The Night Santa Came

Christmas at my house is always my favorite time of year. I love the way my Mom decorates our house. It's the epitome of warm and cozy, inviting and festive.

But on Christmas morning, there's something extra-special about it. It's a little warmer, a little more vibrant, a little more exciting. And it doesn't matter where we are. It's been this way at each house we've lived in. It's not about the place; it's about the people who inhabit it, and who make it what it is. Ever since I was a little girl, the room with the Christmas tree has been the room. When the Christmas tree isn't up, it becomes the room that the Christmas tree will be in. There's something about Christmas that's just particularly special to me.

And Christmas Day 2010 will definitely go down in the books as one of the top five best Christmas Days yet.

Tucker is ready to open presents.

It started out like any other Christmas does for us. The first thing I did upon waking was look for my Christmas stocking. Because that's where the candy is! I said good morning and Merry Christmas to Mom and Dad, got Tucker all excited at the prospect of opening his presents, and ogled the wrapped boxes, gift bags, bows, glitter, and tissue paper spilling out from under our tree.

We had a relaxed breakfast, all of us anticipating the soon-to-come gift unwrapping extravaganza. In my family, the actual unwrapping takes much longer than it would if not for the fact that each of us—myself, my Mom, and my Dad—have cameras. We're like the ultimate picture-taking family. While one of us opens a present, the other two snap away. If two of us start to open presents at the same time, one will inevitably slow down, so that the actual present-reveal isn't simultaneous, thus making it difficult to capture the moment on camera.

There really isn't a downside to this unique Christmas Day tradition; at least not that I can see. It in and of itself makes the whole present-unwrapping last longer, and we never find ourselves lacking in the photo memories department.

I'd guess between the three of us, we have at least three hundred pictures*. Overkill? Perhaps. But better too many than too few. You might think I'm exaggerating, but...I'm not.

*Upon uploading and sorting through pictures for this post, I have learned that we have 354 photos from this Christmas. 

I am not joking.

I was the most excited for Mom to open the silver scarves I got her. It had been my mission—a few days before Christmas, I was frantically searching. Mom's only stipulation for the scarf she wanted was that it be silver. I ended up finding two. I bought them both. One is a more understated silver scarf. The other, a fun sequined scarf. Not only was I excited for her to open her present and find that I had managed to come up with a silver scarf, but I was also excited for her to find out she got not one, but two of them. (Fortunately, she liked them both!)

Scarf #2.

Scarf #1.

It was a great Christmas for us. We all got stuff we wanted, with a great mix of stuff we weren't expecting. None of it was unwanted or disliked.

All of us were having a great time. All three of us are huge fans of goofing off. Christmas is no exception.

When the package is just as fun as the present.

I was doubly excited when I got a brand new bottle of my favorite perfume, J'adore. I had run out a while ago, but still had plenty of some other scents, so I didn't think I could justify spending the money for a new bottle. But I'm so happy I got more! I absolutely adore J'adore. No pun intended.

I also got an adorable shirt from my Mom! A shirt boasting the Greek letters of the International English Honor Society I was inducted into last semester. I really love it. It is too freakin' cute!

Sigma Tau Delta, represent!

But more than the perfume, more than the pile of video games, the candy, the clothes, the highlight of my day—my season, in fact—was the letter.

The letter from Santa.

How many of you guys can say you got one of those?

After we had finished opening presents, and were re-examining our loot, we heard the doorbell ring. Confused as to who would possibly be dropping by unannounced on Christmas, I went to the door. It was there that I found the letter.

Apparently, Mr. Clause and Tucker became acquainted when he was entering the house through the chimney to deliver presents. Tucker, the lucky pup that he is, had a delightful conversation with Santa and he got to meet Rudolph. In all the excitement, as he was leaving, Santa realized he'd forgotten my present in his sleigh. Already running behind schedule, Tucker quickly informed him that it would be alright for Santa to leave my present in my car, and that the faithful pup would let me know to look for it there.

Sure enough, when I went out to my car, I found my last two presents!

What I found in them blew me away. Santa really outdid himself this year.

It was a brand new iPad, and a case to boot!

I was floored.

I had mentioned wanting one, but in no way shape or form expected to get one. Especially not so soon.

But my favorite part is the inscription on the back.

I may as well go ahead and admit that I totally teared up a little when I read it. My parents have always been so wonderful and so supportive of my ambitions to write, and I never cease to appreciate the fact that no matter what, I know they back me up one hundred percent.

As excited as I was about the iPad—and let me tell you, it's no exaggeration to say I was doing a happy dance and jumping for joy—I think the most heart-warming and meaningful part of it is the inscription and the meaning behind it.

I'm undeniably thrilled with all of the presents I got this year, but most of all I am thankful—so thankful—for my parents, and how much they love me, and the fact that I was able to spend this Christmas with them again.

After all, Christmas isn't really about presents anyway.

Though it's several days late—more than that, really—the sentiment is still close to my heart; I hope all of you had a wonderful and very merry Christmas.

Dog Days

Happy Dogs Rule Day!

