The 25th Day of Christmas Joy

The Reason I celebrate today....

JOY!

The 24th Day of Christmas Joy

Recovering Joy

Sunrise at Jupiter Island, Florida during my joy filled ride

I was so excited today to be back on my bike after a long bike sabbatical, riding along the beach, during sunrise…three distinct things that bring me a lot of joy! I was taking it all in…the huge mega mansions around me (think Celine Dion and Tiger Woods), the peace of the early morning, the coastal sounds, the salty air, thinking about how happy my heart was and how I would write about this later. 

While taking in all the sights around me, I paid no attention to the sand dune that jumped out in front of me to interrupt my bliss. As soon as my brain processed what was happening, I found myself on the ground with my feet still clipped into my pedals. My hands throbbing & bleeding from the road rash, my joy filled bike ride now SUCKED & the pity party commenced!

I seriously considered calling it a day and phoning the hubs for a pick up. I was not seriously hurt and knew that I could make the ten or so miles back to the car. I just needed to suck it up and put on my big girl panties.

My pity party continued as my biking buddy and I rode back to our cars. I wasn’t enjoying my surroundings anymore. All I could think about was getting this ride over! My hands were stiff, throbbing & I had a numb bum from the lack of riding….serious pity party in progress!

For whatever reason, as I rode back, I happened to notice two men & a dog on the sidewalk out for a morning stroll. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the dog was a service dog that was being walked by one of the men, while the other man was in a wheelchair. The kind of wheelchair that was probably customized for him - like this is his life, not a temporary condition. 

It was that moment that God smacked me back to reality. Pity party over! I realized that I was indeed able to ride back with very minor injuries that will go away very quickly. Not being able to temporarily use three fingers has made me even more thankful for my very healthy and able body. And, in just a moment, I became very thankful for this mishap that brought me back to reality and recovered my lost

JOY!

The 23rd Day of Christmas Joy

Seeing Joy in Others

Yesterday I had the pleasure of watching my brother, Brad fulfill a long awaited dream of attending a Buffalo Bills football game. 

He has been a Bills fan for as long as I can remember. So to say that going to this game was huge for him is an understatement. Not only was he prepared with his Bills gear, but so was his entire fam properly outfitted. 

Loved seeing the unity of his family while he was checking off one for the bucket list.  

I have never realized how much joy I get from seeing the joy in others. I guess it is similar to giving than receiving…the act of giving provides way more pleasure than just receiving for me. So thankful I was able to experience Brad’s childhood dream come true and that, my friends is pure

JOY!

The 22nd Day of Christmas Joy

The Beach

The hubs is a mountain guy, but I am the beach girl. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy my heart gets when going to the beach. I can’t think of anything that I don’t like about the beach. I love the salt air, the sand, the ocean, the sound of the waves crashing, the occasional dolphin sighting, kayaking, boating, snorkeling, long walks along the water’s edge, sunrises, sunsets, beach naps….I could keep going!

Anyway, when my Dad suggested that we spend Christmas all together this year (meaning my sister, Jaime & her family and my brother, Brad and his family) at Jaime’s, I was all for it! Are you kidding me, all of us together in one place and at the beach –

JOY!

The 21st Day of Christmas Joy

Living & Playing in Apex

I love, love, love living in Apex, NC. Let me just say that the Triangle as a whole is a great place to live, work, raise a family, etc…but Apex has become my favorite part. Why do I love Apex so much you ask? I will share a few of my fave’s

Apex is centrally located within the Triangle making it very easy to get around. Within minutes I can get on the new Triangle Expressway, Hwy 64, Hwy 751, US 1, Hwy 55 and the beltline….super convenient!

The American Tobacco Trail is just down the road which is awesome for those early morning runs with my running buddies. All I need is 6 minutes to get from my house to the ATT. Very important when trying to get as many zzz’s as possible. In addition to running, biking is awesome on the trail and the pooches love to lose their mind out there delighting in all the delicious “wild scents.”

Norman – taking in all those “wild scents”

Then there is Downtown Apex – Simply charming….right out of a Norman Rockwell painting! You will find an array of locally owned businesses from a beer store (The Beer Dispensary) to a coffee shop (Common Grounds), plenty of restaurants, a yoga studio (Yoga Garden), a variety of gifts stores (Surcee is a favorite), and Carden Farms (an awesome farm stand). To get the full experience, you really need take a stroll down Salem Street, have a bite to eat and browse the local shops – so fun!

The Peak of Good Living  

JOY!

The 20th Day of Christmas Joy

The Sense of Accomplishment

It has been awhile, but just the other day it happened again and I realized how much joy it brings me.

I got up, got busy attacking my “to do” list and completely resisted the urge to sit at the computer to check email & Facebook...you know all the things that are distracting and can be a time waster if I am not careful.

