*2012*

Kind of lengthy post ahead! :)

2012
I went into 2012 thinking that this was MY year.
It was the Year of the Dragon
(which is my Chinese Zodiac)
Which was more of a sign to me that it was going to be good.

Now that we are at the end...I can say that I'm satisfied with it...even the bad.
I brought it in on a very positive note. Even though at the time there was a little drama brewing, I told myself the 2012 was going to be good & that that shit didn't matter.
At the start of the year drama ensued, ties were cut, but I was content. There was a sticky situation that I unwantedly ended up in the middle of & I wasn't interested in it. Some ties were cut and others were loosening...A couple of months later a little more drama ensued and more ties were cut, including the one that was loosening. But, again, I was content. Everything was so great after that. I almost felt bad because of how GOOD everything was. You realize how much drama one or two people can bring into your life, once they are gone. It's like going from chaos to quietness. Very little to no drama after that (aside from a little family drama, but most families deal with that to some degree anyway.) By this time it was moving into Spring time & I wasn't about to let anyone petty crap bother me, and I didn't. Summer was awesome.
I did hit a rough patch back around August, & when I say a rough patch I mean I felt as worthless and depressed as I did back in middle school (let's just say,..I was in a really dark place.) I was actually extremely disappointed in myself. I had been doing so good about not letting anything get to me (or get to me that much.) and then I just broke. I was so mad that I had let myself breakdown, and the fact that I was mad at myself didn't make it any better. lol.
Around August some light communication started to happen with one of the ties that were cut earlier in the year & I had VERY mixed feelings about it. I am actually still a little weary. I watch my tongue a lot. But we are working on our friendship, I'm still trying to take it a little slower than she is though. ha. But, it'll either work out, or it won't. We'll just have to see.
We experienced a lot of friend drama, as I mentioned above, and ended up pretty much cutting ties with most of them. As sad as it was, I think it was for the better. Doug and I really got to spend a lot of time together. Thing I would have normally did with my friend, I was doing with him and I absolutely loved it. It really put into perspective how much of a best friend he really is to me. And we do put up with a lot of crap from each other, but when it comes down to it, I love this shit out of him & I feel like he feels the same way.
I have unsuccessfully tried to find a job this year. I think this is the most I have ever actively put in application & it's so discouraging for NOTHING to come from it. Not even a part time job at a toy store for crying out loud! -_- But, I haven't given up. Somethings got to give & someone has to give me a chance eventually.
Aside from a couple of breakdowns, Fall was alright. I had a lot of plans fall through which made me sad, but there is always next year. :)
I made the decision to try to be a blogger. I think I'm doing pretty well, right? :) I honestly cannot remember what made me even decide to do it. I think it was on the upswing from one of my "dark times" a couple of months ago & I was talking to my bestest and told her that I was thinking about it & she thought it was a good idea. She was going to start one too, but I don't think she has...But then I talked to Doug about it and he supported the idea. So, Sissy Fits was born. I'm so thankful to anyone who has read any of my posts, commented and followed! I'm thankful for YOU for reading this. I'm having fun "meeting" new people. I don't know if I am still considered "new", but I'm definitely still learning. So any tips anyone has would be cool. [I do read the comments! I try to reply, if I don't, I'm sorry! I really hate that blogger doesn't let you know when someone has replied to your comment!]
We made the decision to try for a baby. So I'll take any good vibes you want to send my way. I'm really hard on myself, so dealing with a disappointment time after time with this is going to be really trying. Hell, I was hard on myself even when we weren't trying. Just thinking that my lady bits might be dysfunctional was enough to get me down.
My fish died a couple of weeks ago & I really am still pissed off (at myself) and heartbroken about that. I've just tried to spare you guys from hearing about it constantly.
There were supposed to be some plans for New Years Eve, but they fell through-and I'm glad.
I think I may cook some burgers(maybe), and we can sit around with my family and play cards or board games or whatever & have a few drinks.
This post isn't nearly as organized as I'd like it to be, but I just typed as it came to me. I also condensed it a bit... :)

