Tradition

"Dad canceled Christmas", my sister informed me as I trudged through the door after work.

"What?!!!" I replied. "How can he just cancel Christmas?"

Sib went on to explain that it was the breakfast that had been foregone due to a lack of attendance. I was upset, but not with my dad. Christmas came too quickly this year and in the mess of finals, graduate applications, and finding a new job, I had forgotten about holiday traditions. Because of the busy nature of my everyday life I put Christmas on the backburner and had only half-heartedly committed to attending Christmas with my dad, including breakfast.

For as long as I can remember we have held Christmas with my dad and stepmom on Dec. 23-24. Christmas Eve is usually Christmas with my dad, and then we pack up, make the trek south to Sandy, and do "real" Christmas with my mom. Somewhere over the years, however, both Christmases became "real" Christmas, and breakfast was part of this tradition. It was peach french toast, cranberries, hot chocolate, orange rolls, potato scrambles and an assortment of other exquisite foods. It was feeling warm and happy after opening Christmas Stockings. It was our final moments with Dad over the holidays. It was breakfast.

"How can he just CANCEL breakfast?" I cried. Sib was sad, too, but we realized that we both had cared too late. We had let ourselves become too busy to show how much this annual meal meant to us. I realized in this conversation that breakfast was much more than simply breakfast: it was Christmas; it was family; it was tradition.

It is so easy to take for granted the good things in our lives, especially when these good things come disguised in simplistic forms like breakfast, christmas stockings, and time spent around a warm fireplace.

Here's my reservation for next year: I'll be there. Afterall, it's tradition.

Tag

Angie asked: "Did you see my blog? You're tagged!" So here it is, my first blogging tag, courtesy of the "You Tell Me" request:

3 Joys-

• Being done with finals
• Chilling in my LoveSac in my cozy apt reading, or watching a movie with Sib
• Laughing
  

3 Fears-

• Watch the trailer for Revolutionary Road; that's one of em.
  
• 100% rejection letters come Spring
• Sharks. More of an irrational phobia, though. Terrifying.
  

3 Current Obsessions or Collections-

• Word Challenge game on Facebook. I'm addicted.
• Steamers from Coffee Connection
• Movies at the Broadway Theatre (independent films)
  

3 Surprising Facts-

• I won't eat at Carl's Jr. because I dislike the commercials so badly
• Sometimes when I'm home during the day and procrastinating I watch Sesame Street
• I could eat sushi all day every day and never tire of it
  

What If

Barbados asked: How 'bout some 'what if' questions...if you could travel anywhere? If you had a year off of work & an endless money supply what would you do with your time?

1. What if you could travel anywhere?
Well, that would indeed be awesome... next question. Oh wait, you probably want me to answer that right? Many of you know that traveling is a passion of mine, so this list is actually really long. Currently on the list of things to do/ where to go: Guatamala/Yucatan, visiting the highlands and Mayan ruins; Spain, Barcelona and the northern winery areas; Peru; Mexico--- all over. Sib and I are planning a backpacking trip through Europe this summer so I'll keep ya'll posted on that.

2. What if you had a year off of work and an endless money supply what would you do with your time?
Oh my, that would be living the dream, by the way. Well, first of all, I would take full advantage of the endless money supply by paying off my car, buying a condo, and getting out of my crap gym contract. I would stay in New York for a few weeks enjoying the great food, a fabulous night life, and seeing all the Broadway shows I could stomach. I get a little anxious when I don't have structure in my life, though, so I'd have to break up the vacation with volunteerism in South America somewhere, maybe in Peru for about 6 months. Then travel down there. Then back to the U.S. to hit up great concerts, restaurants, the ski slopes, REI, and IKEA. I'm pretty boring, I know. All would be invited on my adventures, so if this actually happens I'll keep you posted...

There you go bob!!

Hermana Frumpy

whitneytherose asked: How the heck can you be a missionary without the ugly clothes and shoes? and why is it that wine and cheese go together, but not grapes and milk?

Let's start with the latter: all good things come in time; and in time all good things go together. Confucius say.

To the second point: My dear Whit, there is an element of frump that is innate to missionary-ness that is inescapable. I don't care what anyone else says: the mission is no place for beauty for the following reasons:

A) there is no time for it. You will have exactly 20 minutes to get ready for the day. Including a shower. That means that often you will leave the house with either wet hair or pony-tail hair. Or you'll get a haircut so that it looks like you got ready, when really you didn't. That's my suggestion. Good haircut. (But beware: there are people lurking in the shadows who are equipped with shears and will give give you a mullet hair cut and disguise it as a good haircut. This will make you cry and question your reasons for being a missionary. Been there done it. Anti-mullet).

