Christmas songs!

Because Thanksgiving is now over (and I love the Christmas spirit), today I wanted to share with you (and participate in Shauna's link-up!) some of my favorite holiday songs!

First: Carrie Underwood's Do You Hear What I Hear? It's inspiring, amazingly sung, and when she hits the I in the line "Do you know what I know?" I get goosebumps every time.

Next, my favorite Canadian Fred Penner's The Season. It reminds me of my childhood and remains (after 20 years) my favorite Christmas album of all-time.

Weird Al's The Night Santa Went Crazy is an absolutely horrid (and awesome) song about how Santa blows up all his reindeer. To be completely honest, I have distinct memories of listening to this song on a friend's portable CD player on the bus in 5th grade and snickering because I wasn't supposed to be listening to such "inappropriate" songs so young. This is probably why I'm now research impulsive aggression.

'N SYNC's Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays brings back great memories of junior high. Also, this video is hilariously awesome.

Finally, the last of the Christmas songs, we've got Straight No Chaser's 12 Days. If you haven't seen this video, you've probably been living under a rock. A capella and witty men? You can't get much better than this.

Since one of my best friends is Jewish, Hanukkah is never forgotten either. He absolutely hates this song, but Adam Sandler's Hunukkah Song is one of my favorite holiday songs.

Lastly, the song Max and I wholeheartedly agree as one of the best Hanukkah (and holiday) songs around: the Maccabeats' parady of Taio Cruz's Dynomite to tell the story of Hanukkah. Awesome.

What's your favorite holiday song?

Dear Monday v.10

Linking up with Megan for another round of...

Dear Monday, Today you started out at 4:30am since Nicholas had to drive to San Antonio for a medical school interview and needed a wake-up. Nothing like a bright and early start to the week!

Dear Nick, With the lost tie last night and the tire blowout today, I'm pretty sure you're the most patient man alive. I'm lucky to call you mine.

Dear Ann Taylor LOFT, Your 50% off sale today (online and in stores, their site went down so if you go into a store, tell them you want the 50% Off Everything sale) is hard to resist. I did it on Black Friday, but can I do it today?

Dear Thanksgivings 1 and 2, If I can't be with family, I'm glad I got to spend you with friends.

Dear FaceTime, I love that you allow me to talk to the people I hold most dear, especially my favorite silly nose picker.

Dear Co-Captain of Team Salt Lake (who always gets two letters a la Todays Letters), Good luck on your two medical school interviews this week! I have complete faith that both UTSA and UPenn will need you to be in their incoming class.

Happy Monday, friends! Hope you had a glorious and gratitude-filled Thanksgiving! How has your Monday been thus far?

Starbucks Sunday: Thanksgiving edition

Happy Sunday, friends! (Total sidenote, one of my students said that I say "friends" as a term of endearment so often that she caught herself saying it. What else should I say? Bloggers? Homies? Peeps?)

Since it's the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I figured I'd tell you about my two Thanksgivings. I briefly mentioned my first Thanksgiving in the previous blog post, but I thought I'd go more in-depth.

On Wednesday's typical Happy Hour date with the ladies (Liz, Casey, and Tara) I mentioned that Nick's family wasn't celebrating until the weekend and that I'd be home alone on Thursday since Nick had to work at the ER. Liz, whose family has always accepted me into their home with open arms, insisted that I spend Thursday with them. I protested a little, as I didn't want to impose on their plans. Liz told her father, who immediately called me (with Liz and her mother telling him what to say in the background!) to invite me over.

I headed over there around 10am (as lunch was set at noon) and arrived incredibly quickly (no traffic?!). I was so early that Cathy was still getting ready for the day, so Ralph "babysat" me as he was preparing the turkeys to be cooked. His plan was to use the rotisserie on his BBQ for one turkey and to deep fry the other. I've only had deep fried turkey once, so I was excited to get the chance to see it done.

Ralph had previously cleaned the aluminum pan that the turkey was supposed to be deep fried in, so he put the pan on the propane fire and then started to pour the oil into the pan (apparently, for safety reasons you're supposed to pour the oil in first, then put the pan on the fire...something I didn't learn until Cathy told me after-the-fact). I started noticing that something looked to be dripping onto the propane fire when I realized that it was oil. Turns out the cleaner Ralph had used ate a hole in the bottom of the pan, so the oil literally just kept flowing onto the propane fire. Um, hello, fire hazard! Luckily we noticed it in time and were able to turn off the fire and move the pan without anything going up in too large of flames.

