The Obligatory Year-End Blog Post

This time tomorrow night, I will be preparing to say "goodbye" to 2010 and "hello" to 2011.  Ok, let's face it... this time tomorrow night I will be either asleep or wishing that dang ball would hurry up and drop so I could go to bed.  Either way, in just about 26 hours 2010 is going to end, whether I'm still awake to see it or not.

Having spent more time unemployed this past year than employed, I am thankful to be ending the year 2 months into a job that I can see myself working for a long time.  To my surprise and relief, it has turned out that I really do like this job (and even some of my co-workers) now that I've had time to adjust to a whole new work routine.  This is probably the first time in my life I have had a job that I didn't dread each day, and also the first time I've had a job where I don't get depressed over the thought of still working there years from now.

As my employment status has changed, so has my schedule.  Time has been a roller coaster for me this year--  sometimes being so empty that I could scream from boredom, and other times so busy and hectic that I was nearly too busy to breathe!  During my periods of unemployment, I had the opportunity to reconnect with some family and some friends from my past.  Kaleb and I got to visit my grandparents almost weekly for a few months!  My dear friend, Jack, has moved back to the States this year after working overseas for the last 5 years, and it has been so great to have him back around for visits!  I've even gotten to know, perhaps for the first time, some old acquaintances from my elementary school days.

A Special Christmas Gift from My Daddy

Well, today is Christmas!  I barely slept last night because I was so excited to see whether or not Kaleb would have fun with all his new Christmas gifts!  He has, of course, had lots of fun this morning.  He got his very own child-sized recliner with a footstool and an end table and an LED lamp that he can turn on and off all by himself.  He's gotten new toys and books and clothes, too, and played all morning up until nap time.

I got some pretty nice things too!  I had already gotten my new love seat from my dad a few weeks ago, and we had created a footstool to go with it by shortening and upholstering an old coffee table I had in storage.  Dad also came home a few days ago with a new rug for my living room, since the old one no longer matched (the new love seat is a different color than the old one).  Also, Dad had paid for us to have Kaleb's portraits made a couple of days ago, also as part of my Christmas.  I expected I might receive a couple of other smaller gifts, and I did.  One gift in particular, though, has already brought tears to my eyes a few times today, and I feel it deserves a blog post!

Pensacola: Proof That Mother Nature has Multiple Personality Disorder!

Last night, Pensacola dropped into the low 20s!  As I write this, it is after 10:30 in the morning and the temperature is still below freezing outside.  The temperature isn't even expected to make it out of the low 40s today.  But, pop over to The Weather Channel, and one look at the 10-day forecast for this area will reveal that our projected high for Thursday (two days from now) is a mild 70º!!  Then, for the remainder of the 10-day forecast, the temps are expected to remain in the 40s at night and the mid-60s by day.  How does that make any sense?!

So, I saw signs of the overnight cold all over the place on my drive to work this morning: a few frozen mud puddles, several fallen tree branches, people bundled into so many layers that they waddled like penguins as they walked.  As I turned onto Olive Road, I noticed that I was running a bit earlier than usual.  As I passed the Casa Ole Mexican Restaurant on Olive, I was glad to have those few extra minutes.  I HAD to stop and take a picture of the fountain in front of the restaurant.  It was lovely, and not a sight we see often here in warm, sunny Florida.

Check it out!

Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas

As much as I enjoy the festive season of holidays that begins at Thanksgiving and continues until the New Year's party hangovers have worn off, I'm always brought down just a little bit by the people who constantly bicker and whine about the "reason for the season."

I'd guess that nearly all of my friends (on Facebook and in real life) would identify themselves as believing in the Biblical God.  Being in the South, people identifying themselves as "Christian" are definitely in the majority, and that's not a problem for me.  I grew up in church, and many of my friends still actively live the Christian lifestyle.

My problem is this: around here (and probably in other places too) there are people who actually get offended if you wish them a "Happy Holidays" rather than a "Merry CHRISTmas."  Now, I understand that Jesus may be your reason for the season, and I respect that, but I also respect the fact that Christmas isn't the only holiday celebrated in the late-December/early-January window.  There are also Santa Lucia Day (Sweden), Las Posadas (Mexico), Hanukkah (Jewish), Boxing Day (Canada), Kwanzaa, Yule, Emancipation Day, Feast of St. Basil, New Year's, Guru Gobind Singh's Birthday (Sikh), Epiphany, Three Kings' Day, and Lohri (Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh).....and probably many more I've never even heard of!  So, if I tell you "Happy Holidays," I'm not trying to downplay the importance of your God and/or your religion in your life; rather, I'm making an ethnically- and religiously-neutral statement of good will, and trying to express that I hope you enjoy whatever holiday(s) you choose to celebrate this time of year.