Ringing in the Christmas Season...

After Brandon's 2 week trip I am so happy to have him back home; especially in time for Thanksgiving. Though it's not a favorite holiday it is a great "rite of passage" to one of my favorites! Christmas! And the fact that the weather is nice and cold really helps me get into the holiday spirit.

In our household we typically ring in the Christmas season following the Thanksgiving meal and football with a classic Christmas movie. No not, Holiday Inn, or White Christmas, not even Miracle on 34th Street, or It's a Wonderful Life. Nope at our house we watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation! Enjoy some of my favorite lines from the movie!

"That there, Clark is an RV."

"Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Kiss my ass. Kiss his ass. Kiss your ass. Happy Chanukah."

"Where do you plan on putting a tree that big, Griswold?"
"Bend over and I'll show you."
"You've got a lot of nerve talking to me like that!"
"I wasn't talking to you."

"We're gonna burn some dust! Eat my rubber!"

"Can't see the lines can you Russ?"

and of course, "I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane, with all the other rich people, and I want him brought right here with a big ribbon on his head. And, I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no good, rotten, floor-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed, sack of monkey sh** he is! Hallelujah! Holly sh**! Where's the Tylenol?"

Ah, gotta love it!

Read My Lipstick...Go Vote!

As this is my blog I'm going to voice my opinion on the presidential race, but before I do I want everyone who reads this to understand how important your vote is in the election this year. Even if you think one vote won't make a difference, just remember your one vote added with lots of other "one votes" add up to an electoral college. Your vote counts; not only on the national level but also on the local level. So, don't forget to vote on Tuesday, November 4th.

If your town is anything like mine I'm sure you have seen the signs for folks running for anything from Probate Judge to the Presidency. My parents always used to tell me, "If you don't vote, you have no room to complain." While I believe this to be mostly true, I also have to raise the question, what about other military families like ours who don't live locally but still get the absentee ballot with names we may not recognize for local offices?

Personally, I would do one of two things. The first, don't vote on the local offices. Right now you're thinking, "wait a minute, didn't she just say that my vote is important?" Yes, it is, but not an uneducated vote. If you don't have the time to educate yourself on the various offices and those running for them, don't vote. Your uneducated vote will inevitably cancel out the educated vote of someone who has taken the time to research those that are running and really, truly cares about the outcome. Secondly, like I wrote before, research those campaigning. You can do this through the internet, or by asking someone who (lives in the area your ballot represents) you trust and has similar political views as you who they're voting for or what they suggest and why.

Now on to my opinion:

I am a McCain/Palin supporter. I believe John McCain's experience in the military and as a Senator is what this country needs. We need his no-nonsense bipartisan beliefs. This country has become so jaded with being politically correct and not placing blame where it is due that we've become a nation of over concerned finger-pointers. McCain's record has shown that he has no problem exposing them. When he said, "I would rather lose this election than compromise my principles," I knew he would be the man I vote for.

Sarah Palin, it's true, does not have the federal experience of her running mate and their opposition. However, I do not see this as a flaw. Don't forget, she is the governor of a state in our union. She's not some country bumpkin McCain found in the middle of nowhere. Her lack of Washington wisdom is what makes her so endearing; a female version of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington comes to mind. Don't get me wrong though; I think she's far from naive and she'll tell the Congressmen and Senators what she really thinks with a bit of sugar on top.

I believe John McCain and Sarah Palin truly care for the general American public, which is why I support them in their campaign for the Presidency and Vice Presidency.

How to Crochet...the Granny Square

Before Brandon and I married I learn to knit. Since then I've knitted scarves, flowers and many knit hats. I love it, but as of last year I've always wanted to learn to crochet. So being the self-starter I am, I googled "how to crochet" and found several sites, but the one I'm using is a tutorial on (of all places) YouTube. So far I've crocheted one granny square. It's definitely not as clean looking as my "teacher's" but I'm sure if I keep up with it, I'll be able to whip them out in no time flat.

Stay tuned I'll put up pictures soon...

Road Rage!

The longer I have been driving the more I come to loathe the stupidity on the roads. I know I have done some annoying and frustrating things while driving, so no, I'm not perfect. But here is a brief list of my findings:

1. Nobody likes rush hour. You are not the only one who has to be somewhere.
2. The brake pedal is for stopping/immediate slow down. To gradually decrease your speed, simply remove your foot from the accelerator. It is a scientific fact; you will slow down.
3. To merge you must accelerate to the speed which your fellow drivers are driving.
4. To the fellow drivers, if a lane is ending and someone needs to get in your lane, let them in. It is not an affront to you personally, they just need to move over. I have a mantra, if one person lets me in I have to do the same for someone else. This is a "pay-it-forward" of sorts. I think if more people did this, drive time would be a little easier. Try it.
5. Enjoy the ride. I know being at a stand still on the freeway is annoying, but try to find a way to see something great in the morning like a sunrise or listening to your favorite music/talk radio.

What would the world come to if all people were treated with respect? Try starting it on the roads and see what happens...

What to Say When There's Nothing to Say

I know the title is a bit ambiguous, but this has been my issue for the past month. Most of you already know I've been working on writing a novel. As of late, I have 83 pages; which is a pretty decent accomplishment, if I could pat myself on the back for a moment.

My problem is getting started; let me rephrase...my problem is getting "restarted". You see my ideas come and go. When they come, I'm on fire. I could sit in front of my laptop for hours; forgetting to eat or drink. Words spill from my imagination onto the keyboard (or from my pencil, if I'm feeling none technical) like the water I just spilled on my lap. When the ideas are gone, they take a hiatus to "never-never land", and I'm stuck sitting in front of a blank screen (or page) with an equally blank look on my face (I can only assume). It's purgatory for the writer.

Lately, I've had thoughts running through my head but they haven't manifested themselves. Does that make sense? It's like when you see someone and you know you know their name but for the life of you, you can't think of it. That's kind of what it's like. I know the route my characters are ultimately going to take, but getting them there can be like wrangling a puppy that hasn't been leash trained yet.

What will happen with Kylie and Drew? What drama will Jillian get herself into? As silly as it sounds, music helps me compartmentalize these ideas. Lately "Crush" by David Archuleta, and "T-shirt" by Shontelle are helping. What I need to do is make a playlist of the songs that get my motor running and play them when I have nothing to say.

Look what I made!

Seeing as how Fall is my most favorite season, I did some autumnal sprucing to the homestead! Most of these I made a few years ago and just refreshed with more leaves, flowers and do-dads. But the pumpkin and knitted flower are both fairly new. I've been trying to figure out what to do with the pupkin b/c I stupidly cut into it with another craft in mind which inevitably failed. Enjoy!

In My Car I'm a Rock Star...

Brandon is always telling me I should sing more and truth-be-told I really do like singing, but I had a bad past experience when I was around 15. I used to sing in the choir at our church and our choir mistress (sounds a little S&M now that I think about it, regardless) she pulled me aside after practice one day and said, I'm a better harmonizer than a soloist. My dreams of being the next Debbie Gibson were crushed! I had been reduced to a backup singer.

Now, several years later I still do not sing in public, unless incredibly intoxicated or so drowned out that no one could hear me even if they wanted to. But, in my car I am Beyonce! I belt out tunes from Carrie Underwood to Flo Rida like it's my job. I can carry a tune like Charlotte Church, and be an alternative rock star like Live! In my (tone deaf) ears I could be the next undiscovered American Idol.

So to those who will ride in my car; be prepared for some steering wheel karaoke. Join in if you wish, but in my car we're all rock stars!