I had a bad experience...

Thursday I worked at the tree lighting ceremony/party for the city of Holland.  It was a great time.  We had it all...cookies, a tree outside all lit up, me inside where it was nice and warm, cookies, Santa, Christmas music, fire in the fireplace, and cookies (they were REALLY good cookies!!!).  Our church was in charge of the kid's craft area and the Angel Tree.  Our volunteers were amazing and we all had fun. 

At the end of the night all of our volunteers gathered around Santa and Mrs. Clause for a picture.  Someone suggested I sit on Santa's lap.  NO WAY!!!  Never again....I think I am scarred for life. Here's why....Ready for my Santa story? Good.

One Christmas season I went with my family, a cousin and a friend to a theme park where we ate tons of sugar and were completely silly.  We were walking around and saw that Santa was there.  We went in and waited in line to sit on Santa's lap and get our picture taken.  Now mind you I was either 18 or 19 when this happened. Finally it is our turn.  My friend sits on one knee while I sit on the other, my cousin stands behind me and snap, snap...pictures are taken.  I try to stand back up to move on, but Santa's arm is still wrapped around me, so I sit back down. Santa says, "What do you want for Christmas?"  Being the silly girls we were, I believe rich boyfriends and jewelry were mentioned.  Ha ha ha cute.  I try to stand back up again...no such luck.  I sit back down.  AWKWARD. He carries on the conversation with us a little while longer and again I try to stand up.  I'm telling you it was crazy.  So now I'm thinking Santa is beginning to creep me out.  After a couple more seconds he finally lets us go. We left and started laughing about how incredibly weird that was.

The really funny part is my sister was video taping all of this.  You can see me and my friend trying to get up several times and he just pulled us back down.  Creepy Santa.

So there is my story.  Never again will I sit on Santa's lap.  I'm pretty sure that someday when I have kids, their dad will have to take them to see Santa, because no way will I take them.

November's reading list

I feel like a failure this month. September and October offered much more reading time I guess.

I only finished two books. Started two others, just didn't finish.

Don't tell on me.

Can you Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella
Emma has a few secrets...ok a lot of secrets.  She is on a flight coming home from a business trip when the plane experiences some horrible turbulence.  She just knows they are all going to die so she begins to tell the man sitting next to her every little secret she has. Secrets about work, her love life, her parents....everything....and then they land.  Mortified by what she just told this man, she leaves the airport thankful she won't see him again.  That is until he walks into her office building....and she finds out he created the company.  Awkward!  I enjoyed Sophie's British humor.  A light, quick read that will having you laughing by the second chapter.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
Attending funerals aren't fun, attending a funeral of a person you never met even worse.  So when Lara goes to her great aunt Sadie's funeral, she isn't prepared when her aunt's ghost appears and ask for Lara's help to find a necklace.  She just can't rest until she has it. It sounds hokey, but it is quite cute and funny how the two characters interact.  Sadie has some strong opinions about life and is sure to tell her great niece whats what, especially when it comes to men and fashion.  She soon has Lara out on a date in full 20's fashion complete with dancing the Charleston!

This is the same author who brought us Confessions of a Shopaholic.

First my shovel and now my umbrella

Today you get to hear a sad, sad story from my youth.  I remember like it was yesterday, picture it, I was  8 years old and just had an amazing day at a friend's birthday party.  So much fun, and I even was going home with  prize.  A beautiful bucket and shovel to play with in the sand.  It was perfect.  I loved my shovel and bucket.  My dad came with my younger sister (who's a mom now, just in case you missed that) to pick me up.

If there was dramatic music to let you know something bad was about to happen, it would be playing right now.

There we were driving home, the windows down, the sun shining.  My sister wanted to see my shovel.  And by see I mean play with and adore.  Of course I didn't want to part with my shovel, but being a good sister I gave it to her.  She has always been the curious type, that day was no different.  She got the brilliant idea to stick the shovel out the window and let the wind push it.  NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!  You guessed it.  The shovel flew out of her hands and out onto the street.  I start crying and frantically telling my dad to turn around because my shovel was out there.  He didn't understand what in the world I was trying to tell him through my tears.  So that day I ended up with a bucket with no shovel.  I was traumatized. 

My family has had to hear the retelling of this story so many times.

So many times that they have bought me

 many a shovel and bucket to replace the ones from that fateful day. 

The other day is was rainy and windy and gross. My sister was leaving the house with a basket of laundry and me being a nice sister said,
"Hey, I got a new free umbrella. I will protect you and your clean laundry from the wind and rain."
"No" she replies "I'll be fine."
"I insist. It is huge and will cover us both."

Out into the elements we go.  Open the umbrella take two steps outside and whoosh!  Inside out it goes. "Noooooo!" I bust out laughing.  We get back inside and I put on my best sad face and show my parents my poor sad umbrella.

"Oh no" my dad says, "this isn't going to be like the shovel is it?" 

Well....

Pass the marshmallows, I mean sweet potatoes.

Thanksgiving = family, food, Macy's parade, food, Lion's football (woot woot), and have I mentioned food?

I love family traditions. So much fun!

One tradition we have is having sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top.  Not really sure that it counts as a tradition if it is a food, but my Thanksgiving isn't complete without it.  Seriously I love them! 

Ok so it may be more like marshmallows with sweet potatoes.

Ten things I'm thankful for:

1. My niece
2. My friend being home from Japan
3. Getting to spend time with family 
4. My jobs
5. My friends
6. Sunshine (we won't see much of that with gray winter coming)
7. My health
8. A working car....did you hear that car I said you were working.
9. The people in the Armed Forces...Thanks for your sacrifice!
10. Having basic necessities-house, clothes, heat, food

 

What family traditions do you have?

Enjoy your Thanksgiving with your family and friends!

I'm an Aunt!!!

My sister had her baby!!!!  

Isn't she just the cutest little baby ever! 

I love being an aunt! (I have a feeling this post will be full of exclamation points) 

Cassandra Anne 7 lbs 2 oz of absolute cuteness!!!

And like a good aunt I'm torturing all my friends with all the pictures I have on my phone.

I can't help it....I just love her!!!

We have already had some nice bonding moments......

Uhumm...how did that one get in here.  :)