I'll go ahead and say it up front. This post is completely photo-related. And yes, I'm obsessed with my dog, Tucker.

And since today is Dogs Rule Day, I figure it's totally appropriate to flood you with pictures of my dog, who does indeed rule.

So, Tucker and I, we like to hang out on our balcony from time to time. I think Tucker still finds it totally awesome that he can see so far, since normally he's eye level with my knees.

The other day while we were chillin' out there, I brought my camera.

These are the resulting pictures.

Seein' the sees.

Tuck in profile.

"What are YOU doing?"

Tucker. <3

"We don't have to go back in yet, do we?"

All photos taken with my Nikon Coolpix P90.

Celebrouhaha! It's a new word.

*celebrouhaha; celebration + brouhaha

Celebration meaning—an act of celebrating, the festivities engaged in to celebrate something.
Brouhaha meaning—An uproar; a hubbub.

Celebrouhaha; an uproarious celebrtion; festivities resulting in a hubbub

Or something of the sort.

What can I say? It's a totally made up word.

In this case, the "celebrouhaha" is concerning my birthday. Which is today, by the way. :-)

I love cupcakes for breakfast.

I can't believe I'm twenty-three years old. It seems like only yesterday, I was learning to ride a bike. Climbing trees. Rushing through lunch so I could go play outside, make mud pies, play with my toys. It's like I was only eight yesterday. Where does the time go? For the longest time I was sure sixteen would never come and I'd never get to drive. Looking back, I'm surprised it's been so long since then. Man, does time fly!

Sleeping in a little this morning was like an extra birthday treat. Mom and Dad had already left for church when I finally flung myself out of bed, bleary eyed and yawning. They left me a birthday card in the kitchen, accompanied by a cupcake. The cupcake is no more (it was delicious!) but the birthday card remains. ;-)

Is this not like the cutest birthday card ever?

I almost didn't make it to Sunday school on time, but when I got there the Sunday school class sang Happy Birthday to me and Mom passed out more of those fabulous cupcakes (I'm pretty sure I ate like...five...). So that was a nice surprise!

After church, I had lunch with Mom and Dad at California Pizza Kitchen. Basically my favorite place to eat pizza. Even as my belly was filling and I was thinking, "Lord, I can't eat much more!" I was looking down at my plate, thinking, "Oh MAN! I can't believe there's only three pieces left. BUMMER." Yeah, it's that good.

And since we were in the area, we headed over to Grapevine Mills to browse the stores. I was on the hunt for a present. The plan was, at least in my optimistic little brain, to find a really cute purse somewhere and bat my eyelashes as many times as it took to convince my parents that it was the perfect birthday present. Alas, I did not find a cute purse. But I did find two adorable lantern things for my patio when I move. Candles go inside! They're going to be awesome. I also found a really cool big glass vase with trees and birds on it. I'm not sure what I'm going to use it for yet, but it's equally awesome and therefore I will find a place for it.

My super cute lantern thing. I got 2 of 'em.

My big glass vase, complete with trees and birds.

We finally left the mall because it was super busy and we were tired—especially Dad and I, who just got back from our three day excursion yesterday! On the way home, we dropped by Starbucks. Because I'm hopelessly addicted and, having not had any caffeine yet I had developed quite a headache. Plus today was the last day of Frappuccino Happy Hour! Half price Frappuccinos. What could be wrong with that?

Now we're home again, and I consider today's birthday celebrouhaha a success. Such a success it deserved this new and exciting word that me and my friend Matt (who also blogs, if you care to check him out) made up not too long ago. Mom's making us nachos for dinner, and I think we're going to pop in a movie. I'm looking forward to curling up on the couch with my family and my dog and relaxing for the remainder of my birthday.

It's been a good birthday. :-)

One more thing—pictures from our trip are forthcoming! I have many of them, so I'm sorting through the best ones. Expect many a picture in the near future. :-)

Tucker's New Sweater

-a word+photo-told story by Sarah E. Thomas

-- -- -- -- --

Once upon a time, there was a small, energetic bundle of fur, excitement, and love.

This little bundle just so happened to be named Tucker.

Sometimes this particular bundle would find himself galavanting about outdoors on days where the weather was a little less than warm. It was on days like this when he ended up calling it quits sooner than he really wanted to, retreating to the door and barking to be let back in.

He loved being outside, but it didn't take much to cool his little short-haired body down.

But one day, while shopping for clothes, Tucker's loving and devoted pet human, Sarah, spotted an absolutely adorable little gray sweater. And it was made just for dogs!

"Mom!" she cried, ecstatic even as she held up the little item proudly. "Wouldn't Tucker just love this?"

Her mom nodded in response, already in line with a few things of her own.

Sarah beamed at the sweater, happy to find that it was indeed in the proper size to fit her little pup. The purchase was made and the sweater was added to her bag of clothes to be carted back to the house.

As soon as Sarah made it home, she had the tags removed and the sweater prepped and ready for wearing. She knelt down to present the gift to Tucker.

