Scariest Halloween Memory

The only thing I ever liked about Halloween when I was a kid is that I got lots of candy.  Dressing in a costume was sorta fun, but it was really all about the candy. 

In all honesty, I have always been fearful of people in costumes.  Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny?  Forget about it!  Our family had several shoe stores located at malls when I was young, and when I saw Santa walk past our storefront to go on his break, I would make sure I was waaaay at the back of the store, just in case he decided to come in to browse for a pair of shoes.

So you can see why Halloween would be all about the candy for me.  It became more like a reward of survival for trudging out into the dark night with all those maniacal people who wanted to jump out and scare a poor, defenseless girl just to get a laugh.

In hearing the buzz around the blog community about Halloween movies and candy and parties, I remembered the scariest Halloween memory I have.  Just to think of it now, it still ticks me off.

I don't remember how old I was.  Maybe 12 or 13.  I was probably in junior high at the time.  Halloween was approaching, and for some reason our Baptist church put on a haunted house every year.  (I really don't know why.)  Anyways... while I was in band practice, a couple of people dressed like ghouls opened the classroom door and came in.  They started wandering around the room and getting in people's faces as some sort of promotion to go out to the haunted house.

I don't recall how close one of those costumed people got to me, but I was utterly and thoroughly FREAKED OUT!  I was actually angry.  I felt angry at whoever let them come into the classroom.  I was angry at my band director for not kicking them out for interrupting our band practice.  I was stinkin' mad that our church even had a haunted house.

You have no idea what a relief it was when they finally discontinued putting on that haunted house.  It's possible it was the very next year because I don't remember it after that time.

What's your scariest memory?  Do costumes bother anyone else?

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Chat Pack - What's Your Story?

My first order of business today is to send a shout-out to my new readers.  I'm thrilled that you have decided to stick around after the Ultimate Blog Party '10.  I feel so inspired.  I'm getting to know some new blogs, too, and having fun.
If you're new here, I want to explain that every once in awhile I write a Chat Pack post, which I will explain in a moment.  And guess what... I'm answering the Chat Pack question by vlog today.  Honestly, I love this one.





Chat Pack - What's Your Story? from Liz on Vimeo.


Alright, that's all for today.  Have a good weekend.
 

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That Holiday Feeling

It's December 11th.  I've been listening to Christmas music since two weeks prior to Thanksgiving.  I'm involved in the children's Christmas program at church.  I've watched portions of The Santa Clause and Home Alone movies on TV.  We've had snow.  The Christmas tree is up.

So...why don't I feel Christmas-y?

And then I ask myself, Is that very Christian-like?  Wanting to feel a feeling?  I know Christmas is all about Jesus' birth.  He is the Gift.  He was born to be my Savior.

It just seems like something is missing.  I've lost the excitement I had at Christmastime when I was a kid.  The anticipation of surprises, of the school Christmas concerts, of wishing for snow days, and the fun we had in visiting with cousins when we traveled to see our extended family for the holiday.  I guess I don't see anything wrong with feeling nostalgic about those things.  I miss that time in my life so much.

Does anyone know how to get that back?

A Thanksgiving Memory

I remember celebrating Thanksgiving when I was in Kindergarten, and if I remember correctly, each of us was to bring in a vegetable to be used in a Thanksgiving stew we would get to eat at noon.  I remember as the stew cooked throughout the morning, the aroma of it wafted through the air.  I could hardly wait to eat it.  Whenever I smell stew, my mind goes to that memory.  Even when it isn't Thanksgiving.

For art class we made hats and tops out of construction paper and paper grocery bags to look like Pilgrim and Indian outfits.  I doubt this craft has gone out of style, even after 30 years.  Here I am modeling my pilgrim ensemble.  I also had an Indian ensemble, but I liked this one better. 

Don't you love the dress I'm wearing?  It was a long prairie-type skirt with an apron.  That wonderful applique at the bottom was classic for the time.  I was totally into Holly Hobbie, Little House on the Prairie, and anything having to do with that prairie look in those days.

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving with family and friends, making memories of your own.  Try not to eat too much pie!

These Are A Few of My Favorite (Disney) Things

Dear Amanda,

I'm so glad you asked about such an important topic to me.  You truly are a kindred spirit of the Disney kind.

What's your favorite Disney memory?

