Z is for…eliZabeth! February 3, 2009

TADAAA It’s finally here – my “Z is for…” post!  And might I add, it’s nothing short of amazinggg.  I know what you’re thinking:  ”wow. it took a really long time for her to write a post for the letter Z.”  But that’s what happens when you’re life gets really busy – the blog takes a backseat! 

 

Because Z can be a difficult letter, I had just a few options when trying to come up with something I felt was worth writing about:  zebra print, zoos, zealous (I really like that word), zales (not at all my first pick of available diamond retailers), zac efron, zip codes, and Zimbabwe.  Then it dawned on me…my own name contains said letter!  Ergo, below are a few reasons why I like my name and the “Z” in it.

 

1.  Spelling Elizabeth with an “S” just looks odd.  (example:  Elisabeth.  See?  I told you.)

2.  In grade school whenever we did fun activities like put a # value to your name by adding up all the letters (1=A, 2=B, 3=C…25=Y, 26=Z), I almost always won.

3.  It’s a rare quality.  Not many people have a “Z” in their name.  Unless your name is Ezekiel.  Or Hekzlkdajsel.

4.  There are many nickname opportunities with my name.  (This really has nothing to do specifially with the letter “Z,” but I digress.)  Liz, Lizzy, Eliz, Beth, Libby, and Eliza.  Just FYI, no one has ever called me Libby and I won’t answer to Eliza.

Y is for Yearly Christmas Traditions! December 18, 2008

     (Another great idea post from Anne!) 

    

     If you know me at all, you know I’m completely obsessed with anything (and everything!) Christmas-y related. I’m not talking just Christmas decorations but Christmas music, Christmas cards, Christmas ambiance, Christmas lights, Christmas miracles, Christmas sweets, and even Christmas outfits. I love every aspect of the season and this time of year. (My only wish is that it really would last all year round!)

     That being said, it must be known that I can’t celebrate properly without Christmas traditions. My family has quite a few, so let me just begin…

 

- Every year on Christmas Eve I bring up the fact that we can’t forget to unwrap ONE gift the night before Santa visits. Every year my sister argues that we NEVER do this. Every year she claims I made this up and we have to wait until Christmas morning to do all the unwraping. (I love you Alice, but you’re wrong.)

- My dad makes this chex-mix mix we call “trash.” I don’t know exactly why we call it that because it’s rather AMAZING. He makes loads of it and we wrap it up to send to the neighbors and friends. (However it never fails that the first batch gets eaten and he usually ends up making lots more.)

- We always go to the Christmas Eve service at church. And it’s always late at night (11 p.m.), which I’m totally ok with. 

- At some point, “It’s a Wonderful Life” gets watched. This is of course in between all the other Christmas movies that have to be watched, including but not limited to:  The Holiday, You’ve Got Mail, Love Actually, Miracle on 34th Street, and Charlie Brown Christmas.

- It’s not Christmas Eve without writing a letter to Santa and leaving it next to his cookies and milk! (Yes, I’m 23 and I still believe in Santa.)

- When it comes time to open up our presents after Christmas dinner, we go around our huge family circle and open them one-by-one. I love that this process takes about 3 hours because it makes Christmas last longer! And don’t worry, we break for dessert between Round 1 and Round 2.

- Within the past few years dad has discovered his hatred for squirrels in the yard. This being said, he will routinely sit out on the deck (with his pellet gun in hand) and shoot them. (It’s more of a scare tactic, but he shoots at them nonetheless.) Ergo, a new tradition started last Christmas:  the addition of a squirrel ornament to the tree. It’s quite a sight.

 - We always take one night to drive around town and visit our favorite houses decorated for Christmas. (Of course this includes the annual parade through the Roper Mountain Lights!)

 

I love hearing about other family traditions, so please share!!!

X is for my “X-tra Special Christmas List!” December 10, 2008

     First and foremost I must give a shoutout to Anne on the lovely idea for my “X is for…” post!  I hadn’t thought about the difficulty I would face when trying to think of words that start with “X.”  (And I’m pretty sure a post on xylophones wouldn’t have been very exciting.)

