Final Thoughts of 2010: A Recap

Wow, 2010 has been a crazy, fun-filled, full-of-surprises year for me.  I've been unbelievably blessed this year and my family has been as well.  I can't believe tomorrow will be 2011.  I remember being in junior high back in the mid-90s and people would say, "I bet by 2010 we'll be driving flying cars and have robot maids."  Not quite.  Although Joan Rivers is fast becoming creepily similar to Barbie - in her 60s.  I bet she'll be the first robot chick.  With lip injections.

I figured the best way to recap the year is to just list the high points of the year for me.  Some of the events are from other people - sports teams, celebrities, etc., but they all contributed to making this year an awesome one!

January 24, 2010 - NFC Championship game at the Superdome in New Orleans with my New Orleans Saints beating the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in overtime after Garrett Hartley kicked a beauty of a fieldgoal.  Saints going to the Superbowl for the first time in franchise history!

February 7, 2010 -  My New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Superbowl XLIV.  Who dat! Bless you boys!

 

 

 

February 9 - Parade held in New Orleans celebrating the awesome season of our Saints kicks off Mardi Gras Carnival Time.  Attended too many parades and nearly froze to death in the process, but had a ball.  Laissez les bon temps rouler!

February - Winter Olympics are always fun, but the US tore it up this year! I loved watching Bode Miller, Shaun White, Julia Mancuso, Evan Lysacek, Apollo Ohno and Lindsey Vonn do their thing.  I don't care what the sport is, I'll watch it!

March - Took a short four-day trip to Tennessee to visit the fam, and had a great time.  Went to my most favorite place in the world, Cades Cove. 

April - Made the decision to return to school.  Thought I was crazy.

May 6 - My birthday!

The summer was basically spent with me reading People Magazine and US Weekly, watching Friends and Dexter reruns and wondering if they really would send Lindsay Lohan to jail this time....

August 18 - First day back at school.  I was terrified and thrilled.  So glad I went back!

September 1 - Celebrated my three-year anniversary with the Hubs.  Yay!  I also hit my 100th post milestone that same week. 

September 2 - NCAA Football Season began.  Yes.

September 9 - NFL Season officially begins in the New Orleans Superdome with my Boys hosting the Minnesota Vikings.  My boys won 14-9.  Again, Who Dat!

For most of September, October and November I did a lot of studying and watching football.  That's about it.

December 9 - Took the last final of my first semester back at school, finished out the semester with a 3.68 GPA and made the President's List.  Wohoo!

December has been nothing but Christmas, Christmas, Christmas! 

Had a wonderful time with my family this year, as we do every year.  My girls had an awesome Christmas and received way too many gifts.  We were definitely blessed.

In retrospect, the year was kind of uneventful if you take away the sports excitement.  It was still a good year though.  My babies are healthy, I love my husband, my family is well and all is good in my hood!

What was the best moment of 2010 for you guys?

I wish you all a blessed, wonderful and happy new year! Salud!

Also, a huge THANKS to my guest bloggers for the week.  You guys rock my socks off! Love y'all!

Guest Blog Week Extravaganza: Without Obsession Life Is Nothing

Hey guys, I'm off to the winter wonderland that is Tennessee for the week, and some of my very best blogging buddies have offered to guest post for me.  Be sure to comment and then go check out their blogs and become followers - I promise you won't regret it! 

Today is my last guest blogger, and it's the totally awesome Emily from Without Obsession Life Is Nothing.  She writes about a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but mostly about movies.  I love her affection for John Waters and 80s films, and I'm terribly jealous of her because she met both John Waters and Jeff Goldblum this year!  Be sure to go check out her blog - you'll fall in love with her!

When Jess asked me to do a guest post for her my first thought, I won't lie, was "what the hell am I going to write about?". Both of our blogs are fairly varied, from current events to the trashy eighties movies we both adore with a passion, what was I going to write about to appeal to both of our readers? What was I going to write about to get more people to come to my blog? Truth be told I'm a shameless publicity fiend so the chance to get more readers, well who would turn that down? Why have all of
my sentences so far ended in question marks? Ok, let's move on.

I want to talk to you about opinions. About differences. About what makes us who we
are.

