Fair Flying

So, I guess technically the "12 days of Christmas" starts on Christmas Day and ends the day before the epiphany.... I feel so clever. ..... Oh well, maybe next year I'll switch it up. Anyway, here's hoping everyone's having a lovely holiday vacation! Xoxo

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree!!!! x Christmas morning at my house :)

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree! x Christmas Eve at my grandparents' house! :)

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings,  four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree! x I have lots of Christmas memories, so many that I tend to get them jumbled up and mixed around. But I suppose that adds to the fun of it, doesn't it? We'll start with one of my favorites. . . It was a very windy, snowy night, as I recall. I was probably around six or seven years old, and we were all spending Christmas at my grandparents' house. There were so many of us, I had to share a bed with my younger cousin. We were both snuggled up close, (it was probably around midnight) when all of a sudden we heard sleigh bells from downstairs. We started to get all excited, we could barely contain ourselves! As far as we knew, everyone else was already asleep. After a few moments of whispering exc...

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree! x (Sorry, a bit later than promised... here you go. xoxo)

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree! x Today is the first day of Winter! I love winter because it is my birth season and a season of holidays and of course SNOW. I adore snow. Watching it, playing in it, dancing in it, making things out of it. . . You know, the usual. Most magically (or at least I thought so), it snowed today! I was thrilled! Throughout school today, people were muttering about a blizzard headed our way, which made me really excited. It was snowing very hard when I came home from school. The snow flakes were my favorite kinds: large and flaky, big chunks of white. I was going to take some pictures, but it got too dark too fast. So, I shall take pictures of the outcome of this approaching "blizzard" at some point in the near future! On another note, tom...

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree! x ~ We usually go to church the day before Christmas. Last year, if I recall correctly, it was just my mom and me. This year I'm hoping to continue this tradition. I like having lunch then going to mass in the snow. ~ This year, we decided to give our tree a theme: glass ornaments. Our whole tree is adorned with glass ornaments (and plastic icicles & tinsel), old and new. Our topper is, as it has been for a while, a lovely light-wrapped golden ribbon star. I love the way it shimmers on the top of our petite tree this year! Our whole tree is rather perfect this year. [Pictures will be up later, so stay tuned!] ~ On Christmas Eve, we have my dad's side of the family over and exchange presents with them and open them at that time. I really love getting together ...

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree! x What Christmas means to me. . . Well, it means many things. To me, it is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. [For more details, watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. ;) ] But it's not only that. It's also the celebration of family and joy and love. I think that people can celebrate the holidays even if they aren't religious because it's a perfect time to settle down, take a break and relax with friends and family. It reminds us that we aren't alone, and that the holidays aren't only about presents and carols. There's a deeper meaning to Christmas that may not even be discovered yet. . . .Maybe I'm just overthinking it. . . But I think, even if you don't believe in God, you still have a right to celebrate something. And the holiday season in genera...

Sorry it's a day late! Won't happen again; promise! xoxo On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: five golden rings, four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree! x

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree! x In no particular order! Eloise at Christmastime. This movie is probably one of my top five, because I just adore Eloise and I adore this movie.  Home Alone. To this day, I still find myself laughing hysterically at this movie and I've seen it a bazillion times! Elf. (same as above!) Christmas Vacation. Though this movie is older than I am, I adore it, and consider it a classic to watch every Christmas season. It is hilarious, perfect family movie. A Christmas Carol. I didn't used to like it, but now I actually really do. Just not for little kids. ^-^ The Grinch. New and old, movie and cartoon, I love this story, especially with Jim Carrey as the Grinch! A Charlie Brown Christmas (and pretty much any other Charlie Brown holiday movie). Classic, adorable, and just grand! The Santa Claus movies! I've seen all of thes...

