Tuesday Tell All Catch-up

I feel like I've been in the Twilight Zone! Something weird happened with our computer that wouldn't allow us to log on to any websites: no email, no blogspot, no ebay! I have no idea why it works now but I ain't askin any questions neither!

Therefore I am going to catch up as much as possible and double dip last week's and this week's Tuesday Tell All:

Last Tuesday: Season of Giving

I hate tooting my own horn so this is a toughie for me. One nice thing I've done lately is give blood at my student council's blood drive last week at school. I felt that I should donate since I was coordinating the drive and asking others to do so. I was so nervous as it was my first time. Secretly I was hoping that I would fail one of the little tests along the way: contact with blood (Aiden always gets bloody noses from digging for gold), low iron (not the case anymore...those pesky multivitamins!). No such luck. I went to get my collection bag and sat on the donor table. One guy couldn't find a good vein...my lucky day...not! He switched me to the lady he called "the vein guru" and of course there was a "pretty one" as she called it on my left arm. Darn that guru! I admit I teared up from the anticipation of the needle but I should have been crying because I was making a huge deal over nothing. It was painless and I was able to help someone without asking for anything in return. Two teachers at my school have had family members recieve transfusions in the last week. I know they didn't get my blood but I feel good for helping the cause. I plan on giving again since I am, and this is in the guru's words, "an A+ sponsor with A - blood."

Something nice that was done for me doesn't really fit as neatly into this topic but I am going to make it fit since it did give me a better outlook. Freshman year at UK I was walking to take a test in a class I dreaded, biology with Dr. Just. He was one of those professors that was bound and determined that no one get an A in his class so his tests were impossible. Scowling, I was walking across "Blanding Beach" when I heard, "You dropped something." As I looked around on the ground I realized this was impossible because everything I needed to fail that test was in my backpack. I looked up at him with a confused look. He merely pointed to my face and said, "Your smile." Of course that comment led me straight to my lost smile, along with the realization that, as much as we hate it, people do see more than we may think we are exuding. I am a pretty friendly gal but anyone who saw me on that day before my chance encounter probably didn't get that vibe. I try and give off the same energy that I like to attract, which is friendliness mixed with fun. I regret that I never saw that guy so I could thank him. BTW, I failed that biology test (and ultimately the class) but retook the course with another teacher and got a B+.


This Tuesday: O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree

I don't think I'd ever want one of those department store window showpiece trees that some crave because it goes against what I think of when I think of the holidays: that is family. Here are some of my favorite ornaments and what they say.

Prewedding ornaments: Kiss, UK, WWF Wrestling, a computer, Scrabble board, ballet shoes, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. We found the fun stuff and loved just being us, embracing some of our cherished youth and finding stuff to like together.

Teacher ornaments: A large variety of ABC's, books, schoolhouses...you name it! I do like the one that reads, "Support Wildlife: Teach School."

Wedding ornaments: fancy decorator ones we received as gifts and 7,346 "Our First Christmas" ornaments. I love them all but it doesn't bother me when the fancy ones break. Each of the first Christmas ornaments is special because it shows a little about the giver. My favorites are the bride and groom snow people and the Santa riding an alligator we bought on our honeymoon in New Orleans.

Ornaments commemorating the kids: I love all the ornaments with the kids' names on them, including the ones with four of whatever that can symbolize the four of us. Of tthe kids's ornaments ornaments, my favorites are their dohs (pacifiers) on ribbon that hang on the tree. Aiden's is a blue doh and Audrey's is a UK doh, the only one she'd use for four months straight. The only thing I don't like is that I have more ornaments that have three characters not four as we need now so I don't want Audrey to get jealous one day (that is something I totally felt when it came to my older brother...he was mom's favorite :) ).

Some may not like it because it has no particular color pattern or doesn't stick to one particular style. To me, it is a representation of all of us and love.