So...all in all, I think the year is ending on a pretty good note. I am super content with everything.
Some highlights::
•I got to see my bestest!!
•Concerts! I saw::
 -Me Talk Pretty, Hawthorne Heights, & Madina Lake (all for freee!-guest listed!-),
 -Framing Hanley(!!),
 -Def Leppard & Poison (again!),
 -Mute Math,Incubus & Linkin Park (OHEMGEE!),
 -Andy Grammer, Grace Potter, Alex Clare, Phillip Phillips, Jason Mraz & Ed Sheeran(!!)
•Went to my first live comedy show! JON REEP! (Look him up, for reals)
•Walked in a fundraising 1 mile march. First time I've ever done anything like that.
•Any time spent with my niece and nephew are always highlights.
•June marked our first year of being married, but 9 years of being together! :)
•I made it through pretty much losing a handful of friends this year with my head held high, for the most part.
•My Favorite band raised enough money to be able to do their third album, make a video & hopefully do a tour! (&I, along with MANY others, was a small part of it). We are a FHamily.♥
•Um, I started my little bloggy blog! :)

What I didn't do-but wanted to-::
•Go to the beach. Normally I'm not all "I HAVE to go to the beach!" but for some reason this year I really wanted to go!
•Get my tattoos..I had 2 in mind...one of them, it's still just not the right time for it. The other, was my dragon (my zodiac--year of the dragon ya know) & yes I wanted to get it this year BECAUSE it was the year of the Dragon. lol
•Go to Nopi Nationals. (STILL disappointed about that.)
•Go to the fair and be a kid. lol
•Go to a GA game.
•Lose weight...I only have like 20-30 I need to lose!
•Finish the basement...we started & got the bathroom about 98% done (we got it usable) & then stopped...:-/
•Hubs & I didn't get a proper vacation this year....
•I didn't get the DSLR I wanted even after I finally had saved up enough money...why? Cause I now want a different model which happens to be about $600-800 more than what I have. lol Dang it!
•Find a job. :-/

In an effort to not completely overload with pictures I put some random ones in collages. ;)

 

January 2012

Top: Nathan Leone (Madina Lake) & Me, JT Woodruff (Hawthorne Heights) & Me

Bottom: NYE 11/12...the first one is them dancing & the 2nd is at Midnight!

•The bottom 2 pics should be on top 

•The top 2 are from that concert I was guest listed on! Woop!

March 2012

 Top:  Me, Jon Reep & Doug, Jon Reep by himself

Bottom: Me & My best of the best & a bonfire

•Got to see my bestie in the middle of March for her little sisters baby shower! :)

•We went with my Mom & Dad to see Jon for their anniversary at the end of March. So fun!

 April 2012

Top: Nixon, Brandon, Ryan & Luke, Luke alone

Bottom: Chris, Nixon, Myself, Luke and Ryan

Framing Hanley♥

•This was the highlight of April. Seeing my boys from TN :)

May/June 2012

Top: Me after the Rock Goodbye Baby Mile March, The super moon, Me with my niece & nephew,

Bottom: Doug & Me; our 1 yr anniversary pics, 

The two on the side are Def Leppard on top & Bret Michaels (Poison) on bottom 

•We walked a mile with a bunch of hubby's family in memory of a baby that one of his cousins lost last year. ♥

•Celebrated my Daddy's 50th birthday with family

•I'm obsessed with the moon, so the super moon was a highlight for me.

•June marked 1 year of Marriage & 9 years of being together

•At the end of June Doug & I saw Poison & Def Leppard with my mother-in-law, one of hubbys cousins & her boyfriend. (Was my 2nd time seeing them!)

 July/August 2012

Top: Firecracker, Incubus, Linkin Park

Bottom: Me at Chilis (b-day dinner), My niece watching 1D videos, and Linkin Park again

•Doug & I spent the 4th ogf July SOLO, it was just him & I and we played with firecrackers by ourselves. We didn't even go to town to watch them. lol

•My birthday dinner with family at one of my favorite places with my favorite margarita! 

•Spending Aunt/Niece time & she likes One Direction & so do I, so she and I like to watch their videos.

