Memories of a Winter Past

While walking home from classes today, I realized something.  I miss sledding.  As odd as that might sound, it’s true.  The days when I was just a kid and the only thing I had to worry about was whether or not I could out-sled my brother.

Now that I’m old(er), it seems like the simple things I did as a child no longer happen.  I told myself I would sled sometime soon.  Only one issue with that, though.  If you haven’t read my previous post, then you might not have known that Western New York has been having a warm winter.  Long story short, I can’t sled as I don’t have snow.  Now, I know I could make snow or travel elsewhere, but that requires more effort than I’m willing to put in.  Thus, I shall wait and, from the looks of it, I might have to wait a while, too.

Seeing as I haven’t gone sledding in what seems like forever and I already told you the sledding story about the mouse in my pants, I’m going to share another sledding story.  Only, this one is far more adorable.

If you’ve ever seen Balto, you know it starts with the main human character – Rosy – getting a sled and musher’s hat.  Well, when I was around that age, I wanted to be a sled dog musher too.  So, for Christmas, I received a similar set of gifts from my parents.  I got a large sled, the dog-to-sled harnessing equipment, and a real “musher” hat.  As you could guess, I was in just as much bliss as Rosy.  Only, unlike Rosy, my sled dog wasn’t very excited about the new gifts.  In fact, she hated them.

But, being the stubborn little kid that I was, I rounded my dog up and brought her out to the hill I mentioned in My Sledding Adventure’s Twist.  At first, she was overjoyed to be roaming free and wild.  Then, I pulled out the harness and gear.  Her brown eyes just looked at me saying, “Are you crazy?”

Apparently I was, as before I knew it, I had her all hooked in.  Eager to try my mushing skills out, I pointed forward and yelled, “Mush!”

…

“Mush!”

…

“Uhhh… go?”

…

Meet with a frozen dog, I stepped out of my sled and walked to the front where my dog was standing.  Now, before you think I have a lazy dog, I should point out that she’s a Yellow Lab named Sara.  So, mushing isn’t really in her nature.  She’s a bird dog, not a sled-puller.

I tried to get her to pull the sled even without me in it and, well, she still just sat there.   She sat there for hours just staring at us until we unhooked her.  Even bribing her with food didn’t work.  Heck, she didn’t even care that I was petting the cat (she really liked to play with the cat).  Nothing worked.  Sara just wouldn’t move her butt!

In the end, there was a lesson to be learned.  We learned that if we didn’t want our dog running a muck, we just had to hook her to the sled.  Sara learned a lesson as well.  When the sled did come out, she headed for the high hills and the trees in the woods.

Deck the Halls

It has come to my attention that I haven’t posted an adequate number of pictures for the holiday season to give you a feel as to how I’ve been decorating.  I’ve been raving how I love the holidays, but there isn’t any hard proof, yet!

So here’s your proof.  These are all photographs I took this Christmas.  I’ve also linked a few fellow bloggers’ posts about the holidays, too.

The blogs:  ComfySpace, ozimages, chaoscookiesandlaundry, mspedagogy, and  ilovegalway.

Can you name this tree?

Backyard with a light coating of snow.

Just some of the decorations around the house.

Our special tree. Notice the missing lights?

One of the decorations on the main tree.

Another decoration on the tree. If you look closely, you can see it says, "Daughter's First Christmas."

Precious Moment figurine decoration.

All I Got for Christmas Was…

YES! I got exactly what I wanted for Christmas!

Neal Caffrey.  Well, White Collar season two.

Remember how I said I really wanted White Collar for my birthday?  Well, I found out today that they lied to me about everything!  My brother knew I wanted the DVD more than anything, so, being the stinker that he is, he decided to hold off on giving it to me.  He said, “Oh, she can wait five more days!”

See what I have to live with!  Making me suffer like that.  How rude of him!  I mean, I know five days isn’t that long, but those five days could have been spent watching the second season!  That’s five days I could have spent swooning over the brilliant acting and charming ways of Matthew Bomer (the actor that plays Neal Caffrey).