So what makes a person? Is it the things we like, the movies we watch, what political party we support? Personally I'm an atheist and a liberal, some people have described me as an anarchist because of my pretty hardcore views on the way the world should be run. But let's not go into politics because first of all I'd be here all Christmas and second of all I'm sure we don't want to hear about the state of the world at the holiday season, depressing much?

What I'm trying to say is there are many factors that make people who they are and there are always going to be people that disagree with you, always. Seriously though, if everyone agreed with each other what a boring world we would live in. Even though you might have a differing opinion to someone it doesn't mean that you can't be friends, Jess is a Christian and a republican, our religious and political beliefs are polar opposites but that doesn't mean we have to be enemies. People are far too quick to make enemies and slow to make friends, when you look below the surface there's usually something there you can connect with.

That's why this Christmas we should forget about religious differences, political beliefs, who's sports team is better than who's and simply come together as what we are. People. People who believe in the true meaning of Christmas and yeah this is coming from the so-called anarchist Atheist, trust me we're not all bad. Isn't that what this holiday is about, spreading love and good-will to all men regardless of race, nationality or opinion? It's a time for forgetting about feuds, forgetting about the things that someone has said to annoy you if only for one day out of the whole year. So here's to you Bill O'Reilly of FOX News, I disagree with everything you say but I really hope you have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. See, that wasn't so painful was it?

Guest Blog Week Extravaganza: Twenty-Something Florida Wife

Hey guys, I'm off to the winter wonderland that is Tennessee for the week, and some of my very best blogging buddies have offered to guest post for me.  Be sure to comment and then go check out their blogs and become followers - I promise you won't regret it! 

Today's Guest Blogger:  Brandi over at Twenty-Something Florida Wife.  Brandi shares a great deal about the causes she supports, being a better person and doing more to help others.  She also writes about everyday topics, and all of her posts are interesting, fun and great.  Be sure to check out her blog!

 

Autumn and winter are seasons chock full of holidays and celebrations, both religious and secular, but they all share the idea that we should remember our good fortune, and take the time to share our love and wealth (in all of it’s various forms) with others in our community, be it local or global.  It’s all too easy to forget this aspect of the holidays as we all race around stores, some of us relishing, others of us panicking over the commercialism that has taken over, and I’ve often seen a rushed prayer or other expression of gratitude being but a passing moment in the long season.  Hopefully reading this today will inspire you to drag out that moment of appreciation, just a bit longer, and revisit it all throughout the year.  I’ve come up with a list of luxuries I hope you’re fortunate enough to enjoy, and maybe you’ll feel inspired to help spread some goodness along to someone else.

 

Health.  This seems to be the one we most easily take for granted, only realizing how much we cherish it when we (or the ones we love) are ill.  For most of us in America, it’s a minor inconvenience in our time and financial budgets to get a prescription for antibiotics, or grab pain relievers from a drug store.  Occasionally, far more devastating illnesses and accidents occur in our families; but usually, we are somewhat comforted by the knowledge that skilled physicians and nurses are doing their best to ensure that patients are as comfortable as possible during their treatment. 

 

Not all are so fortunate.  Around the world, children can die from things as simple as diarrhea, and several nations are currently experiencing polio outbreaks.  Even here in America, some genuinely cannot afford their prescriptions, or are too ill for current medical technology to assist.  Sending teddy bears or snuggly blankets to hospitals, or making a donation to an organization that provides access to medicines and immunizations in developing nations can make a big difference in someone else’s life.

 

Love & Family.  Hug your children, parents, partners, siblings, and friends a little closer the next time you see them.  The people who make up your support system helped to make you who you are.  I know so many people that I cannot imagine not having in my life, and I’ll bet you have plenty, too. 

 

Maybe you have room in your life for someone who needs a little love and family.  From adopting a pet (or even making a small contribution to a rescue or sanctuary in your area), to children without families (if fostering or adoption is just not right for you, consider sponsoring a child in need or making a donation to an orphanage in line with your values), to the elderly and disabled in nursing homes, many of whom would love to have a visitor come read to them or share some conversation over lunch.

