"What are you going to do with your life?"

It is a very odd thing, to be in one's 20s. 

I fall succinctly into the category of "twentysomethings" and it seems to come with an ever changing topography, thus far.  So far, in my 20s, I have graduated from college, changed jobs 5 times, moved three times, thought I was going to get married, traversed the heartbreaking terrain of break-up after a long relationship, had 3 nephews born (not at the same time), and moved back into my childhood bedroom.  Oh, and this happened:

The first three years of my 20s have been an emotional rollercoaster, put thousands of miles on my car, and have been both miserable and wonderful.  But one question has remained both prevalent and prevailing throughout - "What are you going to do with your life?"

In some variation at least. "What's next?" "What are you planning?" "What are you going to do now?" have all been thrown around, too.  And the answer is always some fumbling and nervous laughter and looking at my shoes because, quite honestly, I just don't know.  And you know how Satan uses horrible things to constantly remind us we're failing?  This happens to me all the time.  The sister of a person I once dated (oh, how uselessly vague am I?) once wrote a letter to him, but also sent it to me. It was very pointed. In it, she listed the attributes of the person she wished for him to be with and marry.  One of the attributes was that she would "have a purpose for herself in society." Of all of the things listed in that message, telling me to my face what she thought I wasn't, this is the one that stays in my head. The quiet message the devil uses to make me feel insignificant.  I don't have it figured out.  I don't have a purpose for myself in society.  And to make her words true of me hurts me deeply every day.

I've done a lot in my 20s.  I've been here and there and worked and paid my bills on time.  But I don't have it figured out.  And for some reason I seem to find myself isolated in my thoughts, that I'm the only person at this stage in my life who doesn't really know what the heck is going on.  And, dutifully, God puts people into (or back into) my path who remind me it's okay. They don't have it all together either.  I'm not alone. I don't have to be well on my way to a fulfilling career. I'm blessed by these people. I'm relaxed by them and encouraged by them, in all of their varied current paths. 

I'm at a distinct crossroads in my life.  I'm out of college, I'm recently single so I have no obligations to another person, and I'm in the location of all of my belongings (this hasn't been the case for a long time). I think it's time for an adventure. 

I found a blog on Pinterest today (Avoiding Atrophy) and read for a bit before finding this post: How You Know It's Time to Start an Adventure.  I can't seem to shake the feeling that it's time for an adventure.  I don't know to where, I don't know when, I don't know for how long. I don't know if it will have anything to do with what I'll do for the rest of my life.  But I'm ready for an adventure - a come-into-my-house-and-eat-my-food-so-I-have-to-leave kind or a I'll-make-it-happen-because-I-want-it kind.  I can feel God doing things in my life.  He was present in my breakup, he was present in my move home, and he is working something out for me.  I'm excited to find out what it is. I'm terrified to find out what it is.  (Anybody relate there? Anybody?)

It's going to be an adventure.

 

Baby Glossery

Hello, and welcome! Today we are going to be discussing some common terms that may not be very well known to those outside of the baby having/babysitting/nannying circle.

Do you have little opportunity to be around young children? Are you often confused by the things parents or caretakers of those children say?  Does it sometimes all seem like a foreign language? If so, this post is for you!!

Warning: this post is not for the weak.

• Dead Cheerio (n.) - A Cheerio that has been half eaten or picked up with soggy little fingers and discarded, creating a mushy, sticky thing that sticks to a young child's clothes.  Also can be used by said child for retaliation by throwing a dead cheerio onto the floor to be stepped on by his caretaker.
  
  "Child! You have dead Cheerios all over your pants like polka dots!"
  
  "UGH! I stepped on a dead cheerio and it's stuck to my foot!"
• Eeky Hair (n.) - Hair that has been freshly toweled off after a bath and is standing on end all crazy like.  Must be shown to every member of the house and each person must say "EEK!" appropriately and with enthusiasm. 
  
  "EEEEEK!!!! Look at that Eeky Hair!!"
• Poop-aggedon (n.) - A poop of epic proportions that comes out of the diaper, onto the child and his clothing. More typically occurring in younger babies.  Frequently requires a bath as poop mysteriously always seems to get in the baby's hair.
  
  "Sister! Go start the bathtub! Poop-aggedon is upon us!!! How did it get in his hair???"
  