We ended up using the rotisserie for one turkey (that ended up being undercooked, which was sad) and the roaster for the other (which tasted amazing). It was quite hilarious, and a great Thanksgiving story since nobody got hurt.

Anyway, the Pattersons' house was a blast and I'm so thankful for their open hearts.

My second Thanksgiving was yesterday in Fort Worth with Nick's family (shout-out to Rachel; they live in Bedford so everytime we're there we usually drive through Colleyville and I think of you!). We went to Nick's mom Cynthia's house on Friday afternoon and spent some quality time with her. On Saturday morning, Nick and I helped Cynthia cook, then we headed over to Nick's brother Patrick's house for lunch.

Something I learned over the weekend: in the south, they call stuffing "dressing." According to the plethora of Twitter friends who responded to my astonished tweet, apparently it's stuffing when it's made in the turkey and it's dressing if it's made outside the bird. Carole said she learned it's stuffing if it's comprised of regular bread and dressing if it's made out of cornbread. Who knows, as I've always called it stuffing, but any other name tastes as good!

We had an insane amount of food for 8 people, but all of it was so good! What's not pictured is the tasty lemon meringue Alana's friend Lanae made. Amazing!

So those were my Thanksgivings! Four total turkeys, one oil fire, and no injuries. Overall quite successful.

Now on to Christmas! From Meghan's recommendation, I just got the She & Him Christmas album. Let the Christmas music commence!

Thursday thoughts: Thanksgiving edition!

[1]

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope today was full of love, hugs, and plenty of tryptophan-induced naps (okay, okay, so it's probably carbohydrate-induced drowsiness, but everybody feels smarter if they say an amino acid).

[2]

Thank you, Patterson family, for making sure that I was fully taken care of for Thanksgiving. Liz invited me over, but knowing that I wouldn't want to impose, she had her father call me to make sure I knew I was invited. One almost-propane-oil fire, two turkeys, and seven hours later, my fridge is full of leftovers and my heart is full of love.

[3]

The Stern-Ochel wedding rocked, and I cannot wait to tell you guys about how amazing their father/daughter dance was. I'll write a blog post soon! In the meantime, I'll tide you over with an awesome photo (with captions!) from their Photobooth.

(Nick, Bartender James, and me)

[4]

To the amazing Glade Spruce It Up! fragrance candle in my living room, thank you for making it smell like Christmas even though it was mid-60 degrees today.

[5]

Now that Thanksgiving is over (and November is coming to a close), I hope y'all remember to continue giving thanks and being grateful for life year round!

[6]

After we all had a hilarious time laughing over how Ralph almost accidentally caught Cathy's car on fire, we sat around and talked about our favorite Thanksgiving moments. Although they ranged from Liz finding out about her dog's death (horrid!) to Nick's dad calling him and gobbling for 20 seconds, we had a great time listening to stories.

What's your most memorable Thanksgiving? How was your Thanksgiving this year?!

Plenty to Be Thankful For Blog Swap

In early November, I signed up for a blog swap. For those unaware of what this entails, it's less blog and more swap: you are given some sort of parameters, matched up with a partner, then exchange addresses and send each other packages. It's a great way to meet other bloggers that you wouldn't have known otherwise, and a fun way to give/receive items.

I'm the type of person who always loved giving more than receiving. I had a blast trying to decide what to get my partner, Meghan, for the Plenty to be Thankful For Blog Swap put on by a handful of bloggers. The swap had very general boundaries: send your partner things that you're thankful for/they'd be thankful for.

Sadly, I completely forgot about taking a photo of the package I sent Meghan until I was at the post office with the package already taped. Whoops. I can tell you, however, that I made her and her fiance a Pinterest-inspired print in their wedding colors and had it framed, as I noticed that her fiance was a common theme in her blog (duh, if I had a fiance, I'd do the same!). I also sent a tote bag that I sewed (and I'm envious I sent it; I'm going to have to make one myself!). Lastly, I sent her thank-you cards; since she's going to be bride and everybody will be showing her with gifts, she's going to be so thankful that she'll need to send everybody thank-you cards.

Meghan, in turn, sent me this thoughtful package:

-Two skeins of yarn for knitting/crocheting (it's the gift that will also give!)

