Apples, peaches, pumpkin pie! Who's ready for Thanksgiving, holler I!

I honestly love Christmas (a whole bunch, I do!), but I have noticed that stores are jumping the gun and skipping Thanksgiving.  It's early November, for goodness sake, and the mall is already playing Christmas music.  The Ashley Tisdale version of "Jingle Bell Rock" is nice, but please, friends, all in good time.  Let's give Thanksgiving its time...

Here are the details according to history.com:

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

 Yes, I know you learned that in preschool but we can all use friendly reminders of what we are actually celebrating :)

Here are some more fun facts about the best day in November.  

(All of these come from http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving-facts.)

Snoopy has appeared as a giant balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade more times than any other character in history. As the Flying Ace, Snoopy made his sixth appearance in the 2006 parade.

The first time the Detroit Lions played football on Thanksgiving Day was in 1934, when they hosted the Chicago Bears at the University of Detroit stadium, in front of 26,000 fans. The NBC radio network broadcast the game on 94 stations across the country--the first national Thanksgiving football broadcast. Since that time, the Lions have played a game every Thanksgiving (except between 1939 and 1944); in 1956, fans watched the game on television for the first time.

 According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 2,020 pounds and measured just over 12 feet long. It was baked on October 8, 2005 by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio, and included 900 pounds of pumpkin, 62 gallons of evaporated milk, 155 dozen eggs, 300 pounds of sugar, 3.5 pounds of salt, 7 pounds of cinnamon, 2 pounds of pumpkin spice and 250 pounds of crust.

Cranberry production in the U.S. was approximately 709 million pounds in 2009. Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington are the top cranberry growing states.

Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and New York are the major pumpkin growing states, together they produced 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkin in 2008, with a combined value of $141 million.

So please, friends, remember that you wouldn't be here if your parents hadn't chosen life, you wouldn't be reading this if your teachers weren't patient with you, you wouldn't be warm and cozy without the job you (or your parents) work hard at, and the Pilgrims wouldn't have made it without life-saving help from the Native Americans.  Remember most of all that God loves you and have a great November full of thanks!

photo from http://wordpress.rightfromtheheart.com/blog/2009/11/happy-thanksgiving/ (though I'm pretty sure that's not the original source :P)

An exercise in self contentment

I have no reason to complain, whine, or gripe about anything. Here is a list of wonderful things in my life. The trick is, they are the first fifteen things that will come to my mind, making this a super fast pre-homework post.... Read, go!

1. My family is the sweetest bunch of people in the entire world

2. I'm listening to really good music. Hooray for Aerosmith (reserve your judgement, thank you).

3. My planner is pink. And shiny. And it has a ribbon bookmark. Love it.

4. My homework is to read and write a whole bunch of (mostly) interesting things. Heck, I know how to read- how lucky I am!

5. I am sitting in a comfortable, ergonomically designed chair that allows me to sit for hours in the same position without making my legs fall asleep. (okay, I just made that up, but I'll pretend it's true.)

6. I'm wearing comfy yoga pants, which were used for their proper purpose earlier this evening. Yay university yoga!

7. I have friends all over the country. They may be scattered and distant, but heck, wherever I go, I'll find an old friend at the nearest college!

8. I don't have to wait a week, month, or year to hear from my loved ones because I have a cell phone. As romantic and classic as letter writing is, it is painfully slow when one is homesick.

9. This computer's internet connection is delightfully quick.

10. The lanyard on my flash drive is from Notre Dame Academy and the lanyard on my room keys is from St. John's Jesuit. Toledo pride, baby!

11. My typing skills have improved greatly, which makes typing papers and blog posts much more fun.

12. My nutrition class is sweet. Plus, the project we did for homework validates the fact that I do, indeed, eat enough protein even if I'm not eating meat every day.

13. My pencils have Disney Princesses on them. Beat that.

14. I have a whole loaf of banana bread (minus the two pieces I ate today) in my room. Yummo.

15. I have seen more butterflies in the past few days than I ever expected I would. Those little guys always make my day.


So there it is. This was more for me than you guys, sorry y'all. Every now and then, I just have to remind myself of just how blessed I am to be exactly where I am.

"For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." [St. Paul In Philippians 4:11]
(from Quotations Book).

God bless.

Once upon a time, in a distant land...

Hello friends, it's been a while and I miss you all.

The reason I haven't written is because I am in a magical, distant place full of wonderful things to do, amazing people to meet, and brilliant things to see called college. Here, my dear friends, is my list of favorite things about college (in no particular order):

1. The campus looks and feels like Hogwarts. The first day of class, I had to stop myself from asking why all the students were not in house robes, and why in the world the faculty was not wearing pointed caps. The reality is, this is Dominican University, not Hogwarts, but the Gothic, ivy draped vibe is still the same. The way light shines through the second level chapel at night is enchanting and beautiful.

2. There is this awesome vibe here called Caritas et Veritas. When I came to admissions events and went on a tour through the campus as a high schooler I was blown away by how friendly everyone was. The school truly is full of people brimming with happiness, from the teachers who actually know your name to the sisters who give you random hugs in the hallways and even the students who hold doors like true gentlemen and ladies. The school motto, meaning "Love and Truth" is totally legit.

3. I have the cutest dorm room. Yes, I was nervous about how it would come together, but it has. My roommate (who is the best roommate one could ask for) and I have bedecked and bedazzled our room complete with art posters, butterfly wall stickers, and shelves full of health food. We have even welcomed another friend into our home, Francis the Goldfish, who I won at the annual DU Fest. My curious friend is a brilliant orange color who brightens even the most difficult homework assignment.