•August we saw Mute Math, Incubus & Linkin Park. I cried. lol

Sept./Oct./Nov./Dec.

Top: Penguin, Doug & I outside the Aquarium, Mother-in-laws Christmas tree, Doug & I on Christmas Day

Bottom: My Nephew's Halloween costume (Jason!), Cousin, me & my mom, Our Christmas Tree

•Family outing to the Georgia Aquarium in September.

•My nephew, who doesn't like or watch scary stuff, wanted to be Jason. I was so proud! I helped with his costume!

•My Cousin, Me & My Mom on Thanksgiving

•The last 3 are from Christmas. Super blessed to be able to do and have what we do & I'm super blessed to have my husband!♥ (even though he looks like a wooleybooger right now)

:)

So I know some are out of order, but that's okay! That's why I did the bullet lists under them! And also, no Feb...apparently nothing that exciting happened in Feb?! lol

2012, you were good to me. I even found good out of the the not so good, which is so great!
I'm ready for 2013 and what it may bring with it.
I think I can handle just about anything...I think. I know that my mentality has a lot to do with it so I just have to stay as positive as I can.
Let's do this!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAVE FUN & BE SAFE!

♥♥♥
Brandy

Lazy Sunday & New Years Day prepping.

Today was a pretty good day.

I had entirely too much wine last night & ate way to much supper & junk food (drunk munchies), passed out at 2 am, woke at 6am and chugged half a bottle of water with some ice, passed back out at finally woke up at 2pm. lol 

That means I will probably NOT drink VERY much, if anything, on NYE.

So, today didn't consist of much.

Watch the Falcons game, and they lost but it's okay

Then took my mom to CVS.

And,...well that's pretty much it.

Fun right?

My Year in Review post will be posted tomorrow. I'm gonna read through it and do any last changes to it and then I'll probably schedule it to post in the morning. :) It's ramble-y so bear with me when reading it. Kinda skips around. haha.

Tomorrow will consist of going to the bank, grocery shopping for our New Years Day dinner, and some cleaning. We do black-eyed peas, collard greens, sauerkraut and wieners every year on New Years for good luck, wealth, etc. & this year we are adding Ribs, cornbread, potato salad, green beans and maybe some dressing to the menu. MMmmmMM!

We'll probably get a few drinks for tomorrow night & maybe some noisemakers and snacky foods, but that'll be about it.

I also need to start cleaning my stuff out of my brothers room, so I'm not sure if I'll have much time to post anything else tomorrow. Also need to wash some clothes tomorrow since you're not supposed to wash them (or do the dishes-I think) on New Years Day. Supposed to be bad luck.

What old traditions or "superstitions" do you do or celebrate on New Years Day?!

I cannot believe 2012 will be dunzo in a little less than 27 hours! What a crazy wonderful year! 

I am ready for 2013 and what it may have to offer though. If it's anything like 2012, I will be happy. I'm already shopping (or "looking") for furniture for the basement. Buying hubbers his PS3 for Christmas sparked his inspiration to finish our living space so we're not confined and crowded in- to just our bedroom. So yay!

♥♥♥

Brandy

Sunday Social

Link Up with Ashley & Neely & be social!


1. Favorite New Years eve you’ve had before:
Last years was great. Hubs & I helped my mother-in-law host a NYE party for my little bro-in-law, so we rang in the New Year with about 12 11to12 year olds. lol It was fun, but my favorite...might have to be NYE 2002 ringing in 2003. :) That's when I met one of my brother's friends who came over to...party..lol for NYE. I was 14 & he was 17 & He was so damn cute....yea...I married that guy! ;)

2. Are you doing anything for NYE this year and if so what?
Not planning on it. Last years was great to me, very low-key, so I kind of want a repeat. Hanging out with hubby & whoever else is at my house, maybe having a drink or two & not much else. :D

3. Name a book we should all read come January?
Not sure. I haven't really read enough to down right suggest one. But Neely mentioned one that I had heard of before & I think I want to read. It's called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. So I will also suggest that one because who couldn't benefit from it?! :)

4. What are your new years resolutions?
I'm not really going to make any. I'll make goals for myself throughout the year & do it that way. I don't think I made any resolutions last year & I liked it better that way. Less pressure & disappointment. 

