The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

At the risk of sounding cliché, I want to take a moment to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. If I wanted to be politically correct, I’d say Happy Holidays, but most of you know that I don’t stress out about being politically correct.

For some, this time of year is joyous, exciting, and heart-warming. It brings laughter and love. It’s a time for sharing, giving, receiving, spending time with loved ones, and taking part in traditions steeped with fond memories. To others, it’s a difficult time of being without those who were loved and are missed. To some, it’s a reminder of how little they have while others realize how very blessed they are.

Through the constant political battles of whether it should say “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas,” through the debates of whether or not Santa is real, through the opinions on whether or not we should have Bible class on Christmas morning, I encourage you to find your meaning of Christmas. What does this holiday season mean to you?

I choose to look at this time of year as a gift. It’s an opportunity to spend time with family and friends. A time when the majority of the world has a sense of warmth and peace. I look at the symbols of Christmas. Santa, candy canes, stockings, bells, Christmas trees, etc. I find good in all of those and am thankful that I was raised in a family who took part, whole-heartedly, in this holiday we call Christmas. Around this season we celebrate the birth of Jesus, but I was fortunate enough to be brought up in a family who celebrates his birth everyday, not just once a year.

I pray blessings on you during this holiday season and the days to come. May God watch over you and guide you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Can't Help Myself

I can't help myself. I love posting these random surveys. I got this one from my pal Janaye who actually has quite a few of these.

Random Questions
* Nervous Habits: tapping my finger nails and bouncing my leg
* Can you roll your tongue? yep
* Can you raise one eyebrow at a time? yep
* Tattoos? None
* Piercings and where? Just ears
* Do you make your bed daily? Uh, no.

CLOTHES
* Which shoe goes on first? My right.
* Speaking of shoes, have you ever thrown one at anyone? Yep...but just playing
* On the average, how much money do you carry in your wallet? approx. $20
* What jewelry do you wear 24/7? watch, necklace, earrings
* Favorite article of clothing? jeans or socks...tough call

FOOD
* Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? twirl
* Have you ever eaten Spam? yep
* Favorite ice cream flavor? Blue Bell's Fudge Nut Brownie
* How many cereals in your cabinet? 2
* What's your favorite beverage? Gonna have to say water...but I'm also a huge sweet tea fan
* What's your favorite restaurant? In Abilene: Perini's...In general: PF Changs or Cheesecake Factory
* Do you cook? I can cook, but I rarely do it...doesn't make sense to cook for one

GROOMING
* How often do you brush your teeth? twice a day
* Have you ever colored/highlighted your hair? yep
* Do you swear? sometimes
* Do you ever spit? yep...especially when I'm on my farm...just something about it.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE
* Animal? I like cats
* Food? anything my mom makes
* Month? October
* Day? Sunday
* Favorite Cartoon Character? I'll say Donald Duck...but I like a lot of Disney characters
* Shoe Brand? New Balance tennis shoes...wow, I like way too many brands
* Subject in school? Used to be science...in college, I changed to Home Ec. :)
* Color? red or black
* TV show? Way too many...here's a few: Desperate Housewives, Gray's Anatomy, CSI, Law&Order...I could go on

IN AND AROUND ROOM
* The CD player? Christmas music right now
* Person you talk most on the phone with? my mom
* Ever taken a cab? yep...the ones in The Bahamas are freakin' scary!
* What color is your bedroom? khaki and white
* Do you use an alarm clock? every morning
* What's your sleeping position? fall asleep on my back, end up on my stomach
* Even in hot weather do you use a blanket? yeah
* Do you sleepwalk? No
* Do you talk in your sleep? Nope
* Do you sleep with stuffed animals? Uh, no.
* How about with the light on? I sleep with the hall light on
* Do you fall asleep with the TV or radio? I set my sleep timer on the TV everynight

Seven

I was tagged by a co-worker to take part in this little, well, I'll call it a survey. Basically, I've fallen to peer pressure, and I need something to do this morning, so...I give you my "Seven Survey." Thanks Chris!