I've been thinking about Disney memories since you asked me a couple days ago, trying to determine what was the shining moment that stands out in all of my Disney vacation history.  I don't believe there's any one thing that I can say is my favorite memory.  You see, the magic of our years of Disney vacations cannot be summed up in just one thing.  It is one big package of sights and smells and sounds and feelings that make up the memory that is Disney for me.

First, I need to take you back to when this all began.  My parents sparked our Disney addiction at an early age.  We took our first vacation to Walt Disney World in 1979 when I was 5 years old.  Way back then there was just one park - The Magic Kingdom.  My parents knew how to pinch a penny, so my dad converted the inside of our van into a makeshift camper.  He laid carpet, paneled the walls, and even built a bed frame at the back and put a mattress in there, just so we could camp in it.  We actually got to lay on the bed as we traveled.  That was high class to me and Kath.  Mind you, this was before the days of children being required to ride in a car seat.  We camped at a nearby Jellystone Campground.

After that we got even fancier, borrowing campers or tents and actually moving into the Disney complex, staying at Fort Wilderness year after year.  The Disney property grew as the years went by.  I even love to tout the fact that Epcot opened just for my birthday in 1982.  We got to see Danny Kaye and Drew Barrymore filming a Disney special at the park.  I know.  You envy me right now, don't you? 

Those are fun memories, but like I said, the memories are all just one big bundle of magic I carry with me in my heart.  And when I think about Disney, it's these things that bring on the longing to return someday...

1. Upon arriving at Fort Wilderness, having to hurry to the restrooms just to hear the bluegrass music playing
2. Eating pizza at the Trail's End buffet at Fort Wilderness and listening to the banjo player
3. Taking a boat ride at night from Fort Wilderness to the Contemporary Resort
4. Riding in the nose of the Monorail
5. Riding on the buses and knowing you're having a shared experience with the people sitting around you
6. Arriving at the front gate of the Magic Kingdom and seeing Mickey's face done in floral landscaping
7. The music that surrounds you at every turn
8. Walking up Main Street USA and gawking at Cinderella Castle
9. All the smells (flowers, mulch, food, water, Florida)
10. Wanting to ride Peter Pan's Flight, even though it's a kiddie ride and you've done it a hundred times
11. Popcorn
12. Browsing through the candy shop and wanting one of everything
13. Playing in the old arcade at Contemporary Resort and then watching Summer Magic in the little theater
14. Riding the monorail from resort to resort, looking for souvenirs to buy at each stop
15. Swimming at the Polynesian Resort pool
16. The tropical foliage in the center of the Polynesian Resort
17. Watching the sunset at the Caribbean Beach
18. Eating sundaes at the ice cream parlor on Main Street
19. Country Bear Jamboree
20. The original Enchanted Tiki Room (it's my favorite!)
21. The entrance music at Epcot
22. Standing at the base of Spaceship Earth and trying to fathom the ginormousness of the thing
23. Getting goosebumps during the American Adventure
24. Taking a boat ride from Dixie Landings to Downtown Disney
25. Shopping at Downtown Disney
26. Eating ice cream sundaes at Ghirardelli's 

And honestly... this is only scratching the surface of everything I love to remember.

Wishing I was there,

Liz

I Should Not Be Up

It's 2-something in the A.M., and I'm awake. I hate it when that happens. I used to absolutely, flatout refuse to get out of bed if I was unable to sleep. I feel like I deserve sleep, and nothing was going to deprive me of my due bed time. As I'm entirely influenced by my friend Judy, I have taken up her sleeplessness ritual of getting up and going to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal.

I had Berry Krispies tonight.

I've already perused my blog subscriptions, and I doubt anyone else is going to be writing tonight. Although, I guess if someone lives in CA it's only 10:00 out there. It's a possibility. And of course, I'm here blogging in the middle of the night, so it's entirely possible there is someone else out there who's blogging in the middle of the night.

I went browsing on Facebook, and I happened to see one of my former classmates had made an album of our senior trip. Oh my, was that ever a trip down memory lane! Kind of scared me. We were just kids. I really do feel young at 35 and can't imagine that I'll feel any differently at 40 in just five short years. But seeing me and my friends at 18...whoa! It feels like eons ago. It just makes one ponder.

Sorry for the 2:00 A.M. ramblings.

2007... A Look Back

I found this meme on TheDailyMeme.com and tweaked it just a tad for my personal use. I'm amazed at the perspective it has given me in just this short time of answering questions. It's such a good evaluation, and I'd love it if you answer these questions on your blog. If you haven't got a blog, just leave a comment here. I'd love to hear from you.