What to do, what to do...

So...I stayed up late (surprise surprise! NOT!) and slept until 1pm (NO WAY?! Figures!)

Anywho enough sarcastic commenting to myself..lol

I've wasted half a day sleeping & now I'm just not sure what I want to do.

SO...I was thinking...

-Go try to find a PS3 game for myself.

-Make a shirt (Pinterest project)

-Waste the rest of the day online.

-.....i got nothin'...

lol I really what to try the shirt thing...but I don't know. Nothing too hard, just painting on it.

If I do it, I'll def post pics & the tutorial I used. :)

Yesterday the only thing I did off of my to do list was pay that bill, make sure hubby was all set for hunting..and that was pretty much it.

I only talked to my bestest for a total or 2 minutes maybe. :( Stinks because I was needing someone close to talk to.

& mom made her PB fudge by herself. 

& the bath, having a drink & the curlers idea just didn't happen.

Doug actually pissed me off yesterday so I was giving him the silent treatment like it was my job. Made him feel bad & as mean as it sounds that was I was going for. Everything is resolved now! I finally talked to him about 3ish hours before he was supposed to leave last night & we are A-OK!

But enough blabbering. I need to get going, have to get my ovulation medication today. I'm sure I'll be back today, I'm still working on my 'year in review' post. lol

If you have a Twitter you can follow me if you'd like @bnb03

(I may probably will delete this part after a bit, I don't want to take the chances of anyone in my personal life knowing my Twitter. I have gone 2+ years without anyone, except my mom & hubs, knowing I have it & I want to keep it that way! So, if you wanna follow feel free, but do it now. :) ) 

What are your plans for the weekend?!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

♥♥♥

Brandy

Dis be a little 'bout me, A-Z.

Lora posted this & I wanted to do it!  

Me A-Z

A. Age: 24

B. Bed size: Full.

C. Chore you hate: Dishes. And laundry isn't far behind it.

D. Dogs: We have 3 in the house, but 2 are mine & Doug. We have Bella-puggle- & Trixie - gangster bitch chihuahua-

E. Essential start to your day: Um,..I pee & check online junk...& then get something to eat &/or drink

F. Favorite color: Blue

G. Gold or Silver: White Gold, or Silver

H. Height: 5'2

I. Instruments you play: NONE! started getting into guitar as a kid, but stopped. Wouldn't mind getting back into it. I really want to learn the piano/keyboard. & I kinda like the drums...but don't think I could handle it.

J. Job Title: SAHW

K. Kids: None...yet.

L. Live: Georgia. 

M. Married: 6-9-11

N. Nicknames: Sissy...as my Blog says.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Um,..as far as I can remember the only time I have stayed overnight was waiting on my GodSon to be born.

P. Pet peeve: one of my biggest is hearing someone eat or drink or any other mouth involving thing.

Q. Quote: "Where Words Fail, Music Speaks"

R. Righty or Lefty: Righty.

S. Siblings: 1 bro & 1 bro-in-law

T. Time you wake up:  It varies.

U. University attended: None. Online School-lol 

V. Vegetables you dislike: Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage (yet I like slaw), Cauliflower, umm...there are lots more I'm sure. 

W. What makes you run late: myself. I'm just slow. Master Procrastinator y'all!

X. X-rays you've had: Dentist, maybe my leg when I was I kid (but don't remember) I think that's it.

Y. Yummy food: Pizza is my all time favorite. Sbarros-YUM

Z. Zoo animal favorite: Elephants & Tigers. I actually love most of them, but when I go to the zoo, I make sure to see those 2!

♥♥♥

Brandy

Last Friday of the year...

Kinda weird.
In some cases it's like this year FLEW by.
But in others if kind of feels like it's timed just right...
idk.
Either way! Happy Friday!
I actually woke up early enough (but not as early as I should) to get some blog READING done. I do read post of those I follow, I may not always comment, but I try to at least read!!

