Christmas Survey

I was reading a blog that I frequent (http://laureality.blogspot.com/) and she had a survey regarding Christmas on one of her recent posts. I thought it was a great way to get to know people, so I'm posting it here as well.

Eggnog or hot chocolate?
Hot chocolate. I've never been a fan of eggnog.

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa wraps them unless it is a really large gift, like a bike. Those gifts he just leaves unwrapped under the tree.

White or multi-colored lights on tree/house?
I love multi-colored lights on my tree and house.

Do you hang mistletoe?
Sometimes. I didn't this year, but I did last year.

When do you put your decorations up?
The day after Thanksgiving. My mother, my sister, my aunt, and I get up early on Black Friday and do some shopping. I usually come home and take a nap and then I put up the tree. However, this year I got out the tree and the decorations but I was too exhausted to put the tree up. I put it up on Saturday morning instead.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I think I was around 7 or 8 years old. We were living in a small two-bedroom apartment (we being my parents, my sister, and myself) and my entire family was sleeping over for Christmas (entire family being my grandparents, my mom's siblings with their spouses, and their children: about 12 additional people). All of the kids were sleeping in my room on the floor. The adults were sleeping on the beds and sleeper sofa. It was a packed house. We usually did this every year, but we rotated between our house, my grandparents house, and my aunt's house. I was really excited waiting for Christmas morning to arrive. I couldn't sleep so I got up and went to go get something to drink from the kitchen. I saw my parents and my aunts bringing presents in from the cars outside. That is when I knew there was no Santa. I was completely crushed! I guess I must have suspected it for a while, but when I saw them carrying gifts and the surprised look on their faces when they saw me, it confirmed my suspicions.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Multi-colored lights, gold garland, various glittery ornaments along with a few traditional, solid-colored balls, with a gold, glittery bow with streamers as a topper.

Snow! Love it or dread it?
Love it. I live in Kentucky and we have fairly cold winters here; however, we don't get a whole lot of snow. We'll have flurries a few times during the winter and maybe two or three times we may actually get 2 or 3 inches of snow. Once every few years we might get 4 or 5 inches. About every 10 years we'll have a good snow of 8 to 10 inches.

Do you remember your favorite gift?
My favorite gift was my camera, but I got that for my birthday. My favorite gift as a kid is a tie between my first bicycle (with a Pink Panther banana seat) or my first computer (Commodore 64 - remember those! lol You had to purchase an external floppy drive that used those big disks to really do anything with the computer).

What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Getting together with my family.

What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Pecan Pie with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Yum!

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
I love all of it. My family used to do a gift exchange on Christmas Eve. On Thanksgiving Day everyone would put their names in a bowl and each person would draw a name. This gift would be opened on Christmas Eve. I think our grandparents devised this as a way to keep the kids from asking over and over if they could open "just one gift." When my sister and I were kids we would wake up early in the morning and go stare at the Christmas Tree. We had to wait until 7am before we could wake up my parents. We also had to have a pot of coffee brewed for my Mom and a Diet Pepsi for Dad. My sister would wake up really early and then she would wake me up. I would start thinking about opening the presents and I couldn't go back to sleep. There were a couple of years where she got up around 4 am. Waiting 3 hours when your a kid who wants to open gifts seems like an eternity!

What tops your tree?
A hand-made bow with streamers that extend down the length of the tree.

Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
Everyone love to get gifts. I love to give, especially when I've picked out a gift that I know someone is going to be excited about getting.

What is your favorite Christmas song?
I love them all! I burn an mp3 CD with over a hundred Christmas songs by various artists and play it over and over in my car. While I'm at work, I listen to a local radio station that plays Christmas music all through December

Candy canes?
I have a couple on my tree but I don't usually eat them (unless they are chocolate or fruit flavored).

Favorite Christmas movie?
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - hands down.

What do you leave for Santa?
When I was a kid we would leave out cookies and milk. Since I don't have any kids right now, Santa doesn't come to our house so I don't leave anything for him.

I'd love to hear about your Christmas traditions.