  Variations include: Poop-splosion, and Poop-opocolypse. 
  Synonym: Blowout
  
  
• Soggy Baby (n.) - Contrary to popular belief, this term does not allude to a wet diaper.  Instead, it is when a baby relaxes completely and snuggles up against you.  Most frequently occurs after a long nap, when the baby has woken up but not entirely. 
  
  "Ohh, what a sweet, soggy baby laying on me so sweetly. I wish he'd never move."

Spring Fever Without the Break

This is my second year without a Spring Break.  For the vast percentage of my life, I've had a spring break every year.  Let me tell you, it is WEIRD that first year when you don't get one and you have to go to work every morning and watch all the other kids getting a spring break and going home and relaxing and reading 18 books and dipping their toes in the water at the beach. 

(Wait... most kids don't read 18 books on their spring break?   Well, let's just say I promise I traveled more on my spring breaks than they did. And to better places. And, honestly, with better company.)

Anyway,  it's not really as bad for me this year as I don't have a typical 9-5 job at the moment. I get to play with and get beat up by the cutest one year old currently on the planet.  (Side note: I cannot and will not believe he's already one.  It's not happening. He's still the tiny, squishy, sleepy little baby I first met last July.... He can just pull up on furniture and is trying to speak now... that's all... right?)  So, even if I don't get the recommended daily allotment of sleep, I still have it pretty good.  I mean, I wear makeup maybe twice a week. 

My question is, at what point does it stop being weird not to have a Spring Break?  (For all of ya'll who AREN'T teachers, ya butts.) Is it something you eventually get used to and then don't care about anymore? Or is it something you still long for deep in your heart every year as winter draws to a close?  There's something to be said for transitions.  Spring break has always been that for me. Winter is officially over and Spring is officially here, regardless of what the weather does.  Let me know what you think! Maybe I'll have to plan my own "spring break" every year and save up my time off. :)

Snow White Had An Apple

My future grows dim as I have been poisoned tonight.  It's happened once before but I pulled through. I'm not so sure I can this time...

Let me tell you my tale before I am no more and my story is lost forever. 

It all began almost two years ago, in a sweet little apartment in Oviedo.   My graduation day was here and everyone in the apartment was excitedly getting ready.  Being a lovely and gracious host, I decided to make whole wheat apple streusel muffins for everyone.  Opening the box, I thought they smelled a little weird. A strange mix of plastic and chemicals.  I figured it was fine, and pressed on to mix up what was sure to be a delicious and filling graduation day breakfast.  Into the oven the muffins were popped! As they cooked, they filled the apartment with the strange aroma I encountered when I first opened the box.  I grew more wary of the supposedly delicious muffins... In no time, they were done and Sister and I anxiously took a bite... only to discover that the pervasive smell also tainted the flavor of the cupcakes and they were TERRIBLE!!!! Absolutely disgusting!!

From there the blame began to shift.  Sister said "You gave me poison muffins!!! You're trying to kill me!!" I hurriedly replied "Mom gave me the box of poison muffins!!! She's out to get us!!"  Poor mom wasn't even there to defend herself. (Sorry, Mom, for what I said when I was poisoned)  Needless to say the whole batch went straight into the trash and we got ourselves McDonald's instead. It was not poison.  I lived through my graduation, but just barely. 

Fast Forward two years to tonight.  As delicious baked spaghetti was baking in the oven, my stomach started trying to gnaw itself in hunger and I decided to have a small snack so as to save my digestive system from self-destruction.  I perused the pantry and decided on a few saltine crackers to tide me over.  When I opened the Tupperware, I was met with the faintly familiar smell of radioactive plastic.  Not placing the smell to the memory, I tasted my first cracker. Stale. Also tasted really bad.  Sister tasted one to confirm. Yup, gross and stale.  We figured they smelled bad because they were stale and I went to open another pack. 

Suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks. The same smell from the Poison Muffin incident!!! We were dealing with Poison Crackers!!!! The smell alone of another pack was warrant to throw it out.  A third sleeve was opened and tasted and it was even worse than the first. Sister and I both ran to the trash can to spit it out and then to the sink to rinse out our mouths.  All of the crackers were violently hurled into the trash! I ran to the fridge to grab the first thing I could find that would clean my mouth out the fastest - applesauce.  It was delicious, but the aftertaste of poison is still lingering in my mouth.

