Giving Thanks at a ridiculous hour…

So much for getting a good nights sleep tonight… :P I'm hoping to go Good Friday shopping on Friday, possibly staying up all night Thursday night so I wanted to sleep well tonight. Not working out so well right now.

So… I thought I'd wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!

Also, here's my list of things that I'm thankful for.

1. Calms… I took four. Hopefully they'll help me get to sleep.
2. This touchpad which enables me to do this post.
3. My family of course.
4. My fantastic, fantabulous, wonderful friends. Benny, Katy, Daniel, Wes, Nathan, Caleb, Bethany, Beka, Juli, Scott, Suzy-I love you guys!
5. My amazing job!
6. My Church
7. Portland
8. Turkey
9. Coffee :P
10. Christmas music :D

Ok, I'm going to try sleeping again. :P

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Gave up...

I sort of gave up. :P

Today I not only watched White Christmas, I also set up my Pandora Christmas stations.

So.... I can spread the cheating here are some pictures. I hope they make you as excited as they made me!

Merry Early Christmas everyone!!!

♥♥♥

Shay

I can't wait…

Well, I'm kind of really cheating right now… The radio station that's playing in my room right now is the Christmas music station. I'm terrible. You're not supposed to listen to Christmas music till the day after Thanksgiving. Now, just for the record, I myself did not actually turn this on. My sister Fiona did. But I'm still quite guilty because instead of getting up and switching the station I'm sitting here revelling in its beautiful awesomeness…… sigh…

my co-worker mentioned to my today that it felt like this year Christmas seemed to have been rushing in even more than last year. I've been thinking maybe it's because we need it more this year than we did last year. Maybe it's because I'm getting older and starting to notice more things but it seems to me that our country is especially messed up and depressed this year. And December and Christmas is the month with "Peace on earth and good will towards men." How could you not want to rush that along? I mean it is "The most wonderful time of the year…"

I know that I am rather obsessed with Christmas. Every year about this time I start getting this antsy feeling and then the first time I hear a Christmas song or see a Christmas tree, or hear those Salvation Army bells I get so excited it's almost impossible to keep it all inside.

I love Christmas. Absolutely adore it. Every year the morning after Thanksgiving I get the house all cleaned and I unpack all of the decorations. I spend the day wrestling with Christmas lights and drinking hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music.

Needless to say I am super excited for Christmas. Especially since this year I have a job and can actually afford to buy people good presents. :-P

Soon to come… a post packed full of Christmas gorgeousness…

Ultimate Christmas Wishlist

Daniel from The Anonymous Antagonist was reminding me that I had not done my Ultimate Christmas Wishlist yet, so.... Here goes! (By the way, if I haven't said so already... You should really go visit his blog! It's awesome!)

$100 American Eagle gift card. Is that lame? :P

Nebulous Kingdom's 2012 Calender

An iheartfink dress

A pretty camera.......

A pretty computer............

A pretty car......................

Clinique :P

Dominion

And.... that's all I can think of right now. :P

At the moment I'm enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. The first cup of the season. It's SO GOOD!

Now! I am off to go work on my book some more. :)

Shay ♥

Fashion Loves

One place I would love to own a dress from is Shabby Apple. They've got so many adorable designs!

After Class

Overboard





Syncopation



Boogie Woogie



V.P.




Beauty Mark

I can't believe I don't own a black dress yet....

But I think my favorite at the moment is the Extra Credit dress. SO CUTE!!!





Extra Credit

Got a job!!!

So finally, after two years of looking, I have got a job. It's at Things Remembered and it still seems strange to me...

But I've worked two days so far. Well, I've trained for two days. I really love it so far. My position is engraver which means I work the engraving machines and put the messages on the jewelry and boxes and watches and whatever else.

So far in my training I've learned to use the machines, engrave on metal, engrave on plastic, and engrave pens. I've also learned how to engrave on different shapes like hearts and stars. But it's a lot of fun and I really like my manager and the assistant manager.

But yeah, that's about my only update at the moment...