I've been really sick this week with a severe head/chest cold with a sore throat and an ear infection in each ear (happens every time I get a cold or sinus infection). It has been a real bummer. There were some things I wanted to get finished this week (like maybe doing some more shopping and wrapping a few gifts), but I've been too sick to get them done. I hope I get well soon so I can really enjoy the Christmas season!

My Christmas Tree This Year


Poinsettia Ornament

Bow Ornament

The Grand Canyon

On February 14, 2006 (my wedding anniversary), my husband and I took a drive from his parents' house in Tucson, Arizona to The Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona. My husband was born and raised in Arizona, so he had seen The Grand Canyon. Although I lived in Tucson for two years, I had never ventured more than 100 miles from Tucson. Being a photography addict, of course I would want to photograph The Grand Canyon!

We drove approximately 350 miles to Tusayan, Arizona (just south of the park entrance) and checked into the Holiday Inn Express. Then we started driving towards the park. I was so excited to see The Grand Canyon. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. As we got closer to the rim of the canyon I caught a glimpse of it through the trees. My heart began to race. We parked and walked to the edge of the canyon. I remember standing there, looking at the immensity of the canyon with tears glistening in my eyes. The view was breathtaking. I took hundreds of photos.

We drove back to Tusayan where we watched an IMAX movie about how The Grand Canyon was found by explorers. After the movie, we walked outside and noticed that the sun was setting (see the photo titled "Sunset in Northern Arizona" under the post titled "Clouds."). I decided to drive back into the park to take some photos of the canyon at sunset. After taking a few hundred more photos, we went back into town and had a romantic dinner at a nice restaurant adjoining a hotel in Tusayan. I had bison for dinner. I don't recall what my husband had. During the dinner there were Native Americans performing traditional dances and playing music. It was an amazing day.

The next morning we drove up to the rim of the canyon so I could take more photos (of course). It was freezing cold with gusty winds and I was dressed in carpi pants (which are totally suitable for Southern Arizona weather in February, not so much for Northern Arizona weather!). I could hardly pull myself away. I took photo after photo even though my hands were numb from the cold. My husband had retreated to the car. He finally had to come and coerce me to get back in the car.

I will never forget that first glimpse of The Grand Canyon. That moment is forever etched in my memory. As a photography addict, I live for those moments when you are able to capture something so amazing with the lens of your camera. I want to share that moment with you.

The South Rim of The Grand Canyon

Red Canyon Walls

The Cliff's Edge

Sinda the Tiger

I was reading a sad story yesterday about Sinda the Tiger. Sinda was a tiger at the Louisville Zoo. They had to euthanize her because she had an inoperable oral cancer. It is very sad, however; Sinda was 17 years old, which is considered pretty old for a tiger. In 2004, Sinda gave birth to two tiger cubs, Anya and Irisa. Those cubs now reside at the Columbus Zoo. I was browsing through some of my photos last night and I came across a photo of Sinda that I had taken last summer. I thought I would share that photo with all of you.

I really enjoy going to the zoo. I always take my camera and I usually end up taking hundreds of photos. The animals have such personality and I really enjoy photographing them. Along with my camera, I also usually take my nephew, Connor, with me when I go to the zoo. He makes the experience more enjoyable. He enjoys the zoo as much as I do.

I thought I would share a few photos today of the animals at the Louisville Zoo. As you view these photos, please don't forget that the zoo is usually open year-round and they need your patronage to pay for the animal feed.

Naptime for Sinda the Tiger

Inquisitive Meerkat

Pile O Meerkat

Feeding Time at the Zoo

Gorilla Snacktime

Proud Lion

Taking Myself Too Seriously

I've been reading some of my recent posts and I've decided that the election really overwhelmed my thoughts for the last few months. My posts got entirely too serious. And while I love a good discussion about religion, politics, current events, etc., I think I will take a more laid-back approach to my posts for a while. We are getting into the heart of the Holidays and I want to have some fun! Are you in?

