A Different Christmas

Christmas was different this year.  Not only was it the first time that I felt like I was "going home" for Christmas, it was the first one without my cousin, Drew.

Drew loved Christmas.  Drew still loved reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and he still threw reindeer food and his face still lit up when we talked about Santa.  He was the magic of Christmas.

As with any loss, you have to learn to adjust to your new life and carry that person's memory with you wherever you go.  It's still so hard and my heart still aches everyday.

We started a new Christmas tradition this year in Drew's memory.  Prior to Christmas my aunt and uncle brought a small Christmas tree to the cemetery.  On the day we all went to celebrate Christmas with Drew as a family, we each brought an ornament to decorate the tree.  We also brought balloons and wrote messages to Drew.  We stood around his grave and said prayers before letting our balloons go together.  I couldn't believe that when we got back in the car, "It Won't Be Christmas Without You" was playing on the radio.

My aunt and uncle plan to bring the Christmas tree to the back yard of their home, where Drew used to run and play.  They plan to plant it next to a tree my uncle planted the year Drew was diagnosed and hope to continue this tradition for years to come.

This Christmas we didn't take a picture of the "cousins" because it's still just too hard.  Baby steps.

In True Blogger Fashion :: 4th of July Weekend

My 4th of July Weekend wound up being much better than I anticipated.  After going back and forth with friends about different plans and (non) commitments of celebrations for the 4th, I decided to go to the lake with my family for the weekend.  We went to Lake Wallenpaupak in the Poconos- it's a lake I grew up going to and haven't been to since my sister broke her arm there 2 years ago on the 4th of July.  We cruised around on the boat, tubed, waterskiied, boozed and watched the fireworks!!!  It was a great weekend!

And now for the recap in pictures::

We wanted to get a cute picture of us jumping off the boat into the sunset.. ya know, something that could make us instagram or pinterest famous, but this is what happened.... my sister slipped right off the boat while trying to jump!  #FAIL.

I hope you had a fun and festive 4th of July!! :)

2013 in Review!

As today is the last day of the year, I wanted to take this time to look back on a year of ups and downs, but more importantly what was truly a year of wonderful experiences, that I am truly grateful for!

I rang in 2013 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on a ski vacation with 2 of my college roommates!

In February, I went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans with 2 of my cousins.  It was one of the most fun, wild and culturally thrilling experiences of my life!  I highly recommend everyone putting this on their bucket list!

In March, I went to Chicago for the first time with one of my college roommates to visit another for her birthday!

Besides celebrating my 23rd Birthday, April was uneventful!

In May, I took my dad to the Kentucky Derby!  We drove to Louisville and were able to visit with dear friends of ours.  Horse racing is one of our favorite things and it was awesome to be able to experience such an iconic event for the first time with him!  I highly recommend this as well!

In June, I was on stage with Brad Paisley and my youngest sister graduated from high school.  

In July, I had the honor of attending the SEC Media Days as a Media Relations Assistant.  I also went on vacation with my family (which apparently I didn't blog about) and a Royal Baby was born!  July was a big month! :) 

In August, I completed the Jersey Girl Triathlon for the second time and kicked off the football season as a Media Assistant at the Chick-fil-A Bowl Kick-off Game and served as a liaison to the University of Alabama.  Again, awesome!

In September, I went on a few College Football Adventures to Penn State and The University of Georgia!  I also went to a few Rutgers Games.  

In October, I went to more Rutgers games and we also threw my dad a surprise 50th Birthday Party!  None of which I blogged about!

In November, I went to even more Rutgers games and celebrated Thanksgiving with my family!

And finally in December, I got offered a job in Marketing with the Athletic Department at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and also got accepted into their graduate program.  It's been a month of joyous Christmas celebrations and tearful "See You Later"s, but I am so excited and blessed for this opportunity!  I'm moving this Friday, but plan to post more about this and my new life in Louisiana!

2013 was a year of many firsts and a year of many wonderful and unforgettable experiences!  With that, I am so excited and ready for 2014.  I am excited for my new life as I move below the Mason Dixon, start a new job and start working towards my masters degree!

But for now, I'm off to NYC to ring in the New Year with my friends!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I Still Believe in Santa

I saw Santa every year growing up.  Not just the mall Santa, the actual Santa delivering gifts on Christmas Eve.

Every year we spend Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family- we exchange gifts, eat dinner, sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus, walk to church and then have to drive the hour back home before Santa comes.  We would usually get home pretty late which meant Santa was waiting for us to get to bed quick!  Sometimes we would "catch Santa in the act" or see him walking down the street to his sleigh! (We didn't have a fire place/chimney so our parents used to tell us that he parked at the end of the street and would come through the door.) Whenever he would see us he would run away, we would freak out, my sister would cry and we would hurry to bed!  This happened every year!  Literally, it wasn't always the same way, but we saw him.  

This is what had me believing long after the "normal age" of believing but how could you not when you actually saw the man every year on Christmas Eve?!  