Of all the things in the world, I never would have expected to be poisoned by radioactive plastic muffins and crackers.  Let this be a warning to all of you - if you open a package of something that is neatly portioned in a plastic pouch, and said plastic pouch smells a little funny - like it might be radioactive - STOP what you are doing and immediately throw the whole container away and toss the trash bag outside where it can't hurt you anymore. 

I think Snow White had the better deal.

Let the Christmas Magic Begin!!!!!

It is officially CHRISTMASTIME!!!!!!!

The turkey's been deep fried and the pies have been devoured.  (It didn't stop this girl from making pie dough and yeast rolls to awesome Christmas music.) The tree will soon be going up and presents will soon be wrapped.  I've even already checked out all of the wrapping paper at Target. Guess where this girl is going to be immediately after Christmas? Yeah buddy.

Anyway, I was pondering the movies that we watched every year in my family growing up and the ones I've personally added since then.  I decided to make a list for all of you!! So here is my personal list of top Christmas movies!


1-5.  The Christmas Carols

   Muppet Christmas Carol
        This is and always will be my very favorite Christmas movie and my very favorite Christmas Carol.  I love all of the different versions for various reasons, but this one is the best all around. Gonzo and Rizzo will narrate you through the Dicken's classic with style, flair, and jellybeans.  "Please, Sir, may I have some cheese?" will forever replace the correct line from Oliver Twist.

   A Christmas Carol (with Patrick Stewart)
       Of the live action, non-muppet versions, this one is my favorite specifically because of Patrick Stewart.  The end where he realizes he isn't dead and the spirits did it all in one night is the greatest because of his coughing/laughing fit. 

   Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol
       There are so many quotable lines and songs in this movie. And my family quotes them. Randomly. All year long.  "With razzleberry dressing" "I'm all alone in the world!"  In this version you are watching Mr. Magoo star in a Broadway production of A Christmas Carol and his half-blind antics drive the crew mad. 

   A Christmas Carol (with George C. Scott)
       This one is, in my opinion, the closest to the actual book storyline.  It's very well done and much more haunting than any of the animated, children's versions.  This particular version includes Christmas Present showing Scrooge the boy Ignorance and the girl Want.  "Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased."

   Mickey's Christmas Carol
       Any old Mickey Mouse story was a good one and this one is no exception. With Scrooge McDuck as Ebenezer, Goofy as Marley, and Mickey as Bob Crachit, it's a family classic.  It's the movie of my childhood Christmases.

6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated version)
       First of all, the live action version of this movie is an abomination and I spit on it's claims to be considered a movie that I am supposed to enjoy. Ptooey! Ptooey! Now, the original ANIMATED version with Boris Karloff is as classic as they come!

7, 8, 9. Santa Clause 1, 2, 3
       The first is the best of all three, but all of them are great. Funny, family friendly, and a great original twist of a storyline.  Plus, I see the guy who played Bernard everywhere now! And I'm sorry I'm not sorry he will always be Bernard.  Plus #2, I love Tim Allen. He makes a great Santa. Tim the Tool Man Santa.

10. The Holiday
       The Holiday was a movie I added to my holiday traditions in college.  When I went to Harding University, my roomie/cousin Jessica already had a tradition of drinking tea and watching The Holiday and Love Actually, and we did just that together. I loved it so much and it felt so much like Christmas I added the tradition to my own set.  I'm actually watching The Holiday with my cup of tea tonight. :) I'm very excited. 

11. Love Actually
       This particular movie I always forget is a little more risque than I ever think. And there are a few points in it I go "ah! I never remember this part of the movie!" and close my eyes.  But overall, I love the different storylines and how they intertwine. 

12. Holiday Inn
       My sister-in-law Renee introduced me to this older movie with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.  It is so cute.  It is one of my very favorites. It's such a sweet love story, celebrating all of the holidays in the calendar year but beginning and ending with Christmas.  I love it. I love it! Go buy it and watch it today.

13. White Christmas
       I just watched this for the first time this year! (Thank you, netflix!) I don't know what took me so long. It's fabulous! Another Bing Crosby movie, it's all about two army buddies who made it in show business giving back to their beloved general and falling in love with some sweet sisters along the way. Hilarious, sweet, and it pulls at your heartstrings.  A perfect Christmas movie! Enjoy it with some hot chocolate. 



What are your favorite family Christmas movies?! I always love adding more movies to my Christmas repertoire.  

I Don't Want It Unless It's Deep Fried Or Covered In Cheese!

It has been ages since I posted anything! There is so much to catch you up on, which I shall do via phone pictures today! It will be an exciting adventure, I promise.

