Give Thanks

Give THANKS to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures FOREVER!

Psalm 107:1

I am thankful for...

• my family and the people I love
• the big meal I'm going to help cook and eat today
• my home
• a great interview that really got me excited (plus, they read my blog!)
• the Lord's plan for my future
• time to rest
• Angel Pie-I know I already mentioned the food but this is serious, y'all
• text messages
• Beauty and the Beast on TV last night (they don't make 'em like that anymore)
• my goofy dog
• that I am not venturing out on "Black Friday"
• old family VHS's
• grace
• a whole lot of other things...
• a day that reminds us to be thankful!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Phone Post

I'm not feeling very wordy today so I thought I'd use some pictures I've taken on my phone recently to do most of the talking.

Harry Potter was awesome-best movie in my opinion, and the most true to the book. Sister and I got to the cinema around 10 ish. Obviously we had a couple of hours to kill and since all 20 theaters were showing Harry Potter we decided to check them all out to find the best seats. Once we had determined that theater 10 was the most crowded and should be avoided we wandered around and enjoyed some prime people watching. I stealthily (or not so much) snapped pictures of some of the best costumes on my phone.

(I think I may have been spotted by this girl with the sweet Gryffindor hat on...)

(This is Sister, barely containing her excitment!)

The movie ended around 3 and I had to be at work at 7:45 the next morning so needless to say I was exhausted, especially after I ended up working until 9:00pm-13 hours. The place I work was having a huge Junior League-esque Grand Shopping Day. I got home from work at 9:30 was in bed and asleep by 10:00. It was a loooonnng.... day. Sister had a long day too-she babysat 6 kids for about 6 hours all by herself. We had a bit of a tiff about whose day had been harder, (I still think it was mine.

The next day I did get to sleep in a little. Then I went and got some groceries and a couple of things I didn't need, like some garland with lights to put in my apartment or on my deck, I haven't decided yet. I also picked up a bin to store all my seasonal decorations. I haven't taken down my fall/Halloween stuff yet but I have gotten out my Christmas stuff and it is sitting in the corner ready to go.

I am restraining myself and not putting it out until after Thanksgiving-it's really been a struggle. Especially since my mom mailed me hands down the cutest Advent calendar ever. And I just had to set it up.

It's a Gingerbread House! And it's 3D!

I could feel it coming on yesterday, which is why I went to the grocery in the first place, but yesterday morning I woke up with a cold. Yuck. I always get sick around the holidays without fail. This will hopefully pass in a day or so but I pretty much stayed in bed until I had to leave for work later in the afternoon. I spent the morning watching the Food Network and drooling over Thanksgiving food. I can't wait to go home for a few days and be taken care of and have quality family time. I can't believe this month is pretty much over!

Happy Monday!

HP

So... tonight I am going to see Harry Potter. WooHoo!
My sister and I are going to the midnight showing, I am dork I know. But I don't care because it is going to be awesome!

Confession: I would totally dress up, if I knew my sister wouldn't be mortified and pretend she didn't know me...

Here's something that has been bothering me though. Fandango, where I purchased my ticket, and even some of the trailers I've seen think that people are stupid. They keep saying that the movie is out in theaters Thursday at midnight, when they really they mean Friday at midnight. They just know that if they said Friday people would assume tomorrow night. So when I bought my ticket I had to select the time I wanted as Thursday 12:01 am. If that was actually the case I would have already missed the show...Come on people!

I can't believe this is basically over. The first Harry Potter Book came out in the States when I was ten (which, if you didn't know, is a year younger than the age of the title character in the first book). I grew up with Harry Potter. The last book came out in 2007 when I was 19 (Harry is 17 in this book). I like how the books matured with the characters and the loyal readers who stuck with them. I am so thankful these final movies are rated PG-13 and that they didn't try to tone it down for the new younger audience. (I've ranted about this before..) This installment is especially dark and really isn't appropriate for children in my opinion. Whatever.

Look how much they've grown up?!

Anyways moving away from the Harry Potter topic. I did something stupid today. I got up for work at 7, left my apartment by 7:20 and got to work on time at 7:50. Sounds good right? Well, here's where it got stupid. I wasn't scheduled to come in until 11:00 am!! Are you kidding me?!! I could have slept for a whole 'nother 2 and half hours if I has just bothered to check my schedule. Tomorrow I am supposed to come in at 7:50, I got my days switched. And now I am actually back at home writing this blog post, killing time until I head back to work for real. I would have just stayed but I'm already working overtime this week so they wouldn't let me. So annoying.

