So, in the spirit of the holiday season… let’s talk about the shopping! We are some of the crazy people who venture out on Black Friday! It is usually Emily and me, but some years Erin will join us and/or one of my nephews, friends, sisters, etc. No matter who is there this is usually our game plan… Eat Thanksgiving dinner, take short nap (if time allows), prepare in your comfiest and warmest clothes to go traipsing through the crowds, find Coffee I large amounts, conquer great sales, avoid all crazy fights, find more coffee, decide next amazing sale to conquer, DO NOT GO TO BEST BUY OR KOHL’S (no sale is worth getting trampled or standing in line for days!), find more coffee and finally find somewhere to have breakfast.

We like to shop! And we like finding good deals! So, black Friday is like our Holy Grail of shopping days (maybe it is not that extreme but you get the idea)! There are typical places that we hit every year, Victoria secret, for all their perfumes, lotions and body sprays! Everyone loves these and they are amazing! Plus, Emily and I have a fascination for their bags that they give on Black Friday. We go through the sales and decide what we want need, and then have a game plan of the best mall/area, etc to hit. The shopping is fun… but the experience… that is worth being tired for days after lol.

Some of the most hilarious things happen during these shopping trips. I contribute 100% of that to the delirious state of mind we possess at the time. I mean it is still funny as hell later, but maybe because our memory is holding the delusional state we were in?!?

One year I needed a new t.v. since ours decided to die shortly before Thanksgiving so I put it off and added it to my Black Friday shopping list and we were off. I mentioned to my in-laws that we would be getting this new t.v. and it just so happens the same thing had just happened to them, so I now had two t.v.’s on my list. We ended up going to two Targets… I don’t remember why or where are logic fell into this madness but Erin and Blake went to one Target and Emily and I went to another. We ended up with both and some other non-sense in our basket… only to discover that packing all our goodies into the backseat of our truck with our little cohorts was quite the task. We had more stops to make so putting everything in the back of the truck was not an option. This was quite comical. Good thing we liked each other.

That same year our breakfast outing was at Denny’s. I was so exhausted by the time we got there I could hardly keep my eyes open. We laughed non-stop, about everything until we were literally crying and I am sure we were the most obnoxious people in the restaurant. I made Erin drive home because I was so tired I didn’t think I could muster the energy to get in the truck let alone drive 45-minutes home! I had apparently parked in a space that would be difficult to get out of on a normal day but it was amplified due to the degree of delusional we had reached. She was cussing me the entire time that we were trying to navigate our way out of the predicament I had landed us in. All the while I was laughing in and out of my head bobbing sudden jerks I was doing after falling asleep. It was quite comical to me. I believe I was even trying to reason with Erin that we should just get a hotel room so we could all nap. She was happy once I had fallen asleep and left her alone for the ride home lol.

One of my truly favorite stories though happened when I was not quite as delirious as the previous story. I do believe Erin had possibly reached that stage though lol. Our shopping was wrapping up a lot quicker than normal, probably due to the fact there were 5 of us to grab, collect and conquer. It was Erin, Emily, Blake, his friend Jamie and me. We started at Wal-Mart (another place I hate to go on Black Friday, because let’s be serious… this place is miserable on any other day of the year, let alone the craziest, busiest shopping day of the year). Jamie had missed the comfortable AND WARM clothing required memo for this excursion. So, he ended up trying on girl’s pajama pants to warm him up. This had us all going early in the night. But let’s jump to breakfast… We were all sitting around the table debating on what we should order when Jamie chimes in to tell us he did not know what he should order because is lactose intolerant. Erin in all her glory decides to jump in and tell him he should stay away from eggs… My head flies around to my left and I say WHAT?!? Thinking she mis-heard him I tell her “Erin, he said he is lactose intolerant” and I kid you not she replies with “I know, so he shouldn’t eat eggs”. I am completely mystified at this point, so my slightly sarcastic reply was “Does Denny’s carry Dairy Eggs now? Are their chickens mooing?” At this point I believe Erin’s lack of sleep subsided enough that she realized what had just gone down. She tried reasoning her way through this but we all know what happens on our Black Friday excursions and we know our intelligence level cannot be judged on these days.

The shopping is fun… but the memories are what makes us do this year after year. We could easily jump online and order what we want but we would miss out on making more memories. At some point during our Thanksgiving dinner we talk about us going and start reminiscing on the shenanigans of Black Fridays gone by… It always makes us excited about this year’s outcome!

Be prepared! Make your list! Take someone who always makes you laugh! And go make some memories!