Okay, maybe not as exciting as it is building in your mind right now. Please lower your expectations a little bit and we'll continue.

No, a little bit more than that.

Okay, perfect!!!

First of all, it has been getting colder up here in North Carolina! And by colder I mean, the high will be in the 50's one day and then the next week and a half it will be in the mid 70s.  Only in the evenings is it cool enough for remotely any colder weather gear.  But the leaves are starting to change and I'm very excited!!!

Okay, now I need to back up and give some semblance of chronological order to this.

 Okay, so this really doesn't tie in to anything.  This is baby G, my charge.  He's one of the cutest babies on the planet.  He's also strange and hilarious.  He likes to chew on fingers. They're delicious!!! I have a theory that all humans start out cannibalistic and have to be taught that eating their friends and nannies and mommies and daddies is naughty.  As I type this, baby G is attempting to eat my arm.  Exhibit A, people. 

Then again, just to play Devil's Advocate to myself, there is the whole babies-are-so-cute-we-just-want-to-eat-them thing... So one could argue that we teach the babies cannibalism and then have to teach them that cannibalism is bad. Poor things must start life off so confused. 

What do you mean I can't eat your fingers? You eat my toes all the time!

 

 Speaking of toes, in September, I got my first ever pedicure! It was wonderful! The rubbing my feet part was the BEST part and the cute toes were really just icing.  Poor Aubrey almost had her toes burnt off because her lady didn't shake out the steamed towel first.

In late September, my sweet, precious, gentle, hilarious Grandfather passed.  I didn't write about it then because I really didn't know what to say.  His memorial was in early October, and was completely unconventional.  We got to celebrate his long, very interesting, sweet life and visit with family we haven't seen in ages.   All of the men wore his bow ties in honor of Grandfather.  We sang Pal-Yat-Chee (by Spike Jones and Homer and Jethro. Look it up) at the memorial and pretty much alarmed everyone outside of the family. But that's okay.  My Grandfather loved silly songs. He loved mowing the grass in his cut off shorts and trying to cook us all by turning the thermostat way up because he was always cold. He loved his Ham radio, didn't get his masters in Engineering because he just didn't want to write the thesis, and was one of the foremost experts on microwaves (not the appliance) and worked on space shuttles.  He wore bow ties as his symbol of rebellion because Southern Bell required all engineers to wear a suit and tie to work (back before air conditioning) so he wore a bow tie as the least he could do and comply. He was very sweet and quiet and crazy just like the rest of us. We love him deeply and miss him deeply, but rejoice with him that his suffering is over and he is with the Lord.  And we can't wait to join him there some day. 

Grandmother, Grandfather, little me, Aubrey, Randall

Grandfather in his WWII uniform on Veteran's Day

Our family all together with our tongues hanging out (typical!) Grandfather had his out, but the flash took too long.

This is what baby G looks like when he wakes up from a good nap. All craaaaazzy eyed. It's really cute. He does weird things like grab your face and give "kisses" but they're rather violent and more like he's trying to eat your face. (Refer to above comments on cannibalism)

Also, he found out the best and tastiest and most fun part of his playmat is the Warning tag!!! Yay for kids caring about the actual toy part!!! Wait, that never happens.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming - When we arrived in Orlando, we had to run by a Walmart off of Semoran.  Since you can't find UCF stuff anywhere outside of Orlando, I wanted to see what they had.  Well... They only had Gator Gear.  A big ol section of Gator stuff. None of it very attractive, mind you.  I asked if they had any UCF things and where they might be hiding and they didn't even carry a bit!!! Not a thing!! So the truth of the matter is that you can't find UCF stuff anywhere outside of a 10 mile radius of the school.  Lame.

We ran over to Downtown Disney one day to get some specific things and I saw these shirts again. I love them so much.  In fact, if anyone wants any ideas as to a Christmas present they could get for Jason and myself, these shirts would be precious.  Small Minnie for me and Large Mickey for him.  Just, you know, in case you were wondering.  They can be found on the Disney store website as well... No pressure guys. :) I just totally want these.

This is the one picture I have of our trip to Charleston, SC for his big joint BYX formal.  It was crazy fun and we danced like maniacs.  This is us at the battery. All other pictures are on other people's cameras.