1. Compared to 2006, was 2007 better or worse for you?

2007 was better for me for so many reasons, and I am thankful to be able to say that. It has to do with growing spiritually and taking on new physical challenges. I learned in 2007 that I can do things that I never thought I was capable of.

2. How did your year rate?

I've had an excellent year.

3. What moment do you remember as being the most emotional for you of 2007?

This is such a tough question. I am an emotional person, and I cry about everything - good and bad. There are several moments that stand out in my mind. Here are the highlights in which I laughed or cried the most (in no particular order):

• When Judy told me her daughter was going to have a baby
• When I was able to achieve a running goal that I never thought I'd be able to
• When I got to see Judy for the first time after being gone to be with her daughter for 4 weeks
• When I teed off on hole #5 at Studebaker Golf Course, and the ball landed on the green.
• When I went fishing for the first time and caught 5 fish (I think it was 5) and then got caught in a torrential downpour. (Such a funny story!)
• I discovered Starbucks Peppermint Mocha (I am not kidding!)

4. Do you feel that you accomplished any major goals during the year?

Wow, do I! I learned how to golf. I have almost read through the Bible in a year, minus a couple Books. I've memorized Romans 8 and will continue memorizing entire chapters of scripture. I have become more spontaneous. I've made new friends.

5. Compared to your feelings last December, are you more or less optimistic going into 2008?

It's funny that before I started answering these questions I kinda thought I was less optimistic about the new year. That's because I see my failures, where I'm falling short, and I know the yuck that is still in my life. Upon remembering all these really terrific things that the Lord has done for me, though, I am feeling SO optimistic now. How can I not go up from here. There is more to be changed in my life and more challenges to be met. That's pretty cool.

6. Will you keep your new year's resolution?

I don't have any resolutions, per se. I do look ahead with hope that I will be different at the close of 2008, but only as I continue down the road I'm on. It's a daily choice to die to self and live for Christ. Sometimes a moment by moment choice. It's only by His grace that I will press on and become the new creature He has made me to be. Thank the Lord!

Best-Laid Christmas Plans

I guess it's about time for another Christmas memory, having taken a few days off from this venture. I'm starting to wonder how many more of these I can post. Some of my memories may be a tad uninteresting to anyone who doesn't know me personally...and maybe even to those who do know me personally. I probably would bore you to tears. But I digress.

I remember one particular Christmas - I don't remember how old I was - when I decided it would be fun to go looking for the presents. If I had to guess, I was probably 10 years old. Now in order to understand the humor of my idea, you must know that I was the "good" daughter, meaning my sister was known for sneakiness and mischief. (Sorry, Kath.) It was totally out of character for me to go sneaking where I knew better than to be going.

I knew where Mom hid the presents. Up in her bedroom closet. I don't remember how I knew that, but it's not like we never went in their room. So how could that be such a big secret? But you see, this is evidence enough that I was known as being the good girl because they assumed I would never go up snooping in the gifts. My sister would be much too short at the age of 5 to reach the shelf in the closet.

So I dragged a chair into their bedroom and got it situated for the best access to the presents. Then I went and got Kathy and told her to stand on the chair and tell me what she could see. So you see, I was NOT the actual one snooping. She was. My plan was brilliant because I had not stood on the chair, and I had not looked through the packages. Yes, it was brilliant... unless you forgot to make a solemn pact with your sister that required her death upon divulging any information to the parents.

She gave us up! And yes we were threatened with the, "We're taking all your presents back, and you're getting nothing for Christmas." I don't remember if we got spanked for this offense. Most likely we did because it was a pretty big deal, especially for ME. That was the first and last time I went snooping for gifts. Really, it was.

Wordless Wednesday

My First Christmas - 1972I suppose all those gifts were for me, too.

A Christmas Secret

Okay, I'm going to reveal a secret about my childhood Christmases. I don't even think my parents know about this, and yet I'm sharing here on my blog. On the worldwide web. Practically with the whole world. Or at least the 3 people who read this. (You know who you are.)

Anyway, it is a little-known fact that my sister and I are underground entertainers, meaning we did it subversively, and Christmastime was the time when we would go nuts. The reason our parents may not know is because while Dad was at work and Mom would head to the grocery store, we would wait until the car was out of the driveway and then make our move.