Needless to say, I got what I wanted and then some.  Christmas is perfect.  The family was laughing and really enjoying themselves.  Oh, and, according to them, the look on my face was priceless when I opened the DVD.  Granted, I’m sure the best look my face wore today was a slightly annoyed cocked brow when my mother let me in on my brother’s crafty (and cruel) little secret.

I hope everyone else is getting what they want.  But, most importantly, I hope it’s a fun-filled day of laughter and joy.  After all, Christmas isn’t about the gifts we get, it’s about the true gift of having family, friends, and happiness.

All I Want for Christmas Is…

Promotional poster for the second half of White Collar season three.

Seeing as I didn’t get the gift I wanted the most for my birthday on December 20th, I guess I’ll have to beg and plead to get it for Christmas. According to the family, the gift I want is “impossible” to find, hence I didn’t get it. However, I know this isn’t true! I’ve found it in stores before, and, if all else fails, they could always order it online.

So, what exactly am I asking for? Well, it’s something that I know the whole family – mom, dad, brother, and I – would love. Last year I got the first season for my birthday and I believe we’ve watched the season at least four times. I’m sure it would have been more had I not been away at college for nine of the twelve months.

Needless to say, this TV series is quite the hit in my household. Airing on USA Network, White Collar is all about a FBI Agent named Peter Burke and his “trusty” partner Neal Caffrey, a con-artist turned FBI Consultant, and their crime fighting days in NYC.

Originally, I was the only one to love the series. My mother was the next one to fall in love with the characters and the show. And after I received season one on Blu-ray last year, my brother started to get hooked as did my father! Now, I need to state that my father is not exactly a TV watcher. He would much rather be counting sheep than watching some TV show. But when it comes to White Collar, he can’t get enough of it. You know he likes it when he makes side comments about my pausing the show for bathroom breaks or when I need to sneak a snack. Even my brother, who claims to dislike crime dramas, will wander into the living room when I put White Collar in the PlayStation3.

The days leading up to my birthday, all I did was talk about White Collar season two. I thought, for sure, I would unwrap it on the 20th and when I didn’t get the DVD (it didn’t come out on Blu-ray this season), I was more than disappointed. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for what I got, but I would have been the happiest woman in the world had I only been given White Collar. As I stated earlier on, I’m crossing my fingers and hoping I’ll get it for Christmas. If I don’t, it is safe to assume that I will be purchasing it next time I’m at BestBuy or Walmart. White Collar season two will be on my shelf sometime this year, I can promise you that! My family is counting on it as they’ve all been asking when we can watch the second season.

So, is there anything you’re begging for this year? I’m sure there is and here’s to hoping you get that gift!

The Power of Music and Silver Bells

It’s that time of year when radio stations start playing holiday music.  Being a bit of a holiday lover, I like to gather my favorite songs and listen to them regularly from December 1st to Christmas Day.

The type of music on this playlist varies far and wide.  Some of the music is in English while other songs are half in Spanish like the song “Feliz Navidad.”  As of recently, I’ve really started to take a liking to instrumental pieces by bands like Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  The way the bells ring in these type of songs are simply beautiful!  The mood you can pick up from the dips in vigor and speed only further enhance the overall power of the song.

Care to create with with me?  Try to envision a five-foot six-inch woman standing on the edge of a chair trying to reach the top of her curtains so she can drape garland over them.  Then, imagine the garland refusing to cooperate and dropping to the floor below.  In a semi-flustered mood, she flails her arms to swoop down and grab the troublesome greenery.  Refusing to call it quits, she remounts the chair and straddles the couch.  Doing a half-split, she continues to fight with the holiday decoration.  Just as she’s about to call it quits, the music seems to empower her.  It edges her on, which helps her reach just a little farther.  A little more.  Just a little more.  YES!  Finally!  It’s on!

This is exactly what happened to me about a week ago when I was putting up my decorations.  The song that was playing was “Carol of the Bells” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

It was quite a dramatic scene, wasn’t it?  I hope you now have a better understanding of my passion for the holiday season.