...and it's absolutely my favorite season of the year!
I'm not really sure how to describe what it does to me, except to say that when Autumn comes around, I'm giddy. I've got an extra skip in my step, and my happiness level jumps up five notches.
Perhaps it's because I like to decorate, and once Autumn hits, you've got all the big holidays...Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some probably think I go overboard with my decorations, especially in my office, but I like to think that when someone sees it, it cheers them up as well.
Or possibly it's because I'm a giver. So around this time every year, I start preparing all my Christmas gifts for family, friends and co-workers. I just can't help myself.
Or maybe it's all because of the weather and air. Being in Florida, Autumn doesn't necessarily mean it's cold all the time, but heck, it means it gets to a high of mid-70's every day and usually a low of 50's (which usually means no mosquitos...woohoo). Those temperatures are ideal...my perfect idea of a perfect day. I feel myself wanting to get outside more and plan picnics on a blanket under an oak tree or taking the dogs on a nice walk in the crisp, brisk air...not to mention - the colors of leaves changing is one of the most beautiful things in the world.
Then again, it could be that I usually travel a lot during this time. I finally feel free being able to get out and do things, instead of being stuck at my desk all day. Case in point...for October, there's camping...in November, I'm going on an Elvis Cruise...for Thanksgiving, I'll spend time with the family...the first part of December, I hope to be renting a log cabin in the Smoky Mountains...then there's Christmas and New Year's...after that, the highlight of it all - THE ROCK BOAT.
What it all comes down to is that I finally get to wear my boots and scarves! JUST kidding. :)
But whatever the reason may be for Autumn being my favorite time of year, I have but only one wish...that you can enjoy it as much as me. Take the time to spend that precious time with your family that you haven't seen all year. Be adventerous and travel somewhere for a weekend. Take advantage of all the local, unique events happening in your town. Submerse yourself in the spirit of it all. If you do just one of those things this season, I guarantee you that you'll find the happiness in Autumn as well.
I'm still in shock and can't believe I actually won a contest, let alone this contest. I mean, seriously? I didn't think my stuff was any good...lol.
I just picked up my prize today (I chose the Toshiba laptop), and here's a picture they took of me with it! :)
Thank you, thank you, thank you though! You made this girl very very happy, and Blogiversity absolutely rocks!!!
Reposted from MSN:
Spruce up your résumé for FedEx’s free copies day
Posted Mar 06 2009, 12:18 PM by Joan Melcher
As the recession deepens and the stock market drops, some U.S. corporations are offering a helping hand to those most afflicted -- job seekers.
February job losses brought the nation’s unemployment rate to 8.1%, so there are plenty of people out there looking -- another 651,000 joined the jobless ranks last month, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
If you’re one of these people -- and even if you’re not -- you can get copies of your résumé made at the FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinko’s) store near you -- for free.
On Tuesday, March 10, all customers can have 25 résumés copied free during regular business hours at any FedEx Office Print and Ship Center. The one-day-only event is good for black-and-white copies and valid only for orders placed and picked up at the store. Orders may be submitted in printed format or as a digital file; copies will be printed single-sided.
“We understand that the economy has affected many people in a very profound way, and we want to help,” said Brian Philips, president and CEO of FedEx Office, in announcing the offer. “Printing résumés is one small way we can use our resources to help those who need it.”
Bravo!
To find the FedEx Office center closest to you, visit FedEx Office or call 1-800-Go-FedEx (1-800-463-3339).
First of all, let me say, I do love my family to death.
I just don’t love the fact that I didn’t get any sleep last night.
My house isn’t the best place to have company over, especially if that company is my father who snores extremely loud. It also doesn’t help that the layout of my house has my master bedroom with an opening in the wall, where you can hear everything below you in the living room (layouts of the 1970s). So, there I was, sleeping on the couch (well, trying to anyways), with my niece sleeping on the other, while trying to make sure my dogs didn’t bark all night, since my dad was trying to get sleep to head out early and go deer hunting. Oh, and yes, my dad getting up early meant that everyone else did too. Can someone say 4:15am? Eek. He finally headed out around 5:00am, where I had to get up and move my truck back in his spot to make sure he had it when he gets home.
I’m such a good daughter.
:)
So, yes, then I wake up this morning and have a sore throat that won’t go away, walked my dogs (only to step in a huge fire ant bed and get bitten all over my feet), had my niece spill her bubbles and am stressing about what to fix for dinner tonight to go with buffalo wings. Someone please tell me that this day is going to get better.
