And God bless us all, everyone!

I don't know about everyone else, but I had a pretty good Christmas holiday. A few of the daycare parents gave me some fun stuff: various candies, a Borders card, a cute ornament, a bath set, a Panera card, and a Starbucks card (they have hot chocolate and cookies, right?).

My favorite gift this year was from my wonderful husband. He gave me a "Phantom of the Opera" music box (actually more of a big figurine, but it still plays music) that plays "Music of the Night". He told me, "Now, when I saw this, I immediately thought, 'This is you'. Now, if you don't like it, I'll be surprised, and it'll be like I really don't know you as well as I think I do." When I opened it, I told him. "You do know me!" ^_^ All he wanted from me were some cookies and fudge made with stevia, not sugar. I also got a sleep mask from him, and we both got some money from my in-laws, some survival stuff from a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law, and a coupon for a full-body massage from my mother-in-law. She has a friend that's a massage therapist. Yay!

We also went to have dinner and visit with my family, plus my sister's in-laws and family. My mom got my husband a couple movies, some shaving stuff, a pair of warm pajama pants, and some cashews. Laura got me the Sweeney Todd movie soundtrack, and I got her a Lacuna Coil CD, gave my nieces the Miley Cyrus CD, and their family Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird! Lar and I watched it later that night. We had forgotten so much!

I got my mom the Il Divo Christmas CD, dad the 1997 Broadway cast recording of 1776 (with Brent Spiner as John Adams), and Whiteshark a Nightwish CD. My mom gave me some a pair of pajamas and some comfy socks, some Cadbury chocolate, a few CDs (The Promise from Il Divo, the Twilight soundtrack, and others), The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling, and some DVDs (Mamma Mia! and Prince Caspian, plus a few others).

All in all, I got a lot of good stuff and I hope the gifts I gave are as appreciated as the ones I received.

Need some cheering up?

This has got to be one of the cutest pictures I have seen on ICHC, although I think the caption helps as well.

Everybody now: Aw!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This poem came with our weekly memo from our boss at work. I don't know who wrote it, but it's cute.

May your stuffing be tasty.
May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious,
And your pies take the prize.
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

Have a safe, fun holiday!

An appropriate quote for today's turbulent times

Anger or hatred is like a fisherman's hook. It is very important for us to ensure that we are not caught by it.
-Dalai Lama

If you get my costume, then you're probably a geek like me. ^_^

P.S. I'm not a huge fan of the show, I just thought this would be fun.

In a world of sadness...

Don LaFontaine passed away yesterday at the age of 68. He was known as "The Voice of God" in the movie business, lending his voice to thousands of movie, TV, and video game trailers.

He will be sorely missed.

A "Golden Girl" passes

I heard on the news today that Estelle Getty, famous for her role as Sophia on "The Golden Girls" has passed away. She was 84.

She will always be remembered for her spunk, and for having some of the best lines on the show.

It's that time of year again!

Provider Appreciation Day is this Friday, 9 May 2008. Be sure and thank your childcare providers for all the hard work they do in taking care of your children.

Earthquake?

Apparently there was an earthquake early in the morning yesterday, with an aftershock a few hours later. We must have slept through the whole thing, because I didn't have a clue anything had happened until I saw the news at noon.

Then again, we live not too far from a quarry, so we hear and feel rumbles every once in a while. We probably wouldn't have thought anything about it if it were as intense as those.

Happy birthday to me!


I can't believe I'm a quarter of a century old already! Thank you to everybody who sent me birthday wishes and made my day special. You guys are awesome, and I love you all!

Some of the gals at work had a cake, ice cream, and a few gifts waiting for me when I got there, so spent the better part of an hour in the break room talking with and thanking them.

The weather got crummier as the day wore on, and one of the gals Lar and I work with needed help getting her car started, so we helped her with that. I called home on the way and let Milly know what was going on, and she invited Lar and the girls to eat dinner with us, which she accepted. We had chicken-broccoli casserole and salad for dinner, with German chocolate cake for dessert, per my request. The rest of the evening was spent hanging out with my sister, then with the husb after she left.

All in all, it was a great day. I feel blessed to have made it this far, and to know people love me.

Goodbye and good luck!

My sister's husband is leaving for Iraq tomorrow. From what I understand, he'll be gone for a year. Good luck J! May you and your unit return home safely to your families and friends.