Month: December 2019

I told my, “2 Sacreds” what I wanted for Christmas after having a discussion on Twitter with one of my friends. She told me about something and I told Sean and my Mom that I wanted, rather, completely had to have it for Christmas. Well, I couldn’t wait for Christmas so I ordered it for myself. I received an email today saying that it had been delivered:

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I already knew what it was because I ordered it and I received an email saying it arrived today but this was a pretty big box that contained just this:

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When I searched it on Target.com, it was advertised as, “The Holiday 4 Pack.” It contains; Ginger Spice. Cocoa Mint, Peppermint, and Vanilla Bean. I HAD to try out the Cocoa Mint immediately!

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Sarah and Curl were dancing to Norah Jones on my TV as I applied it and it too, tasted like Christmas! I’ve already tried the Vanilla Bean but I am not sure if I will try the other ones because I have always loved me some Cocoa Mint!

Now, I say this is the best Christmas present ever but this definitely excludes all presents I have received for Christmas growing up, from my friends, homemade presents from Sean when he was small, my University of Georgia hoodie, and my Divine Child mug which I broke not too long ago. Hopefully I will get another one while I still have a Divine Child student.

*hint, hint Sean if you read this.

So, maybe this is just the best Christmas present ever that I have I given myself. What can I say? #SimplePleasures, man!!!

Day 17, Movie 17 Die Hard

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I know there is much debate regarding this movie and whether it is a Christmas movie or not. Today was the first time I saw it and Sean saw in with me. We both were pretty hooked on this one! After we discussed it, we agreed that it IS a Christmas movie even though there is a lot of violence and killing. I think the Christmas music set in the background and the big bear made it so!

Sean told me that if I made this one one of my Christmas movies that I watched over and over, he would sit down and watch a few scenes with me. I told him, “No such luck because Love Actually already has that distinction!”

Day 16, Movie 16 Holly Star

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My Mom suggested this movie to me. She told me that it was on Netflix and I watched it today. I laughed really loudly and her friend! Right away, I knew I would dig it because of this guy’s hat:

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Sean had a hat like this when he was in third grade I think. He found it. He wore it that entire winter and recently found it again. He put it on and we both laughed! As for the movie, yeah, I dug it! Cute!

I saw on Facebook Thursday St. Alphonsus was exhibiting a display from the Vatican that recounted 126 miracles. I have only been back to Saint Alphonsus once since my Dad died 13 years ago.

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My Mom agreed to take me because I wanted to see the exhibit. We went on Friday in the late afternoon. I haven’t really been to East Dearborn by Saint Alphonsus at all in a pretty long time. As we got closer to Saint Alphonsus, all of the store fronts had changed but it was still familiar. I haven’t been in that parking lot in so long but it seemed so familiar to me too because I spent my entire childhood there! I went to school there from Kindergarten and I graduated from there in the year 2000.

The steps leading to the front of the church have changed, now there is a ramp on the right side which makes the whole front look different. I remember taking team photos on those exact steps and it seemed so long ago. As we were entering the church, a woman asked If we needed help. She offered to hold the door as my Mon pushed me up the ramp because I was in my manual chair. The woman graduated in 1983 from there and I got to tell her that I graduated in 2000. As she opened the door, it smelled exactly the same!

I held my breath is we got through the vestibule and entered the church. I recognized the man who opened the door for us so we could enter into the church. Mr. Savage. It looked exactly the same! It was the same ol’ St. Al’s!

Once we got inside, my Mom pushed me past the exhibit and straight up to the altar. She knelt at the communion rail while I sat in my chair in the center with my eyes transfixed on the altar piece! I slipped my hands into my sweatshirt and put them to my face. Once my hands were covering my face, I began to cry.

I had just seen video footage of my eighth grade Christmas play that took place in the church and everything looked exactly the same! In that video, I was dressed as an old-school nun and I sang a solo.

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I remember that very large rosary I have fixed to my belt but watching the video, I couldn’t get over how straight I was walking and the fact that I was even walking, so effortlessly. It wasn’t until I saw and heard myself singing that I remembered it.

