Saturday, December 24, 2011

isaiah 9:6



For to us a chid is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

christmas traditions

Today B and I travel to Chicago to see my family for Christmas. I LOVE Christmas in Chicago - one catch. It appears that we will not be having a white Christmas. BOO.

But we will have lots of family together time and that is what counts! We spend the majority of the time with my dad's side of the family so we can be with my grandma but head to my mom's side on Christmas day. We've made a few traditions over the years in our holiday travel; here are some of my favorites.

We always go to Del Rio Restaurant in Highwood to enjoy their Christmas Dinner Opera. We started this just a few years ago but love it. The food and wine are delicious and the music is beautiful! We see some of the same singers from year to year and expect a few of our favorites and get excited to hear some new songs.

We have Mexican food on Christmas Eve. Chica WHAAAT? My aunt is Italian and has a very big family. You might expect her to make the most delicious Italian food you've ever heard of then, right? Wrong. She makes a mean fajita. And its super simple. When you have a big group to feed and sometimes that number is TBD until arrival you need something easy and can still enjoy time with the family. You don't want to be stuck in the kitchen the whole time. Note: My aunt is a fantastic Italian cook - she just chooses Mexican on Christmas Eve. It is not a reflection on her Italian cooking.

My favorite tradition of all, however, is when we go to my mom's side of the family for Christmas day, the Polish side. Before we eat, we partake in the Christmas wafer: Oplatek (pronounced: opwatek), similar to the communion wafer. Each person breaks off a piece of the wafer and shares their piece with everyone else in attendance. That's the time to say I love you, give everyone a kiss and wish them a year of prosperity and peace. Its so simple but such a nice time to share with your loved ones. Yes, you say hi and talk throughout the night, but its so nice to have a set time to let everyone know how much you love them in the hustle and bustle of the day.

Animals are also given oplatek. The legend says that animals given the wafer will be able to speak at midnight, but only the pure of heart will be able to hear them. DREAM COME TRUE TO HEAR RINGO'S VOICE :) Since Ringo won't be with us we will have to wait another year.

After that, we enjoy dinner! My mom's eldest brother is the chef and creates masterpieces. Mom's middle brother is the maker of the kapusta and everyone fights over enjoys that as well.

Those are my favorite Christmas traditions. Some I'd like to continue when B and I start a family. What are your favorite traditions?

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

politics aside: santa for president

Seriously, put it aside and hear me out. I promise, its funny and wildly outlandish and not an attack on any party in particular.

I have Lewis Black's 'Anticipation' stand up CD and it is absolutely amazing, or at least parts of it. Yes, he is a flaming liberal and I find myself mostly down the middle of the road; everything in moderation, right? But this one bit in the CD is FAN-tastic.

Let me begin, Christmas is shopping. Not that it is all Christmas is about because I certainly do not believe that, but gifts are given so shopping must be done. Yesterday, the US saw a huge jump in the stock market. We are slowly dragging ourselves back up, working to get the country back to where it needs to be.

Lewis goes into how great Christmas is {because it is} and how it really spurs the economic status of the US. He says this:

When did the American economy 
become tied to Santa's a#s?
And if Santa is THAT important,
then may I suggest
that in November of 2008
we elect him president. 

Yes, this is an old bit. But the man has a point! Look at what Christmas does for us? We are the most prosperous economy in the world. I know it may not seem like it but other countries are rioting due to their current situation. We just have annoying people occupying at the edge of each downtown. 

I understand, Santa is a fictional character. Lewis goes on to say that if perhaps we just added an amendment to the US Constitution that whoever is the president has to wear the Santa suit.  What if we took it one step further? All leaders must wear the Santa suit. THINK about it. You are watching the news. Regardless if you were watching the leader of the House, Senate or our Executive branch and that person is driving you crazy. If they were in the Santa suit, there is no way to avoid the feeling of love and compassion with the Big Guy.

This is the future, people. I say parties join together. Santa for president. After all, he seems better than the nincompoops running for 2012.

Monday, December 19, 2011

that dog is part hound

That's what B's grandpa said after taking Ringo for a walk over Thanskgiving.



I am starting to agree with him. You can see his adorable black nose is a fairly important part of his face. He really has been letting it lead the way recently and its driving me crazy. He can sniff out anything edible or not so edible in a 100 meter radius. Going on a walk or run with him has become a game of tug of war with his leash, making me feel awful for choking him!!! But eating that bad piece of plastic or munching on anothers scraps is not the best thing for his tummy. What would I do without this furry little nugget? He may drive me crazy but gosh is he a good companion :)

Maybe Grandpa is right! Perhaps a tetch of hound resides in his sniffer, he was adopted from the humane society and we don't know what he is mixed with. I always assumed it was a terrier though...because of his stellar jumping skills. But that's another post all together.

Friday, December 9, 2011

i love you


I was reminded yesterday of how precious life is. This holiday season, remember to never pass up an opportunity to say, "I love you" to the ones you care about. Say it with gusto and sincereity. Say it often and followed by a hug. It will make you both feel good.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

first christmas

This is it, folks! Our first married Christmas. Yay!!! I'm still so happy we will be together this holiday season. It really is awful to be away from  your love on Christmas!

In honor of our first year, I decided we should have a special ornament to celebrate. I told you I love ornaments! My parents were given a BEAUTIFUL ornament from my grandma their first year of marriage and they still have it: a partridge in a pear tree.


Isn't that a wonderful idea? It is also a daunting task. To find an ornament that will stay beautiful and meaningful forever? Till death do us part also applies to the ornament ;) So I started my hunt. I try not to be a cheesy person. It doesn't always work, but I try and that's what counts, right?

Ever google 'first Christmas ornament'? Do it. I dare you. The cheese that will erupt through your computer will astound you. Swans with their necks forming a heart, wedding cakes with the bride and groom standing atop, hands with rings. Its enough to nauseate me. Oh wait, it did. Regroup! No more googling 'first Christmas'. Plainly, that was not the avenue I needed to venture down.

My first stop was Neimans. Known for their classic and beautiful gifts all year long, I knew they would have what I was looking for, and they did! I went to a few other places but always came back to NM. We decided on the Swarovski snowflake. They create one each year and this year happened to be the 20th anniversary! Can you say SPARKLE??? What girl can resist?


It even has the year so when we're old and senile we can reference the ornament to remember how long we've been married. I'm very pleased, as is B. So, sorry cheese, classic won this battle.

Monday, December 5, 2011

annual ornament exchange


There are no truer words. I hosted our Annual Ornament Exchange on Friday. Last year B and I hosted a blow out Christmas party that ended with a mouse in the house and too much indulgence. I decided hosting this for the gals instead of the whole crew was a much better idea. 12 of my closest friends from the DFW area gathered for food, spirits and ornaments to get us in the holiday spirit!

We had a great time and it was so nice for a gals night...I hate to say its been months since I've had one, and it was much needed. I ended up with this beauty from my friend Erin. She has impeccable taste! Head to her blog, The Simply Fabulous, for all of her fabulous ideas for your home, children, friends and yourself!


I have a very eclectic tree. The beads are from my childhood tree, I have lots of ornaments that are from when I was a kid too. Note: golfer for B and the cat ballerina to the bottom right corner. I have lots of glass balls from my parents coordinated tree. Sparkle, natural, child-like, I do not discriminate! I love ornaments. As long as they have a special place for you they have a special place on the tree! I always appreciate the beautiful and coordinated trees with the bows, matching balls and ribbon but I will stick to my random tree of happiness.

What's your tree like? Coordinated and classic or random and eclectic?