kapachino

Category: holidays

  • Friday Things: To Focus On

    Now that I’ve pretty much gotten settled into my new routine, I took stock of my life and decided that there are a few things that I need to focus on in the immediate future, and here they are.

    Study for (and pass!) the OCN exam.

    This is a priority. I take the oncology certification test on November 30, and I really need to pass. First of all, I’m taking the day off work for it, and I will be SO embarrassed if I come back the next day having failed. But mostly, it cost $265 to apply to take, and another $250 for a review course. If I pass, I get reimbursed. That’s a big incentive.

    Get Cleo back in shape.

    My favorite pup has become a fatty. Recently I saw this picture of her from a few years back:

    And this is her now (oh the shame):

    So I’ll be upping the amount of walks and trips to the dog park and switching to “healthy weight” food. Poor girl can’t help it that she has a terrible metabolism.

    Prepare for Christmas!

    I’d like to go into December with a good handle on all things Christmas. It’s my favorite holiday, and I don’t want it to be stressful. These are some things I want to get done sooner rather than later:

    • Finalize my wish list
    • Figure out what to give my family and search for deals
    • Have a complete list of names & addresses for people to send cards, and make significant progress on getting them out
    • Learn to make apple cider
    • Make an advent calendar (this will involve some very simple sewing but I am kind of petrified)
    • Put up a tree and decorate!

    What are you focusing on these days?

  • Christmas “Vacation”

    So Christmas happened, and I kind of feel like I missed it.

    The day itself was fantastic: Lil Smokies, banana bread, coffee, and OJ for breakfast at my parents’ house, cuddling with my husband on the couch, opening stockings and presents, four dogs playing in the discarded wrapping paper, becoming obsessed with Words With Friends and playing against my brothers all day, my in-laws coming over for a delicious meal, and seeing Sherlock Holmes.

    The problem was, it was over so fast. It’s really tough to get vacation days around the holidays when you work in a hospital, so I didn’t ask for any. I worked up until Christmas Eve, then I worked all weekend and finished up with a long shift yesterday. Apart from the long hours, it’s just been tough lately. I don’t want to get into it, but suffice it to say that my job is one where taking vacations are a necessity. I didn’t ask for Christmas off, but I’m taking five days starting Thursday and it can’t come soon enough.

    I don’t know if I’ve ever looked forward to a new year as much as I do this one. The short vacation helps, but like Stephanie said, it may be cliche but New Years’ works for me psychologically. For some reason it really feels like a fresh start. I’ll be sharing with you soon some of the changes and resolutions I plan to make. You may scoff, but I make realistic goals for the new year and I more often than not achieve them. It’s how I got myself to floss, quit texting while driving, and ride my bike more.

    Well, I’ve already spent more time than I planned on the computer this morning. I have chores and errands to catch up with, a doctor’s appointment, and a possible movie date with my brother to see Nine. All this is going to get done if I can just get out of bed…

  • Ten On Tuesday: Christmas Edition

    rr10tuesdayI’m worried that if I talk about Christmas too much, I’ll get sick of it before it even arrives. So here are my short and sweet answers to this week’s holiday edition of Ten on Tuesday.

    1. When do you put up and take down your Christmas decorations?
    Since this is our first Christmas in our new home, I can’t say that we have any set time yet. This year we put up decorations the first weekend of December, and we’ll probably take them down a week or so into January.

    2. What do you do to simplify the holiday season?
    I’m still working on this one, but we really only buy gifts for our immediate families. So far I haven’t gotten very good at getting my shopping and wrapping done early. I gave up on Christmas cards this year because they were stressing me out too much.

    3. What do you do to remind yourself and your family what the Christmas season is all about?
    Church helps a lot, and so does Bible reading. It’s also nice to have friends and family who will keep me in check when I start to become negative.

    4. How do you spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?
    Christmas Eve is spent at church and then home to sleep, and Christmas Day, so far, is almost always at my parents’ house. Breakfast, stockings, gifts, lounging, dinner, movie. If I’m working (like I was last year), we adjust.