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree! x In no particular order. . . The entire "Christmas Cornucopia" album by Annie Lennox! Her voice is absolutely amazing and she recreates each song with such poise and absolute beauty. I love it. Anything from Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, good classic stuff like that. "Winter Moon" by Mindy Gledhill. I adore her voice and this song. It makes me smile every time I listen to it! Silent Night God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Angels We Have Heard On High Do You Hear What I Hear? Anything from Mannheim Steamroller!! "Peppermint Winter" by Owl City And probably a ton more; I don't think there's a Christmas song I dislike! Or at least, I haven't found one yet. What are your favorite Christmas songs? I'd love to know! Have a nice evening, everyone. xoxo

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: two turtle doves & a partridge in a pear tree! x I love the holiday season for many reasons. I love being able to wake up each day with the anticipation of snow. I love decorating. Twinkling, shimmering lights, garland, tinsel, Nativity scenes, ornaments; I love the stuff. I love GIVING. I love hunting down presents, making presents and cards, finding the perfect words to say to the receiver, and watching their face light up when I give it to them. Making people happy makes me overjoyed. I love family gatherings. I love every single holiday for this reason; being with my family. I love making cookies. And eating them. (This includes gingerbread!!) I love celebrating. During Christmas, we usually celebrate with themes of joy, life and love. I love Christmas carols. Some people hate them. I am the polar opposite of said weirdos. I love eggnog. & Hot cocoa. Just YUM. I love Jesus. & being able to cel...

I'll start by saying, this isn't going to be a controversial post. It's not going to be an angry or ranting post, either. I just want to reflect. I got home from school today to the news blaring. 20 small children dead. Six adults dead. Shot by a man in a school. Of course, the details on such a thing are endless. Even if it had only been 1 child or 1 adult dead, I still would have reacted the way I did. Numbers don't matter when it comes to things like this, people. Anywho, I was pretty torn up. First, I wanted to make sure my cousins and the rest of my family was okay. Thank God, they are. And then I began to think deeper about the situation, and how everyone involved must be feeling. I can only imagine the agonizing horror to find that my child was killed in a school shooting. A child, who was probably loved by many, and had a huge, bright future ahead of them. There are so many possibilities in this world; when those possibilities end in a halt in such a...

OK, I'll admit there are many things wrong with my mind. I'm not perfect; like most everyone, sometimes I just have blonde moments. So here is me talking about my brain and the awkward, strange, random situations that happen in the depths of my tangly mind. One of the things that really annoys me about myself is that I can be so one-track minded. I'll be walking down the hallway, deep in thought, or even just spacing out, and someone will say something when they walk by me. Either a, they say "hi" and I usually say "hi" right back; or b, they say something I can't even understand and we continue to walk by each other in midst of utter confusion. And when this happens, at the time, I don't think much of it. But then, miraculously, about five to ten minutes later, I realize what the person was talking about. I think of a good reply ten, yes, TEN minutes in the aftermath. It can be very annoying, especially in moments when I'm in a hur...

And a tad bit of loneliness. That is what I feel right now. The thing is... I hate when good things end, even though I know it just opens the doors for new beginnings.... I just, mostly I just miss everyone a TON. I get so used to having everyone in the house, and waking up to the sounds of kids playing and the aroma of breakfast being made.... So then when it's over, I feel a kind of hole in my heart. I get so sad that they're all gone, when really I know I should just be happy it (in this case, Thanksgiving break) happened. It's weird, because even when I feel like I won't care when it ends, I always do, especially when they leave, or when I leave. Not to mention, I haven't been feeling quite myself lately. All the same, I'm mostly pretty content and excited for the holiday season! It's just the gap in between where I miss my long distance friends and family. Close friends and family take up most of the space in my heart (right next to God), so when t...

Today was one of those days where I felt like I was completely asleep until around 6pm. Needless to say, I was very frustrated with my brain's lack of coherence and processing today. Luckily, the schoolwork wasn't too hefty. But I have to say, I should step up my game when it comes to school. Usually I just kinda chill, lay back, maybe day dream here and there. But, of course, I should be paying more attention. So from now on, I will try my best to focus. Today was just one of those days where I felt like falling onto the floor and sleeping all day. (& it's only the second week of school. oh dear.) Aside from that, I was thinking earlier this evening about something my wonderful mommy said to me on our way home from shopping. We had been discussing the loss of her second child, who would have been a beautiful baby girl. (This miscarriage was awful, yes, but without it, we would never have had my little brother. This proves that something good can come out of somet...

