It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas is just days away and everything is coming together.


This afternoon I went home to help my parents get our house all set and clean for our extended family to come over on Christmas day.  My little brother got home from school tonight and we all went out to dinner and it was great!  


I came back to my apartment after dinner (because I have to work Thursday and Friday - I don't know how people have jobs where they have to work 5 days a week...) and on the drive I was admiring the Christmas decorations - especially the lights - and I couldn't help but think that it really is a wonderful time of year.  Not that the rest of the year isn't great, but there is just something special about the anticipation of the holidays and of seeing friends and family that you haven't seen for a while.  


Once I was home I turned my Christmas tree lights on as well as the lights I've got decorating the kitchen, played some Christmas music and used my newly fixed oven (I am so grateful to have a landlord that responds quickly to my roommate and I when we have a problem) to bake a batch of cookies to bring to work tomorrow.  I also made a very delicious looking chicken/pasta/broccoli meal that I will eat for dinner for the next few days.  


All in all, it was a very productive day and I will be humming myself to sleep with the song, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" (my favorite version of this song is sung by Frank Sinatra).


Don't know if I'll get a chance to write again before the holidays, if I don't, may all of you celebrating have a blessed time with your families and loved ones!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things (Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes)

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens    (Yes)
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens  (Doesn't really matter to me)
Brown paper packages tied up with strings  (Love the idea, too bad it doesn't happen anymore)
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels (Don't really think about it)
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles (Doorbells and sleigh bells, yes)
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings (It's a pretty sight)
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes  (White and blue? Yes, please)
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes (YES)
Silver white winters that melt into springs (Yes)
These are a few of my favorite things


I grew up somewhat obsessed with The Von Trapp Family and Fraulein Maria from The Sound of Music.  Due to my love for that movie, a few of my favorite things have been biased because I love the song, "These are a Few of My Favorite Things."  In the movie I love the song and I love the scene in which it takes place.


Well, this song jumped into my mind this morning when I woke up, looked out the window and saw some REAL snow!  I'm excited to go out and play!


I am also now in the mood to watch this movie.... I'm sure it will be on TV soon as it usually is around Christmas time... or my parents have it on VHS... hmmm... I may have to go steal it from them sometime!

Let It Snow!

So far this holiday season it has snowed only a little - just a dusting - and if it's going to be this cold, it might as well snow!


Christmas eve is only a week away and I am in full blown holiday spirit!  I am bombarded with holiday shoppers on Michigan Avenue every time I leave work.  I am in awe of the beauty of the city with the Christmas lights sparkling on the trees and love the sound of the Salvation Army bells being rung by the volunteers.  When I get home I sit on the couch and look at the Christmas tree with too many presents under it for my family and friends.  


I Love Christmas!


But, we still need snow!  So the song of the week is "Let It Snow!"

Mr. Know It All

I have decided to make it a mission of mine to not judge people by their covers or what I think I know about them.  This is a terrible thing that I have done in the past and over the past twenty four hours I have realized what a mistake it is.  


I have been a Mrs. Know It All.  


The song, "Mr. Know It All" by Kelly Clarkson has a lyric in it - 


Mr. Know It All
Well ya think you know it all
But ya don't know a thing at all
Yeah baby you don't know a thing about me
You don't know a thing about me


An acquaintance of mine passed away on Sunday and I am someone who judged him by what I thought I knew about him.  I've known him since I was young and I didn't take the time to really find out about the person he had turned into over the years.  While I enjoyed his company when I saw him I brushed him off thinking of him as a kid who didn't have direction.  I feel terrible.  I thought I knew about him and I didn't at all.  When I saw something funny he had said on facebook, one less than a week ago, I didn't take the time to comment or show him that I cared.  Why didn't I?    


Take inventory of the people in your life and think about what you really know about them.  Do you think you know all that there is to know or do you make assumptions about them based on what you see from snippets of your time with them?  I let my preconceived ideas get the best of me and I can't let that happen again.  


All I know is that I will be thinking a lot more on this subject and make it a point to ask questions, listen for answers, and value the experiences, thoughts and beliefs that a person carries with them before I decide what kind of person they are.  Really, I should not even be the one deciding what kind of person they are, but I should let them show me and make that showing teach me what kind of person they are.

Thank You

I know I'm a few days late, but last week was Thanksgiving and I don't even know where to begin with everything that I am thankful for.  I am so blessed to have such an amazing family, group of friends, a job that I really enjoy, my health, food and shelter, happiness, love, and everything else.

Therefore, the song of the week is Daryl Black's, "Thank You."

I am also thankful for the year ahead.  Perhaps the most exciting and most challenging part of the next year will be SCHOOL!  I have applied for a master's program that I am really excited about.  I'll find out in the next month or so if I have been accepted and then will start in January.  It all came about pretty quickly, but it is something that I have been thinking about for awhile - it finally just happened that everything fell into place and I found a school and program that both fit me really well.

I saw two quotes the other day and it's something that I am going to try to strive to do each day -

"Dear God, I wanna take a minute, not to ask for anything from you, but simply to say thank you for all I have."

"Don't forget to pray today, because God didn't forget to wake you up this morning."

Have to remember that every day should be thanksgiving and not just one day a year!

I Was Here

Beyonce.  What can I say, that woman is an absolutely incredible talent and performer.  I heard her new song this morning, "I was Here," and I love the lyrics.  I think about the legacy that I am leaving and the legacy that I want to leave pretty regularily and this song puts my thoughts and hopes into words.
Check out the lyrics - 
I wanna leave my footprints on the sands of timeKnow there was something that, and something that I left behindWhen I leave this world, I'll leave no regretsLeave something to remember, so they won't forget
I was hereI lived, I lovedI was hereI did, I've done, everything that I wantedAnd it was more than I thought it would beI will leave my mark so everyone will knowI was here
I want to say I lived each day, until I dieAnd know that I meant something in, somebody's lifeThe hearts I have touched, will be the proof that I leaveThat I made a difference, and this world will see
I was hereI lived, I lovedI was hereI did, I've done, everything that I wantedAnd it was more than I thought it would beI will leave my mark so everyone will know
I was hereI lived, I lovedI was hereI did, I've done, everything that I wantedAnd it was more than I thought it would beI will leave my mark so everyone will knowI was here
I just want them to knowThat I gave my all, did my bestBrought someone to happinessLeft this world a little better just because
I was here
I was hereI lived, I lovedI was hereI did, I've done, everything that I wantedAnd it was more than I thought it would beI will leave my mark so everyone will know
Copied from MetroLyrics.com 


Even the music video is pretty cool, take a look at it on Vevo - http://www.vevo.com/watch/beyonce/i-was-here-live-at-roseland/USSM21102003

God Of This City

I first heard the song, "God Of This City," sung by Chris Tomlin at a conference when I was a junior in college.  The song comes to me at strange times- when I'm driving in the city, when I'm sitting on the train, when I'm at work, or even when I'm just with friends.  


Last week I became aware of an organization, one that I had heard of before, but had never really considered before.  The group is called Big Brothers, Big Sisters and it is something that I am really interested in becoming a part of.  Whether I decide that I want to become a mentor or just volunteer at one of the clubs in the city, I am excited.  I am excited to know that while I help people at work, now I will be helping someone out of my own volition, not just because I am at work.  


The reason that the song "God Of This City" is prevalent is because there are clubs all over Chicago and from what I can see through my research is that they are doing great things.  There is so much that needs to be done, people need to remember that they are not going about their own daily lives separate from everyone else, but that they are a part of a larger society that needs to do more to help those around them.    


As the song says, "greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done here."