 

Safety.  So many of us forget how wonderful it is to be able to walk outside of our homes without the fear of being attacked.  In many countries, the simple task of visiting a marketplace can be dangerous.  Even in the US, those without a home of their own are left to fend for themselves in the streets, against the elements and against those who would take advantage of them. 

 

Maybe you can contribute to a local homeless shelter, or spend a few hours a month in a soup kitchen to give some folks a little reprieve.  Or, perhaps, you can help support efforts to stop violence against women in children in war-torn countries.

 

I hope that you have much to enjoy in your life, and I hope that you are grateful for these things.  Just as Loren Eisley’s Star Thrower , you can make a profound difference in the life of another. 

 

I’ll leave you with a list of organizations you may find interesting, and wishes for a happy, healthy, safe, and love filled New Year for you and yours!

 

Heifer International

PlanUSA

Women for Women International

Best Friends Animal Society

Kiva

Teddy Bears That Care

Guest Blog Week Extravaganza: Jumble Mash

 

Hey guys, I'm off to the winter wonderland that is Tennessee for the week, and some of my very best blogging buddies have offered to guest post for me.  Be sure to comment and then go check out their blogs and become followers - I promise you won't regret it! 

Today's guest blogger:  JM over at Jumble Mash

Jess didn't actually ask me specifically to guest post, but she did as for volunteers and since I love her, I did just that. She gave me a list of ideas and I decided to go with a Top Ten List. So here are my Top 10 favorite TV shows that I don't think I could ever live without. Reruns are perfectly acceptable, too.

 

In no particular order....

 

1. The Office- If you've read my blog lately, you already know my new obsession. More particularly Jim and Pam. Mostly Jim though. The show is hilarious and a must see!

 

2. Grey's Anatomy- Oh the drama! This shows always leaving me saying, "Are you serious?!?!" If the angst and betrayals and friendships aren't enough to keep you watching, McSteamy and McDreamy are.

 

 

3. Friends- Although I have just about every season and DVD and don't think I've ever missed an episode, even the reruns are awesome. I'm not just saying all this because I know Jess loves Friends, too. I just seriously love this show.

 

 

4. King of the Hill- This is one of my favorite adult cartoons ever. Beats the Simpson's and The Family Guy any day on my list.

 

 

5. Supernatural- Ah, Sam and Dean. The hottest Demon Hunters on Earth. This show is jammed back full of action (and some cheesiness) and hottness.

 

 

6. House- For being an old dude, House is damn attractive. And such an ass, but one that you can't help but love.

 

 

7. Dexter- Whomever thought of this show, I would like to meet. I mean, Dexter is a freakin' psycho path serial killer but knows exactly how to get away with it because he does blood splatter analyst crap for the police. Brilliant.

 

 

8. True Blood- Ah, Twilight for grown ups! Lots of sex but also good story lines. Sometimes I wanna smack Sookie, but I can never stop watching.

 

 

9 Nip/Tuck- Although it has been canceled, I have the seasons on DVD and I love them. Every once in a while I'll pull them out and watch them. A lot like True Blood with a lot of sex, but they are plastic surgeons and not Vampires. And Christian is such an asshole, but I completely love him.

 

 

10.Myth Busters- Yeah a little different that my first 9 but I absolutely LOVE this show. The cast is funny and I really like seeing what is real and what's not. Sometimes you can learn a thing or two! Like how to get out of a car submerged in water!

 

 

Again, be sure to go check out Jumble Mash.  She write funny, original and awesome posts!

Guest Blog Week Extravaganza - Fantasy Casting

Hey guys, I'm off to the winter wonderland that is Tennessee for the week, and some of my very best blogging buddies have offered to guest post for me.  Be sure to comment and then go check out their blogs and become followers - I promise you won't regret it! 

First up:  Gina over at Fantasy Casting

                                                  Why Captain Jack Sparrow is Rad

Yes. I said "rad."

First, look: 

That's the best use of guy-liner ever. Seriously, ever. I'll admit, there's not a lot of stiff competition in this category. I mean, there's Pete Wentz and Adam Lambert and Boy George and that's about it, right? But Captain Jack Sparrow certainly takes the cake in the guy-liner competition, hands down. It's smoky and smudgy and smoldering hot.