*Breathe…in and out…in and out.*
Rock By The Sea is rapidly approaching, and I am counting down the days…56 to be exact. It is one of my favorite events to attend, and nothing could be better than having it on St. George Island, my little heaven here on earth.
This year is shaping up to be the best yet. There aren't many tickets left, and finally all our friends have caught on to how great this event really is. Nothing is better than getting to watch nine of your favorite bands and musicians on an island where you lose track of time all while raising money for some awesome charities. It's a full weekend of music, hanging with your friends, enjoying the beach, having bonfires at the musician's houses, cookouts...you name it. It's paradise.
This year's event is being hosted by Harry A's and includes headliner Corey Smith, as well as Wideawake, Scarlet Kings, Five Star Iris, Gareth Asher, Heather Lutrell, Sam Thacker, Jackson Rohm and Chuck Carrier.
The charities are Lyrics for Life, UF/Shands Pediatric Brain Tumor Program, Franklin County Humane Society and Franklin's Promise.
The member weekend pass is $75 (non-member is $125) and includes:
-
Friday night, 4/24, concerts @ Harry A's
-
Saturday afternoon, 4/25, concert featuring Corey Smith
-
Saturday night, 4/25, concerts @ Harry A's
-
Sunday, 4/26, Music Brunch @ Harry A's
(Member Pass also includes admission to Thursday night music @ Harry A's.)
So, mark your calendars for April 24-26, 2009 and come on out to Rock By The Sea! You won't regret it!
(If you are looking for housing, please check out Rock By The Sea, or you can leave me a comment, as we still have some spots left in the houses we rented.)
New Relationship Territory (Part 1): How to invite the guy you’re dating to meet your parents.
So, an awkward situation arose this week, because my parents are coming into town tomorrow. I have been dating an amazing guy for almost a month now, and my mom really wanted to have him over for dinner while she was here. However, this low-key dinner then turned into her having everyone over (parents, brother, sister-in-law and niece) to meet him.
First of all, we're taking it slow, so I'm not even sure where we stand at this point. All I know is that we like each other and have fun together. I don't want to rush things. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind him meeting everyone, but I just feel like it's a big step and not one that we're ready to make yet.
However, I sucked it up and asked him tonight. I extended the invitation and expressed how he wouldn't hurt my feelings if he said no, as I don't want to put him in an awkward situation. He said yes though.
Don't get me wrong. His yes makes me feel great, but now I'm freaking out about how my family will act, especially my brother. Let's just say...I feel sorry for the guy and hope he doesn't run out the door. *Crosses fingers*
(Now, I feel like digging out "Meet the Parents" and watching it before tomorrow rolls around. We'll see if I make it around to "Meet the Fockers.")
Last night, I went on one of the coolest dates possible, especially for a Monday night. He took me to the American Legion hall at Lake Ella for ballroom dancing. Apparently, they do it every Monday.
First of all, putting me in the same sentence of dancing should not exist, and I don't do it (at least never really in public). The extent of my dancing consists of one night 'club dancing' at Cafe Cabernet, a bachelorette party at Stetsons night at the Moon and a little bootie shaking during concerts. I've always enjoyed watching ballroom dancing though and have wanted to learn, but I just never got around to it.
I have to say though that I had an absolute blast. Ballroom dancing is so much fun, and I wasn't doing too shabby. Sure, I'm nowhere close to being a pro, in fact, my date called me a 'newb', but I'm alright with that. Let's see, I learned the Cha-cha, mambo, salsa, two-step, waltz and tango (I feel like I'm still missing one though).
The tango and waltz were probably my favorite, and during those dances, we decided to give it a go with the other couples in the outside circle. We kept up pretty well. I must say though, my partner is 10x better than me, but I'm glad he had the patience to teach me. He even threw in quite a few tricks and spins. I was impressed.
I hope we do it again, and I am looking forward to it greatly.
Did someone say Elvis?
No? Bummer.
So, yesterday, I noticed that someone tried to drill a hole
into my storage door and mess with the lock to break in. I’m not sure what the purpose was, because
they didn’t make it all the way through the door, so I’m figuring that they got
interrupted somehow.
I wasn’t sure what to do or how to go about it all, but my
dad finally told me to try calling the non-emergency line at the police
department to file a police report. I
had never done anything like that, so I was a little intimidated, to say the
least.
However, I sucked it up, took out the phone book and called
them. They got my information and said
that a police officer would be out shortly.
Man, shortly doesn’t describe it.
There was an officer knocking on my door in less than five minutes.