-Some cupcake liners and toppers

-Girly stuff: two bottles of nail polish, nail clippers, lip gloss, and a masque

-Chalk to use on all my chalkboard projects

Meghan did an amazing job at picking things that I'm very thankful for, along with making sure to learn about me before sending off something that she didn't know if I'd like. I love the thought she put into the package, and I'm thankful for her as my partner (and for what she sent)!

While linking to her blog today, I noticed that she's also hosting a Holiday Card Swap! For those with not much expendable income (hello, life of a graduate student), this is the perfect swap: you'll be matched up with four other people and asked to send them cards (limiting the cost to one stamp per card). I love this idea, as blogger friends always have the neatest holiday cards! I bought my Christmas cards this year, but I'm thinking that I'll make the cards I send for the card swap.

Sign up for the Holiday Card Swap here!

What's your favorite Blog Swap you've done? I've only participated in one other swap before this one, but I think this is my favorite because of the thought that Meghan put into her package.

Dear Monday v.9: Nick Edition

Linking up with Megan for another version of Dear Monday...but this time it's the Nick Edition!

Dear Monday, It's good to have you back. Carpe weekum. The early bird gets the worm, and all that.

Dear Sarah, Thank you for coming with me last night to my Kenya meeting and being my date. I always have more fun with you. I'm proud to be associated as a team. I've had the most wonderful time with you this weekend.

Dear TimTams, I see why you are Australia's favorite cookie. Team Salt Lake agrees with our friends down under. I suggest you follow the advice of item one, head to Target, and acquire some of these bad boys for your own excursions in gastronomical bliss.

Dear Esther, Thank you for working so well lately! It's been wonderful to be able to drive at night with both of your headlights shining bright. I really appreciate you only dying once this month. You're a sweetheart.

Dear Medical School Interview #1, You rocked. Thanks for showing me around the ER, letting me chill with the flight medics on America's busiest helipad, and assuming I was interviewing to be a resident. Your visit was flattering and awesome.

Dear Thanksgiving at Baylor, Thank you for your massive and free selection of season yums! I know I abused our relationship by betraying my stomach with an excess of you, but it felt oh-so-good. Won't happen again, I promise...'til Thursday.

Dear Kenya Team, I had a blast sharing stories and making bracelets with you! Flora, my house co-leader, taught us all how to produce some ballin' bracelets to raise funds for our medical missions.

Dear Fall, About time! It was nice of you to show yourself. I was beginning to wonder if the other guys had voted you out. The last thing we need is a Seasonal Triumvirate.

Dear "Truthmonster" (who always gets two letters a la Todays Letters), I never knew you existed before last night. Maybe you only come out when there are weddings and free wine involved. You are kind of scary, but I love you anyway.

How was your weekend?! Do anything fun?

Advent calendar fun!

Last year, I saw the most creative idea for a DIY advent calendar from this blog. It's a magnetic advent calendar made from a cookie sheet and magnetic knickknacks.

My 2010 advent calendar:

I gave the finished advent calendar to my mom for decoration in her house, as she didn't have one. I figured I'd make another one, as I had an open Saturday and needed a project. I liked my calendar last year, but I knew I wanted to have a little more variety than just red and green (it will be hanging in my green dining, so I wanted some color diversity).

Since I was making another one, I figured I'd write up a DIY tutorial for you to make your own, too!

[Supplies]

-Non-Teflon-coated cookie sheet (I got mine from the Dollar Store, although it's smaller than the one I used last year that I got at Wal-Mart)

-Mod Podge (or some sort of decoupage glue) and a foam paint brush

-acrylic paint (optional)

-decorative paper

-drill with 3/16ths drill bit

-Sharpie permanent pen

-yardstick or ruler

-various knickknacks, chip board, and decorative pieces

-magnetic tape

-number stickers

-your creative juices

I used a Dollar Store cookie sheet and cut a 12x12 sheet of paper to fit the bottom of it. Last year, I had a larger cookie sheet and thus had a little more room to be creative, so I used decorative ripping and two coordinating papers. This year, I kept it clean and used my paper cutter.

I glued the paper to the cookie sheet using decoupage glue. (I use the bottom of the cookie sheet as the front of the calendar.) Last year, I used acrylic paint on the cookie sheet before decoupaging the paper, but I liked the silver and blue look so I didn't use paint this time. I also added a "Merry Christmas" scrap of paper at the bottom for some decoration.

Next, I used a 3/16th drill bit (although the size of the holes is up to your discretion) to drill holes over marks I made with the Sharpie. Make sure you drill down (aka into the front side of your calendar) so that the shavings go in the back.