Sweet Sister's birthday was last week and I got her CASTLE PANIC and wrapped it up nice and neat!!  I love wrapping presents. It's literally my Christmas job.  I wrap and bow all of the family presents like the one above every year. Would you like to hire me to wrap yours? I'm thinking of starting a business. :)


We also had cheesecake for her birthday (I made it!) and celebrated with some of her friends at a tasty steak place in Zebulon.  It made my mouth water. I love her so much and am thankful for the 22 years she's been a part of my life (that's how old I am... she's my older sister).  She's grown to become one of my best friends and I can't imagine my life without her.

Last night we all went to the Fair! It was my first real (big) fair since the Mullet Festival really doesn't count that much.  (yes, it's a thing)  We basically went for dinner. It was crazy delicious.  I wanted to eat everything! I had part of a giant garlic/butter pretzel (shout out to Der Pretzel Haus from St. Augustine for being so delicious and reasonably priced!), part of a corn dog, a philly cheese steak, muscadine grape cider slushie (crazy delicious), and fried oreos (heaven!!). Sadly I had to make choices, and while they were superb, there are things I missed out on that I also wanted to eat, such as a sausage and a funnel cake, and nearly everything else I saw.  I saw a giant plush Minion (from Despicable Me) that I really wanted to win for Jason, but fair games are really expensive. Sorry, sweetie. :(

Baby G was the highlight of the Fair for many people. They would literally stop in front of Sister to talk to Baby G, comment on his monster socks, and say how beautiful he was. He got lots of stickers.  He made a police officer's day because he couldn't get over the monster socks. He kept laughing for a good 5 minutes.  It was pretty hilarious. 




Wow! Congrats to you if you made it though this long, crazy post!! It's been a busy busy October so far and it's hard to believe it's already halfway over. Can October just loop around twice before we get to November? I love this season! I love the holidays! It's the most wonderful, beautiful, fun, exciting, wonderful time of the year!!!!

The Fifth Birthday We've Celebrated Together

Yesterday was my darling Jason's 22nd birthday.  Being the impeccably perfect girlfriend I am, I still have not sent him his present.  So I decided to honor his birthday by wearing a Gator shirt on UCF game day (ah, who am I kidding. I don't even know if they played, who they played, or who won.) and sending him periodical texts explaining 22 reasons I love him.  Today, I will share those with the 5 people who read my blog. (Thanks, guys!)

1.  I love him because even when I freak out on him he still loves me and lets me ask for forgiveness.
2.  I love when he butt texts me from work because it means I was the last person he spoke to and I love talking to him.
3.  I love his voice.  I love how he always knows what to say when I'm upset and when he doesn't need to say anything at all.
4.  I love him because of the man he is becoming. A man worthy of my trust and respect. I love that I can be proud of the man he is now.
5.  I love him because of the way other people admire him and feel inclined to follow him.  He is a natural leader, and I love that.
6.  I love his big, strong muscles.
7.  I love that he loves music and singing and singing with me.
8.  I love him because he is such an amazing chef. I love that he knows his way around the kitchen and likes to share that with me.
9.  I love him because he's hilarious. He is so funny and clever and I love his sense of humor.
10.  I love him because he is a tender warrior.  He is so sweet and gentle with me, but he can be fierce and strong and rugged.
11.  I love that he is a REAL bear! (inside joke)
12.  I love our almost 5 year long game of Who Can Find the Big Dipper First?
13.  I love that I have only grown to love him more as our relationship has progressed.
14.  I love him because he loves me dearly and loves my family as his own. 
15.  I love that he has fun and silly inside jokes with me.
16.  I love that he is my very best friend.
17.  I love how he smells (when he isn't sweaty and icky).
18.  I love him because he makes me want to be the best I can be for him.
19.  I love watching him come into his own, defining himself as a man in his own right.
20.  I love that he is a Disney freak just like me. :)
21.  I love he loved Oliver as his own and that we were a little family unit together.
22.  I love him because he's adventurous and always ready to try new things and he pushes me to try them with him. I love his wild spirit, even when I try to contain it.

And a bonus for not posting this on his birthday and not sending his present on time (Have I mentioned I'm the perfect girlfriend?):  I love getting to watch his faith develop. I love watching what God is doing in his life.  I love watching him learn from his brothers and I love that he gets the opportunity to turn around and influence the lives of his pledges. 

I love you, Jason. Happy (belated) 22nd Birthday.

'11 - Phi Lamb Spring Formal

'11 - Epic Disney trip

'08 - Teamwork putting up drywall.