Stay Fabulous!

Kim K.

So, unless you live under a rock somewhere, you are well aware that Donald Trump won the presidency. You either watched all night for the results, have seen it on the news by now or have seen every millimeter of social media plastered with either disdain or complete satisfaction spewed from almost every single person. I’m over social media at this point, let me just say that! Where did we go wrong that we are condemning people to Hell in a hand basket because of their choice, their ideals and their actions over this election?!? I am appalled at what I am witnessing. You have Republicans on one side sticking their tongues out and saying haha, while you have democrats on the other literally telling people they will go to hell over their decision and how uneducated they are for their choice?!? Seriously?!? And there is actually a question of why we cannot come together as a country?!? You don’t say… SHOCKER!!

I am amazed at the things that have been said and done leading up to and through this election. We all have different backgrounds and beliefs. Why can’t we come to terms with that fact? I think being president of this great country is/would be a difficult task. People’s beliefs vary so drastically. I am sure there is not a president in your lifetime that you agreed with every thought and action 100% rather you voted for him or not. Because they are different than you and I. They handle things as they see fit and the way life has treated them. By the things I have read you are a dumb ass for voting for her or an uneducated idiot for voting for him. Who wins?!? In my opinion, we had two bad options… choose the best one that fits you. You may disagree… that’s fine! Hillary may have been the best president choice you had ever seen or maybe you felt that way about Trump. I am so glad you voted and felt that confident in your choice… Many did not.

I believe people should speak their minds! Tell me the truth! Don’t sugarcoat things, don’t be “politically correct” … but don’t be a slanderous asshole because of my belief and my right to do the same! Agree to disagree! That’s what made/makes/and will make America great! Not ONE individual. But people learning to co-exist. Also… DON’T RIDE THE COATTAILS OF YEARS GONE BY! Make the change you want to see in people. If you are one of the individuals spewing hate, condemning people to Hell and judging based on their right to choose… HOW ARE YOU ANY BETTER THAN THE PEOPLE YOU ARE JUDGING?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Newsflash… YOU ARE NOT! BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU WANT! That is how this country will get better. If you think people are judging you because of your color, weight, profession, religion, etc. Show them who you are! When you spew hate… you showed them! When you stop, and change a tire for someone that you think would not give you the time of day… you showed them! When you reach out to make a difference… you showed them.  I can’t speak for everyone but I judge you based on what you show me… so show me your true colors! I don’t care if you favor cats over dogs, loved/hated Bush or Obama or you have beliefs that do not align with mine. Show me your character… that’s what I care about.

These are my thoughts on people’s words and actions since the results. The election was TOUGH to say the least. But the way people have reacted… that is heartbreaking. It makes me wonder if America will recover. People are so used to getting a trophy just for participation that they forgot what it was like if others disagreed and they ended up losing. Today is a sad day… Not because of who was elected but because of how everyone has reacted.

Faith! Hope! Love! Those are things people need to remember today. Because the Grace of God will be the only thing that helps us to win this internal war now.

So, I was having a talk with someone recently about people’s perception… or that is really what it boiled down to. Here is the story… they went on vacation and while there stopped in to a dealership to look at cars (they were killing time waiting on their next endeavor for the day). This wasn’t just any dealership; it was a Bentley dealership. I am sure the average price of the cars were $200k+. Anyway, the salesman was looking down his nose at them the entire time. She said it was the only day on their vacation that they encountered bad weather so they were dressed very conservatively i.e. jeans, tennis shoes, etc. to battle the rainy/muddy day. She sat back and watched the salesman’s arrogance and how put out he was with these “commoners” looking at this car and asking ridiculous questions on something they clearly could not afford. If he had only known, they could have written him a check for it and been in and out in about 10 minutes. She even declared this to her husband in front of the salesman (who I am sure was shocked to learn his arrogance had not hidden his disgust with them wasting his time). My question is why do people do this?

I have always said treat people with respect no matter what you think their stature (or yours) may be in life. Treat the CEO with the same respect as the janitor! Everyone has a purpose and just because you think yours is not as important (or if you are on the flip side of that and think yours is more important) does not give you a right to think someone is beneath you.

