It feels like it's been some time since I've written - and only since a friend of mine mentioned my blog today did I realize that it had been a little while ... I'm home with nothing to do anyways.
Hard to believe that next week will be Christmas and a mini vacation. Some things are planned, but most of it revolves around good eating, hanging with family, and introducing traditions to the new ones joining us around the tree. Mike and I will be meeting with our wedding pastor for the first time, and checking out our reception hall, so I may claim it as a working vacation - not sure yet. As I look over to my calendar pinned up beside me, it is strange to note there is not another page to turn. Time always seemingly "flies by," and yet so much does happen in a year. Take my personal life for example:
January to February I lived out the last couple of months at-home-again in Maine with the parents and a dog, working in a job I love (with kids), and packed up all personal belongings to move to the Philadelphia area. Not only would I be moving to my third state in two years, but I was finally moving in with Mike, my loving boyfriend of four and a half years for the first time. I was fortunate to obtain a job within two weeks, and have since made a couple of very close friends through that work. They are truly some great individuals, the kind who in a matter of months can make an impact in your life that is everlasting. They begrudgingly introduced the "outsider" to her first WaWa, pork roll, hoagies (no Carly, no mustard), and all these crazy "pikes" around the area that are disguised as highways, but none of them really connect to each other, or at the very least provide a direct way to get where you actually want to be. These coworkers have helped me adjust to this new, ridiculous environment (internally smiles). Along the way, we attended three magical weddings, had our families visit us, did I mention I waitressed for 3 months?, we became engaged, and Mike and I moved again in the fall, when he did get his official position within the company.
And the year isn't even up!
It's been a winding ride, and all the twists and turns have been acknowledged and appreciated. So much has been kindly received, and so much more will be given out in the new year. The new decade. And if so much has already happened in less than 365 days, imagine what these last two weeks will bring. Maybe that's another reason this time of year is always so special, because the brevity of its moments are never lackluster or hindered by the overflow of gratitude for making it through another year. Always more to come ...
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
let it snow!
As the bulk of seasons greetings will soon be upon us, I have realized why it feels so much earlier this year ... December is far too warm! I would like to say that it has been the move "down south" to Philly that has created this backwards weather for me, but alas, no precipitation has really stuck in my New England homeland, either. Surely, it would be a unique Christmas season without any white hitting the ground.
It is a mystery, figuring out all of these holiday plans in a new environment. Though I have been fortunate to live many places in my life, the holidays have always been surrounded by family and a cold winter. This Pennsylvania climate is all so different just hours south of where I normally sing "Ho, ho ho." Fortunately, Maine is in my Christmas future this year, as Mike (the hubby-to-be) and I spent the Thanksgiving holiday with his family, my soon-to-be second family. It was a wonderful week of filling our bellies, and filling our time with great conversation and new memories. Maine's Christmas will be equally great, as all 6 of us immediate family members will reunite for the first time since ... last Christmas? (Is that right?) Significant others and a dog make 10, it will be a bustling house full of elves for sure.
Since before Thanksgiving, local radio stations have been playing Christmas music nonstop - and I can't get enough. Hardly will I seek another genre during this time of year, as its overall spirit and joy enlightens me. Regardless of whichever holiday you may celebrate during the final month of the year, December bows to Janurary with great pride, spilling out all of its graciousness and generosity. New Year's Eve bookends the joyous celebration of the holidays, and its sentiment is no less vibrant than that of Christmas. So although the daylight is scarce, I always find myself singing along with corny carols amidst the headlights on the way home. It is hard to be bothered by traffic when you're belting "All I Want for Christmas" with Mariah Carey.
It's not just Christmas Day that is cause for such celebration this time of year. Some say the commercialization of the holiday is overwhelming, and from the parties, to the gift exchanges, to the charitable donations, it's true that the whole month is pretty much consumed by Christmas. The overwhelming aspect of it is that the spirit of it tends to get lost in its now more materialisitic nature. There is always a group of overly enthused decorators, but I like to believe at the core of it, they are trying to shine a little love on their world. I don't find it hard to appreciate the spirit of Christmas and giving, especially at the end of one's year. With winter in tow, Christmas kicks off the season in style. People come together and contribute to causes larger than themselves, and we look at what really matters to us all. There is no denying a grinch or two may arise, but even the Dr. Seuss character found his heart beating with glee in the end.
So here's to all the Christmas festivities coming your way (or Hannukah, or Kwanzaa). And no matter where you are, I hope you get the December you have been waiting for. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
It is a mystery, figuring out all of these holiday plans in a new environment. Though I have been fortunate to live many places in my life, the holidays have always been surrounded by family and a cold winter. This Pennsylvania climate is all so different just hours south of where I normally sing "Ho, ho ho." Fortunately, Maine is in my Christmas future this year, as Mike (the hubby-to-be) and I spent the Thanksgiving holiday with his family, my soon-to-be second family. It was a wonderful week of filling our bellies, and filling our time with great conversation and new memories. Maine's Christmas will be equally great, as all 6 of us immediate family members will reunite for the first time since ... last Christmas? (Is that right?) Significant others and a dog make 10, it will be a bustling house full of elves for sure.
Since before Thanksgiving, local radio stations have been playing Christmas music nonstop - and I can't get enough. Hardly will I seek another genre during this time of year, as its overall spirit and joy enlightens me. Regardless of whichever holiday you may celebrate during the final month of the year, December bows to Janurary with great pride, spilling out all of its graciousness and generosity. New Year's Eve bookends the joyous celebration of the holidays, and its sentiment is no less vibrant than that of Christmas. So although the daylight is scarce, I always find myself singing along with corny carols amidst the headlights on the way home. It is hard to be bothered by traffic when you're belting "All I Want for Christmas" with Mariah Carey.
It's not just Christmas Day that is cause for such celebration this time of year. Some say the commercialization of the holiday is overwhelming, and from the parties, to the gift exchanges, to the charitable donations, it's true that the whole month is pretty much consumed by Christmas. The overwhelming aspect of it is that the spirit of it tends to get lost in its now more materialisitic nature. There is always a group of overly enthused decorators, but I like to believe at the core of it, they are trying to shine a little love on their world. I don't find it hard to appreciate the spirit of Christmas and giving, especially at the end of one's year. With winter in tow, Christmas kicks off the season in style. People come together and contribute to causes larger than themselves, and we look at what really matters to us all. There is no denying a grinch or two may arise, but even the Dr. Seuss character found his heart beating with glee in the end.
So here's to all the Christmas festivities coming your way (or Hannukah, or Kwanzaa). And no matter where you are, I hope you get the December you have been waiting for. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
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