People forget what today is really about. - Memorial Day

Of course it is a wonderful day to hug a veteran, shake their hand and thank them for their service, but Memorial Day isn’t for the veterans, it’s for the fallen.

People get caught up in the parties, bbqs and parades, not remembering that people died in service to their country in order for us to have these celebrations. A lot of people just remember that they get today off of work, but don’t really think about why.

Carl "Booty" Southard

I remember what today is about because my mother served in the Navy, so did her brother and they are both home and safe. I remember what today is because my husband served in the Marines, and he is home and safe. His brother served in the Army, and his father the Navy, and his uncles served in the Marines, so many lives and all of them home and safe. I remember what today means because so many of our friends have served in all branches of the military, but most in the Marines, Army and Air Force.

Sadly, four years ago we lost one of my husband’s uncles to pancreatic cancer. During his time in the Marines he was sent to Vietnam, where he was exposed to Agent Orange. Because of that, so many decades later, he lost his life. Carl “Booty” Southard was a good man and a proud Marine, and he is not forgotten.

Years ago I stood at the tomb of the Unknown Solider and watched military personnel honor the fallen and the lost. It is that memory that I hold with me every Memorial Day.

Tomb of the Unknown Solider, Paris France

So no, today is not for veterans, but it is still a good day to hug one, because we are grateful that we can hug them.

Fire Blog Tour!

We're at it again! Another blog tour! With Fire releasing in just a week, we're doing another tour with another awesome giveaway! I encourage all of you to follow along for your chance to win.

Prize includes: a signed paperback copy of your choice of the Elemental Series, a matching bookmark, a $10 Amazon gift card and the beautiful scarf Shay knitted for Deb in Fire for her Solstice present!

And of course the $10 Amazon gift card!

Here is a list of the tour schedule:

12 Favorite Things of Christmas

I told you to expect some Christmas-solstice-holiday themed posts! So here’s the first one! Twelve of my favorite things about Christmas (though there are many more than 12):

1. Favorite Christmas Carol: Carol of the Bells – I especially love The Trans-Siberian Orchestra rendition
2. Favorite Christmas Movie: Miracle on 34th Street with Natalie Wood and Maureen O’Hara
3. Favorite Christmas Comedy Movie: Christmas With the Kranks (yeah I know)
4. Favorite Christmas Animated Movie: All of them.
5. Favorite Christmas Gift my Hubs has Given Me: Harry Potter Hardcover Boxed Set in the nifty steam trunk
6. Favorite Christmas Activity: Decorating the tree
7. Favorite Christmas Tradition: Stocking Stuffers
8. Favorite Christmas Family Tradition: Christmas Eve presents. When I was growing up it was so hard to watch the presents under the tree that my mom would let me open one small present on Christmas Eve. Now my husband and I do it for each other.
9. Favorite Christmas Story: A Christmas Carol
10. Favorite Christmas Album: “Everything You Want For Christmas” by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
11. Favorite Christmas Starbucks Drink: Peppermint Mocha (yes, I tried the “Skinny” version. It’s just not the same).
12. Favorite Christmas Decoration: My Nightmare Before Christmas advent calendar


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I Love Christmastime!

I absolutely love this time of year. People get so angry when the Christmas decorations come out earlier and earlier, edging closer to Halloween, but I love it. I love the anticipation, the buildup, the music, the movies and television specials, the gift giving and how much nicer we all are to each other. Of course, I’m excluding the Black Friday tramplings.

I’m a Christmas baby; I was actually two weeks late, forcing my mom to be rushed to the hospital Christmas Eve to deliver me in the small dark hours of Christmas morning. So really, I’m supposed to hate Christmas and be bitter about it, but I love this holiday. I will be honest with you, I hate the people who either forget my birthday or try to lump my birthday in with Christmas, but I do not hate the actual holiday. So take that as a lesson if you have any friends or family with Christmas birthdays or near-Christmas birthdays, stop forgetting them, oh, and combining birthday and Christmas presents? Bad form. If it’s okay for you to do that to us, then that birthday present I got you back in May? Yeah, that was for both, jackass.

But I digress.

Every year I find at least one person I can make a present for and this year I was able to make presents for six people! I can’t say what I made here (one of those people may be reading this), but I am so proud of them, they’re all beautiful and look store bought, if I do say so myself, and I do.

And I’m happy to announce that my husband has agreed to let me decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving so come November 25th there will be a decorated tree in my house! And I’ve already got a lot of family gifts out of the way so there will be presents wrapped under it.

Also the amazing Julie over at A Tale of Many Reviews is hosting a second blog tour for me and it will be posting during the middle of December, just in time for me to put together a nifty present for my grand prize winner! Oh the wonderment!

So be prepared for some Christmas-solstice-holiday cheer! I’ll be posting some holiday themed posts, hopefully you won’t go all Grinch on me and will enjoy!

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