I find that the closer it gets to Thanksgiving, the more I begin to anticipate Christmas. I truly love Christmas. I love decorating the tree and listening to Christmas music. I love giving gifts (although I'm not a big fan of shopping). I love getting together with family and friends and having good conversation and good food. I especially love wrapping gifts while watching Christmas shows and movies. I started thinking about the shows and movies I always watch every year and I decided that I would list them for you, so here you go:

1. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
2. A Charlie Brown Christmas
3. Dr. Suess - How the Grinch Stole Christmas
4. It's A Wonderful Life
5. A Christmas Story
6. Scrooged
7. Home Alone (1 & 2)
8. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
9. Frosty The Snowman
10. A Smokey Mountain Christmas
11. Mickey's Christmas Carol
12. Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
13. The Santa Clause
14. Elf
15. The Grinch
16. Miracle on 34th Street (both the 1947 & 1994 versions)
17. Jingle All The Way
18. Deck The Halls

I'm sure there are probably more that I can't think of right now, but these are some of my favorites. I think there are a great many people who may not have seen #12 on my list, Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey. I saw this when I was a little girl and I've never forgotten it. It always stuck out in my mind. There have been some years where it wasn't on television during the holidays and I would be bummed. I never understood why this particular program stuck in my mind so much. I mean, it is a really sweet story, but I just didn't get why it stood out in my mind so well, even when years went by without seeing it.

For those of you who haven't seen this adorable little program, let me summarize the show for you. First of all, the program is done in claymation (like Rudolph). It is about a little donkey named "Nestor" who is born in a manger somewhere in Israel around the time of Jesus' birth. He is born with abnormally-long ears and he always trips over them and falls on his face. His mother is always saying, "Your ears, Nestor" and he will try to be careful to not trip on his ears. He is also ridiculed by the other animals in the manger. One day all of the animals are picking on him and his mother tries to defend him and the owner of the manger throws Nestor and his mother out in the cold. That night Nestor and his mother get caught in a blizzard and she uses her body to keep him warm during the storm. In the morning Nestor wakes to find that his mother has died. Nestor ends up at the market place for sale and a pregnant woman and her husband are looking to buy a donkey to carry the pregnant woman to Bethlehem. They don't have much money, but since Nestor is defective with his long ears, they get him cheap. Nestor carries the pregnant woman (Mary) with her husband (Joseph) all the way to Bethlehem without once tripping over his ears. He is there to see the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a beautiful little story. However, this still doesn't really explain why it stood out in my memory since I was a little girl.

One day when I was a teenager, my mother came in and I was watching Nestor. She proceeded to tell me a story about the first time I saw this sweet little Christmas program.

When I was 3-years old, I watched Nestor with my mother. When Nestor's mommy dies in the snowstorm, my Mom said I cried for hours. Nothing she could say could ease my pain. I was so distraught at the idea of Nestor's mommy dying that I just couldn't quit crying. My Mom said that it took so long to calm me down that she swore I would never watch that program again. Finally, a few years later she let me watch it again and the crying was far less severe that time.
I just wonder how many other mothers went through this same ordeal with their tender-hearted little girls.

What is your favorite Christmas program and why? I'd love to hear your stories.

Frosted Bushes

Snowy Limbs

My Christmas Tree

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

I have often heard the phrase "Every cloud has a silver lining." I've always understood that the saying meant that even during difficult times there could be some good to come of out of it. I just didn't understand why they said that clouds have silver linings. It wasn't until one day I was looking at a cloud with the sun shining directly behind it that I understood where the phrase come from.

After the election this year, this phrase came to mind. I wanted John McCain to win the election because I feel that Barack Obama is too liberal when it comes to issues of protecting innocent life (abortion). However, in my own personal disappointment, I can still see the silver lining. There were a couple of "silver lining" results in this election.

Firstly, Americans demonstrated that perhaps they are starting to put this country's history of racism behind them. When Barack Obama was giving his acceptance speech and recited the phrase "Yes We Can!," I was reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King. I remembered back to Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. I wasn't alive to see Dr. King's speech in person, but I have heard it numerous times and it never ceases to bring a tear to my eye and goosebumps to my flesh. I felt that same feeling as I listened to Barack Obama give his speech that night. I can only imagine how Dr. King would have felt if he had still been alive on the evening of November 4th, 2008, when he saw a black man nominated as President of the United States of America.

