from the rest of the world, pretending somehow the bad thing will go away…. that doesn’t work.

So battlefields are still necessary sometimes… when it comes to loving someone.  Because sometimes you have to tell them things and require they face some things that are hard for them…. as well as you at the same time.  But you still have to give them a hands up and word of encouragement along the way… even in the midst of that battle.  I am trying.  Still learning but I am trying.

We had a good Christmas together… but he still needs encouragement… and lots of prayers.

Hope your Christmas was also a Merry one…even though ‘life doesn’t stop for Christmas.’

Find yourself… keeping it real.

Photo Credit:  http://pialyandsajib.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/conversation1.jpg

Technorati Tags: relationships,communication,love,crisis,Christmas,battles,face to face,tough love

Snowed In By 18 Inches

I have to tell you I love having this “forced” down time.  Snowed in with 18 inches of snow piled up between my Infinity and the street, I haven’t been anywhere since it started on Friday a little after two.  Kass and I have been making boxes, bows, and gifts when she; her friend, E; and Jas aren’t out playing in it.  A true white Christmas… even if it is a few days early. 

For Christmas this year, not only have we received the gift of a special snow – that isn’t normal of this magnitude… but we received the gift of some downtime, at home, just me and kiddos, while enjoying the winter wonderland and all the things we normally don’t find the time to do during the season.

The only thing missing is Mr. M. since he is also snowed in with his 2 boys… across town.

Here’s a few more shots of the kiddos enjoying the white stuff…all eighteen inches of it.

 

 

 

Find Yourself… keeping it real.

Technorati Tags: snow,photography,photos,Christmas,snowed in

Home For Christmas

Well with the forecasted MAJOR snow storm coming to the east coast… including my city nestled in the valley of these mountains…I came home early from work, and the kids were let out early from school today.

It’s after 2pm and the snow hasn’t made itself visible yet, but I understand from the meteorologists that it is dissipating at this point in the upper atmosphere…blah blah blah… hopefully we will get to see it in reality soon.  I get as excited as the kiddos when I think about snow coming… I love a snow day! 

But at this point, since today was my official last day of work before the Christmas holidays… I am now home for Christmas for good… other than finishing my last minute gift shopping and to get food between now and the first of the year. Woo Hoo!  It is one of our blessed perks at the office – two weeks off for Christmas.

In the meantime… I will try to post and let you know just how much snow we end up with…

Merry Christmas everyone… enjoy your special time with family and friends… that is my wish to you!

Oh and before I could finish this blog and hit publish…

It started snowing!  It’s beautiful.

Find Yourself… keeping it real.

A Little Magic of Christmas

One of our family traditions with Christmas each year is we try to go see the Christmas lights around the neighborhood one night during the season.  I went with Mr. M and his boys last weekend and soon we will be taking my kiddos.  But one house that stood out way above the rest was especially magical.  So I had to take my kiddos by the other night… even though we will get to see the rest of our tour when we have more time. 

These people have it going on… you see their Christmas lights for decoration– are more like a full blown show.  They put a lot of time, energy, knowledge (techy) and obviously some money into their presentation.

Here is just one photo from their website, www.starcitylights.com :

You might say… aaaah, that’s nice.  But you have got to see the presentation and tune into their short wave radio station they transmit to appreciate the experience.  The lights are synchronized with the music and they have several songs they play during the show.  It is mesmerizing and my almost 15 year old absolutely was impressed by it.  I know this because later that night… after we sat and watched the entire show of songs outside this house… when we were back home, he said, “That house was so cool.”

Hey, if I can impress my 15 year old with anything, I am happy!

Please check out their website www.starcitylights.com for directions (if you are close by) or to see videos they have posted from their show from last year.  Again – you have to see it live to come away – with a feeling of a little “magic”.

Find yourself… keeping it real.

List for Newlywed Marriages, Part 5 of 5

9.  FLEETING FEELINGS Versus WORK WORK WORK: 

Feelings are fleeting but commitment is work.  Don’t forget there will be days you can’t stand your spouse… or at the very least days you are upset with him or her.  Feelings move up and down with each day and each circumstance and with emotions.  If you find the negative feelings are weighing on you and not changing… there may be another problem at the source that needs to be addressed through number 8, counseling.  Commitment to making the marriage work is what will carry you through, and that means work on both sides.  Expecting your feelings to be enough to sustain the marriage will only eventually leave you stranded and in a failed relationship.