Fortunately I am going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows tonight, so my day isn't completely ruined.

Volume Deux

Another Wednesday Hodgepodge is upon us. Jump on over to my mom's page, grab the button, answer the questions, and share your link!

1. What is the most amazing weather you have ever seen?

Aside from the indescribable sunsets in Marco Island the most amazing weather that I've ever experienced was on a church/ Habitat For Humanity trip in high school. It was in the evening and we were listening to the message from our awesome youth leader. He was using a cup and a pitcher of water to share with us how God's love alone can completely satisfy. As he was pouring the water into the cup he explained that His love not only fills us up but overflows. And I kid you not the second the water started to spill over the cup it was as if the heavens had opened and the heaviest, loudest rain pounded the roof!

2. What is a sound or noise you love?

Waking up on a lazy weekend to the sound of a thunderstorm.

The dead white silence after a huge snow fall and the creaking tree branches.

British accents.

3. What part of your day requires the most patience?

Um probably any part of my day that requires driving. I dislike it.

4. Do you like seafood? What's your favorite seafood dish?

YES YES YES! My favorite seafood dish is Maryland crabs! Specifcally those enjoyed at Cantlers-the best restaurant for crabs in the world. You dine outside overlooking the water just minutes from Annapolis. You order dozens of crabs that they dump onto brown paper covered tables. My mouth is watering...

5. What's your favorite shade of blue?

Blue hydrangeas (specifically the ones that grow wild in Stresa, Italy)

Peacock blue.

ADPi Blue.

6. Do people underestimate you?

Yes. I am only 5 feet tall so I think people write me off sometimes as too small or assume I'm too young.

7. When was the last time you had butterflies in your stomach?

I get butterflies whenever Peter sends me a sweet, spur of the moment text, or surprises me with my favorite candy.

8. Random thought for the day.

I am going home in less than a week and that is giving me butterflies as well-I am so excited!

Buckle Up

I'm back. I really didn't go anywhere but for some reason I was feeling super uninspired and just couldn't sit down to blog. Plus, Peter has been borrowing my computer because his broke and he doesn't have Word yet. Now it's getting ridiculous though and I simply have to do a post before tomorrow's Wednesday Hodgepodge or I'm afraid I'll let another week go by. So strap in for a long post.

Last week my old roommate came to visit. Actually she came for other reasons but she stayed for me! It was such a nice little surprise visit, especially since it hadn't been that long since her last trip at homecoming. If all my friends could try to visit me regularly that would be THE BEST! She got to town late Tuesday night. Wednesday we got up and went to lunch together at an old favorite that never gets old. Unfortunately I then had to go to work later in the day but when I got home we ran up to the gas station and got candy and snacks and then we rented Sex and the City 2 on demand and had a fun girly movie night. I hadn't seen it since I saw it in theaters and I'll tell you what, I would not say no to a vacation in Abu Dabi or one of these:

The next day I had to work really early and it seemed like an especially long day since I knew my friend was just sitting around my apartment without me. Since she had been stuck inside all day, we decided to go out that night for a nice dinner at the yummy restaurant where my current roommate hostesses some nights. We split this great salad, a bowl of absolutely divine fried goat cheese balls (drizzled with honey and sprinkled with pistachios....are you drooling?) and shared some gourmet pizza. We were there for over two hours and it was perfect! Then we went back to the apartment where we talked some more and revisited every great 90's song (including but not limited to Scrub-TLC, Digital Get Down-Nsync, and the best of Britney Spears).

Sadly she had to leave the next day but not before she treated me to the best BBQ in town! It was a great visit-please come back and live with me again!

... moving along...This past weekend my sister and I got to spend some quality time together while our boys were camping with their fraternity. We (I) made dinner in my apartment and then we finally went and saw the movie Life As We Know It, which I have been wanting to see since it came out. It definitely lived up to my expectations and Sister will tell you I was crying or and laughing most of the movie.

Yesterday I had a lovely, long coffee date with a dear friend and then made the decision to re-read the Seventh Harry Potter. I haven't read it since the first time I picked it up-the day it came out I read it in less than a day in a hurried frenzy! I wanted to make sure I remembered all the wonderful details before I see the movie (which is out this Friday!!) Well, I started it around 4:30 and I only have a little more than 200 pages left so I don't if it was any less frenzied but I definitely feel way more pumped and ready to see the film (which will never be as good as the book but does a pretty decent job of satisfying my desire that this was real.)

