It Snowed!!!

I know that eventually I'll complain about it, but you can't complain about the first snow of the season! It's so nice to wake up and see a nice dusting of snow on the ground. There's something magical about it, I think.

I have no idea how long the snow will be here, but it's so pretty!!! It make me smile and totally made my day.

Oh, my aching feet

Mom and I just completed a morning full of Christmas shopping...

It was great.

It was crowded.

It was intense.

It was successful.

And now I am exhausted!

But I am almost done with my shopping! Which is good, considering that pretty soon I get to help Dad with his shopping for Mom, and I like to have mine done before that so we're only focusing on him.

I think I should start buying in March. That would make things much simpler.

GREAT NEWS!!!!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Christmas blog post for this breaking announcement.
I PASSED MY BOC EXAM!!!!!
For those of you who don't know, the BOC exam is the Board of Certification exam that all athletic trainers must take in order to be certified. This was my fourth time taking it and frankly, I didn't know if I could do it. BUT I DID!!!
I want to thank my family for supporting me and praying for me and believing in me, especially when I didn't believe in myself. I want to thank my friends who encouraged me, my teachers who taught me, and my mentors who thought I deserved this.
Most of all, I need to thank the Lord because quite honestly, I could NOT have done this without Him. I'm not even sure how I did it, but I know He had a LOT to do with it.
So now I'm CERTIFIED!!! Not certifiable [you meanies], but certified. So now after my name it will read: ATC, LMT.
WAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Tomorrow we will return to your regular program. Have a nice day.

It's up!

We put our tree up last night!!!!! It took some manuevering, getting all of the furniture in the right place so that the TV was still visible and that everyone would have a good seat at Christmas. But it is up. It's not decorate yet, but it is up and watered and starting to fill out after it's day of bondage.
And the whole family room smells AMAZING!!!!!

O Christmas Tree...

We got our tree last night. It was awesome! Granted, we went to Lowe's and picked out one there, but I LOVE the whole process of picking out the perfect tree for our Christmas. Dad and I have very strict regulations. We're practically Christmas Tree police. It has to be tall, very few, if any, bare spots, full the whole length of the tree, and fat. Yes, fat. Our tree this year is PERFECT.

For those of you who haven't guessed, yes, we still get real trees. Fraser Firs, to be exact. And I have no doubt that we will continue to get real trees until our dying days. I intend to have a real tree forever. They smell SOOOOOOO good and look so pretty. So what if there are pine needles on the floor? Get a vaccuum! So what if you have to water it all the time? IT'S WORTH IT. So worth it, in fact, that I never complain about it.

And I was so happy to get our tree that I actually hugged it. When it was all bound up and in our garage, I gave the tree a big hug. Hey, it's a living thing....sort of.... And when I got home from class last night, I totally planted my face in the tree and inhaled....

If you could get high off of Christmas trees, I might be in trouble.

Anyway, we're probably putting it up tonight, and it will be decorated shortly thereafter. Christmas is awesome, isn't it? I love the traditions of it. Even if I hate a few of the ornaments that have to go on the tree every year...

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

I don't know when the tradition started, but every time it's a new month, in my family we wish each other a Happy Whatever month it is. If it was a really special month, sometimes we got goodies for it. But I like this tradition. It makes each new month seem like a celebration, which I think all new months should be. It makes us have another day where we can be happy that it is that day, if that makes sense.

December is the greatest month of all. No, really, it is. My birthday is in a week and Christmas is in three and a half. But the entire month of December is one of continual excitement and joy, regardless of whatever we are going through. The Christmas season is one of hope and peace. It really doesn't matter what we get anyone for Christmas or what we receive from anyone or what goodies we are given. What matters is focusing on what DOES matter: family, friends, religion. The things that bring us the most joy in life are not things at all.

Now I'm all for things, though. I love Christmas lights, Christmas cards, Christmas trees, Christmas music, Christmas wrapping paper, Christmas commercials... You could say that I'm a Christmas junkie. I get so excited about the whole thing. It's a special and magical time of year!

HAPPY DECEMBER, EVERYBODY!!! GET EXCITED!!! IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS!!!