I Could Feel Myself Ugly Cry and I Didn’t Even Care!!!

I made my Dad a mixed CD for his 55th birthday and I gave him 55 singles. That was the last birthday present I gave him because sadly, he was gone four short months later.

My oldest nephew texted me yesterday and asked me if I had that CD. I texted him back this:

He was the first person to make me become “Aunt Jenny.” he is the tallest person in my family, but his number is saved in my phone as, “Lil Dave” because that’s who he will always be to me.

After I sent that to him, in the evening, just after I brushed my teeth, I listened to those two songs that I put on the playlist that were just for me:

Those two songs are difficult for me specifically and I thought I would write about that but just after the U2 song and I was remembering crying on my way to work, a random song came on and I lost it!:

I lost it because the significance of that song! I could feel myself ugly cry and I didn’t even care! My face was wet with tears and snot and everything I couldn’t even wipe my face cause I was crying too hard!

My Mom told me that she sang that song to my Dad when he was in the hospital. She didn’t tell me that until after he died. I love to hear that story because a nurse walked into the doorway and then asked my Mom, “Are you singing to him?” and when my Mom answered, “Yes,” she just said, “I’ll be back.”

I really think I lost it last night because as I listened to that song, I could feel my Dad but I’m going to stop talking about it now…

The Family Stone

Today was our second attempt at watching The Family Stone:

I originally did not like this movie, but now that I am just a spectator to life, I don’t mind it so much. My Mom even stayed up for the entire movie and we laughed!!! Full disclosure: I cried first! Also, I think I didn’t like the movie when I first saw it, because my Mom told me that I was Rachel McAdams!

I don’t think I have ever been that mean to anyone who is binging introduced to our family, but in the beginning, when she takes her bags out of the car Mom will always say, “That’s my girl!”

I’m not that way anymore!!! But I really don’t think that I ever was…

I Can’t Forget about Jon!!!

I think it must have been about five or six years ago on Twitter, that someone posed the question of our favorite version of, “O Holy Night.” It was a survey with probably three or four options of singers. The only one I can remember was Josh Groban but I remember that none of the options were my favorite version. The final option was, “Other” and I checked that box and added this video:

I remember I got a response from the person who posted it on Twitter and they just said, “Wow!” I responded with, “Right?!”

Jon Secada is my favorite version of O Holy Night hands-down!!! I first discovered his voice when I was about 12 years old and my friend Natalie‘s babysitter really liked his voice so that reminds me of being a kid. But this song?! it gives me such chills!!! So when I was confronted with my favorite version of this song I can’t forget about Jon!!!

December 2023 Faves

I saw on Facebook the other day that a friend posted an image of a gingerbread man dancing because it was almost December! I thought it was so cute and I shared it. But really, that’s not how my Decembers go since 2000. I am not looking forward to December 28 because that will be 23 years that I will have had Multiple Sclerosis.

I tell my Mom that it is starting to get ‘real’ now and she asked me, “Hasn’t it always been?” I usually let out of sigh, a dejected sigh and I answer with, “Yeah.”

These are my December jams:

But this song is popping up in my head as well, and is reminding me of driving to Barwis. There was snow outside:

“Queen Mariah”

I told Sean the other day when they put up the Christmas tree and he commented something about time for, “Queen Mariah!” that that Christmas song has ALWAYS been a banger! I was 12 years old when it came out!

I told him that was back when she was married to that record company executive. He was floored that she was married BEFORE Nick Cannon. That Christmas song always reminds me of driving to my grandparents house in the green station wagon. We would have birthday cake because my grandma’s birthday is on Christmas Eve.

I have loved that song since it came out, but I get to see it in Love Actually tomorrow!:

The Thing Called Love

I have been thinking about this movie for a really long time, but I do not own it so I will need to see if it is available One of my streaming platforms!:

I really started thinking about this movie when I saw this video of Taylor Swift, a lot of her videos are showing up in my YouTube feed and every now and then I HAVE to see what they’re about:

This one totally made me think about The Thing Called Love, and I really should watch it soon…

No Longer Necessary for the Rest of the Year

I noticed this last night, and I just thought to take a picture of it to let everyone know that it is no longer necessary for me to use a ‘bag o’-chapstick’ for the rest of the year because this happened yesterday:


The cap for this chapstick still fits on it and I don’t need to put it in a bag, but I will use it all just the same. I have a box of four sealed Ginger Spice flavors so I am always prepared to start a new tube! That flavor reminds me of MY Abuela!!! my Mom and I have been talking about her a lot and my Mom is telling me of how much of an extraordinary woman she was!!!

I totally am completely a planner! But I’m not even embarrassed about it anymore!!!

My Fifth Christmas Commercial 2023

I saw this commercial an few days ago and I searched for it. This commercial is from Meijer’s 2016 Christmas campaign. In 2016, I was still working and I did not have time to sit around and watch the Hallmark channel all day like I do now. 2016 was my final Christmas that I worked.

When I searched for this commercial, I watched the entire 1:31 commercial. Six years after this commercial was made, it was a truncated version and just the little boy giving Santa the cookie. The 1:31 version was totally worth it!!!

There is some serious power when it comes to Seeing Santa! I was not embarrassed AT ALL when I waved to Santa at Fairlane mall when I was working there and he was setting up. I was 16 and I waved like a child! But then again, I was 33 because Sean was 14.
We were getting our annual Christmas picture at Southland mall. That was our last family picture because Sean was in eighth grade. We did not take pictures when he was. in high school. I watched this commercial (and cried) as I posted this post:

https://apple.news/AIZmmOpWdRVKrUT0graXLTA

A Pause

Sean stopped by again today and instead of putting the lights on, we watched this movie:

My Aunt Lola recommended it to my Mom and me a while ago and I thought we could watch it at Christmas time! It’s not available on any of my streaming platforms so my Mom bought it on Xfinity and we watched it yesterday. We watched it today with Sean.

We had a pause in our tree decorating for right now, but Sean will come over tomorrow so we can finish it.