A few weeks ago, if you would have asked me how I was doing, I would have instinctively responded with “I’m fine”, as seems to be the common and accepted response these days to that question. But in all truth and honesty, I was sad and depressed. I was feeling really down and sorry for myself that I was living back at home and had no future job prospects in the making. Plus, to top it all off, the Christmas season was upon me and I couldn’t have wished for anything to pass over more quickly in my life. I was broke, and it was warm, and I was leaving for Christmas anyways to spend it in Utah, yes still with my family but, away from my beloved holiday tradition. I was just crabby about the situation in general. I hated feeling self indulgent but sometimes when the negative feelings come, it’s hard to replace them with something positive. It’s easier to just let them snowball sometimes.
That is, until something positive actually does come along! Today, two weeks later I am a happier person. I got the job I had been hoping for; we got a massive dumping of snow catapulting me into full blown Christmas mode, and to top it all off, WE’RE STICKING AROUND FOR CHRISTMAS! I couldn’t be more ecstatic with how things have worked out, and it feels so good to be happy about life again. Granted I’m still broke, and there’s no more snow left on the ground, oh...and I’m still living at home, but I’m okay with all of that =) I have the personal satisfaction of knowing I am spreading my wings and challenging life on my own, and I have the anticipation of a fantastic holiday season ahead of me. I have my fantastic friends, my loving family, a warm home, lots of love, and many other blessed things in my life. When you break it all down, and take a look at it all, I really am a very lucky girl. I only wish I could have seen that two weeks ago.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
Sunday, December 10, 2006
A Christmas Carol
If anyone is bored this holiday season and is looking for something to do, go see A Christmas Carol at the Milwaukee Rep/Pabst Theatre. I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Now, I must admit that when the first mention of seeing the play in Milwaukee was brought up, I didn’t have the highest expectations. I’ve seen a number of plays/musicals in Milwaukee and they have failed to wow me in the past. I assumed this one wouldn’t be any different, but I welcomed the idea of a night out at the theatre anyways…even if it was in Milwaukee.
I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised.
Tara and I arrived just as the lights began to blink in the lobby indicating it was time for us to take our seats. We were escorted to the third row and sat amidst a sold out crowd, dressed to the nines in their business suits, tuxedos, and occasional evening gowns. I took a minute to take in the well dressed crowd, and the gorgeous scenery around me that the Pabst theatre so proudly boasts. Within a matter of moments the music began to play and I was transported back to the late 1800’s, enjoying the classic Christmas tale that Charles Dickens created so many years ago.
The costuming was gorgeous, the set was really quite stunning, and I found myself both laughing and crying throughout most of the production! To top it all off, Jonathan Smoots (whom I’ve seen many times at the American Players Theatre) took the role as the Ghost of Christmas Past and I was thrilled to see a familiar face up there on the stage in Milwaukee!
I left the show with a HUGE smile on my face and an affirmation that Milwaukee can produce some fabulous live theatre. They just need to be given a fair chance.
Now, I must admit that when the first mention of seeing the play in Milwaukee was brought up, I didn’t have the highest expectations. I’ve seen a number of plays/musicals in Milwaukee and they have failed to wow me in the past. I assumed this one wouldn’t be any different, but I welcomed the idea of a night out at the theatre anyways…even if it was in Milwaukee.
I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised.
Tara and I arrived just as the lights began to blink in the lobby indicating it was time for us to take our seats. We were escorted to the third row and sat amidst a sold out crowd, dressed to the nines in their business suits, tuxedos, and occasional evening gowns. I took a minute to take in the well dressed crowd, and the gorgeous scenery around me that the Pabst theatre so proudly boasts. Within a matter of moments the music began to play and I was transported back to the late 1800’s, enjoying the classic Christmas tale that Charles Dickens created so many years ago.