List 7 things to do before I die:
1. Visit every continent
2. Get married
3. Own a resort
4. Snow ski in Switzerland
5. Direct a major motion picture
6. Own a home in Italy
7. Meet Dolly Parton

List 7 things I cannot (or will not) do:
1. See or hear someone throwing-up
2. Run a marathon
3. Water ski
4. Use illegal drugs
5. Live in Louisiana, Arizona, or Utah
6. Speak a foreign language
7. Ride in the back of a car without getting car sick

List 7 things that attract me to my spouse(or Opposite Sex):
1. Devotion to Christ
2. Sense of humor
3. Got to be a big guy!
4. Loves my family and friends
5. Spontanious
6. Love a great smile and eyes!
7. Loves to have crazy fun!

List 7 things I say most often:
1. "Freakin' "
2. "Well, you see"
3. "Shut-up"
4. "Are you freakin' kidding me?"
5. "My bad."
6. "Son of a..."
7. "You're killin' me, Smalls!"

List 7 books or series that I love:
1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. God's in Alabama
3. Sisterchicks on the Loose
4. Oh the Places You'll Go
5. I Married Adventure
6. God At Your Wits End
7. Notes to a Working Woman

List 7 movies I would watch over and over again:
1. A League of Their Own
2. Fried Green Tomatoes
3. Steel Magnolias
4. Dumb and Dumber
5. 9 to 5
6. Pocket Full of Miracles
7. "Christmas Vacation"

List seven people I would love to join in (if they haven't already done so):
1.Kim Smith
2. Julie Goen
3. Jennifer Walker
4. Holly Herr
5. Jamie Slagle
6. Melody Forest
7. Katey Earles

Walk the Line

Two words: Over Rated.
Not necessarily in a bad way, but every single person who has seen that movie has said "Oh my gosh...it's the best movie ever!" "Wow...Walk the Line was amazing!" So, I had to find out for myself.

Two of my friends and I went to dinner and a movie last night. We ate at Chili's (one of my least favorite restaurants) and then went to an 8:15 showing of Walk the Line. Overall, I thought the movie was good. Great acting, wonderful soundtrack, accurate storyline...I just expected it to be so much better. It just goes to show you that too much hype(sp?) about a movie can be detrimental. I expected to be blown away...instead I left thinking, "Ah, ok...good movie." Not, "Wow...great movie." I would recommend going to see it, but go with an open mind. Don't count on seeing your new all time favorite movie.

If you're a Johnny Cash fan, get the soundtrack! Witherspoon and Pheonix did an amazing job portraying June Carter and Johnny Cash. And, I could have sworn when Mother Maybell Carter walked onto the scene, it was her in the flesh! They found a great likeness in her actress. Absoulutely loved Reese Witherspoon's performance. Cute girl!

So, go see the movie. It was good...it's just been beaten to death by positive reviews. Go see for yourself!

100 Things About Me

I had some free time and felt inspired by other blogs I've ready lately, so I decided to post a list of 100 things about me. So, here they are, in no particular order.

