New Years Resolutions Resolution

The time of resolutions is upon us. I, like everyone else in the world, hate making New Years resolutions. They are a yearly reminder of how inconsistent I can be, a punishment for crimes that, when committed, didn't feel like crimes, but like life.
However, I stumbled across this blog from Cranky Fitness, one of the blogs I follow, and by golly if I could get my brain to think this way, all of my resolutions would be do-able.
So do yourself a favor and read this one.

Resolutions are really gifts


Resolutely yours,
Nay

The After-Christmas Blues

So today was The Day. Christmas Day of course. My parents woke me up (I've been on the couch since my grandparents arrived) to the sounds (and smell) of coffee brewing, the fire going, lighting the tree and turning on all the Christmas lights. I love Christmas morning. I hate the rest of the day.
NO, it's not because I want more presents.
I always feel let down after Christmas morning. The rest of the day is an anticlimax to the festivities of the morning. I've always felt this way and I have NO idea why. I suppose it's because after the gifts are unwrapped and breakfast is served, my most favorite Season of the year is, well, over and done. Sure, we leave the tree up for a few more days, usually until New Years Day, but essentially, the magic and the spirit of the Season is gone. Now, lighting the tree is simply another chore, going through the motions. It doesn't mean what it did 12 hours ago. I just hate it.
Sometimes I want to cry, but I don't. But it doesn't appease me that come November next year I'll be all excited again. I think about how Christmas was years ago, when my sister and I were blown away every year by how much stuff was under the tree! I think about how we would play for hours with our new toys and try on our new clothes, and then bundle up and go to our relatives houses for dinner. It's just not the same and I know that it never will be, but sometimes I just wish I could find that Christmas magic, just one more time...

What's the matter with me? I always get the post-Christmas blues. Am I alone here or do you guys feel something like this too?

Moodily yours, but ultimately, Merry Christmas,
Nay

A Treatise on A Love Affair

I have a confession to make.

I've been in a relationship for years and never told anyone.

A relationship with... shhh... books.

Oh books. I have so many, and so many more to buy!!
Books are such wonderful things. I love the smell, I love the feel of a fresh, new book in my hand, the anticipation of cracking it open to see what sort of jewels it holds inside. I love old books too- the history, the thought of "how many hands have turned these pages?" If books could talk, what sort of stories would they tell- no pun intended! Every time I buy a book, I fall in love all over again. You can easily see why Barnes and Noble is my favorite and most prefered bookseller. They have EVERYTHING, and if they don't, they will get it for you.
There is something to be said for the little booksellers too. The faint feeling of walking into history, of being in good literary company, surrounded by the masters. Ah books.

Me, I consume the written word, any kind. I'm a big fan of non-fiction, mindless fun fiction and the occassional classic. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is my favorite classic, La Cucina by Lily Prior is my favorite fiction, and History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage was such a fascinating non-fiction read, that I can't wait to read it again.

I'm reading a very interesting book right now called "The Man Who Loved Books Too Much" by Allison Hoover Bartlett. It is a true story about a man who is a book thief. Now before you go thinking "well that's a dumb thing to steal" or "man I can think of a million other things to steal", this man steals rare books from antiquarian book sellers and book dealers. These books are sometimes worth thousands of dollars, and according to Bartlett, book theft is far more prevalent than fine art theft.

In this book, Bartlett explores the idea of the many types of "book people". I am a bibliophile, meaning I love books but not so much so that I feel I can't live without owning them all. The other term Bartlett uses is "blibliomaniac", people who feel a compulsive need to possess, by any means necessary, books, both old and new.

Now, I know none of you are out there stealing books (or at least I hope not), so I am curious to hear your thoughts on this idea of "book lover".

Are you a book lover? What kinds of books?

Lovers come and go, beauty fades, love sometimes too, but a good book will always be steadfast and true.

So, fellow bibliophiles, what are your favorites? Don't be shy.