B) after a while you figure out that it doesn't matter what you look like. The people you talk to will either hate you or love you, regardless of your D&G Shades. The elders in your mission will be cool but goobery. Furthermore, you will be completely trained NOT to seem attractive to the opposite sex. Or the same sex for that matter. In fact anything having to do with sex is wiped out. Thus the frump; You will be genderless and you won't even notice or care because you'll be too busy.

C) comfort takes number one. always. Picture a 115-degree summer in Texas: fire ants, blazing sun, sweaty mcsweatyness, bicycles, nylons. Or a -25-degree winter ice storm in Oklahoma City: cankles due to layered socks, fleece PJ bottoms under the skirt, 4 scarves, boots, the whole world an ice rink, frozen power lines, ON FOOT. Yeah, you're getting there. This is the point where you say: "who the frick cares if I look like a man, my only goal is to live". Because that's how missionaries talk- FRICK.

Moral of the story? Don't worry about the frump because everyone will go through and it's fun and hilarious as it happens. Besides, frump is a state of mind, so even if you are looking mannish, when you're feeling fierce, you will be fierce--- no matter what! (SNAP!)

Here's some missionary favorites of mine you can check out:
Shoes: Dansko. I got two pair and wore them my entire mission. They are comfy, sturdy, and decent looking. You will wear out any other type of shoe in a few months so it's worth the extra pretty penny for these ones.

Shirts: Collared, button down 3/4 sleeves. Easy to wash, dry, and look dressy. Tip: as you shop for clothes keep the laundry process in mind. Avoid things you'll have to iron and DO NOT get anything you'll have to dry clean. You won't do it because you won't have time.
Skirts: Anything that fits. If you find one you like buy 5 of them. Seriously.
Nylons: The cheap ones that come in a box of a zillion. You will wear these down, and throw them away daily so don't waste cash money millionaire on nice nylons. If you serve in a Wintery area invest in tights!!! Also, as a tip. If you're on a bike you can turn black tights into biker shorts really easily (trust me, you'll want to ). Step one: take black tights and cut off the "feet". Steep two: put on tights. They will be like biker shorts- voila!!

Shopping List

Smith's: Market Fresh Every Day

Orange Juice........................ $1.39
Gatorade............................. $ 1. 19
Cold/Flu Meds................... $ 4.19
Hand Sanitizer................... $ 1.19
One pack travel tissue...... $1.69

Having the option for "self-Checkout" in your disease-ridden state?............... Priceless.

OPEN

Angie asked: "Why do you have an "open" sign and why is it in your profile picture?"

Well I guess I can answer this question with a question of my own: why do I do anything that I do?! :) This picture is just me in the middle of more of my antics. I was visiting the Missionary Training Center (MTC) about two years ago. I had just returned from my mission and my good friend Astrid was a week away from reporting for hers. Astrid (who is from OKC) wanted to see the MTC so my companion (Moffitt), Astrid and me hit up Provo and walked around the MTC. This open sign is actually part of a bigger sign that says "the missionary field is open" (or closed, depending on how you flip it). In a nutshell this was me taking a sign at the MTC and turning it into a veritable dating advertisement. It's my profile picture because it was really the only pic I had of myself when I set of Blogger and also because it doesn't show my double chins. Two birds- one stone.

To see other pictures of this day visit the links below:
Closed for business
Three Amigas

Paper or Plastic?

Neither. I haven't been grocery shopping in over a month, so no need to choose. Why no shopping you may ask? Because all I do is study. And when I study all I can eat, er drink, is Dr. P. In fact, this is the face of finals. Sad, sad day. Note to self: when Sib's manfriend says "Hey Okie, do you want a D.P. from 7-11" never reply "YES! the biggest they've got..." You will end up with a drink the size of Texas.

Blue or Yellow?

Okay, you asked for it! Here's the answers to the first create-your-own-question session...

1. Anonymous asked: Blue or yellow?

Now this is a pretty open ended question. Are we talking Skittles? Because that would be yellow, of the original flavor variety. Tropical Skittles freak me out. But what if we're talking jeans? That would definitely have to be blue, because yellow jeans are just awkward. If you own any I would like to support you in giving them back to the 1970's. Generally speaking I would have to say I prefer a mixture of the two. Blue + Yellow= Green. My favorite color. There it is! Also, anonymous, please show your face. As exciting as it is to have a stalker, I'd rather have a stalker who I can name, joke with, and file police reports against.