That leads me into a slightly different thought process from there (hang on this is how my brain works and it can sometimes be a crazy ride… one that will have you retracing your steps to figure out how in the world you got here… but I digress). I read a “meme” that said, “Sometimes it is not who you are that holds you back but who you think you’re not.”. That sent off alarms in my head that rang true! Being the kind of person I am I get lost in the horse world all too often (read that as hopelessly devoted aka CRAZY horse lady lol). I think that is one place that it seems that the people involved must put lottery winners’ checkbooks to shame and here I am… the poor Amateur trying to find my way in the waves of super talented horse and rider combinations with endless checkbooks (or even Mom and Dad’s money). But that meme got me to thinking… and it is true. Sometimes, in all aspects of life, we stand in our own way. Who are we to judge where we do and don’t deserve to be. If we work at it and keep pushing forward we deserve to be anywhere that the next person does. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy! Imagine where we could be if we just believed in ourselves a little more.

I know the two scenarios are not the same but it just makes me think along the same lines… Why are people so quick to judge and why do we let people’s judgements have so much effect on us? And let’s not throw stones without owning up to our own demons… why do we judge so much? I know I have been guilty of this on more than one occasion. I get irritated with someone lack of knowledge in an instance and think to myself “this is why you are doing >insert mediocre job description here<”.

I guess this is just a post to get you to thinking. Give people a break! You never know what their struggle is that day. Give your barista at Starbucks a smile and tell them they are fabulous (no matter how long it took to get your coffee)! Don’t judge someone based on who or what they are or look like today! It could be the CEO assisting the janitor for the day or it could be someone with an extremely heavy burden to bear. You never know where you will be tomorrow.

Don’t forget to smile! Stay Fabulous!

Kim K.

My life has been so crazy busy lately. I am still desperately trying to figure out what happened to the month of October. I know my vacation wiped out a week of it, but seriously where did the rest of it go? We had a few birthdays and my in-laws 50^th wedding anniversary! I also had my companies annual open house which knocks out a week with the final preparations! But I still can’t believe the month is gone and how exhausting it was while it was here. Now it is time to move on to Thanksgiving and all the planning that goes into that and you might as well throw Christmas into the same hat because one piggy backs onto the other!

I love the holidays! I love the festivities, the cheerfulness, the giving, the decorations and the time spent with the people you love. If you dread the holidays, I think it is a time that you take a step back and remember them for what they should be… time spent together! I think all too often we get lost in finding everyone the perfect gift… we need to remember that it is about getting friendship and fellowship. Don’t get lost in making sure that everyone on your list has the latest and greatest fad… make it about togetherness. It can include baking, games, movies, etc. Whatever your heart desires. But enjoy it!!! That is what the holiday season is about!

One thing I love to do is find a needy family to sponsor for Christmas. It is the greatest feeling in the world to know you gave these kids Christmas! And you put food on this family’s table! If you do that this holiday season it will do away with your Bah Humbug and restore the true meaning of Christmas! I have been so incredibly fortunate to work with people who value sponsoring families for Christmas! It is so incredible when you donate your time, money and goods to help someone who has fallen on hard times.

One year with my incredible co-workers from SEACON we sponsored 9 families! That included a list of some elderly. We gave them blankets, socks, or specific things that the food bank knew they needed. They were so incredibly thankful for the food. There is one lady, Ms. Mary, who I think about from time to time, even 5 years later. She gave me her entire story. How she ended up in Texas and how hard it was for her to get by. She would buy chicken and plan for every little piece to just get her by. She just broke my heart with her story. A few months later after finally saying for the last time “I need to get by and take her a gift card and a cake”, I made a point to do it. Only to find out she had fallen and broke her hip and she was in a nursing home. I wish I had made a point sooner to go see her. I don’t know why she was the one person that weighed so heavily on me after so many families (and even more after her), but she is someone I think about several times per year.

Most of all, I thank my SEACON family for always stepping up and giving more. They made those memories possible! Our “Helping Hands” got bigger every year and they pulled through, outdoing the amazing haul from the prior year!  Fast forward to my new employer (where I have been for 2+ years, does that still constitute new?!? Lol). We decided to sponsor a family for the first time and let me say I was shocked! I work with mostly men… like out of 25-ish people there are 4 women… so normally they are not that involved. But we decided to jump into a family of 9, 7 of which were kids! And they were incredible! All the employees pulled together and made this a wonderful Christmas! And the Company stepped up and did some amazing things for the family home! There is no greater feeling than to see the kids overcome with joy for Christmas when sadness is what they felt moments before with an empty tree. The cost of the gifts or the magnitude does not matter. They now have the same opportunity to go to school/daycare/etc and talk about their Christmas gifts as well. There is not a gift you will open this season that will give you such happiness as the look on their faces.

When I started writing this post… this was not what I had planned to write about. However, my posts sometimes take on a mind of their own, lol. But I do think it is something you should consider if you get the chance! It is amazing and it will brighten your Christmas like no present could.

