Monday, November 11, 2013

My Christmas Playlist - Top 10

I'm sorry.

I know Thanksgiving is on the horizon but in my eyes, it's 100% Christmas.

Which means Christmas music all day, EVERY DAY!

Here are my top 10 holiday favorites and the reasons:

10. "Feliz Navidad" performed by José Feliciano
It's catchy, it's fun...I get to practice my Spanish. What's not to love?

9. "Sleigh Ride" performed by Leroy Anderson
I love this instrumental version, especially the horse at the very end. It always puts a smile on my face and I can always belt out the lyrics if I'm really feeling it.

8. "White Christmas" performed by Irving Berlin
When I listen to this song, I picture myself lounging in front of the fire with my future beau, with a glass of pinot grigio in one hand and chocolate covered strawberries in the other.

7. "Chestnuts Roasting on a Open Fire" performed by Nat King Cole
Put this one on right after "White Christmas", please. 

6. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" performed by Brenda Lee
This song brings back so many happy memories of my childhood, listening to this song with my mom and brother as we put up the Christmas tree. It's so much fun to dance to, too!

5. "All I Want for Christmas Is You" performed by Michael Bublé or Mariah Carey 
Ask me which version I like better right now and I would say Michael Bublé (his voice is like silk against my skin). Ask me 5 years ago and Mariah Carey, no doubt. I will belt this song out any day.

4. "Last Christmas" performed by Wham!
This song transports me back to my art class, sophomore year of high school. This was our table anthem. Love...LOVE.....LOVE!!! And I might also be slightly obsessed with the 80's...

3. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" performed by Andy Williams
He speaks the truth. It really does. Whenever I hear this, I want to skip through the streets while throwing candy canes at people, spreading as much holiday cheer as I can.

2. "First Noel" performed by Nsync
This is my go-to when I want to try my hand at harmonizing. Plus, N*Sync.....come on!!!! You can't deny that you love this song too. My ultimate dream is that they will reunite in my family room, serenading me with this song while I sip on hot cocoa and gaze at Justin Timberlake's abs...

1. "It's Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas" performed by Bing Crosby
Such a classic. I could listen to this on repeat for hours. It also reminds me of "A Christmas Story" which is obviously a Christmas MUST-WATCH. So perfect.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Christmas in the Air!

It's almost 1:00 p.m. on this chilly Sunday and as I look around my family room, I can't help but feel warm and fuzzy inside.

After a delicious breakfast of homemade Belgium waffles with berries and bananas with my family while listening to Christmas music this morning, I decided today would be the perfect day to bring out the Christmas decorations!

I gathered up the decorations from the basement, put them in a laundry basket and up I went to transform the house! We have a TON of decorations from the past however many years we've lived here. A lot of our specials decorations are ones that my brother and I have made throughout the years so we always have to put those out. It's a fun tradition.

Back in the day, my brother and I would hang garland around our bedroom doors and string up lights in our windows. We haven't done it in SO long and I really missed our tradition so I just had to rummage through our Christmas boxes to find my bag of garland. Now my door is decorated and I wrapped a couple of the extra pieces around random things in my bedroom, just to spruce it up a little bit. It brings up really fond memories of Christmas when I was little. I wish I could go back and enjoy those years all over again...

Anyways, along with Christmas comes my absolutely favorite part of the holiday season...HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVIES! (Excuse me while I squeal with delight!)

Every weekend, Hallmark premieres new Christmas movies and honestly, I would be 100% happier in life if I could watch these movies year-round. My parents love them too so it's getting to be a bit of a family tradition...watching Hallmark movies together at night.

However, with the Hallmark movies and their romance comes feelings of loneliness. I want to fall in love like these movies, I want to meet my future husband at a Christmas parade or something romantic like that. I want to kiss under the mistletoe. There was a new movie on last night that my best friend (she lives in Boston) and I watched and texted each other during. While she does have a boyfriend, we were both moaning and groaning about our love lives and getting married. I know I shouldn't panic...I'm still pretty young, but when will my day come?

Dear Santa,
Could I please have a boyfriend for Christmas? That's all I want. 
Thank you.
Love, Ms. Single

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

After graduation

I think I've decided what my next path is.

I've always wanted change. Something new. An adventure.

After I graduate from college, I'll finally have the time to actually do something for me.

In the past 5 or so years, a lot of my family has migrated to Florida. My aunt/uncle/cousin opened up a restaurant down there and now, a lot of family on my Mom's side has made the trip down to stay for good.

Here enters my plan.

After graduation, I want to move down to Florida and stay at my aunt & uncle's for a month...2 months...however long.

I want to go and live and spend time with my family I barely see during the year. I want to swim in the ocean and work at my family's restaurant for a bit and experience life near the beautiful sunsets and warm water. I want to get out of my comfort zone and do something I wouldn't normally do.

I KNOW that if I didn't go, I would still be working at my two jobs....barely have any days off. I'd be living to work all summer and I REFUSE to do that again. I already told myself that I'm not wasting another summer away working 10+ days in a row.

Plus, maybe he is down there. Ya know, my future boyfriend. I might meet him while I'm in Florida! You never know!!!!!!!

I still have time to think about it. 6 months to be exact.

