G and P

If anyone wants to see the cutest pictures EVER of Gaite and Paige, head on over here.

Christmas Contest

So, we had a Christmas party at work where there was a prize for the ugliest Christmas sweater. I won. I'm sure you can see why. Ugliest, most hideous, and homemade...and a special thanks goes out to Lisa who helped make this possible.

Yes. Those are cotton balls tacky glued to a t-shirt, with jingle bells for buttons, and a felt carrot nose with a felt top hat and scarf. Hideous!!! And a winner!!!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!

One of the ONLY things that I like about this time of year is that when it gets cold, that means it's time for FIRESIDE COFFEE!!! Woo-hoo!

I love holiday cheer.

I love the smell of fires burning in chimneys.

I love having a fire in our fireplace.

I LOVE sleeping when it's cold.

I love getting days off of work.

I love guiltless eating.

I love my Christmas tree.

I love Thanksgiving.

I love giving gifts.

And I really, really love Fireside Coffee!

In The Navy, In the Navy

Well, last weekend was the weekend that the ole Smith family headed up to Great Lakes, Illinois to watch our baby graduate from the Navy’s basic training. It was beautiful, emotional, heart wrenching, and exciting all at once.

None of us (except for Beau) had been to Chicago before, so that was a new experience. It was FREEZING! Holy cow! It was as cold in November as it gets the entire winter here. Much too cold and windy for me. The wind was biting. The air was cold. The sun never really came out…the sky was gray and cloudy. We arrived at O’Hare on Thursday evening, and made the 30-40 minute drive up to Great Lakes, grabbed a bite to eat, and settled into our hotel. We stayed at the Navy Lodge, which may not be the Hilton, but it was VERY affordable and clean. And did I mention close to the base? That was the best part! As soon as Andrew would call in the morning, we would race out and head down three traffic lights to pick him up. It was so great!

Friday morning we got up before it was light outside and headed to the base. We hadn’t seen him yet, and we were anxious to get to him. We had heard that we needed to get there super early to get a good seat and to get there before the division t-shirts ran out. (Each division gets to design their own flag, and then they make a limited number of t-shirts that match and sell them the morning of graduation.) We were definitely there early, got a great seat right in front of where Andrew’s division was supposed to stand, and waited, and waited, and waited. Totally worth the wait!!!
The PIR hall (graduation is called Pass In Review, or PIR) is a long warehouse looking building that seems as long as a football field. There is a roll up garage-like door that opens and each division marches in the door, down one “sideline”, and up the back “sideline”. Visitors sit along the front “sideline” as they watch each division come in and then take their place in the hall facing the visitors.
Andrew’s division was second to last to enter, so we were at the end of the hall. We saw his division march up, and we started hunting for Andrew. They all sort of look alike with their matching uniforms, hats, and shaved heads. One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen was when I finally caught a glimpse of Andrew marching in with his head up and his shoulders back. It was absolutely beautiful. I can’t describe it, but I will never forget the way he looked. We all immediately burst in to tears (and I mean “we ALL”). We then made it through the rest of graduation, found Andrew afterwards, and then tried to beat a path out of there, lest he get stuck on base when we wanted him all to ourselves!
Dropping him off at the base each evening was terrible. It just sucked having to watch him walk back to his barracks each evening instead of getting to stay with the family. But the next morning, we did it all over again. We got to go into Chicago to the Navy Pier (freaking cold right on the water until we realized that we could walk inside…genius); went to the Sears Tower (I didn’t go up, but drove around the block a few dozen times because I couldn’t find parking that wasn’t illegal); went to a huge mall at Gurney Mills (similar to Grapevine Mills); and ate.
It was just so great to get to see Andrew, and laugh at his humor, and listen to him apologize to Mom over and over for swearing in front of her. A lady thanked him for his service while we were out, and he said, “Thank you, ma’am.” I cried when she told him that, and I really cried when he thanked her. He held doors open for people; he took his hat off when he went into buildings. He really has changed so much in so little time. He was sad to see us leave, and we were definitely sad to leave him. I wanted to pack him up in my suitcase and bring him home. But I didn’t, and he has already left basic training and arrived in Groton, Connecticut, where he will begin his A School on December 1. He doesn’t get to come home for Thanksgiving, but hopefully he will be able to get a few days at Christmas. Can’t wait to see him again, and I really can’t wait for Mike to get to see him. I am just so proud of Andrew, although I still say he might should have his head examined. Haha!

