What I'm Thankful For

I just love this time of year, which leads to my favortie favorite time of year, Christmas. But lets not go there yet. That is for another day. Today I am just going to be thankful and celebrate what I have. I am thankful for my family, my friends, my sweet Kyle, and of course my furry ones! I love Thanksgiving. Gathering with the family and grubbing on the most delish food. It's the one time of year where being a glutten is almost mandatory. Be blame it on the tryptophan in the Turkey, but we all know we ate way too much. How can we not though. It's a tradition and some traditions are meant to last forever. Which brings me to another reason I love Thanksgiving. The tradition to putting on the apron and being in the kitchen all day with my Mom really gives me that warm fuzzy feeling. While I have started to take a gourmet approach to some of our traditional dishes, I still feel so happy and feel close to our Grandmas that are no longer with us. I am thankful for the memories shared with them in the Kitchen and am thankful I have my Mom here to create new memories with each Thanksgiving.

halloween

As a young girl I always remember Halloween being so much fun. For me it is not a celebration of anything. It is merely a time to dress up, hang out with friends, and bring out the inner kid in you. I’m notorious for being a cat, so to no surprise I was a kitty cat again! Kyle was Brian Griffen from family guy! Kind of appropriate. A Doggie and and Kitty. The best part of Halloween this year was by far answering the door to all the cute kids in the neighborhood! Reminds me of my youth and how much fun it was to dress up and fill up a bag full of candy. Of course there came a point where we just left the candy outside and yep, within 10 minutes the bowl was empty! Some things never change!

Daddy's Retirement

I haven't been on here in a while. So much has been going on to keep me busy. I'm in school and I bought my first home! so happy and so busy. I do have a big milestone our family is celebrating this weekend. My Daddy is retiring after all these years of dedication to his career at GSK. He started at Burroughs Wellcome and is finishing up at Glaxo Smith Kline. I am hosting his retirement party at my new house on Friday. When thinking about what I will say for a toast I thought about famous quotes and I came across this poem written for Lou Gehrig's retirement. I just love the words and there is so much connection to it. My Dad has been a leader throughout his career and anyone that knows us knows we are huge Yankee fans. I remember in 2008 when our family went to NYC to see a Yankee game. The billboard read... 11 games left in the old Yankee stadium. Our family was there to see Jeter and all the Yanks play ball for their last year in the house that Ruth built. Of course we were walking up the streets by the stadium looking for souvenirs to buy and while I am the typical Jeter fan my Dad bought a Gehrig shirt. My Dad has such a respect and love for the history of the game and those that made it what it is today. So with our family memories of Yankee Stadium and the words of leadership in this poem, I just knew this was perfect for me to share at my Dad's retirement party. My Daddy is a leader and while he is retiring from being a leader at Glaxo, he will remain a leader to me in my life!

Yankees had asked Times writer John Kieran to pen a tribute:
"We've been to the wars together,
We took our foes as they came;
And always you were the leader,
And ever you played the game.
Idol of cheering millions;
Records are yours by sheaves;
Iron of frame they hailed you,
Decked you with laurel leaves.
But higher than that we hold you,
We who have known you best;
Knowing the way you came through
Every human test.
Let this be a silent token
Of lasting friendship's gleam
And all that we've left unspoken.
- Your Pals on the Yankee Team"

Catch The Wave

William Shakespeare once wrote:

There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

This is such a powerful statement and is so meaningful to our lives today in countless ways. It is important to take chances as they approach us. Do not let opportunities pass us by. These opportunities empower us and power is what pushes our rivers into the ocean, the bigger picture. If we miss our chance to take a hold of this power and miss these opportunities then we will wind up stranded, standing on a sand bank, waiting for what may or may not come. Go with the flow, take a hold of things as they come. Do not let life pass you by.

Christmas and New Years 2008

This Christmas was really wonderful, minus my brother not being in town! It really helps the family all come together when everyone IS together! I had so much fun shopping for my family and thinking of things that they'd really love to have, but wouldn't have found or bought for themselves! And this year was a bit different, as Kyle and I went shopping for each other together! It was actually a lot of fun and we were both patient while the other looked for something they really wanted! Christmas was very peaceful and relaxing! We all truly had a wonderful time together! We even went by the Lubbers, which are old family friends since birth pretty much! I say we make that a tradition, along with driving around to see all the Christmas lights! Driving through Brentwood has been a long time tradition and once I think will be there for many Christmas eve nights to come!