10.  BE CHEERLEADERS: 

Build up your spouse by encouraging his or her self-esteem and focusing on positive thought patterns.  Be your spouse’s number one fan.  Cheer him or her on… with each passing day.  You need to encourage each other instead of finding ways to break each other down feeling bad about yourselves.  When the negative thoughts about your spouse sneak into your mindset, push them aside and think of something positive about him or her you love.  If it’s something needing to be discussed, find an appropriate time and calmly discuss it. But remember negative thought patterns will plant a seed and they will grow faster than you think. This has been proven through research by Ted Huston outlined in an article “Will Your Marriage Last” by Aviva Patz, Psychology Today where she also shares a quiz for newly married couples…In summation she finds… "The dominant approach has been to work with couples to resolve conflict, but it should focus on preserving the positive feelings. That's a very important take-home lesson." 

These are only ten things… obviously there are more.  But I think this helps to ‘summarize’ what I would tell a couple in their first five years together even though I am indeed long-winded when it comes to relationships. 

While still finishing this draft… I put a call out there in twitterville and on facebook with the same question… here are some replies I received:

@OCMomActivities: to never forget to have a few minutes of fun together, easy to let slip. Always be sure the partner is your immediate first call for problems.  @OcMOMActivites just celebrated ten years of marriage, married at the young age of 20 and was a child of divorce.

Whitney from Facebook shared what her mother in law wrote in their anniversary card this past June: "The chemistry must be there, but the rest is tolerance and resolve."  Brilliant advice.

What are some other tips you would share with newly married couples? 

Please check out the other posts in this series of things I wish I had known when I got married:

List for Newlyweds, Part 1

List for Newlyweds, Part 2

List for Newlyweds, Part 3

List for Newlyweds, Part 4

Find yourself… keeping it real.

Technorati Tags: relationships,marriage,dating,newlyweds,communication

Photo Credit:  http://www.ourladyofhungary.com/school/schoolimages/cheerleader_cut.jpg

Thirty Minutes for Christmas

What would you do with an extra thirty minutes? 

There was a news article on the website “Linked In” with this title that got my attention.  Especially during this time of year, we all know how busy things get.  Between parties, dinners, shopping, choir cantatas, school programs, baking, decorating… the list is endless.  I know I would love to have a few hours extra in the days during the month of December.  So when I read that line I wondered… what would I do if I was given an extra thirty minutes during this season.

Now the author listed several things, some of which were:

1. Call a friend
2. Catch up on the news
3. promote your business
4. Walk the dog

Those are all good… but if I got an extra thirty minutes… of free time… with no strings attached,

I would

probably

and

excitedly

sit

down

and

write out a list of all the things I needed to do during my regular hours for the Christmas season, so I could get organized and check them off!

What would you do with an extra thirty minutes this Christmas?

Remember Jesus is the “reason for the season!”

Find yourself…keeping it real.

Photo Credit: http://www.crestock.com/images/890000-899999/896943-xs.jpg

Technorati Tags: Christmas,holidays,lists,organized,time,time-management,gifts

All Dressed Up…

Here we are: Mr. M and me at my office Christmas party last night.  We had a great time, even though he wasn’t looking forward to dressing up…. 

Mr. M. and I also thoroughly enjoyed the food which was indeed fabulous at Carlos Brazilian International Cuisine.  This event is always a special treat and gift for our office staff from the organization.  We truly are like a family and we had a wonderful time playing games and chatting all evening long… in addition to that amazing food.

Oh, and for the sake of FCC, I wasn’t paid anything nor given a free meal by the restaurant establishment Carlos to mention them in this blog post.  I just sincerely enjoyed the service, atmosphere and the amazing lobster I ate there.

Photo Credit:  Janice at my office – THANKS JANICE!

Find yourself… keeping it real.

Technorati Tags: restaurants,Christmas,Parties,relationships,holidays,FCC,Photography

Delayed Photos

These were photos I took of the Fourth Street Live just down from our hotel when I was in Kentucky.  Yeah… talk about delayed reaction… this trip was quite a while ago and yet I am just now getting around to sharing photos from that trip.  More photos from the recent trip to DC are coming soon.

Oh well, I told you it was a hectic week.  This is all I could get to you for now….

Find yourself… keeping it real.