Now, let's talk about that fact that the character is one of the first original Disney characters in... one hundred thousand years. OK, that's a slight exaggeration, but Disney does have a knack for reinventing old characters: fairy tales, legends and remakes make up the bulk of their wheelhouse, and to see a completely fresh character based on an original Disney ride is awesome.


Once this entirely fantastic character had been laid to paper, Depp breathed life into it by basing his interpretation of it on Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones. While we're on the subject of Keith Richards, how fabulous of a guy is he to step in and make the cameo appearance in the third film as Sparrow's dad? Talk about being a good sport, right? Most celebrities would balk at the caricaturization, but Richards embraced. Good man.

Jack Sparrow oozes confidence- he literally rode a sinking ship right up to the harbor, and walked off as if it had been the QE2. He walks into the clutches of danger and negotiates his way into his version of safety time and time again.


I mean, come on, the man convinced an entire pirating community that he had used his own back hair to lash together sea turtles and ride them away from an island he had been marooned on. Now, I know he was lying, but the fact remains that people believed him capable of this feat. And, in leadership, having your subordinates believe you are capable of something is as important as actually being capable of it. That's charisma.


By the middle of the third film, I was so tired of the back and forth, wishy washiness of Elizabeth and Will, that I kinda wanted Elizabeth to wind up with Jack. Am I alone in this? Good to know.

OK, I'll admit, the cannibal scenes got a little... silly and out of control. But, I won't hold Jack responsible for that. That's just poor writing. Everybody knows cannibal jokes are in bad taste.


Here's to Captain Jack Sparrow, the worst pirate I've ever heard of. But at least I have heard of him ;)

Gina blogs over at Fantasy Casting where she's usually spouting her opinion about who should be cast in the film versions of her favorite books. You can contact her here.

'Twas the day before Christmas

Don't worry, I'm not going to rhyme.

Today is my second-most favorite day of the year, mostly because it's the prelude to CHRISTMAS, but also because everyone is bustling around, cooking, wrapping presents and getting everything ready for that delightful day less than 24 hours away.

Every year my Mom has a Christmas Eve party, and this year they're finally letting me contribute finger foods. They don't trust me enough yet to prepare actual meals. One of these days...

Anyhoo, I was going to just make pigs in a blanket, because they're a crowd favorite and they're super easy. Then Brandi over at Twenty-Something Florida Wife shared her chocolate-peanut butter fudge recipe yesterday, and I was thrilled!

I've been wanting a good peanut butter fudge recipe for years, but nobody has had one. So, later today I will be making Brandi's fudge, and I'm sure it will be delightful. Thanks, Brandi!

Hubs and I opened our presents to each other last night, because we like Christmas morning to be all about the kids - for now, anyway - and he gave me an Amazon Kindle, which I love! I also received some new shoes, diamond stud earrings and accessories for the Kindle. Momma's happy. I gave Hubs an XBox 360 Kinect and a game everybody is apparently wanting, Black Ops or something like that. He was thrilled, so I did good. Oh, I also created a shirt online at Custom Ink for him;

It's hilarious, and he loved that, too. (He's been joking all semester that he's married to a college chick and that's hot. What a nerd.)

So, now we are looking forward to tonight's party and tomorrow morning, when we'll get to watch our daughters open presents and squeal delightedly over the ridiculously massive amount of Disney Princess stuff. After that we'll head over to Mom's so the girls can do presents there, then we'll spend the rest of the day at my grandparent's house with the family. It's such a wonderful time, and I very much enjoy my family, so it will be a great day.

THEN (I know, this is getting ridiculous) we'll be leaving on Sunday headed to the Smoky Mountains and my most favorite state of the US - Tennessee. I can't wait to see my Dad, baby sisters and family up there. Make sure you guys stop in next week and check out my guest bloggers! They have written some great posts!

I hope you all have wonderfully fantabulous Christmases - those who celebrate, anyway. For the rest of you, just have a smashing Saturday! Love and kisses, y'all!

In the words of The Beatles: HELP!

So, I'll be going to beautiful Tennessee the day after Christmas for a week to visit my totally awesome Dad, stepmom, sisters, uncles, aunts and cousins.  They do have internet connection, but I'm sure I'll be having entirely too much fun to update my blog, which makes me sad. 

