I love traditions of any kind, especially those that center around Christmas. Perhaps the one nearest and dearest to my heart comes from my dad; every year since I was small, he has gone shopping & picked out on his very own, an outfit for my sister and I. For a dad, he has great taste...and I look forward to those outfits each year, even as a 28-year-old adult.

This year I decided to start a tradition of my own.

Some people have a fetish for shoes, others maybe books or jewelry. One of my fetishes has to be stationary. I have gobs of it...it's something I can never get enough of. My sweet grandmother was the same way. I think that is why I pay such close attention to Christmas cards.

So, I have decided from here on out, to choose my favorite Christmas card each year, date them & keep them for a display of some sort every Christmas.

The 1st annual winner is...

My dear friend Tori!

Tori's husband Nathan is overseas serving our country as a member of the Air Force. Instead of using an old picture, or none at all, Tori put her creative mind to work. And here is the result.

Such a fun and festive use of technology! You can easily see why it was chosen as my favorite.

Have a fun New Years Eve! And watch out for the champagne. It'll getch'a every time.

chuck norris wears garth brooks pj's

Unless you live somewhere far far away, or under a rock, you have probably heard about, read up on, or been to one of 9 concerts that Garth Brooks put on for flood victims over the past 7 days.

I was able to get tickets through my work for his second show on a Thursday night at 10:00 - more like 11:00 by the time we fought all of the crowds to get in. There was no opening act, we sat down and 5 minutes later, here comes Garth. Our seats were insanely good, and for a little over 2 hours I stood and danced and sang to every single song he played. When I left I said to myself, I have to go back.

And I did.

I found a ticket on Stub Hub. The actual price of the ticket was $3, but after fees and service charges it was a whopping $12.95. How in the world could I pass that up? My two best friends from high school, Laing and Whitney, were going so we all loaded up together and headed downtown after work for his 6:00 last night.

I bought a single ticket so I had to sit by myself. No biggie, I didn't care at all. I be-bopped around like I had Thursday...I was on my feet the whole time. Part of my row even started to sway during "The River". I almost joined in, but the guy next to me was a 50 year old dad with his son, so I opted out. I'm awkward, but I'm not that awkward.

When we left, my friend Tommy asked me which show was better. That's like asking me which I like more, a chocolate cupcake or a strawberry cupcake. While you could tell that his voice was going out a lot more on Tuesday, it was still an amazing show. I could have done without Trisha Yearwood singing "How Do I Live Without You" Tuesday night, but Garth playing an acoustic version of Piano Man (one of my favorite songs of all time) more than made up for it. Both shows were awesome and I left in total awe of his talent and energy.

It's not too late if you want to go - there are still really cheap tickets on Stub Hub for his last two concerts tonight. Take it from me, it is so worth it.

You'll thank me later.

christmas

...here are a few of my favorite things about Christmas


1. Home Alone. I could quote that movie in my sleep. So many classic lines: "When I grow up and get married, I'm living alone! Did you hear me?! I'm living alone!"


2. Tacky Christmas Sweaters. We all had teachers that use to wear them for serious during the month of December. I went to a party this past weekend where one guest came in a Christmas themed denim-on-denim ensemble. So hot.





3. Peppermint oreos at Trader Joe's and Peppermint tootsie roll pops. I also tried the Peppermint milkshake at Chick-Fil-A. Killer. See you at the gym.

4. Food brought in to the office. We have all sorts of treats coming in, from Christie Cookies to candies, fudge, etc. with the most popular one being the Honeybaked Ham. I missed it this year, because I had already gone to lunch. By the time I had returned, it looked like it had been attacked by a pack of banshees.

5. Christmas Cards. Although I have to admit, I'm a card snob. Mine have to say Merry Christmas and they have to have red or green on them somewhere. I am very particular when finding my cards!

6. Snow and cold weather even though it technically isn't winter yet? Yes please!

Towanda Goes to Target

Against my will, I ventured out on Black Friday. My sister and I hit a few early (but not too early) sales...found nothing...but still checked out some stores Friday morning. All & all it wasn't too painful.

That afternoon, I stopped at Target to pick up some non-Christmas related items. And a scarf. Because, let's face it - I go in to Target for deodorant and come out with a new wardrobe most every time.

I was behind a woman Friday in line. At first, I wasn't paying that much attention to her at all. Except for the fact that she was wearing Uggs, a beret, and her hair was braided in pigtails. I thought it just looked silly on her because she had to be at least 50 years in age. Maybe I'm being too critical.