Bookishly yours,
Nay

To Jeep or Not To Jeep

I am the proud owner of a Jeep Liberty. I love my truck. I love how tall she is, how rugged and peppy she is. And though I don't take her off-road or camping or any of that "Jeep people" stuff, she is still a great truck.

However. She could not make it up the hill to my house in the snow on Friday. And that concerns me. Now I realize that this weather is pretty uncommon here in Richmond. But what if it happens again this winter? What if the next few winters are just as bad, or worse? What then?

My point is, I'm considering trading my beloved Jeepy in, and getting a Jeep with 4WD. I have found exactly what I want at carmax.com, who I bought my Jeep from in August of 2008. It is a 2008 Jeep Patriot Sport, showing here, and I really like it a lot. My problem is, I've only had my Jeep for a little over a year. How does that look, to trade in one car for a new one so quickly? My folks think its a good idea. My payments will be the same as they are now, which is nice- newer car, same price

Am I overthinking this?

Bottom line, I need a vehicle that I can rely on, and up until now, my Liberty fit that bill. But now I'm not so sure.


Guidance would be much appreciated.
Nay

Haste, Post, Haste!

I'm reading a new book called Yours Ever: People and their Letters, which is about, duh, people, and their use of letters for correspondence. Which got me thinking. Why don't people write letters anymore?

Sure, people still send cards with little messages of love or "thinking of you's", but no one really sits down and writes an honest to goodness letter. I think the last time I received a letter was when I was a freshman in college, from my mother, and she only wrote a letter because Hurricane Isabel had knocked out their power and she couldn't email.

Which brings me to my next question. Is email considered a letter? Or is it just a relative of the telephone call? (which most people don't do anymore either) Maybe email is the parent of the text message. This idea reminds me of the parts in the Bible where it says "So and So begat so and so, who begat..."- Letter begat telegram, who begat telephone, who begat email, who begat text message.

My point, (and I do have one) is people just "check in" with each other now, they don't really want to hear all about the goings on. The author of Yours Ever, Thomas Mallon writes that the speed and expediency of email is what we've become accustomed to. "Its addictive instant gratifications have replaced the old, slow anticipation of the daily visit from the mailman, who now brings mostly junk."

As much as I say I would like to reincarnate letter writing, I do not possess the skill or the time. I say skill because it takes a lot of practice to sit down and write a readable and enjoyable letter. And time, well, who has enough of that? (as I sit here, lazily, and blog)

Maybe that's the answer. Maybe the letter has morphed into the blog. Really, back in the old days a letter was a "Here's what's going on in my life" tome. Blogs are the same way. We write about things that interest us, enrage us, bore us and sadden us. Letters did the same thing. So maybe instead of saying that letter writing has died, we can say that it's just evolved into blogging, with a bit of email thrown in for a quick "how are you?"

And to be fair to my generation, we are more connected than ever, even being thousands of miles apart because of the speed and efficiency of email, text and the electronic age. So instead of losing touch with someone because they move away (Mr and Mrs. M) you can still keep tabs on them because they are only a text or email away.

Oh yeah, and a phone call too.

Correspondingly yours,
Nay

Let it snow!

It's finally happened! After months of waiting, anticipating, watching the weather, the First Snow of the Season is here. I put that in capitals because snow is a big deal here in Richmond mainly because we don't usually get any! Everywhere else in the country will get snow, but central Virginia will not. Heck, it will snow in Roanoke, Staunton and Charlottesville all on the same day but NEVER in Richmond. So today is a real treat!