4. I actually like my classes. Yes, that is right, I like my teachers. All of them. I really appreciate how my English 102 teacher didn't just slap an A on my paper... she's actually going to make me refine my writing style before I can have that 4.0. I am also enjoying my Nutrition (yee!), Honors Seminar (aka book club), Chemistry (you'd like chem 101 too if you had this teacher... he doesn't look at you funny no matter how stupid your question is), and Computer Science (very little homework, please and thank you) classes.

5. I'm not the only Jesus Freak, in fact there's a bunch of us. I can go to Mass every day with the sisters on campus and a group of faithful friends. I get to sing in the Liturgical Choir (and get academic credit). Whipping out a rosary is totally commonplace. I can also be a part of an awesome group called Breaking Open, which consists of the coolest group of people on campus and tons of other prayer and service opportunities. I'm even meeting people from different faiths and learning about them. Plus, the chapel is connected to a reading room, which I have taken full advantage of. How cool is that!

6. I don't care what the other kids on campus say, I like the food. The thing is, the cooks sneak vegetables into pretty much everything, so of course I love it! I figure if you don't like the choices of the day just go to the salad bar or make yourself a PB&J.

7. I can wear whatever I want. No uniforms for college kids. Ha!

8. I don't have to wake up at 6:00am to get to class on time. I live two minutes away from breakfast and class... I can get plenty of beauty sleep... most of the time...

9. The Rebecca Crown Library is the most wonderful place in the world. Three levels of library, filled with books from all over the world, in all different languages, on all different subjects, from all different times. I found one book printed in 1850-- and it had a barcode! I can check out anything I want from this glorious place! But more on this later...

10. I know how to get to Chicago and will do so quite often. Believe me, I plan to take full advantage of those student reduced ticket prices!

11. Making new friends, meeting new people, and being overwhelmed with endless opportunities. Yes, it's tiring and stressful, but it's coming together. Dominican University, here I am!

Ice cream makes many things better

Yesterday was the one month anniversary of my first official car accident. I know this does not seem to fit in with the rest of my blog... running the back end of a car into a basketball pole is neither delightful nor something to be celebrated, but I assure you-- it was an incredible learning experience.

The shock of such an experience is something that can be remembered forever. The noisy "crunch" and the awful jerk of the car is enough to make one a more cautious driver. Though if that wasn't enough to make one reevaluate one's driving skills, the bitter silence of my father's dissapointed stare and the embarassing week of driving around with a busted tail light is certainly a good reinforcement of safe, concious driving. Luckily, no one was hurt and a replacement piece was able to be found without breaking the bank too badly. I am truly lucky-- though this wasn't the first time a car has been damaged by the basketball pole in the front yard!

The event was filled with interesting and funny moments. I was lifted up by my mother's forgiving smile and a high five. She actually congratulated me on making it through my first driving accident! My brother was quiet and understanding as I drove him to football practice... late, of course... though we did blow off some steam by playing Believe Me Natalie by The Killers very loudly as we made our way there. The condolences of my friends (for my missing tail light) were helpful and many shared stories of their first mishaps. My best friend (and now boyfriend) even surprised me my showing up with my favorite ice cream (black cherry) at midnight... we sat on my front porch and enjoyed our melting treat (milkshake style) under a starry sky.

It certainly is amazing what one can learn in just one month. One's view of the world can change so much; all of a sudden everything seems even more precious and beautiful. I assure you, I am a safer driver than before. Or at least, I'm trying to be! Who knew so much could come from a silly car crunch?

My white knight

Is there anything better making a new friend who makes your day in return? On Sunday during mass, a little boy in the pew in front of me noticed I was watching as he drew pictures on a pad of blue paper. He smiled at me, and continued to color a while longer until he stood up and handed his drawing to me. "This is for you," he said with the sweetest little voice and a shy smile. I was truly delighted that he gave it to me and noticed that the damsel at the center of the picture was drawn with a long skirt and pearls much like the outfit I was wearing! Obviously, she is about to be taken by the evil knights on either side of her, though they will certainly be defeated by the brave hero on the right who has come to save the day (most likely an interpretation of the artist). How adorable!

"Our Love is Easy"

In our growing world of digital media, the art of the album cover and booklet accompanying the music is slowly disappearing. This is not to say that music has any less value or quality today than before, but I fear the 2D world of visual art is losing a fantastic outlet. I have always enjoyed leafing through CD inserts, especially when lyrics and pictures are artfully interspersed throughout. My favorites have beautiful insights from the artists, some with explanations of their inspiration while others have heartfelt messages of thanks to producers, team members, family, listeners and God.

The most gorgeous message I have ever found in a CD booklet is from Melody Gardot's "My One and Only Thrill":

"[Love] to all who so gracefully and willingly crossed my path while making this record; you've helped me pin down a cloud. To the wordsmiths who filled my eager eyes with images to inspire and contemplate, to the rambling gypsies and vagabonds who sing joyous choruses on street corners and subways; you taught me the beauty of purpose, to the bent old alleyways of Paris and the crumbling cobblestones that lie forever nursing the banks of the Seine while holding a place for any lover's heart, to the strangers and the neighbors who showered a butterfly with warm sentiments from across foreign ponds, to the hours of darkness and the shades of gray that envelop the streets of Philadelphia and keep a cold death grip on the memory of better times, and to those who can't imagine who they are to me for words would never truly hold enough meaning, thank you. Above all, my hands go to the sky for the greatest thanks imaginable."

What dazzling poetry! Gratitude is often the most difficult emotion to express but Melody does it with such grace and vivacity.

Melody Gardot is, indeed, my favorite contemporary jazz vocalist. While many people find jazz dull, I love the raw emotion that drives each and every number. I hope you enjoy her song and her delightful words of thanks.

For more information about Melody Gardot, check out her music from the library or visit her website: http://www.melodygardot.com