Once your decoupage glue is dry, draw the calendar squares. I chose to do a 6X4 grid (to make 24 squares) and then one Christmas square at the bottom. I measured the empty space and used a calculator to help make the squares (err, rectangles) exact. I used a yardstick to draw straight lines.

Pick up your chip board or decorations and start putting numbers on them. Because my calendar squares were smaller this year due to the size of the cookie sheet, I was slightly restricted in the pieces I could use. Thus, I was a little less creative this year.

With each piece, put a piece of magnetic tape on the back so that each piece will stick to the magnetic cookie sheet. You can store the pieces on the inside of the cookie sheet so that each day, you can pull a piece to the front.

Lastly, tie some ribbon through the holes to hang your calendar. I used some colored raffia I got at Wal-Mart for gift wrapping, but because the raffia is so easily broken (and it's being strung through cut metal), I quadrupled it up. I'll probably change it to white ribbon because I'm still unsure if my raffia will hold up.

The final product:

Up close and personal with the pieces:

So that's my 2011 advent calendar! Do you buy the chocolate kind? I can't use those because I always want to skip ahead to Christmas so that I can have 25 pieces of chocolate at once. I'm not too good with patience. :)

Do you have a yearly advent calendar you use? If you make your own, make sure to blog about it then leave your URL in the comments so I can see!

Fill in the Blank Friday v. 20

Linking up with Lauren for another round of

{1}

A nervous habit I have is tapping my toe. Especially when things are taking a very long time.

{2}

Something that makes me sad is people who don't believe in themselves, especially when they're wonderful, dedicated, compassionate people.

{3}

Today, I'm thankful for yellow leaves, colder weather, Fun Dip, Chloe, medical school interviews, candles, the ability to be able to afford warm clothes and a roof to live under, and hugs. Always hugs.

{4}

My favorite room in my house is my bedroom. Bright teal walls with white and green accents, with an off-white bedspread and big off-white Pier 1 papasan chair.

{5}

I cannot stand the improper use of your/you're or there/their/they're, comma misusage, awkward hyphenation, people who don't use serial commas, and lack of capitalization (except for stylistic purposes).

{6}

If I had an extra $100 to spend today, I would buy nothing. In fact, I'd probably put it towards my semester student fees. Lame, I know.

{7}

The last person I hung out with was Miss Addy Meira, Brazilian Bombshell. We went to happy hour at our favorite Thursday spot last night, then I stopped by her house this morning after a meeting.

Happy Friday, friends! I have a lecture this evening with the Honors Residential College, a friend's dissertation celebration tonight, and a wedding tomorrow.

What are your weekend plans?

Thursday thoughts

{1}

Yesterday, Nick and I went to Baylor's All-University Thanksgiving Dinner. Hello copious amounts of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, veggies, pumpkin pie, and plenty of hot chocolate (with unlimited marshmallows)!

{2}

Everybody and their mom has giveaways going on right now! My favorites: Meg's Nashington giveaway and Meghan's BIC Band giveaway. Check 'em out, yo.

{3}

This weekend, Nick has his first med school interview (keep him in your prayers!) and we have Sarah and Jordan's wedding to attend at my church. Busy but fantastic!

{4}

Did I mention that one of my boy besties Kyle proposed to his girlfriend?! Go check out their adorable photos on Katie's blog to read the proposal story and give them your congrats!

{5}

My sewing machine is by far my new favorite possession. I can't stop reading patterns, buying fabric, and pinning potential projects on Pinterest (that's alliteration if I've ever read it!).

{6}

I just bought Christmas cards to send out, and I'm writing my Christmas letter today! I love this time of year.

{7}

I'm positive that the reason why Central Texas finally received colder weather was that I listened to Christmas music yesterday (against my usual rule of waiting until after Thanksgiving). I could listen to Fred Penner's The Season on repeat for three months straight!

I like Fred Penner because he's Canadian and half the songs are in French, so I get to pretend as if I can speak another language (or make sounds that kind of go along with the music).

Happy Thursday! What's your favorite Christmas album and why?

Love is all around

Last weekend, the Carlisles and I threw a fondue engagement party for Daniel and Lyndsey. Daniel's a new edition to the Baylor Psychology & Neuroscience department, but he's one of my favorites. His lovely girlfriend Lyndsey moved to Waco to be with him (I know, that's true love) and he proposed soon after.