    5. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
    When I was a freshman in high school my dad and I decided to go shopping together for my mom. We haven’t missed a year since then. Actually our shopping day was today, and along with knocking a bunch of things off our lists, we got some quality time in and I got treated to lunch and ice cream. :)

    6.  Did you do the whole Santa thing growing up? What do you like/not like about continuing the tradition?
    For a few years, but apparently my parents told me the truth about Santa before my friends found out. I somewhat hazily remember getting in HUGE trouble for spilling the beans to one of my friends, who had a freakout when I told her. Sorry for that, Mom.

    7. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?
    My favorite cookie is the chocolate chip. Is it a Christmas cookie? I don’t know, but I don’t really care.

    8. How do you take your egg nog?
    With a side of vomit. So, I’ll pass.

    9. What is your favorite Christmas carol and why?
    O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. It’s hauntingly beautiful, and the words get me every time. I love how it relates the longing the Israelites felt for a deliverer when they were in captivity, to the longing the Jews had for their Messiah to come, to the longing we Christians feel now for Jesus to come back and make all things right.

    10. When was the last time you had a white Christmas?
    I’m pretty sure it was five years ago in 2004, and that was a miracle.

  • #41. Attend A Messiah Sing-a-long

    hallelujahOr, How I Met My New Best Friend.

    I wanted to go to a sing-a-long of Handel’s Messiah because I sang it for four years in college when I was in choir, and I miss it. I wasn’t even going to blog about this event, but that was before I sat next to Gladys.

    My mom and I were looking for the soprano section, as there were no signs and it wasn’t our church. I noticed that many of the people had on maroon collared shirts, so I figured they must be the church choir. We walked up to one of the rows and were pleasantly surprised that we had found the right place. Gladys graciously scootched herself over to make room for us.

    She was an older black woman, slightly hunched over but with a gorgeous smile. I thanked her for letting us sit there and she replied, “Honey, I don’t own any of these pews so you can sit wherever you want to!” As the performance got started I could tell that her voice was probably past its prime, and she was having a bit of trouble reading the music. It made me wonder how long she’d been singing in that church choir.

    During one of the solos, Gladys patted my hand and pointed to my wedding ring. “When?” she whispered, eyes twinkling. I cupped my hand around her ear and said, “A little over a year ago!” For a moment I felt like I was newly engaged all over again. Back when I couldn’t stop looking at my ring, when I knocked it against things and constantly snagged it because I wasn’t used to the weight. Now it’s just an extension of my hand. “Oh, you’re married already? Wow!” Gladys replied.

    A while later, after we had just sat down from singing one of the choruses, Gladys looked at me and said, “You have such a pretty voice. It’s sweet.” I tried to clarify that my voice is soft, but she wasn’t having it. “It’s sweet. And you are so pretty.”

    During the Hallelujah chorus, I noticed that she lost her place in the music and couldn’t find it. She was using a different score than the rest of us and couldn’t go by our page numbers. She searched and fumbled and finally just put her music down and sang. Something about that made me sad, that she tried so hard to find her place but couldn’t. It didn’t seem to bother her, though. Even when she began singing the wrong part, it didn’t matter. She was singing Hallelujah one way or another.

    At the end of the night, after the long Amen, Gladys and I exchanged at least three hugs. I kind of didn’t want to leave, because I will never see this delightful woman again. I don’t know much about her, but tonight she made God proud. I’m sure of it.

  • Thanksgiving

    funny-pictures-cat-unbuckles-invisible-belt

    I shouldn’t have left the LOLcats off my list yesterday. I am extremely thankful for them. :)

    Right now I’m long since out of my jeans and into my comfy PJ’s. I’m dozing off in a lounge chair by the fire. What a holiday is Thanksgiving! Entirely devoted to gratitude, family, and FOOD. Just wonderful. Happy day from my family and me!

    Thanksgiving 2009 Family