I was just barely scratching the surface of my list when I realized the mere act of checking off 2 or 3 items, provided some serious momentum. Keep in mind, my ‘to do” list was not bursting with a bunch of fun things that I could hardly wait to do. It was the typical life chores like laundry, cleaning bathrooms, grocery shopping/Christmas shopping etc…. Not a fun list for sure!

Anyway, by the end of the day, I was amazed at how much energy I had. I realized that it was this sense of accomplishment that provided me with so much

JOY!

The 19th Day of Christmas Joy

A friend of mine introduced me to Hope Community Church back in 2007. It was at a time when we were in between churches and I was becoming very comfortable not going to church at all. The only problem is I had a 6 year old continue to ask me regularly why we don’t go to church anymore. My answer would go something like this….well, um, you see, uh followed by some awkward silence (this is when my brain would be racing for a really great answer to which none would come) until I could figure out a way to dodge her question with a question.

I shared this story with my friend and she came up with this brilliant idea to solve both of our dilemmas. She had just had a baby and they also volunteered at church regularly which meant they spent an entire Sunday morning at church. Not conducive to a newborns schedule. So she offered to swap kids with me one Sunday morning. She would take EmmaGirl with her and I would keep the baby so she could stay on her napping & feeding schedule….winner winner chicken dinner, in my mind anyway!

Until, EmmaGirl came home that Sunday and proclaimed that it was the best ever and that we should go there every Sunday! So now, I have got to go to church. Could I really say no to church when my 6 year old is driving that bus?

I will never forget our first time there I had a bad attitude, was not interested in attending church, but was there for my child. I sat there in the auditorium with a chip on my shoulder just trying to get through it. Mike Lee, the Pastor started his sermon, he was funny & engaging, but that was not going to get me. Until halfway through when I really started paying attention, hmmm, I thought. This place is onto to something different than any church I had previously visited. He concluded that sermon with a “to be continued” and I was hooked. I could not wait to come back for the conclusion like it was a series finale on a popular hit show. Remember, I have already admitted to being a dork in an earlier postJ

Anyway, I absolutely love this church, my church and so does EmmaGirl. We both actively serve on Saturday evenings as well as attend service too. It makes my heart happy to see her so eager to serve and to be involved in a small group for herself.

There are so many great things at Hope that I can’t even begin to scratch the surface here. There is always an open invitation if you would like to come see for yourself what I am talking about J

Thank you Hope Community Church for not only giving me hope each and every day, but a whole lot of 

JOY!

The 18th Day of Christmas Joy

This crazy blog!

What started out as some “crazy” thing I had to do is now bringing me joy….who knew?

It all started on October 1^st. That is the day that I started my journey with the Go Reality Show. Day 1, Kevin Woody explains what are daily activities are and one was to write a blog post a day. Wait, what, a Blog post? Um yeah, I have never done that.

Thank God that Go’s philosophy is to dive right in and worry about the details later. Had it not been for the daily deadline, I am sure I would still be trying to figure out a layout, background, colors, fonts, etc… and still have not published one post let alone 31.

I had no idea that I would enjoy the process as much as I do. You see, I have never seen myself as a writer nor am I good one (in case you couldn’t tell) so I really expected to dread this activity. It has been quite the opposite. I regularly am thinking about new blogging ideas and my vision for my blog continues to grow…so exciting, right?

When I started the 25 days idea, I did not have a master plan of 25 things that bring me joy, in fact, I had about 5 or 6 ideas in my head and figured how hard could it be to come up with 20 more. Not hard really, the hard part is trying to write when I don’t feel like it, or when I don’t feel like I have anything to say. All part of the learning process I guess.

What I do know is that just thinking about what I will write next, how I want my blog to evolve or how I will use my blog brings me 

JOY!

The 17th Day of Christmas Joy

What’s not to love about Chick-Fil-A? Here is why I love Chick-Fil-A every single time I go there without exception….

1. The food – I love that I can get a couple of different healthier options – not blowing my Weight Watchers points out of the water while EmmaGirl gets her fast food fix on. Score! Oh, and it is so dang delicious - double score! When I am not counting points, I highly recommend the Cookies & Cream milkshake....yum!

2. Customer Service – always top notch. I have never had a rude or incompetent person serve me there ever! I always drive away with a smile on my face after interacting with their staff. They seem to have a way to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Love that!

3. Advertising - so darn funny and clever....in my opinion!

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of seeing Dan Cathy speak. I loved Chick-fil-A before then, but oh my gosh, I love them even more now. I love the morals, values and culture that they have worked so hard to create in their work environment. Clearly it works, since the experience, service and food is exactly the same no matter where you go! 

The other day we went there for lunch (EmmaGirl's request - shocker I know) and I had the most pleasant exchange with Carol from the Beaver Creek location here in Apex. I drove away with my heart smiling and realized that not only was my tummy happy, but my heart was filled with

JOY! 

