The Reason for Christmas

I must admit, in the hustle and bustle, I lost track of the meaning of Christmas. These Advent videos brought me to tears and helped get me back on track. They are by Lo the Poet. Enjoy!

Hope


Love


Joy

A Big Little Life

This sweet book by Dean Koontz shares his life growing up and then the adventures of getting his first dog with his wife. The dog they get is a golden retriever that was a service dog. Her name is Trixie and she changes his life. I personally think Golden Retrievers are the best dogs. They're so cute, sweet, smart, loving, and forgiving. Through their lives they teach us those qualities and so many more. At points while reading the book, I smiled and others I fought back tears about Trixie's Big Little Life. My family has had three goldens and each has captured our hearts. Having them in my life has enriched it beyond measure and I dream of the day I can get my own puppy.

Highlights from Dancing with the Stars

Victoria Arlen's life story is so inspiring. Her dance below made me tear up to say the least. I love that dance can bring out so many emotions and can touch your heart in ways nothing else can.


In the competition, I was so impressed by Lindsey Stirling. She's so musically talented, as well as a beautiful dancer. I've really enjoyed seeing her journey on the show. Her freestyle was so original. Her pro partner, Mark Ballas is a spectacular choreographer. What a strong partnership.


I can't wait for next season!

New TV Shows: The Good Doctor and Designated Survivor

I admit it; I binge watch TV shows on Hulu. I'm always looking for my next favorite show.

One of my best friends recommended that I check out the show, The Good Doctor. Generally, I'm not keen on medical shows as I get easily grossed out with all the blood and surgery screen shots.

Thankfully, The Good Doctor doesn't embrace the gore and blood as much as other shows. I generally watch it over lunch and at times just tell myself that it's red kool aid. It follows Shaun Murphy, a surgical resident who is autistic. His understanding of the human body, what patients are suffering from, and treatments is mind-blowing. His faults would be his blunt communication, getting stuck on an idea and being unable to move on, and interpersonal relationships. Despite everything, I always find myself rooting for Shaun. The rest of the cast are also really strong and likable. See what you think:



A student recommended that I check out Designated Survivor. I'd seen promo clips for it and thought it looked interesting, but I don't like political shows at all. I checked it out and am completely hooked. In ways, it reminds me of the now-cancelled, Quantico. Similarly, it has really strong characters. Unlike Quantico, Designated Survivor has several recognizable cast members: Kiefer Sutherland, Maggie Q, Italia Ricci, and Kal Penn.

In the show, Kiefer's character, Tom Kirkland is the designated survivor and becomes president when the capitol is bombed. He was a housing secretary before, so this is a major change. He struggles with the changes and learning curve. His family struggles with the big change, more scrutiny, and threats. His wife is played by Natascha McElhone and she's an absolute natural. This show keeps me on the edge of my seat and keeps me wanting more. I hope you like it too!



Any new shows you can't get enough of? I'd love to know!

Overview of Eharmony

Since I've tried a variety of dating websites, I thought I'd share the pros and cons of using Eharmony.

PROS
1. By far, the best quality guys that actually matched what I'm looking for
2. Easy to use website and app
3. If I ever return to dating sites, I'll only use Eharmony.

CONS
1. Most expensive site to use
2. Location of matches. Since it does such a great job providing quality matches based on many facets of your personality, most are out of state, especially since I live in a city of only 55,000 people. :(
3. Guys on that site never respond. Like someone's profile and you'll never hear from them
4. I still haven't met anyone exciting on there

For now, I'm taking a break from dating sites, but I'm always open to finding the right match for me. :)

I'd love to hear what sites you've used and found successful.

Recipe # 37: Pumpkin Stuffed with Rice and Sausage

Fall is all about comfort foods and right in the middle of people's favorite fall comfort foods is all things PUMPKIN. Years ago, my mom found a recipe that she gave to my grandma that has become a fall family favorite. I finally got the recipe and made it for myself.

