The ABC’s of the Christmas holiday: light-hearted

A- Afghan. Best moments in life are spent snuggling.

B- Bows. Ya gotta put somethin’ on top of all those boxes!

C- Carols. Come on, this is the only time you get to sing those Christmas songs.

D- Decorations. Duh! It’s Christmas!

E- Egg nog. Long winter nights, fireplace roaring...wouldn’t be complete without egg nog.

F- Family. You may not like it, but blood runs deeper than water, my friend.

G- Gifts. Believe it or not, it’s NOT just the thought that counts.

H- Heaters. Them tootsies gonna get froze in that deer stand without one!

I- Icicles. Don’t walk under ‘em. 

J- Jelly. ...because I really wanna poke Santa’s belly and see if that’s what comes out!

K- Kay Jewelers. Dumbest commercials in all of television this time of year.

L- Lights. Go outshine your neighbors.

M- Mistletoe. Overrated. 

N- Naughty or Nice. Well...?

O- Open. Boxes under the tree are pretty, but it’s what’s IN those boxes that make things exciting on Christmas!

P- Packages. Presents. Parcels. Exciting!

Q- Quest. Everyone’s looking for that perfect gift. 

R- Remote control Hummer. Maybe this year...

S- Snow. Please! Just one year give us a white Christmas!

T- Tree. Decorated. We’ve got 9.

U- Unite. Each year over Christmas, friends, families and loved ones get together to celebrate the season.

V- Vests. It happens every year. SOMEBODY wears the tacky Christmas vests. 

W- White Christmas. Classic film! -a holiday must-see.

X- Xmas. X is greek for Christ. Don’t be ignorant. Look it up.

Y- Yule tide. NOT Roll tide!

Z- zzzz’s. With all the excitement, try to get some sleep this season.

Struck down but not destroyed

Sick in bed today. Dumb. Get this though...Advil, bananas, Goldfish, Poweraid, water, Thieves, Suphedrine, Argentyne 23, and 4 different Sprayologys are being used in the making of a healthier me right now. Working for a Doc is pretty much a guarantee that if, on the off-chance you actually DO get sick, you won't be that way for long.
Jr. year in college my Psych professor told our class that the best way to get over a sickness is to bore the bacteria. See, bacteria love to be active and have a life just like we do. When we are active, they start dancing, bouncing around and multiply like crazy! If we stay in bed, drink nothing but water and watch daytime television, then they will get bored with your sorry self and hit the road. Now...I know you're rolling those eyes, but her point, though a tad on the loony side, is valid. It's better to be out of commission for one day than try to "tough it out" in utter misery for a whole week or two. Look, the best way to stay healthy is to take care of your body. It's the only one you've got.

Responsi-freakin-bility

Lately, I've been a big advocate of having responsibility. Freakin' own up to your issues! Life's too short to dance around what needs to be done.

Now...before this gets too far, here are a few things that I am NOT saying in this post:

1.) Don't have fun.
2.) Never live "in the moment."
2b) Never suddenly change your mind.
3.) You are not allowed to make mistakes...because Lord knows I'VE never made any...(psh)

With that said, yes, I was 19 once....and 20....but whatever. Those were definitely the days of irresponsibility. The thing is, I still got through college, and I still had my goals. My decisions at 19 and 20 never reflected too harshly on the rest of my life.

There are just certain things in life that should be done. Pay your bills. Try (oh for-the-love-of-God TRY) to live among your means. Do what you say you're going to do. Set goals...and actually strive to reach those goals! Look...life is exciting. It's fun and full of adventures. Don't miss out on an opportunity just because of lack of responsibility!
I really don't mean for this to be anything but motivating! Strive for excellence in whatever you do! Carpe Diem. Get-r-done. Go Jo!

Braces Glasses Crutches.

When I was in Jr. High/High School I went through this phase where I wanted to be a dork. Braces, Glasses and Crutches. Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking.... Then the 'braces' request was granted in 7th grade. THAT ended up being more of a pain-in-the-butt (or should I say in the MOUTH) than I bargained for. Not to mention the 2 oral surgeries that came out of it, but whatever. I have yet to have crutches. Thank. God. ...but today I got glasses.
Now, they're just reading glasses, but it's still an adjustment. Sure, they're exciting because they're new, but eventually they're gonna just get old. Don't get me wrong...they're way cute! It just seems like they're going to end up being just another thing I have to carry around - another small reason to need a big purse.
I'd been having these bad headaches in the back of my head around my occipital bone. (That's the base of your skull, fyi). Well, for a while I thought it was just when I was on my iPad. Then, I gradually began to realize it might be stemming from my eyeballs. Since I barely passed the vision part of my driver's license renewal process...thought maybe I outta give the eye doctor a shot. Ha. So here I am, on my computer, trying to get used to having four eyes. Don't worry. I'm wishing MYSELF luck.