Sixth grade was my first year at the middle school and even though it wasn't the cool thing to do, I still believed in Santa!  I heard a lot of other kids talking about how he wasn't real and yada yada yada, but they didn't know what I knew! So I became a little skeptical but didn't want to risk not getting presents by not believing in him!

That Christmas was the last one that I truly believed in Santa Claus (cause I still believe in the Magic of Christmas and even at 23 I'm told if you don't believe, you don't receive!)

It wasn't until after Christmas that it was confirmed that Santa "wasn't real".  I had picked up on things throughout the season, like when my sister got something from Santa that I could have sworn I saw my mom buy or that the wrapping paper looked very familiar.  But the icing on the cake was when we went on a Ski Trip the days following Christmas.  We were with a few other families and this one kid that was about 7 years younger than me had gotten a "cool" computer-like toy (kinda like a leap frog pad or whatever those things were).  All the kids his age loved the toy and I knew he had gotten it from Santa.  Then I heard the other moms ask where the boy's mom had gotten the toy and when she answered, I knew!

This brought tons of confusion.  How was I seeing him every year late at night on Christmas Eve?  Who was the Santa I saw walking down the street, running through my back yard, jumping on my trampoline, and even running from my house and leaving the back door open?  I found out that Santa was one of my mom's brothers.  Every year, before they had kids of their own, they (and my grandparents) slept over my house to be there when we opened presents on Christmas morning!  Before they came over one of my uncles would play Santa for us.  

Now that my sisters and I are older,  my dad plays Santa for my littler cousins.  We rush back from our Christmas Eve festivities so that they get to experience the excitement (and sometimes tears) of seeing Santa on Christmas Eve.  This tradition still gets me giddy about Christmas, makes me believe every year and definitely makes me feel like a kid again.

So even though Santa isn't "real", I still believe!  I still believe in the magic of Christmas!

 How did you find out Santa wasn't real?  Or what are some of your Christmas traditions?!

Merry Christmas!  Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy, and joyous holiday season! :)

Holiday Favorites

(Excuse the sloppy edges.)  Loving the entire OPI Mariah Carey Holiday Collection.  I bought My Favorite Ornament and love it.  Might have to go back to get more! Click here for a few I did last year!

What are some of your favorite things this holiday season?!

Holiday Season Bucket List

I can't believe December is here.  It honestly feels like this year just started.  I love the holiday season and Christmas is now in full gear, so here is a list of things I hope to do this holiday season!

::Watch all of my favorite Christmas movies
:: Listen to my Christmas Playlist on repeat (with the addition of the Duck Dynasty Christmas album)
:: Watch the CMA Christmas Special
:: Decorate for Christmas (-the tree's already up and decorated!)

:: Take our Christmas Picture/ send Christmas cards (getting three girls with totally different shapes and styles to agree on matching/coordinating outfits is not easy!)
:: Festively paint my nails every week

Last year's nails.  I did both mine and my sister's!.. I need to be a neater painter, though!

:: Display/ keep up with my advent calendar & wreath!
:: Creatively wrap presents (says the worst wrapper in the history of wrapping presents!!) 
:: Make a festive cocktail
:: Pay for someone else's coffee in line behind me (!!!!!- the spirit of giving!)
:: Make Christmas cookies
:: Find the perfect matching pajamas for me and my sisters  (yes, I'm 23, but my sisters and I still wear matching pajamas every year, hell we still wear matching outfits in our Holiday card and on Christmas Eve!- my mom loves it, so we oblige)

Last year's pajamas!

:: Go to Rockefeller Center in NYC to see the tree & go shopping.  (Every year it's the same thing, but we go anyway & I secretly love it, don't tell my mom!)
:: Go to the Shady Brook Farm Holiday Light Show.  (A farm around the corner from me puts on a huge and magnificent light show every year.  It's seriously spectacular and people literally come from all over to see it!)   
:: & most importantly, keep the Christ in Christmas!

What are your plans for the holiday season.  What are some things you want to make sure you do before this time of year passes us by?!  Any great deals you're excited to scoop up today for Cyber Monday?!

I'm Thankful...

I'm guilty of wanting things that I don't have or that are just out of reach instead of taking the time to be grateful and appreciate the things I do have.  Though life isn't exactly how I pictured it being right now, I really shouldn't complain because I am very fortunate.  So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving I wanted to take the time to reflect on the things I'm thankful for.

My family

My friends

Their support and never-ending encouragement

My job- though I complain about it most days, I'm thankful that I have one

Traveling- the adventures I've gone on and the ones I'm planning
Opportunities I've been given to network and further my career
My health (but I do need to start taking better care of myself as a whole... I want to live a long and healthy life...)
My struggles because they make be fight harder for what I want
Having so many cities at my disposal. (I work in Philadelphia, and Atlantic City, New York City, and Hoboken are all a quick drive away.)  I'm thankful that my friends and I can go anywhere we please on any given night!

This list might seem cliche, but sometimes I need to be reminded of all the wonderful things in my life that I take for granted.  

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope everyone has a wonderful & safe holiday! :)

What are you thankful for this holiday season?