The costuming was gorgeous, the set was really quite stunning, and I found myself both laughing and crying throughout most of the production! To top it all off, Jonathan Smoots (whom I’ve seen many times at the American Players Theatre) took the role as the Ghost of Christmas Past and I was thrilled to see a familiar face up there on the stage in Milwaukee!
I left the show with a HUGE smile on my face and an affirmation that Milwaukee can produce some fabulous live theatre. They just need to be given a fair chance.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
A Spontaneous Ski Trip
I am not a winter type of girl. In fact, I’m quite the baby once the temperatures drop below 50 degrees, and I just can’t seem to ever quite get warm enough. I spend many winter nights plopped on top of heating vents, perched in front of fireplaces, or just simply incapacitated under a blanket on my couch. I truly feel that my body is just not genetically engineered to handle the cold. But alas, amidst my extreme discomfort around subzero temperatures (read: slightly cold), I have a love of snow and all things associated with it, so I’m often able to fight through the deep chill that runs through my body 5 months out of the year, and get out there and enjoy winter!
Last night, my dad and I took a spontaneous trip to Alpine Valley Ski Resort in East Troy, WI to hit a couple of the hills and enjoy the first great snowfall of the season. I suited up in my brother’s old snowboard gear (I haven’t purchased any new skiing equipment for myself in a number of years) and headed to the hills with my dad. We rented some equipment (for such a spontaneous trip it was too much work to haul all of our own personal equipment to the resort) and plopped ourselves on the chair lifts.
It was BITTER cold out there, and the blowing snow that engulfed the ski hill was almost intolerable. I made it down about 8 times and finally after an hour had to call it a night as I was completely frozen solid. It was so great to get out there though. The fresh air and the speed of a Black Diamond slope is something I wouldn’t be able to pass up no matter how cold or uncomfortable I was. Even it was just for an hour
Last night, my dad and I took a spontaneous trip to Alpine Valley Ski Resort in East Troy, WI to hit a couple of the hills and enjoy the first great snowfall of the season. I suited up in my brother’s old snowboard gear (I haven’t purchased any new skiing equipment for myself in a number of years) and headed to the hills with my dad. We rented some equipment (for such a spontaneous trip it was too much work to haul all of our own personal equipment to the resort) and plopped ourselves on the chair lifts.
It was BITTER cold out there, and the blowing snow that engulfed the ski hill was almost intolerable. I made it down about 8 times and finally after an hour had to call it a night as I was completely frozen solid. It was so great to get out there though. The fresh air and the speed of a Black Diamond slope is something I wouldn’t be able to pass up no matter how cold or uncomfortable I was. Even it was just for an hour
Monday, December 04, 2006
Christmas Party 2006
A whirlwind of a weekend is behind me and luckily the hangover that resided after Saturday night’s escapade has subsided and life has resumed on this cold Monday.
The store is put back to normal as the Christy’s Bridal/Anderson/Webley Chiropractic annual Christmas party has come and gone. Every dress is put back on it’s shelf, every ounce of spilled wine and beer is cleaned up, and the quiet little shop I have grown to love is just that today…quiet.
While I don’t think we’ll be hosting such a grand event at the little salon any time soon again, I do have to say that the night came together really nicely and that little shop can accommodate some five star decorations and make you feel as though you’re paying $100 for your plate of dinner at a cozy restaurant down town Chicago…even though you’re really partying in a bridal salon in Burlington, WI =)
But the event didn’t come without its stress. After closing the salon on Friday to prep for the weekend’s festivities, Melinda, my mom and I spent all day (and well into the evening) on Friday, cleaning up and moving out everything being held on the first floor of our tiny shop. Dresses were crammed into fitting rooms, decorations were put into closets, and 5 round tables covered in rich linens now filled the room that once held hundreds of dresses and racks. Decorating came next and by Saturday at 5:00 the room was full of Christmas cheer and the caterers had arrived…as well as the guests.