Appreciative Presentation

I'm a Massage Therapist. That does not require a college education- not even a community college education! All you've gotta do is have at least taken the GED and be at least 18 years of age. Check and check.
I went to college because I felt like I had to. All of my friends were doing it, so I should too. The fact that I got to play golf for my education was an added bonus! All throughout those four years of hel.....I mean classes...I got a feel for what information I was going to use in the future because I knew I was going to Massage Therapy school afterwards. Anatomy, Physiology, Biology, Chemistry...as yuck as 3/4 of those classes were, I needed them. I tried to pay attention and learn as best I could. It was the English classes and the History classes that I pretty much BS'd my way through. Little did I know that I was actually going to USE this knowledge for my CAREER!
A couple of weeks ago my boss presented me with an opportunity to speak at a Lunch-n-Learn to a Healthy Women's group that I suddenly found myself in the predicament of putting together a speech and powerpoint presentation on Massage Therapy. Well, in college, and even high school, presentations were usually done in a group. Each group, though they may be nervous, always knew that there was another group nervous as well because they were going to have to present next. If not, those groups were usually nervous about how their presentation went over with the teacher. Well, I'm the featured. (If that sentence doesn't make that much sense...it's because I really didn't know how to use "featured" and "me" in the same context. I'm the one speaking. To everybody. Yeah.)
Believe it or not, I'm kinda excited about this. I'm speaking on something I'm passionate about, and I get to educate women on the importance of this alternative medicine that is Massage Therapy. Putting this powerpoint presentation together was actually a breeze. As much as I hate to admit it, because let's face it, everybody's got some pride...I'm appreciative of all those damn presentations. They really pulled through for me on this one.

Babies and Beasts

This blog is two-fold. 1) Men are babies. 2) Redheads are beasts!

You know, honestly, I'm not sure if it's a "redhead" thing or just a "me" thing, but I can take pain pretty well. Studies show that redheads have more of a tolerance towards narcotics, gas, etc. Basically, they're saying we're tougher than the rest of you. Yeah, sounds about right ;) With us, the feisty attitude and short fuse just comes with the package. Being a redhead AND short....well you're tacking on a complex. Caution: Could Be Fatal.

Today I had a headache. All. Day. Long. Dang, even a freakin' migraine IV wouldn't cut it! Well, I worked all day. Was it fun? Nope. I did it anyway though. This evening I was hanging out with a girlfriend of mine, and we came to the obvious conclusion that if a man had the kind of headache I've had all day, he'd be on his deathbed. Ok, maybe not THAT dramatic, but you get my point. Now, I'm not sexist....or bitter (believe it or not). I've just been alive long enough to know that men are only as tough as they claim to be. Women are only as weak as we let ourselves be.

Chew on that, homeslice.

Attention is crucial. Vigor is optional.

In my experience from this short time on Earth, I've been taught 2 truths: 1) Two things in life are for sure: death and taxes. and 2) You are what you make out of life. Recently, I've been truly challenged by the latter. Growing up, I never really had a break from school. I graduated college 2 1/2 weeks before I moved to Tennessee only to go straight to school 2 weeks later. Then, I was offered a job before I graduated from THAT school, so about 3 weeks after I moved back home I started work. No breaks. This I have recognized as a blessing...yet have to remind myself that it IS a blessing on occasion. So, as far a jobs and schools, I have had little to no complaints.

Yes, life happens one way or another, but I also know that as a Christian, life is viewed as the process by which we must work to win souls for the Lord. Nowhere in this process are we to put ANY emphasis on our own glory. That belongs to God and God alone. Now, there are different ways we as humans can handle this process. We can view it as a blessing to serve our Heavenly Father, or grumble at the fact that we can't take the credit ourselves (even though we deserve NO credit whatsoever), or we can totally dismiss the fact that we have done nothing to receive this credit, yet take it anyway. At the end of everyone's life, we are to be counted and judged by our Creator. This, I believe, is what we will be judged on more than anything else. Did we serve the Lord with a grateful heart?

TAKE CAUTION:
There are those in this world who claim to follow Christ, yet take all the glory for themselves. If we as Christians will stay committed to the Gospel, then we can pick out these phonies and take their teachings with a grain of salt. I think the devil smiles bigger when he sees us following false profits than he does when we act in any other sin. I'm sure we have ALL fallen short in this category...but if we can take a deeper look into what we are taught, maybe we will be able to recognize and weed out truth from self-glorifying snakes. This is a challenge to myself as well as everyone else.

Glory be to God!

No time...now.

I've got the kind of personality that requires downtime. If I'm constantly goin goin goin, I go go go crazy! These days, I really don't feel like I have time for my friends...and that's the WORST! Sure, I'm with my family during the week because...well, I live at home. Now, I l-o-v-e my job, and I love the people I work with, I just go home exhausted! Now days it's getting darker earlier, and I feel like once I get home, I've got an hour and God turns off the lights. This past week I've done my running at 9pm. That's crazy.

These past couple of months I've been trying to get to Shreveport to spend the night with one of my best friends, and it hasn't worked out yet. Even the few Ruston friends I'm really close with, I might see them once every 2 weeks, or at church. That's it. Ugh. I know this is just a phase of life, and I should be thankful for the time I've got now because one of these days I'm gonna get married and have kids. Then I REALLY won't have time!