I explained what had happened, that nothing was actually
stolen, but wanted to know if there was a way to have it on file or have patrol
stepped up. I believed the culprit to be
one of the workers who has been doing construction on the unit next door, as he
always acted suspicious and would not get out of his truck in the mornings
until after I had left. (I’m also
thinking he might have used my electricity…not sure if that’s possible, but I
don’t understand why I have such a huge increase in my bill this month.)
Anyways, he didn’t file a police report, but he put it in
the computer, said he would increase patrol and even check behind my property
now and again and left.
Thankfully, my first encounter like this with a police
officer ended up turning out to be alright.
We’ll see if the culprit comes back and tries to break in
again.
Oh yes, it’s that time of year again, where we all get sucked into buying those boxes of cookies from cute little girls in outfits. Oh, you know the ones, so don’t try and act so innocent. I know you can’t resist, and I’m sure you can recite every cookie name they offer. So don’t deny it, just embrace it. After all, you’re getting fatter for a good cause.
My downfall when it comes to Girl Scout cookies are the Samoas and Thin Mints. They also happen to be the two most popular kinds they offer. (I guess I follow the crowd.) For me, nothing beats popping those babies in the freezer and eating them like that. They are divine and heavenly. (Oh wait, those two adjectives basically mean the same thing, but oh well…the point is…they are great!)
The problem you might ask? If I fed my cravings for Girl Scout cookies, I would A) gain 20 pounds and B) be broke. I was on a quest to find a solution, and I think I succeeded.
Sure, I will still support the Girl Scouts and buy cookies from them each year, but what happens when cookie season is over and all the boxes you purchase are gone? I need to feed my cravings, or at least have alternatives.
So, here’s a homemade/all-natural Thin Mint recipe I found online and cannot wait to try out. Enjoy! (And if you happen to make it, let me know how it turned out.)
Homemade and All-natural Thin Mint Recipe
Chocolate Wafers:
8 ounces organic butter, room temperature
1 cup organic powdered sugar, (I use Wholesome Sweeteners brand)
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder (I use Dagoba's cacao powder)
3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flourChocolate Peppermint Coating:
1 pound good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
natural peppermint oil to tastePreheat your oven to 350. Racks in the middle zone.Make the cookie dough: In a mixer cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and cream some more, scraping the sides of the bowl a couple times if necessary. Stir in the vanilla extract and then the salt and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter is smooth and creamy, sort of like a thick frosting. Add the whole wheat pastry flour and mix just until the batter is no longer dusty looking, it might still be a bit crumbly, and that's o.k. You don't want to over mix and end up with tough cookies.Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and kneed it just once or twice to bring it together into once nice, smooth mass. Place the ball of dough into a large plastic bag and flatten it into a disk roughly 3/4-inch thick. Place the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.Rollout and bake: Remove the dough from the freezer and roll it out really thin, remember how thin Thin Mints are? That's how thin you need your dough, about 1/8-inch. You can either roll it out between two sheets of plastic, or dust your counter and rolling pin with a bit of flour and do it that way. Stamp out cookies using a 1 1/2-inch cutter (this time I used one with a fluted edge, I've done hearts and other shapes in the past). Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a baking rack if you've got one.
Make the peppermint coating:
While the cookies are in the oven you can get the coating ready. I use a makeshift double boiler to melt chocolate (a metal pan over a saucepan of gently simmering water), but I know many people who swear by melting chocolate in the microwave. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until it is glossy and smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract. If you think the chocolate needs a bit more peppermint kick, add more extract a drop or two at a time - but don't go overboard.Finishing the cookies: You are going to coat the cookies one at a time and then gently set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. Drop one cookie into the chocolate and (using a fork) carefully make sure it gets fully coated. Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and bang the fork on the side of the pan to drain any extra chocolate off the cookie. You are after a thin, even coating of chocolate. Place on the aforementioned prepared baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set. They will set at room temperature, it just takes much longer, and I prefer them straight out of the freezer anyways ;)Make 3 or 4 dozen cookies.
This year, my date and I celebrated Valentine’s Day one day
later on Sunday, February 15th.
Although it wasn’t quite planned that way, it ended up being quite
genius. This proceeded to get us talking
about some things about the Hallmark holiday, including all the benefits to
waiting to celebrate the Cupid holiday the next day.
First of all, if you do want to get reservations somewhere
to eat out, you have your pick of the cream of the crop. No need to reserving something months in advance. More than likely, you won’t have a wait at
all. (This is perfect for that boyfriend
who forgets it’s Valentine’s Day until the day of.)
Secondly, everything is discounted…flowers, candy, bears,
cards…you name it. It’s all CHEAP (or at
least cheaper)! It’s one way of cheating
the system, or at least cheating the companies who make a fortune on
Valentine’s Day related gifts. (And
nothing is better than that, especially if you are on a tight budget with this
economy.)
