How the Grinch Stole Christmas

"The Grinch hated Christmas - the whole Christmas season. Now, please don't ask why; no one quite knows the reason. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. Or it could be that his head wasn't screwed on just right. But I think that the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small." or maybe, he knew not how to bake and no one had ever gifted him with his very own cake!!! (yeah, I went there, haha)

~*~~*~MERRY CHRISTMAS FELLOW CAKE LOVERS~*~~*~

(I have more pictures and will update later, I just didn't want to let too much time pass before I shared my latest creation...I wasn't wanting to wait on Christmas, you know ;) )

***If anyone can spot the picture that is just a little off, something just isn't quite right, post a comment and show off just how observant you are!***

I'm glad it's Friday

because I'm tired.

I'm always tired, but that is besides the point...I think I have low iron, again, besides the point.
I'm tired because I stayed up entirely too late working on a cake.
Then I crawled out of bed (after hitting the snooze button no less than nine times) and spent the morning stuffing Christmas cards into envelopes, addressing and stamping each one.
No, not my Christmas cards, I don't do Christmas cards...not that I don't think they are lovely, they are...but they take up too much time.
They also cause nasty paper cuts!
and dry hands...
I have both now, nasty paper cuts on my fingers and dry hands!
However, last night, before I started on my cake, I painted my finger nails a pretty taupeish/greyish..maybe even slightly purpleish color. So at least my nails looked nice while I stuffed envelopes.

(please ignore the random website in the bottom corner of that picture...It was the first image that popped up when I googled the color)

That's it, that's all I've got...have a happy Friday! I hope it's loaded with Holiday cheer and no Christmas card stuffing!

I can't think of a good title...

but I wanted to share a link to a National Geographic documentary that Sev and I watched last night (you can order it off of Netflix if you're interested).
It was....humbling, eye opening, heart wrenching....I can't think of how to describe it.
http://movies.nationalgeographic.com/movies/restrepo

I won't go much into it, in case you have the guts to watch it, but ya'll...it brought back so many fears, memories, and feelings. As I sat and watched, my stomach churning, I glanced over at Sev and it hit me "what is HE thinking??".
Most everyone knows that Sev spent over two years of his life as an infantry soldier in Iraq. Sometimes I wonder what he saw and experienced that he will carry with him for the rest of his life. Thankfully, Sev was blessed with the type of personality that the Army needs and he was able to carry out his time in the service with little to no signs of PTSD, but after watching this movie...I can't imagine how hard it is to be a soldier in the United States Army. The things they see, smell, taste, feel, remember and try to forget.

I've watched a few different documentaries, movies and clips featuring deployed soldiers, but this one by far hit the hardest.

If you get the chance to watch it, let me know what you think! I promise you will gain an even greater appreciation for our veterans. I'm sure some will think this is too graphic and many will probably say it should not have been shown on national TV, I personally wish everyone in America was required to watch documentaries like these. This is not "the movies" there is no sugar coating, this is real life.

Here is a brief description found on the National Geographic website:
"RESTREPO is a feature-length documentary that chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, "Restrepo". It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. This is an entirely experiential film: the cameras never leave the valley; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 90-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you."


and

"The war in Afghanistan has become highly politicized, but soldiers rarely take part in that discussion. Our intention was to capture the experience of combat, boredom and fear through the eyes of the soldiers themselves. Their lives were our lives: we did not sit down with their families, we did not interview Afghans, we did not explore geopolitical debates. Soldiers are living and fighting and dying at remote outposts in Afghanistan in conditions that few Americans back home can imagine. Their experiences are important to understand, regardless of one's political beliefs. Beliefs are a way to avoid looking at reality. This is reality."

~Remember, we live in the home of the Free because of the Brave~

EXHAUSTED!

I'm back from Texas!
I arrived at noon today!! Finally! It has been a longggg 24+ hours.
We had the best time, spending time with family and meeting our brand new nephew. He is a doll and it was very hard to leave him...maybe that's why I ended up staying an extra day!? (not really, I had NO intention of staying an extra day).

Sev and I took two different flights to and from Houston this past weekend. He flew from Raleigh, NC and I flew from Charlotte, NC (long story, I'll spare you).
His return flight home was scheduled for Monday, he made it home safe and sound.
My return flight home was scheduled for Tuesday, I...just now made it home...it's Wednesday.

At 4am on Tuesday morning I crawled out of bed, packed my belongings, dressed, kissed my nephew goodbye and headed for the airport. We knew something wasn't right the second we pulled into line at the airport, the line was long. I jumped out of the car, grabbed my bags and high tailed it to the check-in counter. I stood in line. I made it to the front of the line. My bag was two pounds over weight, ugh. I fumbled with the zipper and removed the first two items I could grab, my hair straightener and a blouse. I was handed my boarding pass and off I ran to the Security line.
I waited.
I waited.
I shifted my weight from one foot to the next.
I waited.
I checked the clock.
I waited.
Oh my word, I have NEVER stood in a security line this long.
I made it! I tried to rush through security, but you don't RUSH through security by any means...and you don't try and rush through security with your jacket on either. I learned this the hard way.
I had my bags, I was running.
My gate was the last gate in the terminal, the one at the FAR end of the hall.
I dodged, swerved, apologized and ran all the way to my gate.
The door was closed.
I missed my flight.
I was not the only one to miss the flight, whatever the hold up was in security had caused a good handful of passengers to miss that flight.
I waited until they could find me another flight.
I was booked to leave at 10:45am, it was 6am.
My sister-in-law insisted she come and take me to breakfast. After breakfast I went through the whole ordeal all over again (only I gave myself more time to get through security-the line was still beyond ridiculous) I finally made it to the end of the security line, only to have the lady checking my id stop me in my tracks, look me in the eyes and say "and who is ceicilia?"
"huh?!" I don't have time for this! I've got a plane to catch!
Again she says "where is ceicilia??"
I want to cry.
She holds up my boarding pass and shows me the name printed across the top, I read it "Ceicilia Jones". Now I'M asking "WHO is Ceicilia!!??"
I explained that the boarding pass had been given to me earlier that morning, at the gate, when I had missed my first flight.
I was escorted back to the ticket counter and then, for a third time, made my way through security.
I made my way through the metal detectors, grabbed my bags, pulled one arm into my jacket, I pulled my shoes on while I ran for my gate.
My flight was delayed.
I was now scheduled to depart at 12:41pm.
I sat down and started to make myself comfortable.
"Any passengers with final destination to Charlotte, NC please make your way to the counter"
I made my way to the front counter.
I am told that my connecting flight from Atlanta to Charlotte has been cancelled and all though they now have me a flight out of Houston and arriving into Atlanta at 1pm, I have to wait in Atlanta until the next available flight to Charlotte, which...is at 11:30pm.
This would have me arriving to Charlotte around 1 in the morning, only to have to drive all the way to Columbia.
I made the decision to stay in Houston for the night and just catch the first available flight out in the morning.
I woke up at 3:30am this morning. I felt a bit like I was trapped in that movie ground hogs day.
Only this time I made my flight!
Only to sit on the plane for 45 minutes past original take off due to FROST!!
I still managed to make my flight out of Atlanta and land in Charlotte on time (only a day later).
My checked bag, which made the flight that I had missed yesterday morning, was waiting for me.

Here I sit, at work, after I rushed down I-77 after landing a full day after I was originally scheduled to arrive.
I won't complain though, I got to spend an extra day with the sweetest, baby nephew in the world!
Pictures to come!
Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!