Merry Christmas! And Other Things

First off, wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I’m heading up to my parents’ house for the holiday, so I’m not sure I’ll be able to write while there. Of course, I haven’t been writing much on here lately…apologies for that. I don’t have much going on in my life right now that’s blog worthy.

I do hope to get back to at least a semi-normal blog pattern come 2011. I need to pick up my writing again too–that’s kind of fallen away for the time being but I do hope to get back up and start again. If I don’t this book will always remain unfinished…plus like everyone (family, friends and co-workers) keep asking me when it’s going to be done, so I can’t keep coming up with excuses forever!

EDIT: Just found this wonderful contest over at the The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood blog.  They’re having a Winter Writing Festival, which will sort of be like a mini-NaNo, only YOU set the goal. You get a point each day if you reached your goal, whatever that is. It’s starts on January 10th and they’re going to setup a sister site for participants to share and talk about their writing goals. This is what I needed. 🙂

Anyway I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and I hope to be back again blogging come 2011. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas, A Wedding and Getting Sick

This post is really just an incoherent mess, but much of the last week was really busy and I’m still trying to get my thoughts straight.

Christmas Eve and Christmas were nice–my parents-in-law and my husband surprised me with a mini laptop.

This one, in beautiful ruby red, to be specific:

I now know why hubby asked the question weeks ago: “Which color do you like: red, black, white or blue?”

The sweetest part of this was he spent hours cleaning off the software it came with and installing Windows, as well as spending a great deal of time meticulously searching for backgrounds that would be nice on the computer 🙂 AND he sacrificed his Christmas present from his parents in order to get this for me.

Because of that sacrifice his parents in turn surprised him with an amazing office chair. The look on his face when they pushed that box out of the back room and said it was for him was priceless.

Anyway, Christmas came and went with his extended family (I get to see my parents and sister this Saturday, hopefully) and then we prepared for my 19-year-old sis-in-law’s wedding on Sunday. It went well, especially considering it was planned in six weeks! It was a nice time and hopefully she and hubby had fun on their mini-honeymoon.

Unfortunately, from about 4 am Sunday night until, well…now, I’ve been sick and recovering from a nasty stomach bug. I paid homage to the Porcelain King running to the “throne” room emptying the contents of my stomach every ten minutes for about 3 hours. Ah, yes Monday morning was pleasant. It’s been two years since the last time I threw up and I’m one of those who will fight it with every last breath because of how violently it affects me. I was unable to fight it this time 😦 A number of our family members caught it too–both my parents-in-law, one of Phil’s uncles, his cousin and his aunt. Someone at the wedding probably had it (thinking his one cousin) and passed it from there.

Anyway, Phil stayed home from work to take care of me (what a great hubby! :)) and I tossed and turned on the couch all day with a steadily rising fever–I think it hit around 103 near 10 that evening–the highest fever I’ve had probably in the last ten years. Yesterday I spent recooperating and trying to eat, although I only managed to eat a few handfuls of dry Cheerios and some applesauce. I had a small bowl of cereal this morning, which still isn’t settling the greatest, but meh, at least I’m able to keep it down.

This is why I loathe getting sick like this–it takes me forever to recover and be able to eat normally again. Oh well; at least I only ever get sick like this every 2-4 years or more.

However, it’s definitely looking like I won’t hit my goal on Jan. 1st. Stupid illness. But I am trying to play catch up today as much as I can.

“For to us, a child is born…”

Here’s wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas 🙂 Enjoy this time with family and friends and remember the reason for the season.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Tis the Season…

For office Christmas parties. 😛

As of now, I’ve got three I’m going to–two for my office and one for hubby’s. And I will probably be the youngest at every one of these parties too!

Why is my office having two parties? Well, one’s more of a luncheon for the branch that I work in; the other is more company wide. Oh well–it’s good food, right?

The one for Phil’s is just for supervisors of his department. I’m glad it’s just a small party  this year–the last two years were huge company-wide parties and there were around 2000 people. Let’s just say those parties were always summed up in one word: INSANITY. Especially when said parties had open bars and there were people who took a little too much holiday joy in that 😛

Do you have any sort of company party you’re attending? Or any holiday party for that matter?

(Also, don’t forget to enter my giveaway! Contest ends tomorrow at 8 PM EST).

Breaking Addictions and Learning to Focus!

There wasn’t much to write about while I was gone for Christmas. I was fairly busy between family gatherings, visiting my grandma at the nursing home, going shopping with friends the day after Christmas (talk about crazy!)…and playing Animal Crossing on the Wii obsessively. 😛

Now it’s back to life and work (oh joy!). I doubt I’ll hit my goal of finishing the novel by the first of the year, but it should be done soon after. At least, I’m hoping for it and trying to work towards it. I think I need to force myself to make time to write because I am the queen of excuses and procrastination. But NO MORE.

I realize that the motivation factor and the tendency to procrastinate will be ridiculously hard to change–it’ll probably always be something I struggle with–but it would be nice if I could change it just a small bit–especially when it relates to my writing. If I keep procrastinating and making excuses, I’ll be 65 and a grandma with a book still not finished.

I also have to break my addiction to Animal Crossing 😛 I know the game is geared towards children under 12, but it’s just so fun and cute I can’t help myself. And I’m not one for the types of games my husband plays…(Fallout 3, Resident Evil, all those shooting type games that require a level of coordination that I will never be able to reach). So, that has to happen for me to do anything productive. Meaning housework, practicing violin. house-breaking the puppy and of course, writing.

I suppose I have my work cut out for me over the coming weeks and months…

In the Spirit of the Season

Here are a few Christmas songs for your listening pleasure. Each of these songs is great in their own way 🙂

Hallelujah (Light Has Come)–BarlowGirl

O Come O Come Emmanuel–Selah

His Favorite Christmas Story–Capital Lights

 I’ll be traveling to my childhood town to spend the holidays with my family. I may not get to post until sometime next week.

Merry Christmas!