     There is a Christmas movie often shown on the Hallmark Channel (one of my favorite channels, only second to Lifetime!) this time of year.  It’s about a woman who makes a Christmas list of all the things she REALLY wants.  It’s not a list of practical items or even items within her price range.  No no, she mails Santa a list of the things that she truly wishes for:  including but not limited to a new job, a new car, and an engagement ring!  To her surprise, she begins receiving items from her list.

     In lieu of this marvelous movie, why not make a Christmas list that includes the things you really want???  Who ever in their right mind said you had to be practical? or reasonable? or simple?  Not me, clearly!  So with that in mind, below is my OFFICIAL 2008 Christmas List.  (You should make one too!)

 

a trip to NYC (so I can finally ice skate outside Rockefeller Plaza!)

endless gift cards to the following retail establishments:  Nieman Marcus, Crate & Barrel, and Bloomingdale’s.

for Alice and Brian to live closer to Greenville.

to be on “What Not to Wear” but not because I’m a poor dresser; to have Stacy and Clinton shop with me!  

unlimited iTunes downloads.

free gas for everyone.

my choice from anything at Tiffany’s.

good health for those who are sick.

for the economy to freaking get better (enough is enough, I’m just saying.)

a mini-fridge for my desk.

for the war to be over and for the soldiers to come home.

to meet W.

a Range Rover just for road trips and a convertible just for weekends.

for Greenville to get an HOV lane.

a personal assistant.

for Clemson to win the ACC Championship in 2009.

…and I really do want world peace!

W is for weddings!!! December 4, 2008

     I. LOVE. WEDDINGS.

     I love every aspect of them – from the flowers to the music to the location to the guests to the bride’s dress to the tuxedoes to the reception to the chosen vows to the programs to the wedding cake to the gettaway car! I love it all!

     I especially love when it comes time for the couple’s first dance. I sincerely hope that in the near future, one of my friends will do what this couple did at their reception…

 

V is for those things of which I’m VERY thankful… November 26, 2008

     I certainly try to take the time to be grateful for what I’ve been blessed with more than just one day out of the year, but it’s nice to stop and really think about all the things I’m truly grateful for.  (My “list” is never ending, but this can certainly serve as a start!)

 

cold weather and my coats to wrap up in

traditions

fall foliage

a warm house to come home to

my growing/hilarious/wonderful/loving family and the memories we continue to make

friends who I can truly say I absolutely adore

ears to hear my favorite song

a job that I love

technology (and electricity in general)

t-bone and the trips we’ve made

clean air to breathe and water to drink

the freedom to worship without persecution

my height

the option to choose between taking the stairs or using the elevator

mobile phones

lunch breaks

indoor plumbing

ambiance

the spirit of Christmas

being loved and loving others

good health

being a Clemson graduate

Spring flowers

chocolate covered strawberries

laughter

selfless people, and those who work in non-profit

good books

teachers who inspire

leaders who do the right thing, not the popular thing

comfortable chairs

doctors

The United States of America

soap

generous hearts

mountain slopes

smiles

U is for things I don’t understand… November 25, 2008

Why slow drivers insist on driving in the left lane.

Why we call a driveway “a driveway,” when we park there.

The stock market. Stocks. Bonds. And all of the above.

Why people anticipate the yellow light when approaching an intersection. (Green means go, in every country.)

Why people have a hard time spending $80 on a great pair of jeans, but are more than willing to spend $7.99 on a jar of organic honey.

Why (some) people don’t like country music.

Traffic. (Except for accidents which can cause back-up in certain lanes, traffic should not exist because everyone should keep moving.)

Why monkeys open bananas at the bottom end.

Why it’s bad luck to have someone vacuum under your feet.

How it can rain and the sun be shining.

Why in The Christmas Song it says, “there’ll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago…” Who tells ghost stories at Christmas?!

T is for my “theory” November 14, 2008

     I’ll be the first to tell you that I was not blessed with a good singing voice. This simple fact I have accepted because it has yet to stop me from singing along with my favorite songs, or singing/dancing during the spontaneous dance parties once held in our apt. (For those of you within audible earshot of my singing however, I apologize.)

     I believe a great singing voice is just something you must be given at birth. I’m sure people successfully attend “singing lessons” to improve their voice, but any ”voice coach” would probably tell you that having the ability to sing is a gift, and one that comes naturally. I’m not talking about people who can carry a tune. That’s great, so can a lot of people. I’m talking about straight-up being able to belt it out like i.e. Martina McBride, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Whitney Houston, Reba McEntire, Andrea Bocelli, Carrie Underwood, etc.

