You know what kind of girl I am? I am the set my alarm at 4 am to hit the stores on Black Friday kind of girl. Yep! The “what was I thinking?” when the alarm goes off at 3:00 am, but, as soon as I get that first coffee in, it is like I am off to the races.
I don’t head out for AMAZING deals. I don’t head out to wait in long lines for the “must have” door busters. Instead, I think it is all about the act of tradition that we (me and my shopping buddies) love.
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I have often find myself thinking about what characteristics it takes or is embedded in the hearts of those who serve this country? Are they natural born fighters, filled with bravery? Do they possess an unselfishness that only they can understand? Are they filled with a sense of pride in this country that others do not? Do they have this nagging voice that constantly tells them this is their calling?
Tonight I missed you.
I had no intentions either. No plans for the emotional roller coaster that would take me on a tearful ride. But, I felt my stomach drop and a knot build in my throat as I carelessly scrolled though my Facebook wall. I merely was passing time. No real rhyme or reason. But, as I scrolled through my year, our year, the memories came rushing back.
When I get hungry you know what I crave? Well, besides homemade mashed potatoes, brick oven pizzas and wings… sweets! Yep. Anything sweet. That is why the Double Stuffed OREOs don’t last in our home. Ever.
But besides my sweet tooth, I am actually trying to get better at not being so wasteful. Especially when it comes to food. So, when some ripe bananas hanging out on my kitchen counter caught my eye, I thought, “I better use them up.”
You know when you go to the doctor’s office and they ask you, “On a scale from 0 to 10, what is your pain tolerance?”
When my water broke with Baby Lo, we rushed to the Emergency Room. “Level 3!” I declared and it was mostly that high due to nerves. I just felt like I peed my pants over and over but there were no contractions yet. I actually remember at one point thinking, “Maybe I will be one of those women who has a great pain tolerance for labor.” HaHa, oh silly girl. Then the pitocin kicked in and I smiled and told the nurse, “Okay, I think I am a 6.” An hour later, I rocked myself in an upright fetal position and exclaimed, “I am an 8.” I know, I am bad ass. Actually, then the kind anesthesiologist made his appearance and knocked me back down to a 2 before I ever had a chance to make it to 10. Thank you, kind sir.
So, why am I sharing this with you?
I met Deanna in college. She was the beautiful, charismatic, popular girl with the infectious smile. The other cool thing about Deanna, she was warm and welcoming. Folks, now that is one great package of characteristics not a lot of people can boast.
I went through a bit of a “what am I going to do with my life?” crisis during my early college years. Maybe you can relate? I had aspirations of being an architect and if I had followed that route I probably would have never met so many wonderful people, including Deanna. After one semester in college I decided to change career focuses and well, the rest is history!
Back in April I shared my very favorite, super easy, go-to dessert / snack recipe, Protein Bites. It was a hit! By hit, I mean I had more people actually stop me or mention on social media either 1) how they could not wait to make them or 2) how they trusted me, tried the recipe and are now hooked.
In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue looking for the perfect Fall Flannel, jewels and shoes!
I refuse to get into the Columbus Day debate on the Blog. Don’t know what I am talking about? Just Google Columbus Day and you will see. Instead, I plan on discussing the Columbus Day holiday for the pure fact that many retail stores mark the three-day weekend with sales, which there are many! Here is a roundup of great sales from my favorite retailers.
Source (Isn’t this dreamy?)
I LOVE the Huffington Post’s Community Kindness section. You hear so much backlash on today’s youth. How they are selfish, entitled, spoiled, etc. This Story is what I think of when I think of our youth. Don’t let the media full ya. There are BIG hearts out there. They do exist.
I cracked up when I read This! Could you seriously imagine? Checking into a Hotel with Pool Noodles, Painter’s Tape and Baby Gates? I mean I get it. Better safe than sorry. But, c’mon people! I feel like I turned into my parents after reading this. “Well, when I was growing up my parents never did that and I turned out just fine.” Oh, my gosh.
