Halloween is over...has Christmas begun?

I worked in the retail world for 10 years. I saw the descent of the Christmas season starting as early as August. As long as I can remember, I have always been an advocate of "no Christmas before Thanksgiving"! Thanksgiving deserves its recognition, too, right? And working retail (in a craft store, no less), drove that determination more and more every year.

Unfortunately, turkey day has become little more than the opening of the door to Christmas. Shopping on Black Friday beginning around, oh, 6am, used to be the norm. Now you have to inhale your poultry, potatoes and pie on Thankful Thursday and rush right out to get the best bargains! Christmas carols can be heard starting as early as November 1. And I have acquaintances and neighbors who already have their trees and/or house lights up.

Don't get me wrong. I love the Christmas season. I love everything about it: the lights, the decorations, the carols, the parties, the fun family outings, the giving of gifts. Most of all I love the reason we celebrate this magical holiday...the day that recognizes God's greatest gift to all mankind. And I really get into my Christmas decorating...I believe the term my husband and son like to use is "overkill". Whatever. At least I don't "overkill" until the weekend after Thanksgiving!

Unfortunately this year, it looks as though I'm going to have to break my rule. I know, I know. I think I might have heard thunder rolling as I typed that sentence. I have a reason...don't mock me for its lameness. My boy will be home from college the entire week of Thanksgiving. And he's a tremendous help. And I have a holiday party the first weekend of December. And I'll never get it done if I wait until November 30. I feel as though I'm committing a horrible sin. Me, the one who has preached for so many years "no Christmas until after Thanksgiving!" is giving in. *sigh*

I'm pretty sure I'll be forgiven. I'm also pretty sure I'm going to get a generous amount of sarcasm and teasing from my family and friends. So be it, my house will look amazing with all its "overkill" in plenty of time for my party.

My Kindred Spirit

This post is about my oldest son, Zach. He's 20, a good college student, well-mannered, gentlemanly, and a superbly talented drummer. So, you may ask, how is this young man my "kindred spirit?"

The first time I noticed, we were watching a stand up comedy special together, I don't even remember what artist it was. Wait, what?? He's laughing at the same jokes I am? Hmmm.... Then I realized he gets my humor, too! He can take my bitchy sarcasm and dish it right back out! Whoa!

The big a-ha moment was three years ago. My sweet hubs surprised me for my birthday with tickets to a screening of the Phantom of the Opera live at Royal Albert Hall. Yes, I am a Phan. The hubs is most definitely not. But I decided I wanted him and my boy to come along. It's for my birthday, right?

As soon as the first scene ended and the Overture began, I heard my "kindred spirit" next to me gasp. He gasped. He loved it. He loved every single musical moment, the lighting, the acting, and, I think, even the storyline. He nudged his father at one point (and probably woke him up, honestly) and asked how he could possibly not like it.

And inwardly, I cheered.

The Meaning of Life...

Okay, maybe not the meaning of life. Maybe just the meaning of my life...or maybe just the meaning of this blog.

I've attempted writing a blog before, and my whole-hearted, dive-right-in-headfirst attempts fizzled out. But I always come back to the idea, the desire to write and express, and hopefully encourage and, dare I say, entertain others.

So, who am I? If you want the basics, read my short blog description. That's me in a nutshell. But who am I really? According to Briggs Myers, I am an ESFJ personality. Too clinical? Okay, I'm an Extroverted, Feeling, Sensing, Judging person. Yeah, I'm even reading that thinking "blah, blah, blah". You know what? I like lists. Lists help me keep things neat and tidy in my mind. Little bullet points of order. Here's me in list format:


I'm a Christian. That's first and foremost. I believe I'm a sinner and that Christ died for my sins and rose again, and that He is coming back one day. Most of my friends and people I come in contact with regularly have the same beliefs; some don't. And that's okay. Don't hate on me for professing my beliefs and I won't hate on you for professing yours. Bottom line is that we ALL think we're right in this area, and more than likely none of us are going to be able to change the minds of others with strong beliefs.

I'm a wife. I love my husband. I love being a wife. Next year marks 25 years. Yikes! I've been married more than half my life!

I'm a mom. I'm not a Mother, or a Mommy Dearest, or a crunchy-granola-suburbanite mommy. Just a mom. I adore my boys, but they do not run my life. Well, maybe they do. A little bit. Okay, maybe a lot. Yes, they are 13 years apart, and yes, they both have the same dad. The oldest one is in college, is studying music technology, and has been playing drums passionately since the age of four. The younger one is in 1st grade, and we're hoping he'll learn to tie his shoes soon.

I love being crafty. I scrapbook whenever the opportunity arises. I enjoy creating things. What I'm not good at is coming up with my own ideas. Enter Pinterest!!

Following along the above point, I may be slightly addicted to Facebook and Pinterest. Especially Pinterest. Pinterest allows me to hoard without the clutter in my house. My pin board is basically a bunch of neatly organized lists of things I like! Did I mention I like lists? And, I have actually tried a lot of the crafts and recipes I have pinned!

I'm an extrovert. That part of the personality quiz mentioned above is dead-on. I love to be in a crowd, to be the center of attention, to feel like I belong. I adore hosting parties and having people over!

Okay, so that may be a bit over-simplified, but hopefully you get the idea. And more than likely, you will see these things most often in my blog posts, because these are the things I know. I'm not going to bullshit my way through a post about a topic about which I have no knowledge. That would be just...well...stupid.

I hope you enjoy my ramblings! I welcome and encourage any comments!