Ingredients:
Pie pumpkin
Rice
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Pepper

Recipe:
Take a pie pumpkin and clean it out.
Cook rice according to the directions.
Cook ground sausage.
Combine cooked rice and sausage, then mix with cream of mushroom soup.
Add a dash of pepper.
*Add about a 1/4 or 1/2 cup of milk to keep the fixture moist.
Fill the pumpkin with the mixture. Don't fill the pumpkin to the top as the rice will continue to cook and expand.
Put in oven at 350 degrees for one hour.

Once it's done, scoop out the mixture and the perfectly softened pumpkin along with it. Mmm! Enjoy!

Making My Sweater White Again

In the midst of dying my sheets, I made a rookie mistake and didn't bleach out my washing machine. As a result, my spotless, much-loved white sweater was dyed light pink...ugh! Since I didn't have a full load to do color remover on, I just needed to do it over stove top. Boil water and add the RIT color remover. Wet the sweater before stirring it into the color remover. I stirred until the color was removed; about 15 minutes. Afterward, I washed the sweater like normal in my cleaned out washing machine. I'm glad I found a cheap way to save my sweater.

My Re-match with Match.com

After a long hiatus from Match.com, this summer, I thought I would try it out again. Despite adding that I was looking for a Christian who was seeking to live for Christ, 99% of my daily matches were atheists. What a waste of time and money! Also, the only guys who ever wrote me weren't interested in faith. I'm forever done with Match! I think, it would work best for people seeking a relationship without any preferences related to faith. Adios, Match!

Hysterical Fire Drill Clip From the Office

I laughed hysterically when I saw this clip during a presentation. Enjoy a good laugh!

Nashville, Day 4

This was our last full day in Nashville, but what a grand day it was. :(

We'd heard that East Nashville was a good place for shopping. So, we headed there. Taking us there, we had the worst Uber driver I've ever encountered. He did not say one word to us. When I asked if he was David, to verify that he was our driver, he just grunted at me. He also pulled out in front of oncoming traffic. He tailgated motorcycles and was literally inches away from them going fast. At stops, he would be inches from the motorcycles. Let's just say that he earned a poor rating and we were so happy to get out of the car. We found out that most stores were closed on Monday, so we didn't get much shopping in. We did see this cute sign though.

We headed back to downtown for lunch and souvenir shopping. We ate at Fresco Southwestern Grille which was in a office building downtown. The owner was friendly and engaging. The food, however, was boring and bland.

Next, we walked to The Nashville Connection on 2nd Avenue where I got a super cute coffee mug for my mom. We then happened upon Leon's Candy. My dad loves candy, so edible souvenirs are the way to his heart and he loves pralines, which are popular in Nashville. Their homemade caramels are mind-blowing.

Cotton Eyed Joe was our next stop, so I could find post cards and a magnetic frame. I was impressed with the selection of souvenirs and the low costs, despite it being on Broadway and 2nd Avenue.

We stopped by Savannah's Candy Kitchen and tried their pralines. They have so many different kids of sweets.

We walked through the gift shop at the Ryman Auditorium, debating taking a tour and what to do that night.

There a lady overhead us and said that the Bluebird Cafe was a must see.

Off we headed to the Bluebird Cafe with less than two hours until the show. We waited in line and made friends with a couple from North Carolina. Towards the end, it was getting pretty hot outside. Good thing we brought snacks and drank lots of fluids. Thankfully, we got a table in the ever-cramped cafe. It was singer-songwriter night. There were 26 performing. We shared a table with two songwriters and one of their guests, and another music fan. The talent was off the charts. I literally laughed and cried for 1.5 hours. We heard artists that made us look and each other any say, "I know they'll be famous one day!" I didn't expect their food to be good since they're mainly known for their music, but I was pleasantly surprised. We shared a chicken tender basket and a smoked pork sandwich. The sandwich was really terrific. I tried an Ace pineapple hard cider and I really enjoyed it.

When the show ended, it was still early, so we hit Broadway for one last time. As our beloved George Jones was closed on Mondays, we ended up at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.

What a great end to a perfect packed 4 days of soaking in such terrific music! I miss Nashville all the time now!