Anyway… here is to you planning your Christmas and Thanksgiving with little to no stress. Enjoy your holiday season!!

Stay Fabulous!

Kim K.

So I said I would do a follow-up on my packing post… so here goes.

Was it worth it? Did I use everything? How terribly did I over or under pack (Let’s be serious… there was no way I under packed lol)? So we left on a Friday night and managed to make it back the following Saturday. So we were gone 7 1/2 days. We of course checked the weather everywhere before we packed and left… only we were clearly lied to! We each took a couple of jackets, boots, some scarves, warm clothes, etc… except that every place we ended up was experiencing record high temps for that area! Seriously?!? Now don’t get me wrong… I enjoy the warmth! It made me happy! Jody on the other hand… was so excited that we were going to be somewhere that should be cold… our vacay destination was finally somewhere cool, not involving a beach lol. But it was like 85-87 everywhere we went. I actually had to do laundry because I did not take enough “warm day” clothes. I did not touch one single piece of warm clothing that I packed. so I guess I technically over and under packed, lol. But it was not my fault… blame it on the weather guy lol! I did use my swimsuit… once.

I WAY over-packed shoes, lol. Of course since it ended up being warm… I didn’t use the boots. I didn’t have anywhere that I could or should have worn my sandals or wedges… too much walking to venture out in those. We did a ton of walking so I was in my tennis shoes most of the time. Again… I don’t think I can be held accountable for this because the weather did not cooperate lol.

My makeup… I did not over-pack there. I did my makeup… down to my lashes. It was fabulous lol. In fact I picked up extra setting powder late one night from Target to try! It was wonderful! I set aside enough time each day to get it done! I really enjoy doing my makeup when I give myself enough time to do it! I even did my hair… except it ended up being so hot that I usually put it up somehow before we got to where we were going.

So it is safe to say that I over-packed. But I felt prepared so I am good with it. I didn’t have to leave anything behind because I took too much, so I am good!

We shopped while we were there… so of course I came home with even more than I left with. The truck was the epitome of packed, lol!! There may have even been a venture to the Louis Vuitton store while we were there… I can not confirm or deny this though.

The trip was great! We spent a couple of days in Nashville. We saw the Parthenon, which for anyone who does not know is a full-scale replica of the one in Athens, Greece. This place was huge! I mean it gave me a spectacular appreciation for both (the one in Nashville and the one in Greece). There is a statue of Athena on the 2nd floor. This statue stands an astonishing 42 feet. This place is massive… and that word is not near descriptive enough. It is something definitely worth seeing at some point if you have a chance. Once we left there, we tried Hattie B’s. It was a must try on everyone’s list for Nashville Hot chicken. I kid you not we stood in line for an hour… for fried chicken, lol. It was good and different. I would never stand in line for an hour again to eat there, but it was a piece of Nashville that was a must try. Nashville is of course known for Broadway, but spending the day seeing some other things like the Parthenon and the surrounding gardens, the Opryland hotel and the wonderful Loveless Cafe! It was great to see some of the things that were not music related. But… don’t skip the Grand Ol Opry, Music City, etc! Because those things ARE NASHVILLE as all the locals kept reminding me! The bars were amazing! The music was great! It made me want to karaoke (which I never have done or will do)… no one should be subject to such horrendous festivities lol! Nashville was worth the trip!!

We went to Columbus, Ohio. On the way we stopped at the Corvette museum in Bowling Green Kentucky. That was awesome and probably one of Jody’s favorite things! We went to the All American Quarter Horse Congress in Ohio! Everything there is fabulous… except the rain and mud, but that was minuet detail. We were able to see Becky and Colton have great rides on all of the ponies that made the trip! Seeing amazing horses is why you go the Congress after all lol. The shopping was great! But we also ventured out to see the little German communities there and indulge in sauerkraut, sausage and pork schnitzel. After admiring the brick streets and quaint little shops we found ourselves killing about an hour at a casino before our next adventure. If you are wondering how that went for us, I am still headed to work this week! The scenery in Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio was gorgeous! They have trees that actually change colors. And their landscape (which in the opinion of this Texan includes Mountains because those Mounds were far too large to be considered Hills). It was a spectacular drive! The trip was exhausting but I am so happy that we chose to drive to get to see the incredible landscape.

This is a trip I would recommend to anyone! It may not seem like the most exciting trip but it was all things we truly enjoyed getting to see, experience and take in. It was exhausting so give yourself time to recoup but definitely go see things!!