1. I love surveys.
2. I sometimes write on my blog or look at other blogs instead of working.
3. I’m currently re-decorating both my house and office.
4. I wish I had an expense account for my house.
5. I want a new SUV.
6. I’ve never had a car over 2 years.
7. I usually wreck them.
8. I’ve been in 4 car accidents and have totaled 3 cars.
9. The constant weather changes this winter are making my head and knees hurt.
10. Christmas time (Nov.-Dec.) is my favorite time of the year.
11. Christmas is my 1^st favorite holiday.
12. Followed closely by Thanksgiving, 4^th of July and my b-day.
13. My family watches Christmas Vacation every Thanksgiving.
14. We watch White Christmas every Christmas.
15. I would like to have a home in Montana someday.
16. I’ve never owned a video game in my life(Nintendo, PlayStation, etc.)
17. Dolly Parton is my absolute favorite celebrity.
18. Mariska Hargitay is a close second.
19. Patrick Dempsey is one of the hottest men alive.
20. Grey’s Anatomy is one of my favorite shows.
21. I’m also a huge fan of Desperate Housewives, CSI(all of them), Law & Order(all of them), Criminal Minds, Sex and the City and Golden Girls.
22. I have perfect eyesight.
23. I have a home phone, but the only people who use that number are telemarketers, therefore, I do not answer my home phone.
24. I don’t believe I could live without my cell phone.
25. I’m allergic to cats, but they’re my favorite type of pet.
26. My second favorite pet is my sister’s dog, Maxie, who is a Yorkie.
27. I started college as a Journalism/Mass Comm. major.
28. I then changed to a Psychology major.
29. I ended up in Family and Consumer Science.
30. I finished my degree my junior year, so I picked up Business Management my senior year.
31. I hate Wal-Mart.
32. All of my close friends in Abilene are over the age of 30.
33. I’ve always wished to be older…not sure how I’ll feel when I’m 30.
34. I don’t love children.
35. I miss my friends from college a lot.
36. I broke my jaw in high school while eating mashed potatoes.
37. We later found out it was the result of a soccer injury.
38. I broke my nose during my senior year of college playing football.
39. I love sports…playing and watching.
40. I must marry a man who likes sports.
41. I must marry a man who likes to hunt.
42. Bottom line: I must get married.
43. I received my first perm when I was 18 months old.
44. I had very fine hair as a child and my mother thought it would hold curl better.
45. I had a perm every year after that until high school.
46. Failure is probably my greatest fear.
47. I’m also very afraid of ghosts.
48. I’m intrigued by Johnny Depp.
49. I become intrigued by people very easily.
50. I have one brother(20) and one sister(18).
51. My brother is a sophomore at ACU and my sister will be a freshman at ACU next year.
52. They’re growing up so fast!
53. I adore my family.
54. My mom and dad met at ACU.
55. My mom used to be a stay-at-home mom and my dad used to be an oil field engineer.
56. They now own a restaurant called The Farmhouse.
57. I love parades.
58. All of my ex boyfriends, with the exception of the gay one, are now engaged or married.
59. The last one to get engaged was the hardest for me to accept.
60. I’m becoming very good at handling crisis situations in my job. They’re happening a lot this year.
61. I hate wearing dresses.
62. I own a lot of suits.
63. I love PF Changs. I often crave their lettuce wraps.
64. I love a lot of restaurants that Abilene doesn’t have.
65. One of my dream jobs is to be a movie director.
66. Another of my dream jobs is to be a speaker with Women of Faith.
67. I’ve never told anyone about #66.
68. I have my entire wedding planned out with the exception of my bridesmaid’s dresses and my dress.
69. And, with the exception of the groom. Minor detail.
70. I want to live in a major city, downtown, in a flat someday.
71. LA/Hollywood is one of my favorite cities, but I don’t want to live there.
72. I really like Nashville too…I could live there.
73. My mom always wanted a daughter she could call Jenni after she saw the movie Camelot, so she named me Jennifer.
74. The only people who call me Jenni are my family and a few friends from high school.
75. Most people call me Jennifer, Jen or Ellison.
76. I guess I have one of those last names that people like to say instead of your first name. I’ve been called Ellison since junior high.
77. I sing in my car when I’m listening to the radio or to cds.
78. I love singing.
79. The only reason I miss chapel is for the singing.
80. I hate running, but I love the way I feel after I work-out.
81. My favorite work-out is Body Pump.
82. I don’t do cardio very often, but I have Body Pump every MWF…lifting weights is much more fun than running in place.
83. Slow drivers drive me insane.
84. I love baths, but I rarely take them.
85. I love buying books, but I don’t read them.
86. I have tons of books at my house, most of which I’ve never read.
87. I’m the youngest member of Rotary in Abilene. Probably in Texas. Could be in the US.
88. I relieve stress by lying on my couch watching TV or by driving around campus.
89. I love going home to my parents house and driving around their farm with the windows down.
90. I have one cow, named Meredith, who has had over 10 calves that make me a lot of money. I’m about to have to sell Meredith and I’ll probably cry.
91. I rarely cry.
92. My grandparents recently sold their house on the lake and now live in Van about a mile from my parents.
93. Both of my dad’s parents are dead and I miss them very much.
94. I hate scary movies.
95. I love smoking cigars with my friends on my back porch.
96. I hate it when people cancel out on plans, events, nights out, etc. When you make plans, stick with them.
97. One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is getting facials.
98. I love listening to and singing Christmas songs.
99. I sleep better in hotels and B&B’s than I do my own bed.
100. I think it’s hard coming up with 100 things about yourself.