Tucker eyed the garment curiously, his wet little nose sniffing as he pondered what this new thing could be. Then, suddenly, the thing was on him. He froze, unsure of what to do next, but then his pet human pulled his legs through and it seemed to settle onto his little body with ease. He took a few practice steps, trying to nibble at the thing's hood with his teeth.

"Look mom!" Sarah exclaimed. "He looks SO CUTE! I have to get the camera!"

Tucker turned in a couple of circles, but as he did so he found himself warming up. The warmer he got, the more accustomed to the sweater he seemed to become.

"Time to take it for a test drive," Sarah said, opening up the door and watching as Tucker high-tailed it outside.

Tucker's first order of business was to make sure that one and all knew of his brand spankin' new sweater.

Kelsi was the first to hear the news, unable to ignore Tucker as he excitedly showed off his new fashion statement.

Ever the good aunt, she feigned a smile and pretended to be more interested than she really was, hoping that in doing so Tucker would be satisfied and distract himself with something else.

From his perch on top of Sarah's car, Teddy offered his two cents, not waiting for anyone to ask his opinion.

Other than those few words of wisdom, Teddy had little to say.

Tucker, now satisfied that he'd made everyone aware of his incredible sweater, busied himself with his usual outside activities; chewing bones, running around, sniffing out big important things.

And all the while he couldn't help but notice just how warm he stayed. What an awesome sweater!

After running around outdoors for a good long while, Tucker finally wore himself out and decided it would be as good a time as any to take a break and head back in for a quick nap on the couch. Not because of the cold, oh no. Just because he had run off all of the energy he'd built up so far.

But this was only the beginning, the first of many trips out into the cool air armed with a very handy little grey sweater. Why with that one little added accessory, Tucker felt that surely he could conquer the world! Starting, of course, with his own backyard!

New Edition of the Four Legged Variety

Today I got a puppy! :) And I can't lie, he's pretty dern fantastic! 

This morning began with taking my Grandmother home. We'd picked her up for our annual family reunion, which was Friday/Saturday, and by Sunday she was ready to head back. I'd been talking about wanting a puppy for a long while now-- really just ever since my best friend Cowboy left us-- and she mentioned that she knew a guy in Vernon with puppies for sale. So of course I was eager to join dad on his trip to take her home.

Needless to say when we got to town I was all excited and ready, hoping that I'd get a puppy but trying not to be too hopeful. She showed us where the guy lived, and we saw the puppies in the yard. Well, the two puppies + momma + papa. But no one was home. So we went to her house, grabbed her paper, and checked the ad. Which said to call between 3 and 7.

It was 1:45.

So we went to eat at a little place called Fred's. Used to be a Dairy Queen until they stopped being able to pay for the franchise fee, so now the food is still the same, if not better, and it's more fun than eating at a DQ because you can do that anywhere.

Anywho, after we ate it was nearly 3:45. Yeah, we took our sweet time, fo' real. So we headed back for the guys house and went to the door. Calling, even after three, had failed to get us an answer.

Luckily he was in fact home, and he showed us the pups. They had one boy and one girl left. I've always been partial to boys. I say 'always' like this happens often for me, or like I've lived very long, but just the same. In my experience, I am biased to the boys. Both were sweethearts. So cute, really sweet. But in the end, I picked the boy.

Here he is. :)

Ridiculously cute, huh? :)

And he was a complete angel on the way home! The drive from Vernon to Midlo is a good 3 hours, if not more. Plus we had to stop for gas and such. And my little guy slept for nearly the entire time. In my lap. Curled up and fantastically adorable.

Needless to say, I've already taken many many pictures of him, and will take hundreds more just within this first week. What can I say? I love my babies. I love taking pictures. Put the two together and you have documentation to the extreme.

And many more blog posts, I'm sure, as it's been a while since I've had a puppy. Since I've had to take care of, housebreak, feed, train, etc. a puppy.

Mom and Dad love him. They even helped me, or should I say, let me help them, give him a bath when we got home. Poor little guy was covered in fleas. :( But after a good scrub (apparently Dawn detergent does a mighty fine job of killing fleas!) he was minus almost all of the fleas and cleaner to boot!

I just hope he gets along with our other dog, Kelsi, and our cat, Teddy. But this little fella will be an indoor dog. In fact, he's staying in my room tonight. Also because if he needs to go out for a potty break I need to be able to hear him telling me so. :)

So tomorrow we need to set him up with a vet appointment, not to mention name him. We've all got a few ideas, so we're going to collaborate and vote. Just like we did with Cowboy. Worked well then, so hopefully this time will be no exception.

Welcome to the clan, little buddy! 

Here's to many years of us loving the dickens out of you!

Feed the Kitty

They just don't make cartoons like they used to. I'm still a firm believer in the classics -- and this, my friends, is definitely a classic. Also, quite possibly the cutest cartoon ever made.

But that's just my humble opinion. :)

If this doesn't bring a smile to your face, why then you're just simply not human.

Also, as an 'author's note' of sorts, more on the road trip actually is on its way. It's lengthy in that I don't want to leave anything out, and time consuming in that...well, I don't want to leave anything out. :) Please feel free to check back for more!