Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING LOVELY READERS

Favorite Traditions...

1. Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

It was after Santa came into the square that we could really begin celebrating Christmas.

This year I put my Christmas music on after the parade... it was great.

2.Watching The National Dog Show... I am not sure how we started this tradition but my mom and I have watched it for years. (I guess my step dad watched football some place else.) A lot of people don't know what this is but it comes on right after the parade... how can you miss it.

3. After Thanksgiving sitting around watching White Christmas and eating Pecan Pie.

I know how this tradition as my mom as told me. When my Nana cancer was bad and we couldn't go out to the out door mall in Tulsa, OK to kick off the Christmas season we watched this movie. This year my first Christmas movie was Elf.

Favorite Memories...

One year when my mom and step dad were living in Huntsville, Alabama we went to a Christmas tree farm to chop down our own Christmas tree. Well there was a good group of us and my step dad was chopping down the tree and my sister was holding it up as is coming down, the rest of us were taking pictures. Then she sweetly yelled "can one of you come help me", I ran around and grabbed the top of tree. I don't know if I was much help I was mostly laughing.

Another one is that my mom didn't really like the idea of cooking on Thanksgiving because it was hours of prep for 15 minutes of eating and she wanted to go to a restaurant and my step dad wasn't very happy with that so he decided to make the meal. For weeks he recorded Emeril and other cooking shows to get prepared for the big day. I remember my mom and I sitting on the sofa watching TV and he came into the living room and asked "should I boil the potatoes now?" we asked "have you put the turkey in the oven?" he said "no" we told him to put the turkey in the oven before you do anything else. Now we all kind of do things for the feast.

Now I am happy to have wonderful friends that make Boston feel more and more like home and I get to spend time with them. Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving.

I am also happy to boast that I had another successful year of Pecan Pie making.

A Sap at Heart... Part 3 (follow up)

Hello Lovely Readers,

From my post A Sap at Heart Part 3 in which I wrote a poem to my future husband....

I don't know your face,

or the color of your eyes

but I look forward to the day you hold my hand,

and knowing you will be holding it forever.

I look forward to the day

we say those three little words,

that mean so much.

Well one of the bloggers I love Colleen from Soundtrack to I do  recommended this song. Colleen has such a great collection of songs on her blog, and I love reading her blog so when she recommends a song I knew it had to be good. While I love Brooke Fraser I had never really listened to the words of this song. I hope you enjoy.

This is my first video upload I hope it works...

"Love Is Waiting"

In the autumn on the ground,

between the traffic and the ordinary sounds

I am thinking signs and seasons while a north wind blows through

I watch as lovers pass me by

Walking stories - whos and hows and whys

Musing lazily on love

Pondering you

I'll give it time, give it space and be still for a spell

When it's time to walk that way we wanna walk it well

[CHORUS:]

I'll be waiting for you baby

I'll be holding back the darkest night

Love is waiting til we're ready, til it's right

Love is waiting

It's my caution not the cold

there's no other hand that i would rather hold

the climate changes, I'm singing for the strangers about you

don't keep time, slow the pace

Honey hold on if you can

the bets are getting surer now that you're my man

[CHORUS]

[BRIDGE:]

I could write a million songs about the way you say my name

I could live a lifetime with you and then do it all again

and like I can't force the sun to rise or hasten summer's start,

neither should I rush my way into your heart

Found here

Thankful for...

Hello lovely readers,

Thanksgiving is upon us, I know one of my traditions at Thanksgiving is to say what we are thankful for. There is usually so much it is hard to come up with a short sweet answer. So I am working on my list here.

1.My family... I know its cheesy to say but no matter how far I roam away from home and no matter how long I am away from them they always welcome me back in and love me.

I have a large mixed family so it is lots of fun.

2. My friends... I have some friends that are as close as family to me. They always encourage me and push me to be the best I can be. They listen to me and all my craziness and when I am tired and worn out they relax with me.

3. My faith...sometimes I don't know where I would be with out it.

4. I always have clean water to drink and a warm place to sleep... and I have the resources to try to help people who don't.

5. And soon I will get to watch Christmas movies and sing Christmas songs...



I had to throw in something for laughs.



But in all seriousness I have lots of things to be thankful that I could not list them all.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and we remember why we celebrate this time of year. We have all been given so much and we should take time to celebrate the blessings. 

As we express our gratitude,
we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words,
but to live them.-JFK

Half way there

Nearly 6 months ago I wrote a post called "Newly 25" in which I discuss what I would like to be doing by the time my 26th birthday... here is my update.

1. I said I would like to be a full time student.... Next semester I am enrolled in my first full time semester as a master's student. I will be taking my last two pre reqs in library science and my first archiving class where I will have an internship. YEAH!!!

2. I would like to give 20 minutes of writing every day... this has varied a lot. I was good over the summer but now with school my brain is finding it hard to be inspiring but I am writing this blog so that's good. Also I keep a very active journal. But I am hoping over winter break to write more of my story.

3. Travel more... I went down to Atlanta over Memorial day for the first time that was really nice. But my big travel I hope is me going down to Central America to dig a well with Living Water but that will be after my next birthday but I am still working on the travelling.

Okay that is my checklist so far.

A little Advocacy

Hello lovely readers,


Last night instead of doing my usual homework routine after work I went to a meeting about Living Water International an organization that builds water wells to people in 3rd world countries to provide them fresh clean healthy water. Did you know?

Sorry the bottom part is blurry it "A Child dies every 15 seconds because of the lack of clean water. It costs us an average of $0.96 to to provide clean, safe water to one person for one year every dollar makes a difference."

I am not meaning to sound like I am on a soap box so please forgive me if I do. I have a heart for children with that statistic was not settling with me so I went to this meeting to find out how I could help and maybe a chance to go on a trip with them to help dig a well. I have actually never been on a trip like this so I am not sure what to expect or how to prepare but right now I am praying that if God wants me to go doors will remain open. But in the mean time I have decided to save my money to donate to this cause... in that I am not going to reduce how much drinks I buy when I go out. Like not buying soda, coffee, or other beverages and put that money aside for this cause.

A Living Water well

First, I will say yes that Living Water is a christian organization but rather you practice that or not we all need to address that the water crisis needs to be resolved. We are so lucky to live in America where we have clean water every where. Think about how much water you use from your shower, brushing your teeth, using the restroom, washing your hands, or making that cup of coffee. I know last summer in Boston our water was contaminated by a leak and it pratically shut down our city but we could still go buy bottled water and we survived the few days. But I can't imagine what it is like for people to go find water every day that was contaminated and knowing you had to do drink it but it was going to get you sick and maybe kill you. Also as a girl I would be the one to take the watering can (the orange bucket in picture) to walk 5 or so miles to get water then walk back with it full weighing 40 lbs, I know I am not that strong and if I had to do that every day I would not have time to be getting the education I have. Water is tied to everything.

I am feel so blessed living in America with so many freedoms and purusing the dreams I want to pursue so I am going to try to find a way to take my blessing and give to others. Right now it is with my money, I hope soon it will be with my time, going to Central America for a week and helping dig a well. Also this Christmas with Advent Conspiracy I am going to try to be more thoughtful with my gifts. Even if your not a Christian your presents can be more focused on presence and helping others. We all need to help this world.

Think about how you can help.

Please if you want more information on this please click on the links in this post.