Holiday Highlights

For the past two and a half days, I was overwhelmed with family and Christmas, but definitely in a good way. I look forward to Christmas every year, and always try to yell "Stop!!" as it flies right by me, but I had a fantastic few days.

Some highlights:

1.) Aiden, my cousin Missie's 6 year old, telling our cousin Ben (18) that he was a boy on the outside but a girl on the inside. LOL. Last year at Thanksgiving he called Ben a girl b/c he had long hair.

2.) While I was drying my hair the following morning, my cousin Missie's boyfriend reached his arm around me and in his hand was a beautiful ring - he was proposing to her that night. We all adore Jason and are so happy to "officially" welcome him to the family!

3.) Since it was too warm and rainy to ice skate (again!!), we had breakfast at Pamela's, a great diner. They have old pictures all over the walls of Pittsburghers doing various things - grinning, playing baseball, etc. All candids. I took pictures of most of my cousins next to some funny pics and wound up with great results: Ben grinning next to a freckled, youngster showing off missing teeth, Amy imitating a Betty Boop pose next to the pinup cartoon. I promise to share these with you as soon as I have time to upload the pics!

4.) Mass...I don't attend church regularly, but when I do go I always have a strong sense of nostalgia. I attended Catholic schools my entire life, so we went to mass a lot during school. Every time I return, it's like old home week, knowing the songs and mouthing the prayers along with the priest.

5.) The little girl in front of me playing with her hair, and then comparing her hair with her aunt's. She would stretch out a strand of her own, bring it close to her aunt's hair and wrap the two pieces together. Adorable.

6.) Reliving memories from when we went to Vegas in May with my cousin and our family in my Grandparents' basement while drinking homemade Bailey's. My cousin Erin turned 21 a few short weeks before we went out west and one night was particularly memorable.

7.) My Grandma showing everyone a picture of one of the doctors she used to work with, and his family. She pointed out all of the kids and then pointed to the youngest child: "That one was a mistake, she just came along after all the others." I was crying, I was laughing so hard.

8.) My crazy aunt Nancy buying all of the girls ridiculous one-piece pajamas. They're all maroon, long-sleeved, and shorts instead of pants. Hard to describe, but hilarious.

9.) Teasing Jason for having Missie in his phone as "Baby Girl." I kept harassing him, asking him if he proposed to her as Baby Girl.

10.) Being with my parents and sister on Christmas morning. My parents went all out and got us big gifts this year, which they never do. I got a Bose iPod sound dock!!

11.) Watching my mom open her gift from my sister and me. We got her a mother's necklace with our birthstones in it (aquamarine for Mary Beth and peridot for me). And then watching her show off her new necklace to everyone later that night!

12.) Watching Mamma Mia! with my mom and sister Christmas afternoon.

13.) Playing Mario Kart on my sister's Wii that she received from my parents. And I'm an idiot - when she opened it, I thought my parents just got her a game. I didn't realize until well into the afternoon that they actually bought her the console. Duh!

14.) Seeing the family on my mom's side. My cousin Luke was there first with his twin daughters, Morgan and Lidia. They were the entertainment all night.

15.) Having a braunschweiger sandwich for Christmas dinner. I used to love this meat but haven't had it in years. Yum!!

16.) Watching Morgan & Lidia eat cupcakes with bright green frosting, turning their tongues, teeth, fingers, and everything they touched green.

17.) Seeing the gift that I bought for our exchange be stolen repeatedly! Everyone buys a $15 gift and we pull cards. The first person picks a gift and unwraps it; the next person can unwrap a new gift or steal the gift that the first person already opened, and so on. I bought a picture frame that has "Family Ties" written on the bottom and four or five spots for pictures. It's pretty big. My sister finally wound up with it.

All in all, I had a great Christmas. Tonight is the party with my friends, and we do a gift exchange like the one my family did last night. Tomorrow is another party, and Sunday is the last regular Steelers home game! So it will be a busy weekend, as usual.

The Time Has Arrived

Tonight, my Christmas celebrations begin and I can't wait! My cousins and I are spending the night together and also picking up one of us from the airport (keep your fingers crossed that she is not one of the many people who is delayed!), then tomorrow we will ice skate. Tomorrow we will be with family all evening, and then Wednesday is the actual day.

I can't wait to see everyone open the gifts I got for them and I hope everyone likes what they receive.

I'm so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends, and my newly expanded blogger friends. I am definitely thankful for all that I have and I hope that all of you have fantastic holidays as well.