They'll be getting married in May at a gorgeous farmhouse in North Carolina (or Georgia? I forget) and I cannot wait to see how the pictures turn out.

Anyway, Lauren had a genius idea to have a fondue party! We had four types of fondue: caramel, maple walnut, chocolate, and white chocolate...and it was fantastic!

Lauren used a Pinterest idea of olive oil in jars with photographs in them, so you can see Daniel and Lyndsey sepia'ed in the background. She also had fall-themed decorations everywhere! I love her house.

I made a "Happy engagement!" banner that only fell into the fondue once...

And Lauren's gorgeous table decorations made for a beautiful party venue.

Somehow I managed to take no photos of people. It may have been because I was hoarding Quintin time, or maybe because Daniel had his massive camera and equipment with him (big scary equipment terrifies me and makes me feel inferior as a person with "just" a love of taking photographs and a basic kit DSLR camera). Regardless, we had a blast at the engagement party.

I also went to Karenna's bridal shower at her MOH April's house. I had to leave early and thus only got a few photos of the games, but I had a good time there as well! Who doesn't love toilet paper wedding dress competitions?!

What's the best party you've ever been to?

Dear Monday v.8

Linking up with Megan (although the link-up isn't there yet!) for another round of...

Dear Monday, You were celebrated this morning with donuts and two cheers for my lab's performance on their exam. Thanks for a great way to start the week!

Dear Love, I love that you know I'd rather have my pillows on the couch than the floor, and I love that this is what happens when you try to make things pretty. Your linearity is endearing.

Dear Joanna, I am so thrilled that you asked me to be a bridesmaid for your wedding (in the cutest way possible!). I'm convinced that you'll be the sweetest, most gracious bride in the world and I cannot wait to stand behind you on one of the best days of your life.

Dear Pinterest, The abundance of ideas you've given me is astounding. Wrapping gifts is one of my favorites things to do now! Plus I love how impressed everybody at the party gets, considering I'm one of the least creative people I know.

Dear Chloe, Cuddling with you is my favorite Sunday afternoon activity. Your sweet cold nose and mesmorizing purring are pure bliss.

Dear Nicholas (who always gets two letters a la Today's Letters), We had a Team Salt Lake victory Saturday night when we turned in one of your medical school secondaries minutes before the deadline. Our celebratory handshake brings all the boys to the yard.

What's your favorite part about the weekend or this lovely Monday?

Fill in the Blank Friday v. 19

Linking up with Lauren for another round of...

[1]

My favorite new blog of the moment is ... shit. Just one? Probably Bethany at Rinse.Repeat. It's not new (although it's relatively new to me), but her blog blew up after her amazing "Be my Maid?" boxes were pinned thousands of times on Pinterest.

[2]

Something I am thankful for is Nick's medical school interview at the #2 medical school in the nation (ranked by US News & World Report)! Woohoo!

[3]

Something that made me laugh this week was the video of Jimmy Kimmel asking parents to tell their children their Halloween candy was gone. Glorious.

[4]

An item that is currently on my wish list is a bike rack. Last week, it would have been a sewing machine, but I just bought one this week!

[5]

I'm excited about Megan's birthday celebration, Daniel and Lyndsey's engagement party, all of Nick's med school interviews, the future, figuring out my dissertation prospectus, and life in general.

[6]

If I were a color, I'd be purple. I have no good explanation why.

[7]

My favorite way to spend a chilly fall day is doing anything as long as I get to wear my riding boots, scarf, and peacoat! I love the cold.

Besides being 11/11/11, it's Friday! There are infinite possibilities of good things today, I can feel it. What are your plans for this weekend?

Thursday thoughts

{one}

Nick's mama sent us a basket full of goodies for the cold season. Along with candles, some decorations, and hot cocoa mix, she also included two large mugs and some Cold-Eeze. It's finally getting cold here!

{two}

This weekend is both Haggard's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGAN!) and Daniel/Lyndsey's engagement party. I'm excited for a weekend full of friends, food, and fun.

{three}

I just got an email from my Plenty to be Thankful For blog swap partner Meghan; I'm practically giddy with anticipation for what I'm going to send her!

{four}

I just bought a sewing machine, and after a minor snag with learning how to wind the bobbin (I'm blaming the directions), I'm a sewing prodigy. I made an apron incredibly quickly, especially since I hand-sewed one earlier this year and it took forever.

{five}

Have you voted for Chase and Ashley yet? They're in third place but so close to getting to first!