My plans for today include:
-Paying a bill -that is late :-/ -I hate when bills are due on Christmas, I always forget to pay them a little in advance so they always end up a few days late. Merp.
-Taking a nice long bath. It's just needed.
-Having a drink, don't do that very often, I think I will tonight...I've been wanting to try that Barefoot wine, Karla said it was good & I had a sip of some that my hubby's cousin had at Christmas...anyone have any suggestions as to which one to try?!
-Making sure Hubbers has everything he needs for hunting. It's the last weekend to hunt, so I'm crossing my fingers extra tight that he gets one!
-Mom wants to make some peanut butter fudge....so we may do that...don't know yet.
-Talking to my bestest, probably via text.
-I may or may not try out my curlers...they are the velcro ones and I haven't used them very often (I have a fear of thing getting stuck in my hair...lol) So I may try them tonight. I need to take a picture for the Framing Hanley' album booklet..they haven't asked for our pictures yet, but I want to try to get a good one (So, if my hair turns out good I may be giving myself a mini photo shoot this weekend.
-Whatever else comes to mind...

Random thought:
You know so far the one thing that grinds my gears about Blogger?
Say I comment on you post & you reply to my comment...why doesn't it let me know that you've replied? (Or if it does, please let me know where to see that at, cause I'm just not seeing it.)

Anyways, I'm currently working on a draft post about my year. So that will be posted hopefully BY Monday (if not before). I'll go ahead and warn you...it may be on the lengthy side, maybe even with lots of pics. :)

Also, round one of baby making didn't take. I'm def. not preggo and I am about 96% content with it, but it's also the reason I could use a glass or 5 of wine or maybe something stronger, to help me maybe be a little more content with it....Anywhoo I'll get more into that in a separate post this weekend, that will give me something to do, plus it's therapeutic and junk. ;)

Hope everyone has a good day! I've got to get going.
If today goes smoothly & I get bored enough I may post again...I don't know what about...but I'll find something. haha!

♥♥♥
Brandy

It's Ok...

It's Ok...

*That my mind still isn't fully back to normal from Christmas & the stress beforehand.
*That I haven't started my day yet.
*That I'm starving and have no clue what I want..
*That I wanted chili cheese fries, spaghetti & a salad in the middle of the night,...so I'll probably try to satisfy at least one of those cravings.
*That my room has a small pile of Christmas presesnts & I don't know where to put them yet...no room.
*That I am super excited to hear an announcement that Framing Hanley is supposed to make after the holidays. Waiting, waiting, waiting!
*That I've getting distracted again, this time from watching The Women of SNL.
*That I'm ready to start making plans for 2013. lol
*That the house isn't fully clean yet & I don't want to help clean it.
*That I can't wait to get a game for me to play on the PS3! & To get a second controller. (I told Hubs I wanted a blue one)
*That my mind always goes blank when making this post!
(Maybe I should make start a draft post & add to it throughout the week! I might try that.)

*That Thursday is becoming one of my favorite days because I get to realize that ITS OK! haha!

Link up with Amber & Neely!

♥♥♥
Brandy

This Christmas...

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

I kind of can't believe it has already came and went & that this week is already half way over...

Christmas Eve was so fun, we did Christmas with my side of the family the first half of the day & then Dougs' moms' side of the family that night. There is never a dull moment at his Nana's, that is for sure! And it always ends in story telling and LOTSSS of laughing. I told my mother-in-law last night that if anyone ever wanted to become a comedian in their family they would have PLENTY of material to use or draw inspiration from. Seriously, lol...

We spent the night at her house so we could wake up and open presents with her and my bro-in-law. Nice relaxing morning. Then we had to stop at my Granny's then it was off to Doug's Aunts to see everyone.

Then home! We waited to open what we got each other today instead of doing it with everyone else around.

And EEEEK! I love what he got me--a pair of Beats! Blue ones!

I loves them so much!! I'm baby-handling them a little. lol They're my precious!

He got a PS3 (that came with Assassins Creed III & also the Assassins Creed Trilogy game fo freeee!) from me.