Because of this little vacation, I would like to have my first ever Guest Blog Week. 

Yippee. 

Are you excited?  I know I am.

What I need is five volunteers (yes, you) to write a post for each day for me - Monday through Friday.  I actually had about four people in mind specifically, but I couldn't find emails for all of you, so this is an open invitation.  If I get more than five offers, I will probably carry the guest posts over into next week or maybe use them later - if it's okay with the bloggers. 

Since my blog is about anything and everything, no specific topic is needed, but I did come up with a few ideas for y'all, if needed:

The Funniest/Most Embarrassing Thing That Ever Happened To Me

Face Punch

Top Ten Lists (Movies, Music, Hotties, Notties, Animals, Fetishes, whatever)

Why I Love/Hate Facebook (or Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Speidi, Robert Downey Jr., Ryan Reynolds, etc.)

Somebody Has To Say It

Abnormal News

We Were On A Break!
If I Could Create a Television Show/Film, It Would Be...
My Life Soundtrack

Book Reviews

Interviews

Deep Thoughts

Wonderings/Ponderings

Jabberwocky

Ode to Johnny Depp/Captain Jack/Mad Hatter

Why Speidi Sucks

If I Were to Host an Infomercial, My Product Would Be ____ and My Pitch Would Sound Like This (MUST BE OVERLY CHEESY)

Why It's Okay To Crush On An Older Man As Long As He Has A Foreign Accent

Guilty Pleasures (No freaky-deeky, you pervs)

Why F*R*I*E*N*D*S Was the Best Show.  Ever.

Why Saved By the Bell Should Film A Reunion Movie

Of course, you don't have to use any of these ideas. 

You can comment on this post to let me know you're interested, or email me at jessicabparnell@hotmail.com
Once we establish your interest, I'll need your post by Friday so I can set all posts up to begin on Monday.

I'm so excited and hope you guys are interested! 

Toodles!

See, what happened was...

I thought once I finished finals it would be rest and relaxation, maybe a little Christmas shopping here and there...

Afraid not.

First, the DAY I finished finals, Hubs came down with strep throat.  Over the weekend, Hayden started running high fever...trip to the ER revealed she also had strep throat.  Then, two days later, Anna catches it.  So I spent most of last week taking care of three sick children.  (Note:  Hubs is actually 28, but when he's sick, he might as well be a five-year-old.  Males.)

A couple of visits to doctors later, Hubs and kids are feeling better. 

Yay. 

In between taking the kids to the doctor and babying Hubs I was super-busy at work planning and decorating for our annual Christmas dinner.  My boss, the Pastor, is older and apparently has an abundance of free time to come up with these crazy schemes and decoration ideas - this would normally be cool, but since I'm the secretary, that means I'm the one who has to try and make his ideas come to life.  These ideas usually take two or three days to complete. 

Luckily I'm brilliant and was able to pull everything together, and our dinner on Thursday night was a smashing success.  Yay.

Friday I cleaned house, finished Christmas shopping, wrapped presents and started packing for us to spend the weekend at Hub's parent's house in Baton Rouge.  All in all a great day, especially when Hubs brought in the mail and I discovered a letter from my school informing me I made the President's List. 

Woohoo! 

I was so excited and moved that I cried.  It sort of felt like validation for me - letting myself know that hey, I can actually do this - even with a husband and two children and a home to take care of and a job to keep.  Just call me Superwoman. 

I rode that high all the way through the weekend, and I'm still feeling pretty giddy about it now.  Hubs put the letter on the fridge, which is adorable and lets me know he's super proud of me.  

Our "Christmas Weekend" with Hub's family went well.  The girls received entirely too many gifts, as usual.  We hit the jackpot with cash prizes and some gift cards and pretty awesome gifts.  Made it back home this afternoon, had lunch at my grandparent's house, watched the Saints lose to the Ravens (boo) and then went to church for our Christmas Candelight Service.  

Whew.  

So, that's what I've been up to - not that y'all really cared.  This vacation is turning out to be not so much a vacation as much as more work for Jess.  How strange.