So far we've gotten about 5 inches in about 4 hours, which to us Richmonders is akin to a blizzard. Add in some sleet (what we're used to) and you've got a winter whopper! Not to mention the fact that it is one week until Christmas, and many people (myself included, duh) are hoping it sticks around long enough to be pretty on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

I love the snow! I love how silent it is, how soft and blanketing it is. I do not like what it does to the roads, and how my supposedly rugged Jeep cannot make it up the hill to get home. I was driving home from dinner tonight, my parents behind me in their Ford Escape, and I turn into the neighborhood.... and that's about as far as I could go. I couldn't make it up the hill, and my Jeep does not have 4 wheel drive. What kind of Jeep doesn't have 4 wheel drive? I've seen station wagons with 4 wheel drive! Anyway, I wasn't going anywhere without chains, so Dad drove it to the high school and parked it there, where it will be safe from snow plows and people plowing into it. What an odyssey :)

So all you Richmonders, get out there and enjoy the First Snow! Pray for many more (please. I'm a teacher. We need the days.)

Snowily yours,
Nay

Isn't she lovely?

I am a HUGE fan of Michelle Obama. Wait, are you a fan of the First Lady or an admirer? Can you be a fan of someone who isn't so much a celebrity as an icon? Anyway, semantics, semantics.

I've been searching high and low for anything on the First Lady I can find, and I found this at Barnes and Noble this evening... as if I don't buy enough from them. I love photo essays and this one is a real treasure.

Michelle Obama: The First Lady in Photographs

Also, Barnes and Noble has a lot of great books about the First Lady. As a teacher, I plan to incorporate more on the First Ladies in my social studies curricula. I feel like motivating and powerful women are not studied enough in schools. Even if we just learn a bit of biography about the First Ladies, it will be something interesting for the kids.

So, there's a gift idea for you. You can never go wrong with photo essays. Here are a few more of my faves:

Read My Pins: Stories From a Diplomat's Jewel Box by Madeline Albright

InStyle: The New Secrets of Style

Hmm, a stylish First Lady, a book about pins and jewels, the new secrets of great style... I sense a theme here...

Stylishly yours,

Nay

in memoriam.

Today, a very close friend of my family's passed away suddenly. I am still in shock, with the birds of sadness nesting in my hair.

I think of his wife, his children and grandchildren. How do people keep on keeping on when something like this happens?

Grief is such a heavy thing. And as much as people want to help, it's a burden only you can carry.

"Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." John 16:22

I'm dedicating this post to the DeNoon family. I have no words to tell you how sorry I am. My heart aches for all of you.


nay.

The Reason for the Season

Christmastime is finally upon us!! I look forward to Christmas all year long! I love everything about Christmas- the decorating, the music, the food, and the Story. The Christmas Story is one of my favorites and I love how this holiday is centered around a story about a tiny baby :)

When I was younger we used to go to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at our church. We would hear the Christmas story, sing carols and hymns and sit in awe of how beautiful our church was lit by candlelight, the golden glow touching the holly and the greens hung on the windows and the altar. Afterward, we'd rush home in the cold and take baths, then we'd snuggle up and watch A Christmas Carol, the one with George C. Scott as Mr. Scrooge. My grandfather LOVES that movie, and I admit I do too :) It wouldn't be Christmas Eve without it. Even though we don't attend that church anymore, the memories of the candlelight service stay with me.

It is SO important to be with family at Christmastime. When I was living in DC, my house was empty most of the time because my roommates were hardly ever home. I decorated our little house with puny decorations, put up a Charlie Brown tree and hung our stockings, all by myself. And it was miserable. There was no music, no family, no logs burning the fireplace, the tree lit up with lights and ornaments. I was so upset all that season. I moved back home to Richmond shortly thereafter because you can only live without family for so long.

The main thing to remember at Christmastime is that we are all family and we need to take care of one another. In my community we have the Christmas Mother program, which supplies struggling and needy families in my community with food, clothes and toys for Christmas. If you can, check and see if there are any programs like that in your area and help out if you can. Every little bit helps make someone's Christmas a merry one.

The Gift is what's in your heart, friends, not what's in your hands. I hope I don't sound preachy. It's just that Christmas is a great time to get to know God again, and maybe make some room in your heart, the way the innkeeper made room in the inn.


Merrily yours,
Nay