I am a proud (some might describe it as psycho) Navy sister!!!

I'm a Reader

Most of you know that I am a huge reader. I love reading; I am addicted to reading; I spend a ridiculous amount of my time with my nose in a book; I spend a ridiculous amount of money at bookstores; and I truly believe that people who don’t like to read just haven’t found what they like reading yet. This reading thing really works out well if you are married to a tv-aholic. Mike loves television. I love reading. So as long as I am deeply into a book, Mike gets to watch whatever he wants. Never mind that it is probably the same thing that was on Sportscenter 30 minutes ago, over and over again. But this isn’t a blog about the completely unoriginal and boring choice of tv programming that my husband chooses, so enough about him.

Fortunately for me, I am not that picky a reader. I will pretty much read anything that holds my attention. Unfortunately for me, I am a little bit picky about my authors. If I don’t like the way they write, then I cannot make myself get too deeply involved. That doesn’t mean that I am picky about the reading material; I just don’t like having to plow through a book. I read for enjoyment. I don’t find having to force myself to read a book as entertainment. It’s torture. Most of my reading is typically something that won’t be considered a classic in 100 years.

I like authors who don’t ramble on and on with descriptors. This is just too much for my pea brain to process, and I will never remember it. Then I have to go back and forth in the book trying to figure out what is who and who is what. Too much…too much. Unless, of course, it’s Stephen King, and then he can over describe and get all wordy if he wants. That’s because he’s Stephen King, and the man is a total and complete genius. But this isn’t a blog about the completely overwritten and totally ingenius writings of one of my favorite authors, so enough about him.

I love authors who write series of books based on the same character. (I think it’s why I had a slight addiction to Nancy Drew and Babysitters Club books. But who didn’t when they were in elementary and middle school?) And they don’t have to use the same main character in every book, but I do like when they at least reference them and there is a similar theme to all the books. I love Vince Flynn and Janet Evanovich, I used to like Patricia Cornwell, and I love my new favorite author Kay Hooper.

Now…onto what this blog post is really about. Kay Hooper. I found a book of hers that my mother gave me years ago. I decided I would give it a try, loved it, realized I was reading a book that was in the middle of a series, and subsequently decided to start at the very beginning. (I am hearing Sound of Music in my head right now…love it. “…start at the very beginning. A very good place to start. When you read, you begin with A,B,C…”) Anyway, I digress. I gathered all the books that my mom had of hers, and then I bought the rest. I only have two left, and boy are they good! Once I start one of them, I just can’t put them down! They are pretty weird. They aren’t the typical kind of stuff I read; they are about a special group of investigators in the FBI who are special because they have psychic abilities. Weird, right? I know! But I can’t help it; they are really good.

Now those who are really making fun of me now, remember that you laughed when I told you I was reading a fantastic series of books about vampires that my friend (and fellow reader) Leah told me about. And remember that you loved them too! So don’t knock it until you try it. That’s all I’m sayin’…

Not that I think that anyone cares what I am reading at the moment, but just in case you are ever looking for something good to read, you can try Kay Hooper. I highly recommend her.

Side Note: Just read Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks. Not my favorite, but not terrible. I doubt I see the movie though.

Side Side Note: Vince Flynn has a new book coming out in T minus 4 days. Woo-hoo!!

Side Side Side Note: What sucks about reading and being hopelessly devoted to (hearing Grease in my head now) a “series” minded author is that when you have it delivered to your house the very day it is released, and then read it in a day and a half, you have to wait an ENTIRE year before they release the next one. That’s why it is a responsible decision to have many favorites with different release dates. “Reading dry spell” problem solved.

New Meaning to the Phrase "Snail Mail"

Okay, this probably isn't going to knock anyone's socks off, but the craziest thing happened today at work. We got an envelope in the mail that was undeliverable to the person to which the letter had been addressed. I don't even remember where it was going; I think it was Florida. Anyway, the sender was definitely from our address and suite number...from 14 YEARS ago! Yeah! 14 years.

We weren't even here 14 years ago. It was a packet of information mailed out May 19, 1994, it was marked undeliverable because the recipient was not there any longer, and then returned to the sending address. 14 years later.

A whole new meaning to the phrase "Snail Mail".

Totally Lost

Our email at work is down due to a server issue. I don't know what to do with myself! At least I still have my personal email. I would say that 95% of my job is done through email; so I am at a major standstill. This is going to be a LONG day...