Louise’s out of Milwaukee did a fabulous job with the catering and I enjoyed my food immensely! After dinner we played a few Christmas party games, did a few too many shots, and I called it a night around 12:30. The party itself wrapped up around 3:30, with the last of the party animals stumbling their way home, and by Sunday the Christmas Party was over and what was left was a disastrous store and a day full of cleaning ahead of us.
I was pretty hung over on Sunday, and I wasn’t much help in the cleaning department, but I did what I could under the circumstances. As we swept, mopped, and dragged dresses back to the salon we laughed at how much work was put into a 6 hour event. Never again we said…never again.
But it was sure fun while it lasted.
View the pictures here
The store is put back to normal as the Christy’s Bridal/Anderson/Webley Chiropractic annual Christmas party has come and gone. Every dress is put back on it’s shelf, every ounce of spilled wine and beer is cleaned up, and the quiet little shop I have grown to love is just that today…quiet.
While I don’t think we’ll be hosting such a grand event at the little salon any time soon again, I do have to say that the night came together really nicely and that little shop can accommodate some five star decorations and make you feel as though you’re paying $100 for your plate of dinner at a cozy restaurant down town Chicago…even though you’re really partying in a bridal salon in Burlington, WI =)
But the event didn’t come without its stress. After closing the salon on Friday to prep for the weekend’s festivities, Melinda, my mom and I spent all day (and well into the evening) on Friday, cleaning up and moving out everything being held on the first floor of our tiny shop. Dresses were crammed into fitting rooms, decorations were put into closets, and 5 round tables covered in rich linens now filled the room that once held hundreds of dresses and racks. Decorating came next and by Saturday at 5:00 the room was full of Christmas cheer and the caterers had arrived…as well as the guests.
Louise’s out of Milwaukee did a fabulous job with the catering and I enjoyed my food immensely! After dinner we played a few Christmas party games, did a few too many shots, and I called it a night around 12:30. The party itself wrapped up around 3:30, with the last of the party animals stumbling their way home, and by Sunday the Christmas Party was over and what was left was a disastrous store and a day full of cleaning ahead of us.
I was pretty hung over on Sunday, and I wasn’t much help in the cleaning department, but I did what I could under the circumstances. As we swept, mopped, and dragged dresses back to the salon we laughed at how much work was put into a 6 hour event. Never again we said…never again.
But it was sure fun while it lasted.
View the pictures here
Friday, December 01, 2006
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
IT’S SNOWING!!!
A huge dumping, white covered, doesn’t show any signs of stopping kind of snowfall. It’s the kind of snow that silences the world around you with its thick blanket and dense fall. It’s the beautiful white powder that looms over streets and housetops before the salt trucks have a chance to muck it all up and turn it brown and unpleasant. It’s the same kind of morning that I used to wish for really hard every winter in Grade School because I knew that the next morning school would be cancelled…and today it has been. Best of all, it’s the type of weather that I needed to put me back into the Christmas mood I’ve been missing this season.
I LOVE snow. Hate winter, love snow. As much as I say I want to, I would never be able to leave this in search of warmer weather. Sure I complain about it come February and March, but I would never want to miss the opportunity to miss the first great snowfall of the season. Days like today are priceless to me. No ocean could ever replace a Wisconsin Blizzard.
A huge dumping, white covered, doesn’t show any signs of stopping kind of snowfall. It’s the kind of snow that silences the world around you with its thick blanket and dense fall. It’s the beautiful white powder that looms over streets and housetops before the salt trucks have a chance to muck it all up and turn it brown and unpleasant. It’s the same kind of morning that I used to wish for really hard every winter in Grade School because I knew that the next morning school would be cancelled…and today it has been. Best of all, it’s the type of weather that I needed to put me back into the Christmas mood I’ve been missing this season.
I LOVE snow. Hate winter, love snow. As much as I say I want to, I would never be able to leave this in search of warmer weather. Sure I complain about it come February and March, but I would never want to miss the opportunity to miss the first great snowfall of the season. Days like today are priceless to me. No ocean could ever replace a Wisconsin Blizzard.
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