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I couldn’t sing it now if I tried and it was really nice to see both my Mom and Sean’s face when they saw me singing. Being in the church, brought everything back and I was so relieved that it still looks exactly the same! Two parishes have merged into this church.

The current pastor saw us as we were headed toward the exhibit after leaving the altar and he walked over and welcomed us. Fr. Linus is his name and he asked about us and blessed both me and my Mom because she is my caregiver. His hands were so big and warm. It made me think of my Dad‘s hands.

The exhibit was a bunch of posters displayed in the pews. My Mom asked if she could take the poster out of its place to bring it over to me to read it. Mr. Savage said that was not a problem and I sat in the main aisle as my Mom went into the pew to get a poster.

I stared all around at the church while I waited for my Mom to get another poster. I tried not to think about the fact that a lot of the tiles were carpeted over; it was all carpeted up to the break in the main aisle.

My Mom read me as many posters and she could until she got tired and then she signed the book for us and as we were leaving, I saw multiple offering baskets leaning against the back wall and I could hear the usher saying, “Thank you!” like we had heard so many times at mass when we were kids.

This definitely was a blast from my past and I told my Mom that I wanted a cheese pie for dinner. We got it from the same bakery that my friend, Natalie, and I used to walk to from her house which is right across the street from the church when we were in grade school.

It tasted the same and I thought of St. Al’s with fondness on our way back to my house. I’m very glad that I took the time to see the exhibit even if it was in my manual chair.

Day 15, Movie 15 Mickey’s Christmas Carol

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Oh man, Jimmy and Dave?! I swear I was a child laying on the green carpet in Mom and Dad’s house and watching the Disney Channel on channel 32.

I HAD to rent this one on Disney+ but $3.99 was worth it this close to Christmas!!! After I am done watching, Love Actually for the 15th time, I will have to watch this one again! It brought back so many memories!!!

Day 13, Movie 13 The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

I HAD to see how the story concludes! I thought this movie had a pretty solid storyline. I enjoyed it. It was very Christmas-y, which I dug!

Continuing with the focus on things that people don’t realize I can no longer do.

I miss cutting my own nails.

I thought of this “One of things that I miss” last Sunday evening when Sean took a shower and I heard him in the bathroom, shave after the shower and cut his own finger nails.

The ring finger nail on my right hand broke on November 26. I spent Thanksgiving with a wonky nail because I couldn’t cut all of my nails by myself. My vision and hand-eye coronation will no longer allow me to do this.

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I used to bite my nails when I was a little girl and I probably stopped around 11 or 12. I don’t wear nail polish and whenever one of my nails breaks, I just cut them all, otherwise, I just let them grow. They get pretty long sometimes but it doesn’t matter to me that I have to cut them when one breaks.

I remember one day, when I was still teaching English, I grabbed the nail cutters I ne morning and took them to school with me. On my prep period, I sat at the table in the teacher’s lounge and cut all of my nails. My friend and former colleague, Jaci, came in and laughed at me because I was using baby nail cutters to cut my nails. Sean had to be eight or nine back then but I still had the cutters because I use them to cut my own nails.

My hands are small so it works for me. But now, because I no longer have the hand-eye Coordination needed to cut my nails without hurting myself, I just we did with my wonky nail. My Mom was able to cut my nails I think December 1st or 2nd.

Now, my nails are all even and I told my Mom that I needed a, “Lady in Waiting” whose sole job it was to cut my nails whenever I needed them cut. After I told her that, I realized that I WAS the, “Lady in Waiting” because I was waiting to get my nails cut.

I think I will have to hire a, “Nail cutter” because Sean does not want to do that and my Mom is pretty busy. I will have to put an ad out and hope that I find someone who works for free because I can’t afford to buy anyone! I guess I will just have to remain being the, “Lady in Waiting.”

Day 12, Movie 12 The Santa Clause 2

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I HAD to see the continuation of the story! Sean saw that I was watching it in passing and he told me that it’s a pretty solid movie. I agree! I was able to watch it on Disney+ only because Sean hooked up his PS4 to the TV in the living room because Disney+ is not compatible with Xfinity… yet!

Sean told me that he remembered that the third movie wasn’t as good as the first two but I think I will have to watch her tomorrow to see!