Christmas Bells

I HEARD the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"


Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Pity Parties Not Allowed

It’s that time of year again when our dear friend, cupid, comes calling. Funny how February hits, and then all at once the world at large is head over heels “in love.” Suddenly street corners are peppered with vendors peddling their roses and flowers for last minute purchase, the first two aisles in the grocery store are chalked full of all things pink and red, and for some crazy reason Hallmark is running low on their stock of “I love you” cards. For the record, I personally am (and always have been) a fan of this somewhat commercialized holiday. Maybe I’m just a sucker for sweets, flowers, and a good excuse to buy a card or two, but anyone who knows me should not be too surprised by that revelation. However, I do find it somewhat annoying the amount of pity that is pointed in the direction of anyone who is remotely single. It seems glaringly obvious around this time of year. I would like to note that my dear friends (yes….you know who you are) are most definitely NOT guilty of this. I’m blessed to have wonderful people in my life that, whether coupled up or not, have NEVER made me feel like a third-wheel or a “pet project” with their entire mission strictly being to find my soul mate. But that being said, it is actually somewhat surprising to me how often people say things, or act in a way that can give you the impression that they somehow think your life is missing some important piece of the puzzle without a significant other attached to your right hip. I don’t believe they are consciously or purposely doing this, and it is especially not out of any ill-will. Yet, I wonder…did it never once cross their minds that there are singles out there that might actually be okay with their singeldom?! I have not quite yet figured out how to respond to this attitude of pity that somehow is thrust in the direction of all those who are unattached. I find I am baffled, and yet equally annoyed by it. I do have a life, I do have plans, and I am quite happy and content with my current non-relationship status. So why do I feel the need to somehow defend that? So to those out there that are blindly, without thought or reason, looking at me with pity, I say to you this...

I’m no less of a person just because I do not receive a surprise bouquet of flowers from an admirer. I work hard and I have my own money. If I want flowers, I am fully capable of buying them myself. I have many times before, and will no doubt again purchase myself a bright and lively bouquet to cheer up a random, dull day. And please don’t feel compelled to worry about whether or not I have a date or any special plans for St. Valentines. If you have nothing better to worry about, then my friend, I think you have too much time on your hands. One is not measured merely by the amount of V-day loot they do or don’t receive. Yes, it is entirely possible for someone to be quite happy on Valentine's and have no valentine at all. As shocking as that may seem, please know this...while some people might be settling down into cozy coupledom, some people just might not be settling. I’m happy flying solo, and pity need not be directed my way.
Love, peace, and Happy Valentines. ♥

Kamp Korecki II

Fourth of July at the lake with the fam....We celebrated Grandpa's 80th. Just a couple pics from the weekend.


aww...a little cousin love


always love hangin at the lake


what pretty aunts I have


the aunts and uncles along with grandpa's marilyn too. :)

361 Days and counting

I have never been one for New Year's resolutions. I've always found the idea somewhat silly. Rarely are any of these resolutions actually kept, yet year after year people solemnly promise to change their lives for the better. They promise to do things like join a gym, eat healthier, decrease debt or do away with bad habits. Perhaps they stick to it for a month or so, but then let's face it, eventually we fall back into the same-o, same-o of life, and somehow forget how important we thought our resolution was to begin with. Although in the past I have looked at the idea of resolutions a bit cynically, last year was the first year I decided that I too would participate in the age-old tradition of declaring a New Year's resolution. 

Of course it took a great deal of thought do determine what my "life-changing" resolution would be. After all, the failure rate, although not quite as high as the 95% failure rate for court reporting school, is still quite significant. It seems only about 12 percent of people who make some sort of resolution actually keep it. I decided since the odds were not in my favor, I should attempt something very attainable. 

2008 Resolution: Learn to make a stir fry!

Sounds simple, right! Well, it was. Simple enough that I was actually able to remember what my resolution was (which is half the battle in my book) and simple enough that I felt I could actually do it. Congrats to me!!!! I can now feed myself one square meal. So now that I am a regular domestic diva in the kitchen, I also now have a big head about my ability to keep a New Year's resolution. As a result, this year I'm going big! 

2009 Resolution: GRADUATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right. I'm documenting my promise to myself. Mark my words, I WILL finish school in 2009. You have my permission to personally kick me in the pants if I don't. 

361 days and counting... I guess I should go practice.

Gobble-Gobble!

 Anyone who knows me knows I'm not much of a chef. I'm the kind of girl (as my brothers like to remind me) who makes biscuits taste like dry pretzels. However, at certain times of the year domesticity seems to takes over and I convince myself, I too can be a regular Martha Stewart. Well, holidays seem to do that to me for some reason. Although, it has already come and gone, (I'm a little behind thanks to a not-so-small computer glitch, but that's an entirely different Thanksgiving Day post) my BFF, Tampatravelodge, and I spent a quiet Thanksgiving together this year. Although we talked about just dining out, our inner domestic divas decided we could make an easy dinner for two. It actually turned out to be quite nice, despite my usual tendencies to make good food taste bad. I even made homemade pumpkin pie, which for me, is quite a feat. Nobody left with food poisoning and it tasted pretty darn good. I'd say it was a successful dinner party with a friend for who I am truly thankful for. 

U.F.O.

So, I received a slightly delayed birthday gift yesterday, and it was without a doubt one of my fav's. As many of you may know, my Japanese heritage was only recently discovered. Okay, okay. So my so-called Japanese heritage is actually quite debatable and most definitely unofficial, however all that aside, as a result of my brief time cohabiting with my favorite Amerasian family, I discovered I am a lover of all things Japanese. One of my most favorite discoveries (well, beside the CD of Okinawan music I still have yet to get a copy of) is U.F.O (pronounced Yoo-fo). Although it seems simple, just a ramen-like version of Japanese style noodles w/ sauce, it is to die for....literally! At a whopping 2130 mg, the sodium alone might kill me. But seriously, it's worth it. Sooooo goood!!!!! Of course, cooking is always a bit of guessing game as the directions are all in Japanese, but if you can make ramen, it really isn't that hard to figure out. I just kind of guess on the measurements. So, now that I have made myself good and hungry, I think I might just have to make a box of my oh-so-fav dish. Five stars and highly recommended!!!!! (uh, that is unless you are on a low-sodium diet :)