You don’t have the pressure on your shoulders that is
“Valentine’s Day,” and you can end up making it even more special by
celebrating your significant other on another day…just because. I have some friends who do just this. They actually met on February 15th
a few years ago and make that their special anniversary/Valentine’s Day. They say how much nicer and easier it really
is.
I really enjoyed the spin we put on Valentine’s Day this
year, and I think I want to continue celebrating Post Valentine’s Day for years
to come. Who knows, this brilliant
concept may just catch on.
Have your date come over for the first time. :) Being that I was constantly traveling for the past few months and going on vacation, my house was not the tidiest of places and had a lot to be desired. Not to mention, I moved in last May and still had not hung anything up or decorated. However, there is not any bigger motivation than having the guy your dating come over for the first time. I was in go-go gadget speed, catching up on loads of laundry and dishes, cleaning the carpets (due to the dogs) and trying to sell furniture (Craig’s List is a beautiful thing). I even got around to hanging some of my pictures finally (I think they’re a little crooked though). Woops. But it all came together and became presentable...just in time. Of course, there are still things that need to be done and cleaned, but unless there’s a miracle where I can get more time in a day, then those things will just have to wait until a later date. So, if you need motivation to keep your house tidy, invite someone over, have a party, etc. It will hold you accountable to make the extra effort to do your chores when you are supposed to. It will also whip you into shape and your house too. However, maybe I should just stick to this quote:
“I believe you should live each day as if it is your last, which is why I don't have any clean laundry, because, come on, who wants to wash clothes on the last day of their life?”
It makes sense, don’t you think? J
hope
play_w2("H0273600")
(h
p)
v. hoped, hop·ing, hopes
v.intr.
1. To wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment.
2. Archaic To have confidence; trust.
v.tr.
1. To look forward to with confidence or expectation.
2. To expect and desire.
n.
1. A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.
2. Something that is hoped for or desired.
3. One that is a source of or reason for hope.
4. often Hope Christianity The theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God's help.
5. Archaic Trust; confidence.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hope....It’s a powerful word, isn’t it? Powerful in the sense of something bigger than ourselves. We all strive to achieve it, and we all need it to get through the hard times. Quite often, we find ourselves grasping for something more, something better. We’re searching for it…sometimes desperately. But what I love most about hope is that it comes in all forms. I wanted to share a few with you today.
1) HOPE Worldwide (Bringing hope. Changing Lives.)
HOPE Worldwide is an international charity that changes lives by harnessing the compassion and commitment of dedicated staff and volunteers to deliver sustainable, high-impact, community-based services to the poor and needy.
2) Project Hope
For fifty years, Project HOPE has worked to make health care available for people around the globe – especially children. It’s in our name: Health Opportunities for People Everywhere. From the beginning, when we sent medical volunteers onboard the world’s first peacetime Hospital Ship, the SS HOPE, to our land-based programs today, Project HOPE has been committed to long-term sustainable health care. Our work includes educating health professionals and community health workers, providing medicines and supplies, strengthening health facilities, and fighting diseases such as TB, HIV/AIDS and Diabetes.
You can also send a free e-card to your friends and family through Project Hope. Just click on the picture below.
3) Hope Items from sellers on Etsy. (Click on image to visit the seller’s store.)
Treasure hope. For it is not overrated. We all need it in our lives.
So, last October, I had my heart broken, which is never fun (go figure). However, it gave me the chance to learn from the experience and become stronger and to focus on myself, which is exactly what I did. It became a healing process, and I became selfish for once instead of worrying about everyone else or trying to please others.
I ended up joining a gym, began eating healthier, started painting again, got out and did more things, took more trips, etc., and I’ve never felt better.
However, the farthest thing from my mind was dating or meeting someone new, but I guess God had a different plan. I took the chance and let my friend set me up with a guy from her church. I was very hesitant at first, as I've never really 'dated' before, but I'm glad I took a chance. Things are going great, and I couldn’t be happier. I guess things are going well if the first day you meet, you end up getting together again that night for another date. I'm definitely not complaining. I just hope I don't do something to screw it up.
He's already encouraged me to want to go out and try new things, which is what I need...a kick in the butt. However, I like that sense of adventure he has and can't wait to find out more.
Maybe good things do come to you when you least expect it, and sometimes, you just have to jump in head first hoping the chance pays off and that you don't hit your head on the way down.
What can I say? The Rock Boat keeps getting better and better each year.