So stay safe and have wonderful celebrations with your family and friends.

Caitlyn - I love you, and we will miss you so much, but you know that we will call and harass you enough that you'll be wanting to be left in peace. Have a great first Christmas with Taylor and know that we're thinking of you all night and all day!!

Airport Musings

Observations from my recent aeropuerto adventures....

Why do they still sell pleated jeans? They're not cute on anyone. Yet, I saw a fatherly gentleman sporting them proudly, with a tucked-in turtleneck almost the same color as the wash of the jeans. The pleats were displayed to their full advantage. It wasn't okay. It still isn't. If stores would just come to a consensus and manufacturers wouldn't make them anymore, it would save so many people from making such an obvious fashion error.

I watched a pair of college-aged lesbians for awhile, as they were sitting right in front of me. One spoke loudly on her cell phone about how some of her friends were hooking up, and needless to say, it caught my attention (and the attention of most surrounding gates). And, when did "college-aged" get so young?

Anyway, these girls were still in the stage where they were trying to shock all of us old fogies at the gate, and made a point of liplocking every time one of them went to the bathroom or had to get some food. It just made me laugh. Also, it was clear that one of them was more masculine than the other...but someone should tell her that to be truly effective, she should stop wearing jeans made for girls.

I think that stores need to be banned from airports. Every time I fly somewhere, I'm compelled to stop at Nine West and buy shoes. This day was no exception - not only did I buy them, but I immediately went to the bathroom and put them on. I love them! But they eventually started to pinch my toes - I think Nine West has changed their sizes. I'm normally a solid 8 1/2, but when I've tried them on lately, they've been too wide so I've opted for the 8...and then they pinch my toes after awhile.

Speaking of shoes, boots. The boot trend has been around for a year or two now, and every other female that I saw at the airport sported pants or jeans tucked into their boots. I'm not anti this trend, but it's not okay that every woman under the sun thinks she can pull it off. So many women seemed to think that they were being fashion forward and so thought they could get away with a clever combo of boots and pants - not so much.

Women should be required to take a test before purchasing boots, especially boots with the fur. Anyone over the age of 35 should be automatically eliminated (maybe younger than that). Even fur trim should be severely restricted. If a woman does not pass the test, she should be required to take lessons on the best type of pants to tuck into boots and locations where this look is appropriate.

(For anyone wondering...I have never, myself, tucked my jeans into my boots. I don't think I can pull it off. I think it looks terrific when it's done correctly, but the plethora of examples available at the Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Indianapolis airports reinforced my thought that only certain people can make it look good.)

I suppose my people-watching and fascination truly translates into criticisms of what everyone else is wearing. LOL. Hey, I was entertained!

To Save My E-mail Friends Again...

The bold ones are things I've done....

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band - okay, I was the alto recorder in high school but it still counts!
4. Visited Hawaii - darn, broke my streak
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland - that will hopefully change this summer! And I have been to Disney World, so I'm giving myself half points (hence the italics)
8. Climbed a mountain - my friend Laurel and I felt like it was a mountain in Edinburgh, Scotland, but the locals called it a hill
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo - we did Annie for my first grade play and I was absent the day they cast the roles...I was always convinced that, had I been there, I would have had the lead, instead of stupid "Narrator 3"
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train - and after seeing Carrie & Samantha's adventures on Sex in the City, not sure I ever want to!
21. Had a pillow fight - of course I have, I went to sleepovers when I was little!
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - how do you think I was able to interview for jobs in Pittsburgh? Not that it helped...I still moved home unemployed
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held an alligator
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon - and I don't see this one ever being bolded...
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - I've ridden one at the Venetian...definitely counts for half!
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - I should get double, I've watched both (really, who hasn't??)
31. Hit a home run - Yay, Sarah Heinz House kickball!
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person - someday I will blog about how we used to drive up there and drink when I was 19...love that the drinking age is lower in Canadia!
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors - we will be going to Ireland in 3 years!
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language - definitely counting my Pig Latin expertise and my slight Spanish knowledge
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke - again, who hasn't?
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance - hope this one's never bolded!
47. Had your portrait painted - my mom's friend painted one of all of my grandparents' grandkids for their 50th anniversary present
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person - definitely half points; we were outside of it and they closed it before we could get in line....not sure why....
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - in Cancun and Key West
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie - home movies definitely count!
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - no. The city of Pittsburgh has Camp Fire Girls, not Girl Scouts. And I wasn't allowed to join.
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving - definitely on my To Do!
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - grrr
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Been to Canada - oh those crazy days in college...
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job - never want this one bolded, either!
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London
77. Broken a bone - pretty sure I had something broken in my foot the last time I was a klutz, but I never got an x-ray
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - I should get double points - I was drunk!!
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person - we flew over it, that totally counts!
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Seen Bon Jovi in concert - we saw NKOTB, that totally counts for half!
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read Gone With The Wind
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - ewww
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Kirk Cameron was in a wedding that I served when I was in high school. How jealous are you??
92. Joined a book club - didn't last very long...
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit - my sister and I got rear ended and we won some cash
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own