Phew. I feel like I can now answer tomorrow's hodepodge questions since I no longer have this huge update hanging over me. Sorry to unload all of this in one post. Congratulations on finishing this epic post, I thank you for your loyalty.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Do you think you are more like your mom or your dad?

Starting off with a hard one, thanks mom! Hmm.. well, I think I am a pretty even combination of both of them. I have a lot of my dad's OCD tendencies. We are both perfectionists. Also we both kind of like to have the last word in a discussion/argument. My dad and I both have the adventure/adrenaline gene. On the other hand, I feel like I am really sensitive to the emotions of people around me like my mom is- I like to think we are kind of the peacemakers in the family. We are both go with the flow most of the time. Also we are both bloggers, we both sing out loud in the car, and I've found I talk under my breath to myself aka think out-loud like she does.

2. Do you like roller coasters?

Yes I love them! Except actually I used to HATE them. My mom and I would patiently wait and hold bags while my dad would take my sister on the rides. I couldn't handle the ones with spinning, big drops, or upside down bits. I can't pin it to a particular year or moment but suddenly I like all those things!

3. How did you name your blog and do you now wish you'd thought about it maybe another five minutes before you hit publish? Would you change your blog title if it were not a huge pain in the derriere?

I debated a lot of names and did a little research to make sure there wasn't a blog just like mine with the same name. The other name I seriously contemplated was Shenanigans. But there was a girl named Shannon with a blog and we have way too much in common. Back to the whole OCD thing that I got from my dad, I HAD to post my first post on January 1st so I was determined to pick a blog name in time! I am still very happy with Sincerely Shannon.

4. What is the best wedding gift you received? Not married? Didn't get any gifts? Then what is the best wedding gift you've given?

I've only really given 2 or 3 wedding gifts and I think the best one I've given was the recipe book I gave my friend the other weekend. I put one of my favorite recipes in each section. I think I am going to take this time to say that the wedding gift I am most excited to receive in the future is one of these babies:

5. What is the one bill you most hate to pay?

Well, my rent bill is the largest. However, for the past few months I haven't had to pay my energy bill because they've just been taken it out of my deposit so when that runs out it's going to be sad to have to make yet another payment. Growing up sucks!

6. Is the glass half full or half empty?

Definitely half full! Another trait I get from my mom!

7. What is your favorite word? Okay okay. Calm down. One of your favorite words?

And ending with a hard question as well. Hmm.. I like the word "sincerely" and I like the word "shenanigans." I also say the word "pardon?" a lot. I think it sounds so much nicer than huh? or what?

*8. Here is my random contribution to today's random.

I am thankful for the relationships, the recipes, the inspiration, the support, and the creative outlet that my blog has developed into!

Happy Hodgepodge Everyone!

Face Time

My mom is really quite good with technology. She set up her awesomely popular blog all on her own. However we did have quite a few laughs today while I walked her through some html code for her new blog button and helped her set up her new linky tools. But most importantly we set up her iChat so that we could do all of this techno-savy configuring face to face!!

It made my heart happy to talk to her and see her at the same time! It was also kind of a tease because I just wanted to climb through my computer screen and go to lunch with her. I have a countdown on my home screen till I get to see her for real: 13 days 9 hours 27 minutes and 36, 35, 34 seconds...

So in other news, my mom is starting a weekly random and everyone can participate and link up your blogs! It's called Wednesday Hodgepodge! (isn't that the funnest word?) She has posted the questions and instructions on her blog today, and tomorrow you can answer them on your blog and then share your link! Can't wait to connect with everyone and read all the different responses!

Monday Hiking Crew

I am thankful for the time I spent outside with my friends today! It was so nice to get off my couch and out from in front of the TV and catch up with these girls in the beautiful outdoors.

Brissy Trail was a 2.5 mile trail and I was pooped by the end of it. Part of it was a level 7 (on a scale of 1-10) and part of it was a level 9. Basically it really got my heart rate up....way up!

I got more exercise today on our hike than I have in the past year but I think it is going to be a weekly thing for us-I hope! Tomorrow (if I am not super duper sore) I am going to yoga with one of these girls too! Exercise is so much more fun when done with friends-although it is difficult to really chat when you are panting and gasping like I was.

I am thankful for friends who encourage me.

Fall Back

This may be a little tiny bit trivial.... but I am oh so thankful for:

The Time Change!