It is not the big things in life, is it?

The 16th Day of Christmas Joy

Sydney Rebekah Danzey

I am sorry Sydney, but you know that I absolutely LOVE this picture! Every time I see it, it just makes my heart grin really, really big!

I have it saved in my phone so that each time she calls I have that face grinning back at me, which in turn, makes me answer a call from her with a similar silly grin.  I am sure I look like the biggest dork when answering her calls and I am totally ok with that. The bummer part is that she can’t see me making that stupid grin back at her when I answer – oh well!

Anyhow, you where such a sweet, adorable little girl with a head full of curls and you have become a beautiful woman still with a head full of curls!

Love this picture of the two of us - so rare to get a good snapshot together these days!

Thank you Sydney for all of the joys, ups, downs, and everything in between for the last 20 years! In addition to the drama (heehee), you have brought me many years of….

JOY!

Love You - Mom

The 15th Day of Christmas Joy

Modern Family

I love, love, love this show! In fact, it is the only TV show that I watch. It is a family affair at our home. We wait until we can all watch the latest episode together – highlight of the week for sure!!

So Cam is probably my favorite character, but I do love me some Phil and Claire and Manny and Mitchell and…really it is a show cast so well that it is hard to have a favorite. I love them all, but I would really love a best friend like Cam....just sayin! My fam likes to make fun of me for being like Claire or telling me that I am such a Pritchard and I am perfectly ok with thisJ

Thank you Modern Family for the good family fun and the “pea in your pants” laugh each week. You bring me so much laughter and…

JOY!

Who else loves this show as much as I do? Tell me about your favorite character or episode, I would love to know!

The 14th Day of Christmas Joy

The comfort of friends and family!

I have got to be honest….I am having a difficult time mustering up any joy right now after the horrific and extremely tragic event at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. My heart breaks for all of those families and children impacted by yesterday’s events. Words can’t even describe the feeling. Praying for all the family, friends and loved ones affected by this tragedy.

While searching my heart for an ounce of joy this morning, I came up empty. There will be nothing under any Christmas tree that can deliver any comfort, joy or solace that a loved one can provide. The ONLY joy I could gather this morning is found in the people that God has placed in my life.

From my family to my friends….I love you all so very much & you all bring me so much

JOY!

The 13th Day of Christmas Joy

EmmaGirl - Happy Birthday!

12 years ago today Eric and I were blessed with this little girl, or as some might say, a mini me. I cannot argue with that either, she really is a mini me! Just the other day I was asking her how she felt about being “A Lot” like me and her response was “Yea, you’re like my twin, but older.” Clearly a cracker jack as well.

Anyway, here are some of my favorite pictures of her that simply make my heart go pitter-patter every time I see them. 

  

I love you EmmaGirl!

You are pure

JOY!

The 12th Day of Christmas Joy

Dr. Sandra Kessler

Known to me as Mrs. Kessler, my 5^th grade teacher at Thornell Rd elementary school in Pittsford, NY. We all have that one teacher who had an impact on our lives and Mrs. Kessler is mine! She took me under her wing, was always my cheerleader and genuinely cared for me.

You see, I hated school and struggled through it, but Mrs. Kessler never gave up on me and was always trying to ignite a love of learning in me. She believed in me when I didn’t know how to believe in myself. I am sure I infuriated her half the time (most of the time), but again she never gave up on me and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of her. 

She gave me the cartoon above hoping that it might make me work harder. She had it laminated and taped it up in one of the cabinets in our classroom as a reminder to me. I don’t know how or why, but I have never lost it through all these years and many moves.

I had completely forgotten that I even had it, until I randomly came across it one day around 2004. I called her at that moment and to my surprise, she answered. We had a wonderful conversation catching up on each other’s lives. I told her how she was my person who had a major impact on my life and she told me “there are days as a teacher that you question why you do this and then there is a student that reminds you why and you are that student.” I was shocked to hear that, because to me, she was my person, not the other way around.

I was even more fortunate to get to visit with her a couple of different times before she lost her battle with cancer.

Mrs. Kessler – there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about you. I have passed on your spelling techniques to my own girls and still remember your stress reducing activities to relieve test anxiety. Thank you for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself and thank you for providing me with a lifetime of 

JOY!

Who is your person? I would love to hear about them.

The 11th Day of Christmas Joy

Running....

 After a long run with Stacy & Linda at the beach – good times!

What started out as a hate turned into one of the biggest joys in my life….who would of thought?  My journey from hate to a love for running began because the Hubs suggested we do a triathlon as a form of recreational companionship. Running, for me, was the weakest (and most hated) of the three. I sucked at it – I couldn’t even make it a quarter of mile in the beginning. After we did our first sprint triathlon together, I was bit by the tri-bug and since running was the weakest, I decided to focus on it the most. I signed up for 5k’s every month just to make myself train during the week. I somehow convinced my friend, Stacy to try a triathlon which now meant I had a running buddy as well….bonus!