So we packed it up and hauled all of our greatest friends to DC for New Years. Me, Kyle, Seth, Moey, Phil, and Sara all rode up together in the Denali, which made for a fun ride. Jamie, Justin, and Kevin followed up from Raleigh too! Will and Emily met up with us on New Years in Hotel Lombary, which was so nice with the old school elevators! Loved that aspect! Justin proposed to Jamie shortly before we all packed it up and headed over to K Street Lounge. Nice place and we definitly took advantage all the free top shelf booze before 12.30! We rang in the near year together and then headed back to the hotel for sleepy time! We had danced so much that night I think we were all exhausted! The next day was debauchery. As a group we all headed out to see the sights and the White House that is soon to be Obama's home and the Washingtom Monument. Then it was off to the Old Ebbitt Grill where we drank Bloody Mary's, oyster shooters (that was our demise) and ate raw oysters and the best clam chowder you could imagine! It was soooo delicious and amazing food, although our waiter was a bit of a dum dum! then it was off to Dupont Circle where we went to the Billards hall and played pool, watched the Penn State SCU game and took way too many jager bombs. Then it was off to Lucky's to have some wings for dinner and continue on our track to wasteyworld. Before we could call it a night we get back to the hotel and I convince Jamie to come with Sara and I to have a girls drink. We got as far as the TGI Fridays and plopped down to some big blue drink the girl made us. We chatted and chatted before we stumbled back to our hotel across the street and called it a night! The next morning we woke up, found all of our belongings, and called it a trip. We found our way back to the highway and said goodbye to the New Years Excursion! It was a wonderful time and know I will be headed back there soon! I love DC and love the people that made it such a fun trip!

Fall Festivities

There is nothing like being amongst the crowd at a Football game in the fall. To walk outside and enjoy the crisp air, to be a tad bit chilly before warming in up in the sun while shouting for your favorite team, is the purest passage way from summer to winter. I love seeing the sea of Wolfpack Red and tailgating at NCSU games. Those State fans know how to pre-game! There is never a shortage of friends and the Bojangles makes the day complete, that is before we all head out for half-time and debate whether or not to go back inside for the second half or sit in the parking lot and cheers with our beers while listening to the radio. Then there is my ultimate favorite, surrounding myself with Tarheel Blue to make the Tarheel blue skies. I am a UNC fan from the start, which keeps me in the stands until the end of the game. But, I must say that sitting in front of the Library while eating some of the best Eastern BBQ and corn sticks in the middle of “Tarheel Town” right before we see the players make their march for the Old Well Walk is the perfect start to the day. GO STATE AND GO HEELS! That’s not the norm, but to love ACC football in the fall most certainly is!

Remembering 9/11/01

Lets all take a moment to remember the lives lost in New York, DC, and PA during the attacks on the United States 7 years ago today. Out of the tragedy we can find strength and hope in the heroes and courageous souls that fought to save lives while risking their own. We can unite with the courage and pride that the men and women of this country fought for the day the towers came down. Together we should stand up to solute the brave soldiers that continue to fight for our freedom and those who lost their lives in the battle to protect our life as we know it. I thank those brave men and women for our freedom and for our daily smiles. As one we shall always stand strong and be united, together we can conquer all evil.

with love and trust
anything is possible....

Thank You

Sometimes we need to stop and smell the roses or in simple terms, be thankful. I was in NYC and stopped in a beautiful Church near the World Trade Center. My Mom, Dad, Sister and I walked in to soak in the beauty of the Church and marvel at the architecture. After a moment I stepped away from everyone and walked down the aisle and sat in a pew alone. I started to say a quick prayer. After I walked back to my family my Mom asked me “what did you pray for”. That simple question had me thinking for a moment. Yes, I prayed for something in particular. Strength, which I ask for almost every time I pray, but I told my Mom how I didn’t pray just for strength, but I prayed and gave thanks to my many blessings. I am sure many of us may regularly pray or ask for something in particular, but lately I have changed the way I pray a bit. Yes, I do pray for something and maybe I am even very specific, but I also try to make a point to say thank you. Two simply words, but not nearly used enough. All of us ask for something from friends, from family, even strangers, and God, but as often as we are asking or praying for something are we thanking those for blessing us for what we ask for and even for the things we didn’t ask for but received. Sitting in that pew I graciously thanked God for all the blessings I have in my life and I realized that giving my many thanks should be carried out more often and with everyone and everything. Sometimes we don’t need to ask for something we just need to say thank you for everything.

Graciously,
Me

Random things I Love

I LOVE:
When Kyle and I stop at random places to look around on our way home from trips
Diamond earrings
The smell of Gucci Rush Perfume in the winter
The beautiful blue of my birthstone
The daintiness of my hands after a French manicure
Kisses on my forehead
The warmth of the sun on my skin when it's chilly
The smell of popcorn, especially at the movies
When a cat walks circles around your legs purring
Jumping on a trampoline
Holding hands
Traveling with my lover
The beach in the winter
Watching reruns of the orginal 90210 or Full House
Praying together before bed
Eye shadow
Cuddling under the soft and warm green blanket on the couch
UNC Tarheels and NC State Wolfpack
Hot chocolate with a splash of Bailey’s and marshmallows
Cheese
Shopping by myself
Cooking dinner for a dinner party full of friends
Fried pickles with ranch
Designer sunglasses
Tank tops with built in bras
The soothing sounds of ocean waves
Going to sporting events with my dad, brother, and kyle
Honey
Saying I love you
Sleeping in when it rains
Boiled Peanuts
Dressing up
Juicy lounge suits
Being happy
My furry pets
My Friends
My Family
My Man
GOD

JOY

Apply it and do your best to live by it. I thank the Lord for this Bible verse, it has in many ways changed my life.

“Count it all joy” ~James 1:2