Secondly, Americans got out and voted in record numbers. Young people got involved in the democratic process that makes this the greatest country in the world. Americans are starting to understand that they do have a voice and in this great country they can use that voice in the voting booths. I still think that too many voters don't do enough research on the candidates and their positions, but at least they are getting involved in the political process. Hopefully, Americans will continue their interest in the political process and vote in every election. I also hope that Americans will do the necessary research and not just rely on liberal media and political ads to decide their votes.

I may not agree with all of his political beliefs, but I will support Barack Obama as my President. We all need to stand up and support our President and pray for him to make wise decisions for our country. We also need to pray that God will work in his heart so that he will protect ALL human life, both born or unborn. May God Bless You and may God Bless America!

Sunset in the Park

A Hint of Blue Sky

The Silver Lining

One Final Thought Before You Vote Tomorrow

Are you a Christian? If you are a Christian, I want you to think about something before you vote.


We know that Barack Obama is the most liberal candidate we've ever had on the ballot. We also know that he is also the most pro-abortion candidate that has ever been on the ballot. We know that John McCain is pro-life (as well as his running mate, Sarah Palin). We know that some of the ideas Barack Obama has regarding health care and the economy sound pleasing to the ears (if you are poor or lower-middle class). We know that John McCain believes that hard work should be rewarded. By now there are lots of things we should know about the view points of these candidates. Most people will be considering these view points before they cast their ballots.


However, if you are a Christian, the thing you should consider is this: If you were to stand before Jesus today and have to account for the way you voted, would you be able to look him in the eye and say that you voted for a candidate that you know does not respect human life (which is created in the image of God) because you thought it would be better for your wallet?


If you are a Christian this is something you should consider before you mark your ballot tomorrow.

Fall Has Arrived

I love fall. I love the exuberant colors of the foliage in shades of orange, red, and yellow. I love the sound of leaves crunching under my shoes (my husband doesn't enjoy that so much because he knows he is going to spend endless hours mulching the leaves in our yard). I love the cooler temperatures. At this time of year I always start thinking about things like carving pumpkins, kiddies in costumes, and a good pot of chili. Those thoughts lead me to thoughts of turkey and Thanksgiving and family and Christmas. All in all it is a wonderful time of year. Everything is wonderful until around January 2nd. Then it is back to the day-to-day grind until the next holiday season.



This past weekend I kicked off the upcoming holiday season with some good old-fashioned Halloween activities. On Saturday evening my husband and I went with our friends, Angie and Todd, to a horror-movie fest at the local drive-in where we watched the 1974 release of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre along with a couple of newer movies, Quarantine and The Strangers. It was pretty cool outside and we only managed to sit outside through one movie, but we had a great time. The drive-in had hired actors to dress as famous horror-movie characters to frighten the patrons with chainsaws, knives, machetes, and all of the other standard horror-movie instruments of mayhem.


Sunday afternoon we took my nephew, Connor, to the Huber Family Farm in southern Indiana so he could pick out a pumpkin. We took a ride on a hay wagon on the back of a tractor out to the pumpkin patch. He insisted that we had to get a pumpkin for his baby-sister too. He was checking every pumpkin he could find to try and get one just the right size for her. We finally convinced him to let us buy a smaller pumpkin for her at the market. We really had a fun time.



Before you know it Thanksgiving will be here! What will you be giving thanks to God for? I know that I'll be thanking him for blessing me with family and friends.


Isn't the Holiday Season wonderful?

Pumpkin Pile

Lazy Pumpkins

The Pumpkin Desert

Blog Inferiority Complex

So, today I've been taking some time to read some of my favorite blogs (see my blog list for reference). I've come to realize that I'm neither funny nor witty and it is depressing me. I've also realized that my photos aren't nearly as good as I'd like for them to be. I know art is subjective, but when I look at other people's photography, I get a serious inferiority complex. I can only hope that my blog is interesting at this point. I haven't had a comment posted in weeks (however, they may be due to the fact that I haven't posted anything new recently - I've just been too busy) so I feel like no one is reading my blog at all.