The Ta-Todd Phenomenon

This is not a new concept. Nope, this one's been around for a while! It's the Ta-Tod Phenomenon.
What is a Ta-Todd you might ask? Well, let me give you my "Betha-nary" version:
Ta-Todd: (Tall Toddler) noun; a young, tall female desperately cleaving to the security of an older man for the purpose of subconsciously cursing her father for the life she felt deprived of as a child.
See also: Gold Digger
Now, as previously stated, Ta-Todds have been around for hundreds of lifetimes. Their legacy, though faint, is worshiped by young women all around the world. Will this pandemic ever fizzle...probably not, but you know, the first step to recovery is recognizing the problem. If we educate the world, then maybe there could be a reform. Revise! Revise!

Club at the End of the Street

I love my job. I really do. I love everything about it...the location, the staff, the products, the services, and the chance to practice what I'm passionate about!
Yesterday I moved my room down to the end of the hall. This room is huge! There's so much space to actually spread everything out! I nicknamed it the "Club at the end of the Street." Yes, the Elton John song :) My best friend at work is in the room right next to me. Potential hazard? Probably. Ha.
Moral of the story: Patience pays off. Now, I did not mind my old room...but there was a noise issue, and it was freezing...just because it was in the front of the hall. Now my room's quiet as a mouse, and warmer!...and everybody walks all the way down to see me...and I feel important :)

Submission

Right now I'm in Nashville...breathing. Gosh, I hit the ground runnin up here! Friday night was big, Saturday night was mellow, and tonight is straight-up chill...winding down from the weekend's festivities. This morning I got to go back to my home church of Brentwood Baptist. Man, have I missed that place! Mike, the Senior Pastor was not preaching, but the young adult minister did an amazing job voicing the Word of God.
This morning's sermon was over Colossians 3:18-24, in which Paul instructs the church of Colossia to honor each other. "Wives submit to your husbands...slaves submit to your masters.." -that whole spill.
"Wives submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." Colossians 3:18.
This point is to be made in the same manner as the church submitting to Christ (the bridegroom), and not just physically or emotionally 'longing.' After the first sin, women were punished, more-or-less in that they were made to want to lead, but God says this is best if the man leads. Now, he went into more detail as to why exactly this was so important to His plan...but honestly, I believe that sometimes it's like I can hear God's people asking "Why?" and Him, being the 'Parent' that He is to us, just says...."Because I said so!"
Throughout this entire sermon I just felt so spiritually challenged and convicted. Living in Nashville, I was around singles, some my age, some older, some couples living together...and I guess I just got in the mind-set that I had been single for so long that maybe God didn't want me to get married. Maybe I wasn't cut-out for that. After this sermon....
I believe God has put this longing for a life-long, lasting relationship in my heart for so long for a reason...and I don't believe that reason was to torture me. How dare I expect anything less than the best my Savior has planned. Who am I to put restrictions on what He can do. I mean, really. Who am I to say that God even has a specific plan for me. Nope...His plan is carried out. It's my choice whether I want to be apart of it or not. I want to be apart of a Christ-like marriage relationship. One day. This pleases God.
Now...men are also to submit to their wives and not become impatient. How would you like it if your Lord and Savior, who gave up His life for you, snapped and raised His voice at you? Just something to think about...
We are to love, honor, respect and take care of each other. Always.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." -Colossians 3:23-24. Basically, Paul is saying not to do these commands as working for a President we don't agree with, or a boss we hate, or parents we think we know more than...but to do them as if Christ is right there watching us. Because He is.

Nashville

Living in Nashville was probably the best thing I ever could have done fresh out of college. I was in no way truly happy with myself at that point, but I knew that I wanted to go to massage therapy school, and I actually got the chance to attend in my favorite city in the U.S. I mean, why not take that opportunity! So I did.
During that year, I met new people, made new friends, joined an incredible church, pursued my passion for massage therapy, and learned a TON about myself. Sure, I got to do some pretty cool things and meet some pretty cool people in Nashville that I wouldn't have gotten the chance to had I gone to school anywhere else, but probably the most exciting adventure for me, personally, was self-discovery. I learned indeoendence within myself, as well as grew in my dependence on the Lord. My patience was tested, and I realized that there are times to say "no." I made life plans, then learned not to depend on those plans. I also realized how much I really do expect out of others. Growing up I always thought I leaned more towards the "laid-back" side of life...but now that might not be the case as much.
I like order and thrive on schedules. I think that's one reason I love my job so much. My clients come at a certain time, and then they are on my table until it is time for their session to be over. Now, not everyone comes in on time, and occasionally I will have to keep a client past their set leaving time, but that's the way it goes.
I'm going back to visit my Nashville home this weekend...and I could not be more ready to be there again! What's gonna be weird is driving past my old apartment knowing it's not mine anymore. Wonderful memories.