Here is my random list of places I love to be at/in (my "little pieces of heaven on earth"): My bedroom. My backyard. Beaches. Italy. Canandaigua Lake. My friend's house in Maine. My cousin's house in Connecticut.

There are certain things in life, -funny, crazy, tiny, big, silly, random, wonderful- that make me happy. Here is a list of the things I love, in no particular order... Small smiles. Laughs. Paint smudges. Black licorice. Chocolate. Hugs. Long hugs. Rings. Babies. Hair bows. Sunsets. Friends. Family. New shoes. New books. New ideas. Poems. Stories. Paintings. Nail polish. Computers that work. Sparklers. Fireworks. Yummy food. Red hair. Braids. Movies. Waffles. Bananas. Memorable moments. Laughing till I cry. Crying till I laugh. Hot air balloons. Lemonade. Chocolate milk. Clouds. Rain. Colorful leaves. Campfires. S'mores. Roses. Christmas. Holiday decorations. Birthdays. Music. iPods that work. Anklets. Candles. Fish. Puppies. Eyes. Photography. Cameras. Cakes. Sugar. The ocean. Lakes. Rivers. Butterflies. Rainbows. Old fashioned wedding dresses. Weddings. Sundresses. Skinny jeans. Skirts. Swim suits. Arm warmers...

Lately, I've been thinking about stuff... particularly family stuff. Family matters a lot to me, especially lately in my life. They're like a metaphorical house that surrounds me and keeps me safe. It's really good to have family, and I have all of the following: ♥Parents who love me and accept me for everything I am, and who trust me and my decisions. ♥Brothers who are crazy but love me as their awesome big sis. ;) ♥Cousins who I love sosososososo much and can spend endless amounts of time with them and we never get sick of each other. ♥Aunts and uncles who are each individually awesome and wonderful and fun to be around. ♥Grandparents who are loving, kind and utterly brilliant in everything they do. I love my family so, so much and I hope they know how thankful I am for every single one of them! Not only is it important to have a family, but it's important to stick together and stay united. Often times in big families, feuds erupt, especially in our case. But we have ...

In no particular order... 1. Owl City~ Everything about Adam Young's music puts me in a state of utter bliss. I just adore listening to his voice, and all the techno-y sounds, the keyboard, the soft strum of guitars and pianos... he just combines so much different music into so many different amazing songs. Each holds something promising that makes me smile. Whenever I'm feeling down, or even feeling blissfully happy, and just want to dance, Owl City is the first thing I turn to. Not to mention, the lyrics are perfectly poetic and breath-taking. Adam Young is in fact on my list of people to meet/hug/get an autograph of. :) 2. Lights~ More techno. I love her album "The Listening"... every song describes how I feel or have felt at one time or another, and I love songs that do that. It's really fantastic. Valerie Poxleitner's voice and lyrics are wonderful. 3. Ellie Goulding~ She is a combination of a beautiful voice and fantastic instrumentals. I love ...

I haven't posted in a while... and lookatthat, it's changed a bit, hasn't it? Well, I've got nothing important to say except for one little thing... one of my favorite quotes lately has been this: "Life is like a book. How can you continue on to the next chapter if you're constantly rereading the last one?" It makes perfect sense to me. (of course, that may be because I love reading, but it's true!!) You can't keep rereading the past, remembering and crying over it. If it bothers you, you must move on! You have a lot of life left, so keep going, and try to enjoy every second of it! Push fate your way; you can do it! Don't be discouraged because of one screwup, because of one mistake. That one mistake is NOT going to write the way your life goes. YOU ARE. So pick up that book, write it, and enjoy. Go, you can do it. :)