Do you find my blog interesting? If so, why? What could I do to make my blog better? I need feedback.

By the way, I'll be posting some new photos tonight or tomorrow so stay tuned if you are interested.

Ignorant Voters

Research has shown that most people decide who to vote for based on television and radio ads. It is amazing how ignorant people are of a candidate's positions on real issues. Howard Stern went out and interviewed people on the streets and asked them if they liked Obama because of his pro-life position or because he wants to keep the troops in Iraq to finish the war (neither statement is true). It was disheartening how many people would say, "I'm voting for Obama because he's pro-life." or "I'm voting for Obama because of he wants to keep the troops in Iraq until the war is finished." It is frightening to think that uninformed people like this are deciding who should run our country.

I don't care who you vote for, but please know why you are voting for that candidate!!!! If you don't know what the candidate believes, do some investigation. Their web sites will usually tell you. Here are a few helpful sites if you are still looking for information on the candidates:

http://factcheck.org/

http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/

http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/

People should know by now that the television and radio ads are only partial truths that are mixed with lies. Find out the truth before you vote.

How Will You Decide Who To Vote For This November?

I am registered to vote as an Independent. Many of my viewpoints probably align more with the Republican Party. However, I really hate being stereotyped by everything the Republican Party stands for because I don't agree with everything on their platform.

Yes, I am a Christian.

No, I don't think abstinence only sex education is helping the teenagers across the nation make wise decisions about their bodies. Of course I think that abstinence is always the wisest choice, but children are not known for making wise choices. They are children and most of their decisions are based on emotion, hormones, and peer pressure. I believe that knowledge is power and our children need to know about their bodies and how they function, they need to know about sex, and they need to know about sexually-transmitted diseases. They need to know these things by the time they get into high school. My personal opinion is that sex education should be taught in junior high because that is when teenagers are most likely to become interested in sex. Parents also need to be more involved in teaching their children about sex (or anything else for that matter).

Our children need to be taught both the theory of Evolution and Intelligent Design. Let them learn about both theories and decide for themselves.

Teachers are entitled to have their own opinions, but I don't want them cramming their opinions down my child's throat and telling them its the "truth." There isn't much in the universe that can be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. I don't want my children brainwashed by teachers with a liberal agenda. Our children should be taught multiple view points on a subject and not just the teacher's view point. Give them the information they need so they can make their own informed decisions.

Yes, I believe in global warming. I think there are many things that we do that are harmful to the environment. It isn't reasonable to think that all of the hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide we are pumping into the air doesn't have an adverse effect on the atmosphere. We need to pursue alternative sources of fuel such as hydrogen, solar, wind, clean coal, and nuclear power.

No, I don't think homosexuals should be able to get married. I believe that God designed marriage to be a lifetime union between a man and a woman. If American citizens were to vote to allow homosexuals to have civil unions that would give them the same legal benefits as marriage, I would be fine with that decision.

No, I don't want the US Government to be a theocracy. However, I do want the laws of the land to reflect the opinions of the majority of the citizens and not just the opinions of liberal judges.

Yes, I think divorce is a sin. I would love to see the divorce rate in America decline. People take marriage too lightly these days, especially Christians. When things get tough, instead of sticking it out, people give up. No one ever said marriage is easy. There is a reason the vows are "for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for good times and bad, till death do us part." And to answer your question before you ask it, no I don't believe you should stay in an abusive or violent marriage, especially if your spouse is unwilling to go to counseling.

Yes, I wouldn't mind seing the US go to government funded healthcare. It works in Europe and Canada, why can't it work here? The healtchare system is in serious trouble and most Americans can't afford insurance. And even if you do have insurance, it is still difficult to pay the premiums and co-pays that the insured is responsible for. The insurance companies are getting rich off the working class of America. While we are struggling to pay our health care premiums and co-pays, the insurance company CEOs are denying our claims and taking our hard-earned money to give themselves multi-million dollar bonuses.