Thank you Benjamin Franklin, and whoever else had a hand in this, for that extra hour of sleep this morning. In case you didn't know, daylight savings time ended at 2am this morning when we set our clocks back an hour. I hope your alarm clock/cell phone automatically set itself and that you didn't accidentally get up an hour too early and show up at church before anyone else. One spring our family forgot to set our clocks forward and we showed up at church after it was over-just in time for donuts if I am remembering correctly....

Le Deuxieme Printemps

Even though I am dreading the rapidly approaching winter, today I am thankful for the beautiful fall season! One of my favorite french authors eloquently wrote:

"L'automne est le deuxieme printemps quand chaque feuille est une fleur."

Autumn is the second spring when every leaf is a flower."

-Albert Camus

Hope you are enjoying a beautiful Saturday in Fall!

Ok Go!

I swear that store employees everywhere lurk in the back of their stores and wait for the clock to hit midnight on Halloween and then BAM! Christmas tree!

I went to Walmart on Halloween and then the very next day and it was a totally different place. There were trees everywhere and all the check out aisles were wrapped in seasonal paper. There is not a single leftover fairy wing or Michael Myers mask. It's all ornaments and tinsel. There can be no doubt now that the holidays are upon us! Hope you are ready!

Normally I think this quick shift into Christmas is a little ridiculous. Plus I think it's sad that Thanksgiving kind of gets the short end of the stick (I really think someone should come up with a good thanksgiving song or something). But I honestly don't mind this year. In fact, I have to confess, on my way to work this morning I may have listened to Alabama's holiday hit:"Tennessee Christmas. I think I was in the mood because it's actually snowing not that far away from me in Asheville and apparently some areas in the Smoky Mountains may get some powder too. Crazy, I know! I thought this was the South.

Anywho.... this brings me to today's thankfulness. I am so thankful that I get to go home for the holidays! My mom sent me my flight information for Thanksgiving in a sweet email saying how much she couldn't wait to have both my sister and I home, cooking, relaxing on the couch, celebrating. I am ecstatic and so grateful that I get to fly home and be with my family. It really is a huge blessing and I hope you all get to be with your loved ones during this season.

Thank You

Thanksgiving is coming up this month and I am so ready for a holiday. So to really make sure I don't forget what Thanksgiving is all about I am going to share something I am thankful for each day this month! This will also mean I will have something to blog about every day because I have so much to be thankful for!

Also, the lovely South Breeze Farm is letting everyone post a link to their thankful pages so we can share in our many blessings.

You can also grab this festive button from her page, add it to your sidebar and keep a running list throughout the month.

I am already a couple days behind so let me catch you up. *Note, these will be in no particular order. I am so thankful for...

My job. This is something I have to remind myself of all the time. Even when I feel really down about work and desperately want to look for a new job, I just need to remember that sooo many people are out of work and have no paycheck to speak of. I am so lucky that I have a job right out of college, with benefits, and good people.

My apartment. Again this is something I often overlook. I love to browse through interior design magazine and daydream about bigger and better homes with hard wood floors and non-cottage cheese ceilings. I am thankful, however, that I have a roof over my head, a full fridge, and warm cozy bed.

My roommate. I hope I never have to live by myself!

And now for today's blessing...

Starbucks. Yep, I am thankful for the quiet escape from a busy day provided for me by Starbucks. I love grabbing my journal, or a book, or my laptop and heading to Starbucks for some quiet me/God time with a pumpkin spice latte in a holiday cup.

I invite you all to take some time this month to say thanks and to acknowledge the blessings in your life!

VOTE

I tried to create a clever acrostic poem out of the letters VOTE but it came out something like this:

Very

impOrtant

To

gEt out to the polls

and that just looks weird, although it is true. Don't forget to vote today! I am super excited because this is the first time this great country is letting me vote. Back in 2008, even though I had just gotten my drivers license, for some reason the voting registration people didn't really think my campus p.o. box qualified as enough proof of South Carolina residency.

Isn't it awesome that we are free to vote for whomever we choose. That we actually have a say (however small) in who runs our country? Can you imagine not being able to vote? Do you believe that some places in the world go to war for this right?

I don't really enjoy heated political discussions because I get all feisty and worked up and they tend to stress me out so I appreciate the quiet, private way that voting allows me to declare my political beliefs.

And if I am perfectly being honest, I am really excited that I get to wear a sticker that says I Voted!

Fun fact: Did you know that "rise to vote sir" spelled backwards is "rise to vote sir"?

So when I am voting today I am going to think about the direction I want to see this country take. To remind you what the original plan was here is my favorite School House Rock song, that I had to learn in school in the 4th grade and that to this day I can still sing from memory: