Tag: music

Christmas Confessions

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This is my time of year.  I love Christmas!  It’s the season of giving and everyone seems a little jollier.  You’ve got the great Christmas classics on TV and the radio.  Houses and shops are festively decorated.  Packages arrive at the house almost daily and cards are delivered with joyful wishes and season’s greetings.  And let’s not forget about the eggnog!  It’s a happy time to be a happy person.  Though this year, the holidays seem rushed and have come out of nowhere, I am getting into the spirit and helping others get into it as well.  Baxter has his stocking hung by the fireplace and I am hosting our family’s Christmas get-together next weekend.  As much as I love this time, I have some holiday confessions I need to get off my chest.

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Things That I Believe To Be True

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What do you believe in?  What beliefs make you you?

A personal philosophy is something that everyone should have.  I’m not talking about religion.  No, personal philosophies are much more complex than that.  Not that religion isn’t important, but this isn’t a post about religion in the traditional sense.  While philosophy and religion can go hand in hand, one greatly influencing the other, there is much more to a person than religion and that is what I want to discuss.  Our experiences not only make us who we are, but inspire how we perceive situations and how we react to what happens to us.  While some beliefs may be silly, others are much stronger in molding our character and ourselves into the kind of people we want to be.

And with that said, these are some of the things that I wholeheartedly believe in. Continue reading →

A Living Legend

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This world is filled with a variety of talented people.  Some are starving artists waiting to get an interested buyer while others happen upon an idea that changes the world (I’m looking at you, Mark Zuckerberg!).  Many of us will never have the chance to meet these revolutionaries, but when the opportunity comes up to share the same air, we must seize it for they come along with the same frequency as a winning lottery ticket.  That would be a very slim chance.

About a month before our trip to Costa Rica, Karen asked me a question:

Do you like the Beatles?

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Frozen Fails With “Fixer Upper”

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Fixer-Upper

In the last two weeks, I have watched Frozen three times.  Unfortunately, I never got around to seeing it on the big screen and my first viewing was on the plane home from Boston last week.  It was adorable and I—like so many who watched it before me—fell head over heels for Disney’s latest animated romp.  It was heartfelt, hilarious, and filled with great songs that have me tapping my feet and singing along when I simply think about the movie.

Everyone loves “Let It Go” and it really is a powerhouse song, but I can’t figure out why no one is talking about the poor message from one of the other songs: “Fixer Upper.”

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One Hundred Wonders Later

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I have two announcements to make.

  1. Today, I am headed to the Boston for what has become my annual pilgrimage to visit with family and sample what a real winter feels like just as Southern California is expecting 80-degree weather. I know, I know, it seems like I spend most of my time on vacation, but I really do hold a full-time job (one that may see me getting even more time off).
  2. This is Defining Wonderland‘s 100th post! I can’t believe how quickly it took to reach triple digits and I am so grateful to the Wonderlings who have been around for the last year and the new ones who have joined this blogging adventure. To the next hundred!

The Wonderland Registry (Feb)

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Castles, Cabinets, And Wine, Oh, My!

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After discovering that Germany was much cooler than I anticipated, we spent our next day cruising along the Rhine from the comfort of our heated ship.  It was cozy inside the main room as the passengers gathered around windows, cameras and iPads at the ready, to snap photos of the gorgeous winter landscape that felt like the inside of a snow globe.  Around every bend in the river, there were vineyards, churches, and castles.  Yes, castles.

Castles

Though not exactly like the palaces of kings and queens that little girls dream of being swept away to, the castles were amazing.  Clearly strategically built structures, they were scattered along the banks and positioned up on the hills, the high ground a clear advantage for seeing an enemy approaching.  Now, I know there are castles out there that more closely resemble the ones in those princess stories I loved, but I really enjoyed seeing these militaristic fortresses and hearing the history behind them.

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The Improvement Process

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I now interrupt this travel series to bring you a monthly update.  With January almost over, some people may be slipping on their resolutions or goals for the year.  It’s all fun in the beginning, but when the novelty starts to wear off, it can become even more difficult to continue to improve ourselves.  Whether or not you made a resolution, I would love to hear how you work towards making the best you that there can be.  Here are some of the things that help me reach my goals.

The Wonderland Registry (Jan)

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It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

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No really, it is.

Despite my desire to celebrate one holiday at a time, the Christmas season is my favorite time of year. Everything is bright, shiny, and covered with sparkles. And what kind of girl doesn’t like sparkles? I love the movies, the TV specials, the photo cards from friends and family, the sense of togetherness, everything. It’s just a magical time. And it’s only just begun.

The Wonderland Registry 7

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Escape Into The Music

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How many times have we turned to music to distract ourselves from our lives?

I know that I have a time or two.  There is a playlist for sad times and happy times, working tunes and mellows songs.  Every genre is covered and it’s awesome that there are so many vices for each and every emotion that can come across our minds and our stereos.

Normally, I refrain from bringing my iPod into the office, but this week I have relied on the melodies to keep me grounded when I can no longer bear the reality that presents itself before me.  It is difficult to ignore the facts, but I have found my refuge.  There have been sad songs and happy songs, songs that I can sing along to and songs that I can dance to.  But most importantly, each of these songs allow me to escape the truth for the duration of the tune.

And I know I’m not the only one who needs this escape.

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