Christmas Wrap Up

Christmas was pretty awesome this year. Well, except for the part where I scratched my eye and I couldn't keep it open, be in really bright light or keep it from spraying out tears. Fortunately, that's better now.

I had a lot of fun spending time with friends and family and I got some pretty awesome stuff. I think the best part about this year was that my two favorite gifts weren't even new but just really thoughtful.

The first gift was a giraffe necklace that Ed got me when we went to the zoo and fed the giraffe's this summer. I broke the string and bead necklace it was on and then when I went to put the charm on a new chain I broke the loop off the charm. When I opened my gift on Christmas it was my giraffe charm with a new loop and a beautiful silver chain.

My other awesome gift was from my boyfriends parent's. They saw our new place earlier this year and noted our large office with little furniture. We have a computer desk but I mentioned that I had no where to write long hand, which I actually prefer to do. (I know. I'm crazy.) So they got me an antique writing desk, which has a really cool story to it that is worthy of it's own post. Perhaps tomorrow. At this moment I'm still trying to figure out how to get it home.

Right now I'm rockin' out to a stack of 80's CD's and my eye is better today so I can actually enjoy my disco ball. Two more of my awesome Christmas gifts!

I also got a really cool purse that's big enough for a notebook and/or book but isn't one of those fashionably obnoxious things. And I got my traditional dog calendar and lotion basket. My dad also added a Snuggy/Slanket to my pile of gifts. And I got Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince...on BluRay but I exchanged it for regular DVD. Of course Ed thought the more sensible thing to have done would have been to buy a PlayStation 3 since those play BluRay.

Tomorrow I go back to work after 4 days off. And the last week of the year is the busiest week of the year for donations. People want to get their 2009 tax receipt so our donors will be quadruple the usual for the rest of the year. Sounds fun, huh?

Christmas is near!!!

It's here and in a few hours I will start participating in events with friends and family that will keep me running until next Monday.
I'm having my Christmas Eve party tonight. Then tomorrow morning Christmas breakfast with my family. After that Christmas dinner with my boyfriend's family. Saturday I drive to West Bloomfield to see my best bud, Jenni. Then Sunday we have lunch with my boyfriend's dad's family and then dinner with his siblings for his sister's birthday.

It should be fun and festive!

On the writing side, I've submitted my short story to Apex Magazine and am brainstorming my next story. We're trying to write for a magazine called the First Line. They give a first line and then let writers run with it. I have a few ideas but I'm not sure what to write about yet. My boyfriend is routing for warrior nuns. Something to think about but for now I'm off to enjoy the time I get to spend with family and friends. That's the best part of the year. I hope that everyone else is able to do the same. Stay safe and enjoy!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,
Ashley

Good tidings to you!

Happy Holidays! So where have I been since falling off the NaBloPoMo wagon? I've been around. The holiday season has started and unfortunately for me holiday cheer doesn't fall from the sky. There are select people, or a person, in every family that make the holidays happen. Sure everyone pitches in to some extent. They buy a few gifts, bring a dish to pass or sometimes they just show up. But, there are those special people who make everything come together.

About ten years ago my grandma stepped down from that job and it was passed onto me. So at this time my life is consumed with shopping, decorating, baking, cooking, cleaning, wrapping, Christmas cards, organizing, planning, and doing my absolute best to make everyone as happy as they possibly can. It's almost like managing a business.

Is it worth putting my entire life on hold to make sure that everyone else enjoys themselves while I run around exhausted only to end up with generic gifts, a messy house and a fridge full of leftovers? It must be. Why else do I keep doing it?


Well I have made a few minutes for writing among all of this chaos. I met with my writing group Sunday. Sure I printed out the wrong parts of their stories so my critiques were formed in ten minutes but I guess it's better than nothing.


By the end of the week I should have the final touches done on the story that I was suppose to submit at the beginning of December. Then I'm starting my next story and that has to be ready by February 1st. No exceptions.