{six}

Okay, I need your creative help. Every year, I send out a Christmas letter to my family and friends. I don't have a family and children to brag about, so I talk about myself! My first year in graduate school I wrote the letter as a menu, my second was a multiple choice test, and last year I wrote a ballin' psych eval (with which my family generally seemed to be confused). Maybe that's only funny to psychologists. Anyway, I have no idea how I want my letter to look this year, but I know it has to be fun again! Does anybody have any good ideas?

Do you usually write a letter? What's your favorite Christmas letter you've ever received?

BU Homecoming 2011

[Warning: This is a picture-heavy post!]

This past weekend was Baylor University's 102nd Homecoming. The oldest in the nation, it's a massive event with thousands of people celebrating school pride.

My small, private liberal arts university in Washington did not have such a large homecoming. Besides being significantly smaller, no homecoming is quite like Baylor's.

I tried to document with plenty of photos so you can celebrate along with me! It's a fantastic experience.

Friday night is the pep rally and bonfire. Although it's nothing like Texas A&M's (although we've never accidentally killed bystanders so I think we win), it's a massive contained bonfire made out of wooden shipping pallets.

A group of friends that Nick went to undergraduate with, at the bonfire.

This is the second bonfire Nick and I have attended while dating. He was supposed to actually be out of town and changed his plans so we could go together. Sweet, right?

I wore my green for the Bears! Sic 'em!

Saturday morning is the homecoming parade, before the afternoon football game. Baylor's parade is the largest homecoming parade in the nation, which is hard to believe until you actually attend.

Nick and me prior to the parade (notice how Nick is in the SOLOeyewear TWoods I won?).

You can see the sheer number of people, and this is just a small portion of the parade (the parade starts in downtown and goes all the way into campus). I accidentally told Nick an hour before it really started, but it worked out well for us because we got to place our seats right at the front and didn't have to stand.

The only float that floats in the parade, the Baylor Bear. Sic 'em!

The sororities and fraternities spend thousands of dollars to make their floats and to win prizes (I don't actually know if they win a prize or just the title of winning). Regardless, they're creative, witty, and massive works of art. Some of my favorites included...

A Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory-themed float

...that had a chocolate fountain. Awesome!

Lots of Bears vs. Tigers (Mizzou's mascot and our homecoming opponents) fights, with the Bears winning.

Green and Gold Rush-themed float (Gold Rush is promotion at Baylor with $7 gold t-shirts that everybody wears at particular games), with a moving cart on tracks.

And my favorite, a fraternity's big Radio Flyer wagon that was "pulled" (towed, but had a big handle that members held). It had a bunch of old-school toys in it (like giant Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, with the loser's head popping up), but by far the best part with the moving Mario playing on the Pretendo SAMETOY. Genius.

The wittiest--and cruelest--float was titled Two By Two Except Mizzou and was Noah's Ark-themed. However, the Mizzou Tiger got left behind. It's hilarious Christian and not Christian at the same time, and fantastically witty.

A fairytale-themed float, which was okay, but had a witty poem on the back that Nick and I enjoyed (Robert, AKA RG3, is our super amazing quarterback that outshines practically everybody, and Kendall Wright is our fantastic inside receiver).

My love and I after the parade

So that's a Baylor homecoming! I didn't attend the game because it started late, it was cold, and I was worried about becoming sick (which sadly occurred anyway), but you can see how big of a deal homecoming is in Waco, TX. Sic 'em, Bears!

Lastly, have you voted for Chase and Ashley? They're currently in 3rd Place; please help them move to 1st!

What's your favorite part about your high school/college/university's homecoming?

Dear Monday v.7

Linkng up with Megan for another round of...

Dear Monday, You always come relatively peacefully. I'm grateful for that!

Dear Love, I made you tea twice this weekend and both times you had wonderful things to say. For someone who is so picky about his tea, I'm lucky you appreciate my efforts!

Dear Weekend, Homecoming was a blast. I only participated in the bonfire/pep rally and parade, but it's still one of my favorite yearly traditions.

Sic 'em!

Dear Blog Friends, Have you voted for Chase and Ashley yet? Please go do it ASAP! It takes two seconds and could help out a couple who deserves it. I'd love you forever...

Dear Nicholas, You let me wear your fleece at the parade since it was 45 degrees outside. Your caring nature is one of my favorite things about it.

Happy Monday friends! Go vote for Chase and Ashley and then come back and tell me about your day!