Wifey Points!

(I'm excited about the ps3 as well!!)

Anywho, I'm very happy when what I got, some of which was unexpected. 

I got: 

A pair of Converse (my FIRST pair EVERRR)..I knew I was getting those though cause I designed them.)

An MP3 player (unexpected but SUPER f'kkin excited about it, mine went on the fritz like a year or so ago)

The Exorcist (Yeaaaa!)

Miranda Lambert-Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

An Old Navy shirt (I bought it myself with my Granny's money, it's from my granny for doing her Christmas shopping--she was with me when I picked it out.)

A Kate Spade make-up bag (from White Elephant)

2 Camis

Bo Burnham: Words Words Words DVD (SUPER excited about this too)

Incubus- If Not Now, When?

The Book Of Lost Things by John Connolly!

Some earbuds

A pair of flats (also my FIRST pair of those, lol)

"Jagger Swagger" shirt!

Pair of gloves

A framed picture of my beautiful niece

A little cash & a gift card

& My Beats.

If I had to pick a fav..so far it would probably have to be My Beats! Hubbalub did good.

Above all, the family time was great. As I said before, lots of smiles & laughs! If someone could have just been a fly on the wall last night...L-O-L! & I was let in the loop that there is a new baby on the way. (no, not me :( ....) But I'm super excited for them! And I loved watching my niece and nephew open their piles of gifts. They loved everyting they got, which was a bonus. And as far as I know everyone liked what my Granny got them (which means I did good shopping!)

There was only one little bummer for me, but I'm trying to let it just kinda roll off my shoulders so I won't talk about too much, not right now anyway. We all know that not letting yourself get down is sometimes easier said that done.

That being said, the good FAR outweighed anything that could be a damper, so it's been a bit easier to not dwell right now.

I am definitely super blessed and content.

Me & My Scruffaluffagus

Thank goodness that beard will be going away soon!

Gonna leave you with this, I saw it earlier online & had to watch, glad I did. I absolutely love this video..it made me cry a little, I'll admit it. Such a priceless reaction! :)

How was your Christmas? What did you get? What was your favorite thing? (whether it be a gift or quality time.)

Sunday Social

YAY! I'm not goin to miss Sunday Social today! haha. 

Link-Up with Neely and Ashley!

1. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? 

Chocolate, Vanilla, or Fudge Ripple...OR Ben & Jerry's Half Baked (YUMMM!)

 

2. What is your favorite smell? 

My husband, cinnamon, peppermint, honeysuckle, oranges, fresh cut grass,...lol I could name a lot probably

 

3. What is your favorite TV commercial?

Don't ask me why, but it made me laugh when I first watched it. So random. Still makes me smile when it comes on. I'm sure there are plenty that I like more, but this was the first to pop into my head!

 

4. What is your favorite day of the week?

Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

 

5. What is your favorite way to waste time?

The internet ( I could spend hours on here doing absolutely NOTHING.) Or watching TV. OR listening to music!

6. What is your favorite article of clothing?

 hoodies I guess.

Hope everyone has a great Christmas Eve Eve!

 After staying up til 7am wrapping presents & sleeping until 1:30, I need to get my day started. I've still got just a few things to pick up, but most of what I have to do is cleaning and wrapping. :) So stressful but it all ends up being worth it, amirite?!

OHHH, FALCONS WON YESTERDAY! 

THEY'RE IN THE PLAYOFFS, AGAIN!

RISE UP!

It was a little bit bittersweet because I'm a Lions fans too, but Falcons are my number one, sooo had to root for them.

:)

Oh & I'm 95% for sure seeing Justin Bieber (again) in August (I just have to pay for my ticket).

It will be the 2nd time I've seen him live, first time was in 2010, I'm excited to see how far he's come in his live performances.

Anyways, time to get some food in my belly and get this day started!

Lovins!

♥♥♥

Brandy

[Insert cliche "End Of The World" or "I'm Still Alive" line here.]

Haha! 

But really...I mean, if anyone thought it was 100% legitimate they wouldn't have bought any Christmas presents before today.