I'd go to the family room, move the furniture out of the way, head to the record player, find our favorite Carpenters Christmas album, and pop that baby on the turntable. Next thing you know, we were variety show stars. At least, in our own minds. We had this wonderful fireplace that had a brick ledge all the way across the front of it. It was perfect for standing on and singing with a microphone. (This is a picture of the room. Don't ya love the red shag carpet?) Oh, the shows we put on! And we danced around the room to I'll Be Home For Christmas, Sleigh Ride, and Jingle Bells...as every good Baptist girl would. :) It was the time of my life.

So now you know my biggest Christmas secret. You won't tell anyone, will you?

Blast From My Past

Does anyone else get a kick out looking through their old photo albums? Since I'm scrounging for my Christmas pics, I'm going through everything. I found this school picture from the 4th grade, and I realized that my hair is about as long now as it was then. It's rare to find me with long hair because I've worn my hair short for many years.

Just thought I'd share....mostly cuz I'm addicted to blogging.

Anybody Have One of These?

So it's on with the Christmas memories...

Ah, yes! The aluminum Christmas tree with the color wheel. This was one of my favorite things. I was so disappointed when I went looking for a picture. I couldn't find ours. This is at my grandparents' house. I'm pretty sure this was during the time period that my dad took a zillion pictures on slides, so I don't have a snapshot. This is the best I could come up with.

Anyway, back to what I was talking about... I always loved when Dad got out the aluminum Christmas tree. It always went in our living room. (The real tree went in the family room.) We could help put the branches in their little slots and decorate it. I think we used satin ornaments, if I recall. The color wheel, though...that was the BEST! It changed the tree from red to green to blue to gold. It was absolutely beautiful.

A very funny thing about this tree is that I thought it was special, rare. I truly thought we were the only family who had one like it. I'm not kidding. I didn't know that other families had these until several years ago when we visited in the home of an elderly couple, and they had one. I flipped out! Guess our little, aluminum tree wasn't so special after all, but I guess you'll never be able to take away that happy feeling I get when I see that picture of me standing in front of it right before going to my school Christmas concert. I miss it now. :(

So... Did anyone else have one of these gems? Please post a comment and let me know.

My Favorite Christmas Memory

Today is December 1, and this is the beginning of my blog series on Christmas memories, as I promised. This first memory is one of my favorites from when I was a kid.

The Muppets were big stuff when I was young. We watched every Saturday night, usually while eating pizza and drinking an orange Nehi. One year they did a Christmas special called A Christmas Together with John Denver, who we were also big fans of. My grandparents had one of those new-fangled things called a VCR. Beta, in fact. They had recorded this very special Muppet program, and we got to watch it at their house. It was awesome, and it became a yearly tradition. It really wasn't Christmas until we went to Grandpa's house and watched John Denver and the Muppets.

So here we are - me on the left, my sister Kath on the right, and our cousin in the center - wearing our matching Muppet robes at Grandma & Grandpa's. Probably the Christmas of 1981. I would've been 9 yrs old. I wish we had a picture of us standing up because they had little kangaroo pockets with characters on the front. Funny thing is, as much as I loved my robe because it was muppets and had a hood, I remember it was very uncomfortable because the inside material was scratchy. It was somewhat of a sacrifice to make this fashion statement.

I would love to see that video again, but the beta machine is long gone. As far as I know they haven't put that show on DVD or VHS yet. So I have to settle for listening to the CD. There's nothing like The Twelve Days of Christmas sung by the Muppets. Can you hear Miss Piggy singing? -

Five gooolden riiiiiings! Bada bum bum...

Yep, those are good memories.

Preparing for Christmas Blogging

It bugs me that I haven't written a thing since Thanksgiving. It isn't that I haven't tried to, but it's more like I've been feeling some weird emotional stuff that sort of caught me off guard. I want to get back at this writing thing, though, so here I am. It'll be a quick one because it's Sunday afternoon, and you know where I will be - napping! Need to get that in before I go back to church for choir practice.

Over Thanksgiving I was able to scrounge through photo albums at my parents' house, and I found some good Christmas pictures from childhood. Unfortunately, I also found some old school pictures that I would just as soon forget about. (sigh) Back to the Christmas stuff... the memories have been stirring, and I'm going to have some to share in my December blogs now and some photos to show, too. You're welcome to come back for the ride down memory lane with me.

