It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Nothing puts you in the holiday spirit like hearing a four-year-old sing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" whilst he waits for his mom to bring him his meal at Wendy's. Yep. I'm all about Christmas music, decorations, wrapping, and cookies. But I don't think I was completely ready for Christmas until I had the pleasure of hearing an enthusiastic (and sometimes slightly mumbly, as my friend was a bit unsure of the lyrics) Christmas carol at a fast food restaurant.

Yep, I'm ready now. Bring on more Christmas-y goodness.

And if I find that the Christmas spirit bestowed on me today is not enough to get me through the season, I'll just keep my fingers crossed that my mom will have re-visited Christmas 2005 and whipped up one of these awesome reindeer cakes for my return to Kentucky next week:

My sister and a reindeer cake (before the antlers were attached). Don't ask me. My mom slaved away on this for hours.

What makes your holiday season complete? If it's not small children singing Christmas carols in restaurants and slightly creepy reindeer cakes, then what is it that makes the season perfect in your eyes?

Happy Holidays to all! Best wishes for a relaxing and fun-filled break and an absolutely fantastic 2010!

It's Hard to Believe...

that just two months ago, I was in France, wrapping up the vacation of a lifetime and my very first trip to Europe. My husband and I spent time in Barcelona, Spain before and after a 7-day cruise in the Mediterranean. Our cruise stopped at different ports of call in Spain, France and Italy. The weather? Perfect – 80 degrees and sunny every day. The sites? Incredible – we saw the Amalfi Coast, St. Peter Basilica, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Tuscan countryside, Monaco, and SO much more. (Plus, the food was absolutely to die for.) Every day was an adventure, and we never were quite sure what to expect.

Yep, that's me. Oh, and St. Peter Basilica in the background.

I don't know what it was when I woke up this morning that made me wish I could travel back in time two months. It might have been the ridiculously biting wind that I could hear howling from inside my house. Or the frigid temperatures I endured when I took the dog out this morning. If the opportunity presented itself, I wouldn't say no to a return trip to the Mediterranean. As a matter of fact, I can be free tomorrow, if anyone would like to take me along on a vacation.

What about you? Are you the kind of person that travels during the cold months? Finals are over and the holidays are fast approaching -- anyone have exciting or exotic travel plans that I can be jealous of?

La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The Roman Catholic Basilica is still under construction, despite the fact that the architect was commissioned for the job in 1883.

Colosseum

Trevi Fountain

I'm fairly certain the Amalfi Coast is the most beautiful place in the world. Breathtaking.

preparing for the holidays flamingo style

I went to Target this weekend and was excited to get a great deal of Christmas shopping done. I finished shopping for my nine nieces and nephews, at least, which I consider a feat!

Since this is my first "married Christmas," I decided to peruse the Christmas decorations in the store to see if there was something special that I could put in our house, on our lawn, etc. that would be sort of symbolic...you know, years from now we'll look back and say, "oh! It's the _______ we bought for our very first Christmas!"

Indeed, there was something very special.


People! It's flamingo wearing a Santa hat! It lights up! It moves from side to side! Could there be anything more perfect to adorn my lawn this holiday season??? I think not.

Is it tacky? Of course it is. That's what makes it great. My husband says it's the most ridiculous thing he's ever seen, and a complete waste of money. I say he's no fun: I'm seriously considering stopping by Target later this week to pick up this gem. What do you think? If you passed a house with a Santa flamingo, would you think the people who live there are tacky, but fun? Or completely strange?

Will you be my friend? Confirm or Ignore.

Do you have a Facebook account? Awesome. Don't miss out on the opportunity to win BIG via St. Charles Community College's official Fan Page. All you have to do is become a fan, then invite other friends to become fans. You could win a brand new mini laptop (Asus Eee PC Netbook) or a $100 SCC Bookstore gift certificate. Trust me, it's worth checking out, and completely legitimate. I've seen the netbook, and it's pretty darn cool. :-) Check out official rules and regulations on the SCC Fan Page (under the Notes tab).

And just for fun, check out the clip below to get a little taste of what life would be like if we interacted in real life the way we do on Facebook. I get a kick out of it because it's oh-so-true, and also because I love the British accents. (Stayyyyytus update!!!!)

Defining Me

I’ve thought many times about blogging, and have always talked myself out of it. After all, what’s interesting about me? I’ve always loved keeping a journal, but I’m not vain enough to think that anyone else is interested in the minute details of my daily life. Trust me, I realize I’m boring.

So I promise to try to keep my boring-ness out of this blog. However, in order for you to understand where I’m coming from, you have to know a bit about me, right? I’ll keep it short and sweet.

I was born and raised in Kentucky. I was bound and determined to leave home for college as soon as I graduated high school, so I did: I relocated to St. Louis, where I studied dance and journalism at Webster University. I spent my mornings in academic classes and my afternoons in dance classes. That’s sort of the way my life has always been: I have this double life where I balance the “professional” with the “artistic.”

Let’s be honest: I had never stepped foot on the SCC campus until I came here for an interview in 2007. It was much different than I expected. The campus was beautiful, the people were very friendly, and everything was so clean! When I left my interview, I took a wrong turn and ended up hopelessly lost in St. Charles County. But that’s neither here nor there. I eventually found my way home. Not long after, I started working in SCC’s marketing department, and I’ve now been here two years.

So here’s my life in a nutshell: I work as marketing specialist at SCC from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. every day, and I teach dance from 5-9:30 every night. Is it exhausting? Yes, but I love being busy and I can’t imagine my life without my creative outlet.

Other than that, I’m pretty typical. I like to bake. I love flamingos. I enjoy spending time with my husband (who is an honest-to-goodness rocket scientist) and my precious new puppy. I love the fall. I hate driving in the rain (or the snow). Even though I know I shouldn’t, I almost always talk on my cell phone while driving (unless it’s raining or snowing).

If you’ve made it this far without stopping or falling asleep from boredom, I applaud you. I promise to be a more engaging (and less self-centered!) blogger from here on out.

So, I leave you with an excerpt from one of the best FRIENDS episodes of all time.

Looking for Purpose?

I remember so well the days when I was looking for the PERFECT college. I was on the internet 24/7, searching for the qualities that would make my college experience everything I wanted, needed, and had ever hoped for. However, the more I searched, the more I found that schools started to look the same. They all have well-known programs, great facilities, and interesting campus life. So what do you do when you want to narrow down your choices from five schools to one? Or what about after you’ve made the decision? How do you learn more details about the people, daily campus life, and opportunities?

Just a few years later (well…maybe a couple more than a few), there are now even more options when it comes to really getting to know a school’s personality. Apart from taking a campus tour, you can take a virtual tour. You can visit the school’s Facebook page. You can follow on Twitter. We’ve come a long way from receiving mountains of literature via snail mail.

In the midst of the college search? New to SCC and want to know more about the school? Part of the SCC community and interested in staying connected? These are fantastic reasons to read SCC Blogs. On these blogs, you’ll find eight people from completely different areas of campus. There are students, faculty members, and staff members. Here, you can get to know us – we all have different stories and experiences to share! See life through the eyes of people who are at SCC on an almost daily basis. Ask questions, leave comments – be part of the conversation!