Okay, I have some things to catch up on...43 bolded and 7 halfsies.

Mixed Emotions

So, my days at my current job are winding to an end. It hasn't completely hit me yet that I have two short weeks left, so I'm always mildly shocked when someone brings it up.

This is bad for two reasons: 1 - since I'm not mentally prepared to leave, I'm also not mentally prepared to student teach...and I'm going to need all the help I can get!
2 - when it does hit me, it's going to be much more emotional than I'm okay with. I'm not a crier in general, and I really don't like to do it in front of people...I'm afraid that I'll be a mess whenever the "going away" things culminate.

One of the best and worst things about leaving is that you discover how valued people really think that you are. It's great b/c I feel like I truly am a respected member of our HR team, and people have been slowly and steadily coming out of the woodwork to reinforce that. It's bad because I feel as though I have under appreciated my colleagues.

I have only good memories of when I left my last position. I lived and worked in the Virginia Beach area, and I worked in a company's distribution center as the Assistant HR Manager for about a year and a half before my position was eliminated and I was moved to the corporate office. I was lucky enough that they had a position to move me into, but it was a job that a smart monkey could have performed. I only lasted six months before I moved back to Pittsburgh.

Yet, in those short six months, I made inroads into my new co-workers. I joined a group of ladies who walked around the parking lot twice a day, I chatted with the employees in Benefits who sat by my cubicle, and I became friends with the receptionist who worked for the CPO (that's Chief People Officer - no, I'd never heard of it before either). All of this resulted in a surprisingly touching response when they found out I was leaving. Cards, tokens, a happy hour...I was really shocked at how everyone reacted, and I know how heartfelt it was.

Since then, I have occasionally gone back and read those cards whenever I'm down in the dumps. I have a picture of my closest corporate friend and me in my room at home, and I stay in touch (okay, sporadically - I'm so bad at that!) with my boss from the distribution center.

So it's beginning to be time to gather the newest additions to my collection. It may seem silly, but I really appreciate every small thing that people have been saying to me. I got a random e-mail this morning (in response to a sassy remark I made about how she's not going to have to nag me anymore) from someone in my department who told me what a joy it was to work with me.

I can also see my co-workers sneaking around, blatantly hiding things from me. That sounds like a contradiction, but it's not - they'll ask me to leave the room and then I hear peals of laughter coming from behind the closed door...

I just need to remember to gather these comments and keep them with me, so that I can examine them whenever I'm feeling discouraged in a new job or down about changing careers.

At Last...

I have my student teaching placement!! I will be at a middle school w/in Pittsburgh Public, and I will be teaching 7th grade Reading and Language Arts. It's so real to me now that I'm starting to get super nervous...

There are so many requirements for a student teacher that I'm glad I never followed through and got a part-time job. It looks like I'll be doing prep work every minute that I'm not in school and I'm a little intimidated by that. I really hope that my cooperating teacher is wonderful. I think I'll need all of the support I can get.

And, I have a dilemma. During our first student teacher seminar, my professor made a point of saying that we had to make sure that we didn't have any crazy "websites" like Facebook or MySpace. I, of course, have both. But I don't think I have anything outrageous posted on either, and both are set to private. Not to mention that I have this blog. But I don't think that anything on the blog account has my full name, and I have tried to keep most things fairly anonymous, so I think as long as I don't mention any students or teachers by name I'll be safe.

What do you think? Do you think I should delete my Facebook & MySpace pages? What about my blog?

I would hate to do it but I don't want to have anything tarnish my reputation this early in the game...

Christmas!!!!! Part II

Okay, so in an effort to cheer myself up and stop obsessing over my lack of a student teaching placement, I decided to move forward with the Christmas post I've been promising!

Christmas is my favorite holiday, and there are many, many reasons why. Here are just a few...