After talking to Daniel from The Anonymous Antagonist, (Which you should totally check out because I think he writes one of the best blogs in existence!) I'm thinking about writing a short story and posting it here. I think it would help my inspiration and motivation a lot if I actually finished something. Maybe then I would be able to get farther on my main story...

Oh! Also this Friday I'm putting together a costume dance as a fundraiser for my Church's school. I'm making Benny and I gypsy costumes for it. Hopefully I'll get them done in time... :P Actually not hopefully! I know I'll get them done in time. So there!

:P I'll try and get pictures of them on Friday.

And now... Because it is Tuesday!!!

Oh my gosh I love this song and video so much!!! :D It's kind of like our house. :D Except that we live on the corner of our street.

Have a fantastic week all!

I finally finished Clannad After Story the day before yesterday. I don't think I have ever seen a tv show series that moved me the way this one did. I was literally sobbing through all of the last five episodes. Well, actually through most of the second half.  But the ending wasn't sad, it was beautiful. That may sound weird when talking about an anime series but... It really was.

And the music for it is lovely.  :)

I don't want to give anything away, but if you do watch it and get to a certain point and want to stop... Don't! Go all the way through to the end. :)





Anyways, I really loved that show and recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind crying a little. Or a lot as in my case...

I have a longer post coming soon hopefully. :)

Love!
Shay

Catching up

So I think I've killed my muse... killed it stone dead.

I thought when Autumn came I would start being able to write again... The smell of the air, the rain, and the color of the leaves almost always make me need to write. 

Like right now... I'm forcing myself to write this. I have a cup of warm coffee next to me, a fire going in the fireplace, and my inspirational playlist going. Usually that should be all it takes! Especially since it's raining outside at the moment.

Well, I guess I just need to try and work past this.

Choir started again two weeks ago. It's amazing to think how different this year is from when I first started it. In a good way completely. 

So far the songs we're learning aren't all that interesting though.

The choir will be singing at the Grotto for the second year in a row which means we have to learn about 45 minutes worth or music. Normally I adore starting choir and learning Christmas music straight off. It's like cheating since normally I don't allow myself to indulge in any Christmas music till the day after Thanksgiving. But this year none of the music has that distinct Christmas feel to it... Hopefully some of the stuff we start tonight will be more like it.

So far we've started learning:

And the Glory of the Lord from The Messiah Choruses by Handel
In the Bleak Mid-Winter (but the melody isn't the same as the traditional one)

Shepherd's Star

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach

Ok, that last one is a little more fun. Also it's pretty easy.

We're also learning Sing to the Lord by Vivaldi

We All Believe in One True God

and

Except the Lord Build the House based on Psalm 127

It's kind of a lonely season of choir for me this year since my best friend has moved to Washington for his new job. He comes back most weekends but he can't come back for choir...

Anyways

Today I walked up to Joann's to try and find a gypsy pattern for a costume I'm going to make. I found one but it isn't quite what I was looking for so I'm going to look through the old costumes we've got around here and see if I can find anything I can piece together.  Hopefully I'll be able to finish it before the party which is on the 21st... I'm putting together a costume dance as a fundraiser for the private school that my Church runs. Hoping plenty of people show up!

Last weekend Benny came back from Washington and Wes, Caleb, Forrest, Elisa, Benny, and I went to Portland. It was Wes' first time and Benny's second. We went to Saturday Market, Everyday Music, and ate lunch at Pizzicato. 

Caleb and Wesley's first time on the bus! :D

 The taco plate Benny and I split at Saturday Market :D

Benny bought a hat to keep his ears warm at his job in Washington. :) It's getting pretty cold up there.

 Wesley bought a new hat that is cool.

Benny, Elisa, and Wesley being hypnotized by the spinning porch decorations. 

Elisa is scarred by the singing marionettes...

Trying on cute hats :D

Caleb and Elisa :D

Benny got vinyl albums of the Shins and Wilco. He was pretty pleased with them. :)

Bus ride home

So other than the Doctor Who season ending not much has happened that I can think of... :P

Love!

Shay