Christmas Decorating!

I broke the rules - I put up my Christmas tree and decorations a full week before Thanksgiving. Yep, I did it. And I don't care what anyone thinks!

Some things stayed in the same places as last year, but invariably, I always have a few new Christmas decorations each year (because I find some sweet clearance stuff after the season is over - turns into "new" stuff for the next year - so fun!).

Here are 3 new bulb styles that I picked up after Christmas on clearance last year. I love them and they are gracing my tree this year for the first time.....

I love this grapevine "HOPE" sign - also new....

The kitchen table...

Gotta love this plae - it has "Y'all" on it!

This grapevine wreath is new this year as well - I love it!

This little pail has been fun to decorate with - I have pumpkins for fall, Christmas bulbs for Christmas and then some dried stuff for the rest of the year. Maybe this year, I will find some cool Easter eggs for spring.

Another new thing - these trees remind me of Minnesota - so cute.

I made the red/white ceramic "Christmas bulb" at a paint-your-own-pottery place last year. I love it!

I'm lovin' the tree - it's worth all the work to put it up.

More decorations..........

Everything in my mantel area looks a little different this year since I had the walls painted in the spring, so it's my first Christmas with a 'finished' living room!

Last January after Christmas, I found these over-sized Christmas 'lights'. I put them in my stairwell and I love 'em!

And here's my original Martha Stewart wreath that I made in Ohio. Ah, the memories.....

Talents & Struggles

Lately, I have been thinking about the whole concept of 'who am I?' and what is my purpose. Now that is a BIG topic that extends beyond this little blog post, but I thought I would write about it.
I think that EVERYONE has talents, even if they aren't glamorous or flashy. I also think that EVERYONE has a set of things that they just aren't good at or struggle with. I thought I would take this opportunity to think about both categories in my own life.


STRENGTHS/TALENTS:

1. Organization - I swear, my mind is one big Tetris game going on 24/7!


2. Time Management/Prioritizing/Deadline Management - I have made this into an artform in my own life.

3. Exploring/sightseeing/traveling - I have learned and experienced a lot and am continuing to grow in this area. There is so much to learn and see!


WEAKNESSES/STRUGGLES

1. Patience, patience, patience! It definitely doesn't come naturally, so I really struggle when trying to practice it.

2. Idea generating - I'm a 'worker bee' or 'modifier', but I'm not normally the big idea person. I am the person who can take an idea and run with it, but the great ideas rarely come from me!

3. Artsy stuff - drawing, painting, sculpting, creative stuff (except decorating - I'm getting better at decorating)


And here are some skills that I think I'm getting better at and am having fun with:

1. Photography - I LOVE taking pictures and I'm starting to get better with the settings on my camera and trying to find more creative shots!

2. Empathy, Sympathy and comforting others who are hurting, struggling or dealing with difficult situations.

Voices From The Past

When my Mom stopped at my house on her way down to south Texas for the winter, she left this carrying case in my living room and it sat there the whole time she was there. But I didn't touch it or open it while she was there because I thought it was hers, so I just ignored it.

When she was leaving, I thought she was forgetting to take it with her, so I told her she left it in the living room. She said "Oh no, that's for you. That's the video camera that Dad used before he died. There are several tapes in that bag, but I couldn't figure out how to use it." HOLY CRAP.

Up until this point, we have had NO recordings of Dad - nothing on audio OR video....just pictures. She had mentioned this video camera before, but I kept forgetting about it. But now that I finally had my hands on it, I was really nervous and excited to see what was on the tapes. I knew that one of the tapes was Dad recording at their house up north - a tape they were going to give Kristi since she lived far away in Arizona.

PROBLEM - the tape that is in the camera is STUCK. I cannot get the tape holder thingy to open! So anyway, I hooked up the camera to my TV and hit play.............

The tape in the camera was from 1998 - just a few months before Dad retired from Amoco Oil (now BP). He was narrating the tape, so he's not visible in the recording, but just to hear his voice nearly took my breath away! I haven't heard his voice since he died in January 2003, so this was monumental and emotional.

I never in a million years thought that somebody narrating engineering/repair details at a gas station would have me absolutely riveted and glued to my TV! I initially thought that when I heard his voice on the tape, that it would sound foreign or not like him, or that I didn't remember his voice exactly like it was.....but I was proven very wrong. His voice was just like I remembered it - almost like he died yesterday. It seemed so natural to hear it, not alarming or disturbing....just like Dad stopped by and it was totally normal to hear him.

What a gift in those silly little videotapes! Now I have to figure out how to change out the tapes so I can watch the one of Dad showing the viewers around their house in northern Minnesota - much more exciting content than gas station repairs!

Taking One For The Team

Recently, a friend and co-worker was diagnosed with breast cancer and her tumor was pretty aggressive. She's a super cool woman and it really hit home because her life is very similar to mine - 34, not married, no kids, living far from where she's from, etc.

Anyway, she started chemo right away and because her dosage or "cocktail" as she calls is was so strong, her hair started falling out after the first treatment. The time came when she decided it was time to shave her head to make things easier. She had bought a wig and was ready to go with that.

What was amazing was that some of the guys in our company decided they would have a head-shaving event at work - taking one for the team as Jenn made the plunge into hairlessness.

A bunch of the guys brought in their own clippers and the cutting/shaving began - right alongside Jenn.

They were working their magic in our Development area - the makeshift barber shop!

This is the first volunteer! It started out with a handful agreeing to do it and as time went on, more and more and more of the guys stepped up and showed their support for Jenn.

Nothing like giving your boss a haircut!

As much as this was a very emotional event for Jenn - cancer finally has a physical 'look' and it's not just inside her body anymore - it really was a time for laughter and smiles.

The guys kept lining up to support her! Amazing!

Joey even got impatient and took matters into his own hands!

Here's Jenn as Tammy was working her clipper magic on her....

She was a trooper and she took this big step gracefully. That's the only word I could think of that did her justice - she was so GRACEFUL about it.

And here she is - what a cutie! And her wig is AWESOME - it's perfect for her.

Lots of hugs, encouragement and laughs. It was such a powerful experience to witness this.

After Jenn was done, she had to take a stab at shaving her boss' head. Not many people get that opportunity!

And he lived through it - what a good sport!

When there was no more hair to cut, we moved on to goatees....so funny!

Here's Jenn and the boys (there were more that shaved their heads, but these were the guys that were still in the room when we took the picture)...