Because Sometimes You Just Need To Laugh!

A couple of weeks ago, Nikki and I went to the mall when we had an afternoon to kill. We were walking through a department store that shall remain nameless when we came across a display of hats. We started trying them on and started laughing so hard that we decided we needed pictures of the occasion. Apparently the idea was catching because a few other people joined us and did the same thing. Here were a few of our favorites....




After this, we stopped in the juniors department where I saw these red pants. You can't tell from the picture, but the rips in the pants had fishnet material behind them. Of course I had to try them on....don't they look fabulous with that shirt???

Finally, I tortured my cat again with the Santa hat and thought these images were quite funny. I don't think she thought so...



I took the roommate to the airport today so she could spend Christmas in Chicago with her family. Ellie and I are hanging out until Wednesday morning when I will leave to drive to GA to meet the fam for Christmas (driving alone with my cat - hope she behaves!!). More posts to come soon. Have a great week!

The Singing Christmas Trees

Greetings from the Sunshine State! I did enjoy my time living in Gloucester, but I must say that I am thankful to not be in the Great White North for another winter. The high temps are in the 20's there right now, and I am quite excited to still be able to wear short sleeves outside!!

I know I've shared in some previous blog entries about participating in the Singing Christmas Trees at First Baptist Church Orlando, but I wanted to share a few pictures with you guys so you could get a better idea of what it was like to actually be in the Trees. Here are a couple of pictures of the whole trees so you can see how tall they were.


There are several entrances on each tree - the bottom 5 rows enter from one area, and then the rest of the rows climb a ladder and scoot in to the right spot. The whole structure is built on a scaffolding system. They have boxes that you stand on if necessary so that everyone is approximately the same height. I had to stand on a 10 inch box. :) There is barely enough room for me to fit into the tree, which is crazy! Here are a couple of pictures of me and Nikki in our spots.


For the actual performances, we all wear white t-shirts and jeans, and then we wear a sparkly top that only covers the upper part of the body because that is all you see. You are also supposed to wear extra makeup so you show up in the tree and don't look too ghostly. Here we are in our capes!

I really enjoyed my time rehearsing with and performing in the Trees. It was a great experience and something I've never done before. I'm very thankful I had the opportunity to participate. It was cool to be in a choir, since I've always been on the instrumental side of things. I did get to play in the orchestra for two of the shows because one of their percussionists had to be out. It was so nice to get back in an orchestral setting and remember how much I love playing. It's been awhile....and I am grateful I had to chance to play again as well. All in all, it was a great experience and I don't think I'll ever forget what it's like to squish into a tree and be part of the decoration! :)

A week from today I'll be driving up to GA to spend Christmas with the fam. Looking forward to that! Much more to share, so keep checking in for updates. Have a great week! :)

Christmas In Florida

Greetings, family and friends! I am SOOOO sorry it has been forever since I have put up a blog. There are a couple of reasons for that. The first reason is that Nikki and I have been crazy busy with the Singing Christmas Trees. We had four performances last week and have had two so far this weekend. Our last show is tomorrow, and then we'll be done! I have enjoyed the experience though, especially getting to play in the orchestra unexpectedly for two of the shows. The other reason I haven't put up many posts is because my camera bit the dust. I just had time to go see about getting it fixed a couple of days ago, only to discover that it isn't fixable. That was very sad, but I did get a new camera that I am very excited about learning how to use!!! More to come on that soon!

My whole family was here for Thanksgiving, and we had so much fun together! We had yummy food on Thanksgiving, and I even made a homemade banana pudding. It was SOOO good! Here are a couple of pictures of the masterpiece...


We also did a photo shoot with my family - Nikki was kind enough to take pictures for us. Here are a few of my favorite.




Nikki and I decorated our apartment for Christmas before my family arrived so that we could be festive for the holidays. We don't have much space, so we each have a small tree. They are so cute, and it's been awesome to be able to plug them in and enjoy the Christmasy spirit for almost a month now!

Ellie enjoys the trees too. She tries to hide under them. Here she is hanging on the back of the couch...

The weather here has been quite lovely lately, at least for the most part. We went to Disney a few days ago, wearing shorts because it was 85 degrees! Today we were sitting out on our balcony before we had to leave for the show, when we realized an alligator was sunning itself on the grass by the lake. It's hard to tell from this picture, but look for the baby gator!

I will try to write entries more often - hopefully people still read! :) - and keep you updated on what is happening. I am doing well here in Florida. I am learning so much everyday, and God continues His healing in my life. There are many decisions to make, but I am excited to see the doors that open and to be in a place in life to dream a little. Nikki and I are having a great time being roommates, going to Disney when we can, and enjoying the warmth. I will certainly keep you posted! For now, I will close this entry with a picture of my cat that I took with my new camera. Enjoy these last couple of weeks before Christmas!

Thanksgiving Fun!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! We have been having so much fun hanging out as a family. Much laughter, food, fun, and just enjoying being together. I'll post more once everyone is gone, but for now, here is a quick preview in photos.... :)

Mickey's Christmas Party

Last night I had the privilege of going to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. It was AWESOME!!!! We had such a great time, and it was so magical that you couldn't help but smile the entire night. In an unfortunate turn of events, my camera stopped working, so all of the pictures in this post are courtesy of my most fabulous and talented roommate who is sharing her photos with me so I can show you what we got to experience. Here is a picture (or many pictures!) of our evening....

When we arrived at the Magic Kingdom, it was just starting to get dark. They close the park early and only people who are attending the party are allowed to stay, so it wasn't crowded at all. We never had to wait more than 10 minutes to ride anything. Right before 7, they turned the Christmas lights on the castle on, and it was awesome! Cinderella made a wish, and her fairy godmother turned them all on. Here is the castle decked out in icicle lights...

And just because it was so pretty, here are some other pictures of the castle that we got!





Another really cool part about the Christmas party is that it snows on Main Street! It was so amazing! We had a blast standing in it and trying to take pictures. Here are a few pictures from Main Street, one showing the snow. There is also one of a quartet who were singing Christmas carols - they were great!



They had a special firework show set to holiday music, which was fun. They also had posts set up throughout the park where you could get free hot chocolate and Christmas cookies. Because it wasn't crowded, Nikki and I got to ride Dumbo. It's one of the most popular rides there, and the lines are always so long. It was really fun! Here are a couple of pictures from our ride.


Towards the end of the night, they had a Christmas parade, and that was a lot of fun to watch. Here are some fun pictures from the parade!







As we walked throughout the park, Christmas music was playing in all of the speakers. It was such a jolly night! We had a blast, and as we left, we stopped for one more round of hot chocolate. I love Piglet and couldn't resist taking a picture with this one...

I would highly recommend this event to anyone wanting to come to Disney! I had such a great time and am glad I got to have the experience. Now I must go get a few things done in preparation for my family arriving in just a few days!!!! Have a great weekend!

Because I Am Easily Amused....

Make no mistake though - Ellie is not amused. :)