I noticed it was taking longer than usual for Boots with the Fur to make her purchase of 12 Sonicare toothbrushes. She must have found a bargain. But it wasn't long before I noticed that the cashier lady and BWTF were in a heated argument about a apparent mistake with the toothbrush transaction.

Like I said, I wasn't paying that much attention but when the dialog between the two got louder and louder, my ears perked up. The cashier had accidentally charged her double for the toothbrushes. To the tune of $500...which I agree is a big mistake, but easily taken care of at Guest Services.

The next thing I know, I'm sandwiched between two security guards as the argument continues and the husband gets involved. The security man asked me to change lanes, which I did, but not without keeping my eyes and ears glued on these two irate idiots. Every single person in checkout was staring at them with mouths wide open.

Then, I hear Boots tell the cashier "You should know $500 is a lot of money, that is probably what you make here in month."

OH NO SHE DID NOT.

I can not STAND for anyone to talk to someone like that, regardless of the magnitude of the mistake. So what did I do? I marched my happy ass right over in the middle of everything, looked the Target manager on the scene straight in the eye, and said, "I just want you to know that I was standing right behind this lady when all of this transpired and your employee did absolutely nothing wrong in handling this out of control lady."

BAM.

It felt good.

I gave the lady the evil eye and a "how do you like them apples" stare and walked out of the store.

Merry Christmas from Towanda.

"happy thanksgiving back"

($10 to whoever can tell me what movie that quote is from.)

Thanksgiving is by far my most favorite holiday. I love the food, football and time with family that encompasses the day and long weekend.

Here is my list of what I am thankful for, in no particular order. It goes without saying that I am thankful for friends, family, my health, a roof over my head and food on the table. Those are blessings I count each and every day. O.k., and my job too.

This is just my more fun, light-hearted list of just 10 things that came to mind when I sat down to think about the quirky things I'm thankful for.

1. sweet potato casserole - with marshmallow. one of my most favorite foods of all time.

2. babies. i am in love with all babies. and it's about to get a lot more fun as some of my closest & dearest friends are expecting in the first half of next year.

3. antique stores... i love anything vintage

4. a dream trip in the making for summer of 2011 - details to come as they get more set in stone!

5. brad paisley concert, february 28th in nashville. enough said.

6. speaking of concerts, backstreet boys & new kids on the block are touring this summer. i would be lieing if I said i wasn't excited. more like, dieing to go. NKOTBSB. it's catchy, isn't it?

7. discovering Modern Family

8. fruit tea

9. target

10. websites like catalogliving.net and awkwardfamilyphotos.com

I hope each of you enjoy your Thanksgiving and all that it brings!

wednesday randoms

1. Last night some friends and I ate at Chuy's - a TexMex restaurant here in town. I had eaten there once before, but for some reason last night not only was it better, but it was one of the best meals, from start to finish, I have had in a long time - and to the tune of $9. We were seated right away, the service was excellent and the food was amazing. I can't stop talking about it. Literally.

2. It's a known fact that I love cold weather, but oddly enough, I do not like to be cold. I like to be warm and cozy inside when it is frigid outside. I keep a heater running regularly in my office. Well today, I guess I have kept it so warm for so long, that it melted a Kit-Kat bar I had inside my desk drawer.

3. Yesterday I was helping go through the mail here at the office and came across this. Correct me if I am wrong, but this seems not only totally unprofessional, but totally inappropriate for a general mailing to advertise your business. It made me laugh and caught my attention, but for all the wrong reasons.

wednesday randoms

1. For the past three mornings, there has been a single, whole, red onion on the side of the on ramp I take to get to work. I don't know why I get so tickled, but I do each time I see it. Probably because...you guessed it...it's so random. Did someone throw it out? Did it fly off the back of a truck? Who knows. All I know is that it makes me giggle.

2. CMA awards tonight! I always love watching award shows...especially ones that center around my favorite genre of music. Brad Paisley is hosting it, and I can't wait to see how well Miranda Lambert does. I have a girl crush on her. I think she's darling.

3. My company has a suite at the Bridgestone Arena. The same Bridgestone arena where Garth Brooks sold out a six-day run of 9 shows. For me, who manages all tickets for my company, this means utter and total chaos. But it also makes me one of the most popular girls in the office :).

4. I think I am seriously loosing some of my mind, or some of my memory, or both. The other day I stopped in at Chick-Fil-A to get lunch for my co-worker. The nice girl at the counter asked me if I wanted it for here or to-go. I literally stared at her for at least 20 seconds, like she had asked me the meaning of life. I could not for the life of me, process what she was asking, much less the answer. I laughed about it after the fact, but I am sure she thought I was a total idiot.

If laughing at yourself is healthy, I'm going to live forever!