Getting Into the Holiday Mood

I'm responding to a question on OhAmanda's blog. She asked what puts me into the Christmas spirit. Typically for me, it's music.

I like to begin listening to Christmas music on Thanksgiving. I always anticipate that it will be playing when I walk through the door at my parents' house on Thanksgiving. I remember one year Dad had something else playing when I arrived, and I was really disappointed, even a little depressed. Why would you play anything else?

My favorites go back to my growing-up years... Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and The Carpenters. These are my all-time favorites! I don't think I could choose a favorite song, though. So many good ones: White Christmas, Sleigh Ride, I'll Be Home For Christmas, Winter Wonderland... the list goes on and on.

A couple years ago I discovered a piano CD that is my new favorite. It's called Christmas at the Movies by Michael Chertock. It is the most RELAXING music. If you're one to get stressed out during the holidays, pop this baby in and your nerves will be soothed. The best song on this CD is from the movie "Scrooge" (with Albert Finney). It's called You. I love that song because it's kind of a sad love song. There is also a fun rendition of You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. I'm telling ya, you've got to have this CD.

I have many childhood memories that revolve around music, but I want to save those for my December blogs, since I set a personal challenge to blog about my Christmas memories through December 25th. I hope you'll be back to read more.

Holiday Ponderings

I can't believe Thanksgiving Day is a week away. This year has flown! Of course, as my mind prepares for the holiday it quickly rushes on to thoughts of Christmas.

I've been playing Christmas music on my Live365 station in the office today just to kind of get myself ready. There's something about the familiar songs that brings a hundred memories rushing back, and it gave me an idea. I thought it might be fun to fill my December blogs with all my Christmas memories. A few have come to mind that I think are fun enough to share, and I would love to have 25 days of blogging. I don't know how realistic that is. Can I come up with 25 Christmas memories? I'd enjoy trying!

So I'll start brainstorming and see what I can recall from the 35 Christmases of my life. Then I'll start writing on December 1st.

Yeah, I like the idea...

Favorites & Firsts

I'm feeling pretty tired, as I usually do on a Sunday, but even more so. I don't have a very interesting topic tonight. I'm taking off from someone else's blog and using their lists of favorite things and firsts. If anything, maybe you'll learn a new thing about me that you didn't know before.

10 Favorites:

• Favorite color - Blue
• Favorite food - Oh, that's so hard. I love so many things. Pizza has to be #1.
• Favorite month - December
• Favorite song - "Glory" by Selah (currently)
• Favorite movie - "Anne of Green Gables"
• Favorite sport - Golf
• Favorite season - Summer
• Favorite day of the week - I don't have one
• Favorite ice cream flavor - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
• Favorite time of day - 12:00 p.m.

Firsts:

• First Best Friend - Becca... she lived next door to me for the first 13 years of my life
• First Screen Name - "luv4kittys" because I had 4 kitties
• First Pet - My parents got me a puppy named Bonnie when I was very little. I think they didn't like that it peed in the house, so they got rid of it after a week. At least I think that's how the story goes.
• First Piercing - I got my ears pierced when I turned 13.
• First Crush - David Mixon in the 7th grade (I'm wondering right now if my friend Shelly knew this.)
• First CD - Hmmm...I'm sure trying to remember. If I had to guess it was probably Twila Paris. It's strange I can't remember that.

So now you know a little more about me.

Language Lovers Will Understand

I was reading one of my favorite blogs this morning, and the woman said her child is learning prepositions at school. Well, it brought back a whole flood of memories for me. I remember being in the 6th grade and learning the prepositions. We recited and recited in class. One day our teacher told us we were not allowed to go for a restroom break until we had all recited.... at least something like that. Talk about pressure! You just don't make threats against a girl's bladder... that's wrong.

Anyways, I really have always loved prepositions, and I learned them so well I can say them really, really fast... still to this day. So without further ado, I will recite them all here for you. I regret that it is not the same as hearing me do it in person, but we'll just have to make do.

Ahem.... (clearing my throat)...

aboard
about
above
across
after
against
along
among
around
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
beyond
by
down
during
except
for
from
in
inside
into
like
near
of
off
on
over
past
since
through
throughout
to
toward
under
underneath
until
up
upon
with
within
without

(gasping for air)....Whew! I think that's all of them. At least I sure hope it is. I would hate to have missed one. As I typed I realized I'm just a little rusty. I better do a little review here, or I'm gonna lose this important stuff in my old age.