I headed down to my parent's house on Thursday evening after a few hiccups in my plans. I got off work late, locked my keys in my apartment, locked the truck door with the dogs inside and had to knock on my neighbor's door to use their phone and call my brother to come unlock it for me. It was probably the worst start to a vacation I could have. Needless to say, I didn't get to my parent's house until 2:00am, had to repack my clothes into my mom's luggage, got about 2 hours of sleep and got up bright and early to drive another hour to Tampa to meet up with my friend's Gil and Lee who were letting me bum a ride with them down to Miami. We finally got on the road, got to Miami for the pre-party and started to unwind.
I met up with some of my friends, along with new ones, and we headed down to the Hard Rock Pre-party that Michael set up. We ate dinner and stayed for a few artists, then headed back to the Hilton hotel. In the morning, we got up, ate a late breakfast and had our friend Mike drive us to the port. The check-in process went rather smoothly. I was surprised. Once I stepped onto the boat, it was time to unwind.
The first night was a blast. We had our first fix of warm chocolate melting cake at dinner (soooooo good) and proceeded to catch some shows. My highlight that night was Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers on the Lido Deck. I had never really caught their performance on the previous boats, and what a mistake that was. They rocked it, literally. They played a song called "Hearts in Pain," and it hit home. It was just what I needed to let go of all the regrets, sadness, pain and hurt that had happened the past year. This was the start of letting it all go and starting again. That kind of realization is life changing sometimes, and I will never forget the moment. Not to mention, they covered Dirty Dancing's "Time of My Life" and even included the lift. It was classic!
The rest of the trip was a cherry on top. I will have to elaborate more later and put together a highlights list soon.
Our room ended up being right below the Palladium Lounge, so it was nice to hear sound checks going on...not to mention a lot of our neighbors were musicians (hello Zac Brown and Alternate Routes). :) I could have done with out 1/3 of the Hanson brothers, as I ended up liking Isaac and Zack. The vibe of the boat slightly changed from previous years due to some of the Hanson fans (not all though). I just wished they would have given other bands a chance, as I'm sure they would have enjoyed them. I will give credit that some of the jamming Isaac and Zack did with other bands were some of my highlights as well.
Aslyn...knocked my socks off with Wally and Reaching. Oy. Amazing, to say the least. Wideawake during their first show...felt like no time had passed since the last cruise...that man (Scott) wears his heart on his sleeve while singing...love, love, LOVED it!
Ernie Halter...definitely FAWESOME!!! Even headed to the merch area afterwards to get him to sign my steel drum and talk about Africa. GRO...was probably the majority's favorite as far as new band on the boat...they rocked it all cruise long. Sam Thacker...cannot say enough great things about them...except I can't wait to see them at Rock By The Sea in a few months. Emerson Hart has a way of singing what I'm feeling, and his stories rock as well. I can't get enough of his sets.
Sister Hazel never disappoints. And we all saw a side of Mark (the drummer) that none of us knew he had. I just have to say...red wine. Sister Hazel's last set, however, was probably the most fun I ever had at a Sister Hazel show. I danced and sang my @ss off.
Gaelic Storm, Cowboy Mouth, Tyrone Wells, Graham Colton, Tonic, Zac Brown...you name it. There were so many awesome bands on the boat this year, I still missed some that I wanted to catch. It's just so hard.
Long story short...get your butt on next year's cruise. It's the tenth anniversary and will be leaving out of Tampa. I can't wait to see how big they do it up. It will not disappoint though, that's for sure.
http://www.therockboat.com
Don't give into the temptation. No. Really...don't.
It's nothing special. At least, Nassau is nothing special.
Nassau in the Bahamas was our first port of our cruise. It also turned out to be our only port, as the seas were too rough for us to use the tenders at Half Moon Cay.
A group of us got off the boat and headed into Nassau on a mission to find an musical instrument to have signed by all the musicians/artists on board the Rock Boat Niner. My friends Matt and Jen get a different one each year, and this year, they were specifically looking for a drum. We searched high and low, bought other things we really didn't need (such as conchs) and finally wandered into the local straw market to take our chances. Thankfully, the hassle to buy stuff in Nassau came nowhere close to how bad it was last year in Jamaica, but unfortunately, it was still there. We walked up and down, up and down each aisle...not truly realizing how big this market was. We finally stumbled across a guy who had a few musical instruments for sale. Matt and Jen settled on a talking drum, which was similar to this:
I ended up purchasing a steel drum, like this:
Then, we ate at Senor Frogs and headed back to the boat. See, Nassau was not that exciting. However, what was exciting was having the musicians sign our instruments later on the boat, and each one wanted to play with them. (It was awesome.)
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