And then I'm free.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Just call me Mary Poppins

I finished my costume and it was a total hit! Everyone loved it!


 photo marypoppins.jpg
I had such a fun time at work, seeing the kids dressed up in their little outfits. My favorite was a Minion from Despicable Me! It was the best costume ever!

I was going to try out my new liquid eye liner for the event but after I opened it, I realized I had grabbed violet! And that would NOT do! So I ended up using my pencil which caused me quite a pain but I eventually got it done. And my new lipstick looked great too. I usually do not go for such bright colors but it totally worked! 

Such a great fall day!

Friday, October 25, 2013

Costume Update!

Very quick costume update.

Last night after work, I zoomed to the shop to find a black or blue skirt, fake daises and a hat. Found the blue skirt (in the granny section!!), tights (which upon driving home, said to myself, "Maybe I should check the label to make sure they aren't footless tights" and low and behold....they were footless!!!) and the hat but had no luck with the daises. I went to 2 stores and the one had every fake flower under the sun but of course...no daises.

Flash forward to this morning. Woke up bright and early and began my shopping adventure for the daises and a little make-up to complete the look. My first stop was JoAnn's....they didn't have daises either! UGH! But I found black knee-high socks to help with the tights situation and I stocked up on twine for holiday gift wrapping.

Then I flew to Ulta, got my liquid liner and lipstick and then went to Michael's and prayed they had daises. And thank heavens they did!

After I got home, I put everything together. There is a black ribbon around the hat I bought so I could have just slipped the flowers in that way but I thought they would fall out easily so I sewed them in with my superior sewing skills (yeah...no) but it worked. Hat finished! Then I desperately needed to make a red bow for my neck so I figured out a way to make one and strung it on some stretchy cord I found lying around the house and voilà! Knocked that one out of the park. So happy I finished everything this morning as I have to work at my one job from 3-1130 p.m. I KNOW! It's a terrible shift. :(

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Halloween

Halloween is on the horizon.

And with Halloween, comes one of my jobs' (I have multiple) annual Haunted Halloween event.

Which means, I NEED TO MAKE A COSTUME, STAT!

I've always been extremely DIY with my costumes years past. One year, I fashioned a "Where's Waldo?" t-shirt out of a plain white-tee and red duck tape. Last year, I was Rosie the Riveter and the only thing I had to buy was a school-boy's style short sleeved school shirt. I came up with this costume idea almost two weeks ago but of course, I'm waiting until a few days before the event to actually put it together. I have maybe 3 pieces of my outfit but I really need to go out and find the other pieces.

"What are you going to be?!" you ask?

Well! I've decided to dress up as Mary Poppins! Fairly simple, fun, easily identifiable...I mean...who HASN'T seen the movie? "A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down...the medicine go down...the medicine go dooooown." Excuse me while I break out in song.

Anyways, I already have a red ribbon and the while button down shirt. All I need now is a longer black skirt, black tights and possibly a black hat (if not...at least some fake daisies to put into my hair). Then of course I want to get a little make-up to go along with it...a little liquid liner and  lipstick to complete the look.

If all goes according to plan, I'll post a few photos of the finished product.

What are all of you dress up as for Halloween?

Monday, October 21, 2013

Oops.

So.....it's been a little while...hasn't it?

Hmmm...last post...about change. I was excited about something...

OH RIGHT!

What happened worked out for the best. I landed my internship. I was in and out in about 20 minutes and she told me she told me right then and there that she would love to have me work there.

Since then, I've been working at my public relations internship two days a week. I currently write the company's internal newsletter, (almost) all press releases, I manage the company's clipbook (a.k.a. I find every.single.article or blurb that is published about the company and put it in a binder), I've acted as an impromptu photographer for an event and sat in on a spur of the moment photo shoot. I've also gotten to accompany my boss on a trip to the local television station for a special taping for an event that happened last month! It was very exciting. I got to see all the local TV stars (didn't get to talk to them) but I saw them from afar.

It really has been fun and I am definitely getting great experience. Every single press release I write usually gets sent back to me full of red but I take that as a learning tool in refining my writing skills. I also have gotten some tough love when the executive vice president emailed me back a quote I wrote for him for a press release saying, "it's basically a quote that could be written about an usher". At first I was taken aback...no one has ever outright told me my writing sucked! But then I took a deep breath, apologized for being mediocre and made myself be better, which worked out in the end.

Enough about that though...how about life?

This TwentySingle just had a birthday. Another year has passed. I look forward to this coming year with high expectations. I will be graduating from college (holy crap....I have to grow up!!). I'm looking forward to it no doubt (NO HOMEWORK! NO TESTS!! NO GROUP PROJECTS WITH PEOPLE I DON'T LIKE!) but at the same time, it's frightening. This will be the first time in my life, or since I was very, very young, that I won't have a plan. All my life, there's always been something off in the future; graduating kindergarten....getting to middle school...then moving onto high school.....then going to college.... But now what? I know I don't want to go to grad school. That's definitely not in my future. However, I will say that I know I will be focusing on my writing a lot more. I love writing fiction and I've been neglecting it for a long while. I'm excited to get more involved with that, hopefully crank out a future NY Times Best Seller (this is actually a dream of mine) and focus on all of me for once (mind, body, and soul).

I can't wait.