1. Candy Canes - I love them! All that pepperminty goodness, curved into the fun shape of a cane. Although that darn bend does make it harder to enjoy that part, the rest of it is fabulous. When I was little, I only liked the multi-colored ones that tasted like cherry, but now I only like the traditional peppermint ones.

2. Peppermint Mocha - I've already mentioned my love of this frothy beverage from Starbucks, but it can never be discussed too frequently, as far as I'm concerned. Love it w/soy milk, and have recently converted a co-worker to my drink of choice.

3. Christmas Trees - I love a beautifully decorated tree. I don't care what color or kind of decorations are on them, I adore them all. And the smell!!! I so wish I lived in a place where it was feasible to have a real one...maybe I can have one whereever I wind up living next year.

4. Shopping - Finding the perfect gift is awesome. I wish I could say that I always find the perfect gifts for everyone every year, but I definitely am not that creative. But I just love being able to go to the mall or to the store and spend. I can always justify it b/c it's the one time of the year that I'm not cheap and I don't feel guilty for spending money. Better yet, it's spent on other people!!

5. Christmas Music - Again, I know I've talked about this in the past, but I just love it. I have a huge playlist on my iPod, tons of CDs, and a playlist on my work computer that drives my co-workers crazy. I love the 98 Degrees CD, and I also love the funny songs from South Park.

6. Snow - Christmas is the one time of the year that it's okay for it to snow. My usual theory about snow is that if it's going to be that cold outside, it may as well snow. But Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are the only two days of the year that snow is welcome in all of its white, fluffy glory.

7. Christmas Parties - I love having the opportunity to see everyone dressed up in their winter best. There's always such a great mood at holiday parties, and everyone is cheerful. I have two to attend this weekend, and I can't wait!

8. Holiday Spirit - I really think everyone is happier and more giving at this time of the year than at any other time. It's tough to be annoyed by a crowded store when there's a Salvation Army bell-ringer shivering outside. The sound of that bell just reminds you of Christmas, and reminds you to be generous. We need something like this for the summer months...

9. Decorations - Nothing makes me happier than to come in to the cafeteria and to see it transformed into a Christmas wonderland. I love seeing the stores in all of their finery, and especially the windows downtown at Kaufmann's (okay, it's Macy's now. Sheesh).

10. Family Traditions - I saved this for last b/c it's nearest and dearest to my heart. The holidays are a time for family, and I love being with them. Christmas Eve is my absolute favorite day of the year. My cousins on my dad's side (including Caitlyn) are all very close, and we started ice skating during the day at the rink at PPG Place downtown. We go and get some Starbucks, wait in line, and ice skate in a beautiful location.

We have deviated from this tradition a few times (last year it was too rainy to ice skate, the year before there was a Steelers home game on Christmas Eve) but we always spend the time together, which is the most important part.

(Okay, this pic is obviously a few years old)

In the evening, my parents' best friends and their kids always come over to my parents' house before mass, and we visit with them and then we all walk up to church and go to mass. Afterwards, we pile into the car and head to my Grandparents' house. Their house is wonderful. There's always a roaring fire, homemade Bailey's, all of relatives from that side of the family, lots of food, and laughter. My cousins and I (same ones from the morning) always sit in the living room and sing Christmas carols. After dinner, we nag the "adults" to come upstairs so that we can open gifts.

Then the flurry begins. The youngest cousins pass out the gifts, and my Grandma always tries to make people open one at a time so that everyone can see what everyone else received. This never lasts very long - soon there's wrapping paper everywhere and "thank you's" being shouted over the noise.

The last tradition is pajamas. My Grandma buys all of the cousins PJs every year. And every year we immediately put them on after the gifts are opened and then wear them home. Keep in mind our ages range from 6 - 38. And it never fails. We tell her annually that she always has to get us PJs.

Christmas Day is always wonderful, too. I stay at my parents' house and open gifts with them and my sister in the morning. We gorge ourselves on a big breakfast. The afternoon/evening is reserved for my mom's side of the family. We go to someone's house and we get to see all of my relatives on that side. A lot of my cousins on that side live out of state, but there's usually someone home for the holidays, and it's always great to catch up.

We also do a grab bag on this side of the family - everyone buys something and then we draw cards to determine the order of who opens when. You can open a new gift or steal someone else's (everyone calls this something different). There's usually one gift every year that moves through the ranks, and it's hilarious.

Mission accomplished - I'm in a much better mood now!! I love the holidays :)