Together we would train and run these 5k’s along with a few tri’s thrown in. We both felt like a 5k was a marathon and awed over these “crazy” people that would run marathons. What we never expected was that the more we ran, the easier it got and the next thing we knew we were running a 10k, thinking about a half marathon and feeling like big dogs just talking about it. Until… one day in July, during a run, Stacy made the executive decision that we were indeed going to actually run a half marathon…Oh Shit!

Six months later, we found ourselves, standing in the middle of a parking lot at o’dark thirty in the morning, in the middle of Disney World, waiting for our 1^st half marathon to begin….totally crazy!

Since then, we have logged many miles and continue to do so. We are always looking for another challenge that promises to bring us a lot of fun and…

JOY!

The 10th Day of Christmas Joy

Who does not love Pinterest? Here are a couple of reasons why I love it so
.

1. It is a great space filler

-       Waiting in a carpool line.

-       Not sleepy - no prob, peruse Pinterest…so much better than counting sheep.

-       Stuck waiting in a Dr’s office, pull out the smart phone.

-       Long car trip – perfect use of your time.

2. Tons of great ideas for

-       Decorating for the home and holiday’s

-       Cooking & baking deliciousness

-       Green cleaning tips & concoctions

-       Inspirational quotes

-       Hilarious e-cards – a good laugh

-       Great outfit idea’s – perfect for the fashion challenged (me)

-       Organization ideas and tips – love those!

-       Crafts & other fun stuff

  3.   Can browse wherever or whenever

-       No big deal if you get interrupted or no longer want to keep browsing. Just close it out and it will be there the next time.              

Pinterest has filled a great need for me and I no longer have to “just” sit with nothing to do. It fills those moments of "empty" time and because I don't feel that they are wasted, it brings me

JOY!

The 9th Day of Christmas Joy

God only knows why, but I get a small amount of joy just looking at all that shit. I prefer to browse when someone else is with me, especially if they too have a fondness for gawking at junk. I don’t ever buy anything well…...except for the Bark Off. I was really hoping that thing would work and it did, long enough to say to the hubs “see it works!” As soon as I got that statement out of my mouth that damn Jack Russell of ours continued on barking her head off – damn her!

Anyway, one of my favorites is the Booty Pop. Just look at it….need I say more? For just $19.99, you too can have some junk in your trunk!

Who doesn’t want a pair of “Hot Booties?” 

How I have ever managed to eat while driving without one of these in my life?

Instead of a hydration pack for my next race, how about the Hop Holster? Why wait to finish the race for a beer? Oh look...I can choose between red or the ever popular camo! Tough decisions I tell ya!

So if you are looking for a good laugh anytime soon, just stop into your local Walgreens and peruse the As Seen on TV section and tell me if it does not bring you some….

JOY!

The 8th Day of Christmas Joy

Christmas Lights

 

We like to pile in the car, play classic Christmas music and look at the Christmas lights and decorations. We have seen pretty and classic decorations all the way to something that would make Clark Griswold envious. Some even have blinking lights choreographed to Christmas music - those are pretty awesome!

So, it is not so much the lights or decorations that bring me joy, rather than the tradition and memories being made with the fam. Some might even call it good family fun and that brings me....

JOY!

The 7th Day of Christmas Joy

Go Realty Rocks! And, I am one lucky girl to be a part of this dynamic, innovative and fun company.  I am truly surrounded by the best people in the business Triangle! Each day I get to know more of the awesome agents and I always leave feeling empowered and excited to be in real estate. It is truly a privilege to work alongside and learn from the agents here at Go. If you have not experienced Go, you need to come check out one or all three of the incredible  offices (Go Cary, Go Holly Springs & Go Durham). What did this world do before Go? 

Being a part of Go is so much fun & brings me lots of....

JOY!

The 6th Day of Christmas Joy

The Hubs….

These pictures of Eric makes my heart smile every time I look at them. I don’t know why, but I am sure it has to do with the memories that they represent.

 

This is probably my all-time favorite. In fact, I have saved this picture to his contact in my phone.  Each time he calls, I see this face smiling back at me J It makes my heart smile each and every time!

This brings me back to the very beginning of our relationship. It reminds me of the endless hours on the phone (you know, a land-line) and the huge phone bill that went with it (sorry Dad)!

 A Dad and his girls – nothing more heartwarming then seeing your man interact with his kids! Warm fuzzies for sure J

Fun times at my cousins wedding! My brother-in-law, Jason and Eric after way too many Manhattans. Lots of reasons for the feeling of joy in this one!

Eric, I love you and I am thankful for all the years of....

JOY!