Yes, I think there is too much corruption in Washington D.C. Maybe most politicians begin their careers with noble intentions, but they are soon lured by the trail of money that leads to the pockets of lobbyists and big corporations. The politicians soon forget they are there to represent the citizens of their state and they sell their votes to the highest bidder. We need to wipe out corruption in Washington. We also need to keep the government from spending our money like a kid in a toy store with moms credit card. I want checks and balances in the budget to make sure they are making wise decisions with our hard-earned money.

Yes, I agree that Barack Obama is an eloquent public speaker and an intelligent man. It would be uplifting to see this country begin to leave racism behind by nominating our first black president. However, I can't vote for him because it comes down to a simple choice for me: Does he protect the sanctity of human life? NO. That is the most important question to me. Even though my bank account is just as empty as everyone elses, I can't put my money woes ahead of my respect for human life. It is a simple decision for me. It is difficult for me to understand why people are more concerned with their bank account than they are about saving a human life.

Barack Obama has shown time and time again that he is more concerned with the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned than he is about protecting human life, even babies that are already born and alive (see his voting record on IL Born Alive Infant Protection Act http://www.bornalivetruth.org/ and you'll see where he stands on this subject.)

Yes, I am pro-life. I believe that no unborn child should have to pay with their life because their mother was irresponsible. And that is what it comes down to in most instances, irresponsibility. There are too many contraceptives readily available for any woman to unintentionally get pregnant. People like to say, "what about those who were raped or a victim of incest?" Statistically, the odds on those types of pregancy are very rare. The only instance I can see where an abortion could be warranted is if the mother's life is in danger.

I believe that abortion is murder and there is nothing anyone could ever say to me to make me feel differently about this. Every human life is important and deserves respect and protection.

There are many of us Independents out there who are fiscally Democrats but when it comes to things like abortion, we fall more in line with the Republican party platform. If the Democratic party would nominate a pro-life candidate, I would gladly vote for a Democrat.

I often hear the argument that George Bush has been in office for eight years and abortion is still legal so that should encourage me to vote for a Democrat. I realize that the President doesn't vote on the laws. He can only sign or veto the legislation. However, the President IS RESPONSIBLE for nominating the Supreme Court Judges. That is where the decision to vote Democrat or Republican becomes extremely important!

I want a judge that is going to read the constitution and interpret the laws voted on by Americans. I don't want a judge that is going to try and make his/her own moral decision about what he/she thinks is right and pass laws based on those decisions. I don't want a judge that is going to look to European court precedents (which do not reflect the views of most Americans) to make his/her decisions. We don't need judges who legislate from the bench. That is why I have to vote Republican in most instances. The Democrats tend to nominate liberal judges who like to legislate from the bench. The role of a judge should be to interpret the law not create new laws based on their own opinions.

I believe everyone has the right to believe what they want to believe. This country was founded on freedom of religion and freedom of speech. I believe these freedoms are vitally important to this country. I respect that you have your own belief system and I want you to have the right to speak about your beliefs openly without fear of persecution. I also want the same rights for myself. We must do everything in our power to protect these freedoms.

Every American will never see eye-to-eye on every issue. In those instances, we should always be able to agree to disagree and let our votes determine the outcome.

I think the one thing that most people should agree on is that children are one of God's most precious gifts (and I think even if you don't believe in God, you can agree that children are wonderful). There is nothing like the joy that a little child brings to my heart. I have been unable to have children of my own but I spend as much time with my sister Wendy's children, Connor and Raelee, as I possibly can. I also enjoy spending time with my best friend Angie's daughter, McKenna. These children have brought me more joy and laughter than I could ever describe.

How could anyone look at these beautiful gifts and say they aren't worthy of being born into this world? How could someone ever see a child as simply an inconvenience that must be eliminated (murdered)? That is something I will NEVER understand!

Connor With An Orange-Stained Face

Raelee's Precious Smile

McKenna On Her 2nd Birthday