     Since around the time I was in high school, I’ve had a certain “theory.” Because I do not currently have a good singing voice, I think that there is a slight possibility I can still obtain one. Whenever you lose your voice due to allergies, the common cold, the flu, etc. you always regain it back, correct? Well, I’m thinking that one of these days when I regain my voice after losing it, I’ll suddenly discover that I can sing! HOLLER.

S is for SANTA CLAUS! November 10, 2008

      I don’t want to ever overlook the importance of Thanksgiving simply because I enjoy prolonging the Christmas season. Afterall, everyone loves Thanksgiving ambiance! But, if you know me at all, you know that I’m completely in love with anything Christmas related, ESPECIALLY Santa Claus! (And yes, I still believe in Santa.) 

     The Christmas preview weekends have officially begun, and Christmas music can now be heard on the radio (98.9) Saturday-Sunday! (They actually began two weekends ago but I mean I’ve been listening to Christmas music since October, so who’s keeping score here?!)

     This year, the Christmas traditions commence as usual with the making of chex mix, the hauling of the Christmas tree in the trailer from Ron Cooley’s off Haywood Road, the decorating of the house with garland, lights and wreathes, the baking of Christmas cookies, the buying of Ghirardelli peppermint bark (because I have a hard time making peppermint bark from scratch and doing it justice), the picture taking with Santa Claus at the mall, the watching of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the visiting of the Roper Mountain Lights, the consumption of Starbucks signature hot chocolate, and the over-playing of the Vince Guaraldi Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack!!! (And just so you are fully aware, I could not be more excited about the said traditions!)

     Since “S” really is for Santa Claus, below are some of the names for Santa from all around the world!

          Holland – Sinter Klaas

          Greece – Hagios Nikolaos

          Turkey – Bishop of Myra

          Italy – Babbo Natale

          Spain – Papa Noel

          Morocco – Black Peter

          Japan – Santa no ojisan (”Uncle Santa”)

          U.S. and Canada – Kris Kringle, Santa Claus

          China – Shengdan Laoren

          England – Father Christmas

          France – Pere Noel

          Germany – Christindl, the Christ Child

          Russia – Ded Moroz (”Grandfather Frost”)

          Finland – Joulupukki

          Netherlands – Kerstman

          Norway – Julenissen 

          Sweden – Jultomten  

YAY Santa!!!

R is for restaurant seating November 7, 2008

     Most people probably don’t even consider the many facets to restaurant seating, but allow moi to explain – there are many! 

     Let me start off by saying that it puts everyone in an awkward position when two people sit on the same side of a booth. Having been a waitress for an entire summer before college, I can say this: it should be outlawed. But, I digress – now on to more important issues!

     Talking with a near and dear friend of mine not too long ago, she came up with the profound idea to increase the chair and seating size in American restaurants. These days restaurants are cramming more tables and chairs per square foot in hopes of squeezing in a few extra customers. However, being a big girl carrying a big purse, more space is much needed! A simple 2-person table could be turned into a 4-person table, a 4-person table could be turned into a 6-person table (and so on), by making the chairs larger. This way, as long as the chairs weren’t occupied, there’d still be plenty of room for my long legs and my large bag!

     Brilliant idea, Brie!!!

Q is for (Some of) my favorite quotes November 5, 2008

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness.” – Jeremiah 31:3

“You know I’d paint the White House pink, if only I were president.” – Jo Dee Messina

“Everything I don’t like in life has an opposite, which I like!” – Coco Chanel

“We ride and never worry about the fall, I guess that’s just the cowboy in us all.” – Tim McGraw

“But enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think of me?!” – Bette Midler

“I have not only been blessed, I have been divinely favored.” – Tyler Perry

“I have but the simplest taste, I’m always satisfied with the best.” – Oscar Wilde

“I’m not much into health food, I am into champagne.” – Rupert Holmes

“A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.” – Coco Chanel

“When I’m inspired I get excited because I can’t wait to see what I come up with next.” – Dolly Parton

“You never know!” – My momma

“Imma bring you down. Imma bring you down hard.” – Walker, Texas Ranger