Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone. I am sitting here at work, just finishing up a full night on the clock. I'm very sad that I wasn't able to see my family for Christmas. I had a really lonely weekend because of it. Just knowing that I would have been home all weekend if I'd been off today was heart-wrenching for me. But now, Christmas is almost over, and I have something to look forward to. I am off on New Year's Day, so I am heading home this weekend. I will have Christmas with my family then.

Well, now I'm going home. I'm going to watch a couple Christmas movies, and then I'll be back to work tonight.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone.

Deck the Halls

I spent my day Saturday at the Biltmore estate, and man, it was beautiful. The whole place is decorated for Christmas. It was a really good day. I did the audio tour, and it really added alot to the tour. Then I ate lunch at Deerpark, which is an absolutely amazing restaurant on the grounds of the Biltmore estate. After that, I went to the winery and got some more of the wonderful wine we had at Thanksgiving. Then I came home. IT was a great day.

My sister graduated magna cum laude this weekend at the University of North Alabama. Congrats, Lisa!

nothing new to report...gotta go...I'm starving!

this week

This week, for the most part, was a good one. Of course, my birthday was Monday, and I totally treated myself that day. I had a facial and then lunch with the girls. I wish everyday could be that relaxing! Then, the rest of the week, I've just been kind of chillin'. I bought my angel tree gift...I think this is a great Charity and I'm glad I was able to participate this year. It was so fun going to the store and buying for a child. I really hope the girl likes it!

Tomorrow, I think I may head up to the Biltmore Estate to see the Christmas decorations. I didn't get to go last week. And sometime this weekend, I need to finish my Christmas shopping. I have all gifts except for my sister's. Lisa, I really need some ideas!!!

Speaking of Lisa, she graduates from college tonight. And with honors! So, congrats, little sis! You did it!

And Happy 25th birthday today to my brother, Tim.

To a sad note...
Please keep the Hannah family in your prayers. They are old friends of mine from grade school that now live in southern Georgia. Anyway, one of the children...he was 24 now...died in a car accident this week. Reports are that he fell asleep at the wheel. And his brother, who was in the car with him, was taken to the hospital. I have no update on his condition. But that family needs lots of prayers right now.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, it's official! I am 28 years old. You know, when my mother got 29, she never aged again...for the longest time, she told people she was 29 no matter how old she was! That is, until her children got too old for people to believe it anymore! I am thinking that might be a good idea...stop aging at 29. What do you think?

I had a good day at work last night. My co-worker, Heather, made me a wonderful, chocolate cake! It was so tasty! She even brought candles, and they all sang happy birthday. It was great! Today was also a good day because our writer that's been on maternity leave is back, so we had extra help.

Now, I'm about to get ready to go to the spa to get a facial (I'm so looking forward to it!) and then I am meeting the girls for lunch!

The weekend was good. I went to the "the holiday" at the theater. It was great! And then I went downtown Greenville and walked around Friday night so I could look at all the Christmas decorations. Saturday, I did almost all of my Christmas shopping. I got everyone taken care of except my sister! I have no clue what to get her!

Well, gotta go! Have a good day everybody.

It Feels Like Winter!

I don't think I've ever been this cold in December! Some cold air from Canada gushed down here last night, and man, it's cold! It feels like it's 11 degrees outside here in Greenville. And up in the mountains, the wind chill is below freezing. People up there got a good bit of snow last night!

Okay, so I turn a year older Monday. It's my 28th birthday, and for the first time in my life, I'm really not looking forward to the celebration of my birth. As I inch closer to 30, it just reminds me that I'm getting older. I don't want to be older!

The good news is, I have plans on Monday, so I won't be sitting at home by myself. I am going to the spa for an hour to get a facial. I'm really looking forward to that. I've never spent money on myself in that way before! And then for lunch, all the girls from my morning crew will be heading to lunch at P.F. Chang's! Now, I do not like chinese food, but I love this place! The food is great!

I already received birthday gifts from my mom...thanks! I really love them! For everyone else, I accept cash, checks, or credit! Just kidding!

Well, I think I'm going to go to the movies today. "The Holiday" starts today and it looks really good. Then tomorrow, I am going to head up to Asheville (if the snow is gone) so I can go see the Biltmore estate at Christmas. I have a drama performance tomorrow night.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hey Everyone!
So, I thought I would post some pictures that I've been itching to share! They are pretty random, so just bare with me...and enjoy!

Isn't this beautiful? I took this picture of the sunrise Thanksgiving morning at my dad's.

This is me and my nephew, Raphael. He was too busy looking at everything going on to take time to look at the camera! But he's still so cute!

Here is the fall colors that I miss so much right now. I took these at my apartment complex. I think it was so beautiful. Now, the trees are naked and blah!

And this one was just too cute not to share! This is my baby, Casey. He was sound asleep on my sofa and looking mighty confortable...complete with blanket and pillow! I swear, he thinks he's human!

It's Christmastime!

It's Christmastime! Yea! I absolutely love Christmas. Everything about it gives me warm fuzzies! All the lights, the music, and the smells of Christmas just make me feel so good inside. And thinking about Jesus and His birth just makes the season even greater.

I don't know why anyone can think about Christmas without including Christ. I mean, that's why Christmas exists. There have been several stories lately about Christmas celebrations in different cities...the one that come to mind was in Chicago...where they wouldn't allow the movie "the Nativity Story" to air during the festival because they didn't want people who weren't Christians to be uncomfortable. I really don't understand how you can differentiate between Christmas and the birth of Christ. Because the way I see it, if you didn't believe in Jesus, then why are you celebrating Christmas anyway? That's like saying, I don't believe Nicole exists, but I'm going to celebrate her birthday anyway. Christmas is just a big birthday party!

Okay, I'm off my soap-box. So, I had a wonderful visit with my family over Thanksgiving. I went to my dad's and my step-brother, Chris, along with his wife and baby, flew in from Chicago. It was the first time I got to meet the baby--he's 14 months old--and man, is he cute. His name is Raphael and he just took to me like white on rice. I went with my step-mom to the airport to pick them up and when I said hello, Raphael just fell into my arms. I had him in my hands before I could even ask if I could hold him. And it was like that all weekend. He was constantly with me. It was great! I hated to say good-bye. I love children so much, and I cannot wait until God blesses me with a couple. The weekend was also nice, because I got to know Chris's wife, Francoise. In the past, we had a really hard time communicating. She's from Paris, France, and her accent is really thick. Plus, with my thick southern accent she had a hard time understanding me as well. But I think both of us have gotten better with our English ((I didn't speak English, I spoke southern before (lol))) and we were able to enjoy each other's company. I'll post some pics next week.

I'm going to be busy this weekend...
Tonight, we have our first performance with our drama group at church. We are ministering at the Singles Bible study tonight. I'm kind of nervous. I just pray it goes well, and God uses us to minister to someone.
And tomorrow, we have our company Christmas party. I have the most awesome outfit I'm wearing. The dress code is semi-formal, and my outfit is "the bomb"! And yes, to everyone who's wondering, I'm going alone. No date this time. But that's okay...I"ll have fun with my co-workers, I'm sure.
I also plan to hang my Christmas lights on my balcony at my apartment...That should be fun!

Well, I have to get to the gym...kickboxing! Have a great weekend everyone...and don't take Christ our of Christmas.