LETBEHONESTHERE!

;)

So, my "end of the world" day was a pretty fantastic one. 

I didn't wake up as early as I would have liked to, BUT got everything done that I wanted to.

I spent a couple of hours shopping and fighting my road rage with my Mom and my Granny, rushed -kinda- home and got ready for my brother-in-laws birthday dinner. 12 years old & expensive-ish taste. He chose to go to Longhorn's. That's mine & Hubs' on occasion/special occasion place to eat. But this qualified as a special occasion. :) It was just us, my mother-in-law & bro-in-law and it was fun, an sooo good! I ate too much and it was totally worth it.

He turned 12 yesterday. Crazy to think I've been around/with my husband since his little bro was like 3.

Anyways, after we left I drug Doug around for a little more shopping. :)

Now he is packing up his gear & waiting on my brother to get off of work. They are headed to the hunting club for the weekend. I hope the wind isn't as crazy there as it is here. It's innnnsane [in the membrane, insane in the BRAIN!]. 

Fingers crossed he get his first deer & that it's a good one!

This will be the first night of me being in my room alone at night since my fish died, it's been a week. It's so lonely and unbelievably quiet in my room with out him. 

I'll stop yammering on about him all the time eventually, just bear with me. You know how it is losing a pet, my fish was no different. :-/

Little bit of a Christmas confession to make...I haven't sat and watched many proper Christmas movies yet, except Elf! & Santa Clause. :)

I've watch a couple of the ABC ones & a couple of the Lifetime one, but I have yet to watch Rudolph, or Frosty, or any of those. I started watching A Christmas Story the other night but ended up helping my brother clean, then I watch like 2 minutes of Home Alone. TSK TSK, I know. I will correct that this weekend. I have more Christmas shopping to do tomorrow & I WILL get myself some Christmas movies. Tomorrow night will consist of watching them & having some hot chocolate. 

Speaking of hot chocolate---today is the First Day of Winter & mother nature brought it in the right! 

We've been bitching about the fact that it has felt almost summer-y here lately, but last night that wind picked up (& has not let up). It was chilly yesterday, but down right cold today. I'm glad. I HATE being cold, but I also don't like when seasons don't feel like they should. Ya know?

I'm almost finished Christmas shopping. 

I finished my Granny's (I do her shopping every year.)

Now mine is almost there! :)

OH! Gotta tell y'all about this! 

My mom told me something that totally made my heart smile! 

Every year our WalMart does "Giving Trees". They put up 2 (this year 3) Christmas trees with paper ornaments on them. The ornaments have someones age, sex, and something they want on it.

 One tree is for kids & the other one (or the other 2 this yr) is for older folks (usually people in the old folks home in town). It's for people who are less fortunate, to make sure they have something for Christmas. Anyway we always do at least one. 

This year I was only able to do 2. I chose a kid & an adult & I chose from opposite ends of the age spectrum & opposite sexes. I got a 7 year old little boy who wanted some movies(dvds), & I got a 101 year old lady who wanted a pair of sweat pants & a sweat shirt (outfit) and a throw blanket.

 I got him 3 DVD's but like 6 or 7 movies total I think, a couple were the double or triple features. And I got her a matching pair of pants and a shirt, and a soft and pretty sherpa throw (the one in the bottom of the picture above).

Well my mom told me that she found out my cousin is working 2 jobs now, one being at the old folks home & she had told my mom she met the lady that I bought the sweat pant/shirt outfit & blanket for! She said that she uses the blanket I bought her every night. Makes me tear up with happiness. 

I loved hearing that.

'Tis the season.

Well, I believe I will change into my pjs & wait for my hubs & bro to get on the road and I guess lay down. :)

I'll leave you with this amazeballs song.

Yes, I'm gonna be THAT girl and post this. Enjoy. ;)

R.E.M.- It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Hope everyone else had a great day!

Anything exciting happen?

♥♥♥

Brandy

It's OK.

Link Up With Amber & Neely!

 

It's OK...

 

•To still be upset over my fish dying.
Today is the longest time I've spent in my room (awake) since then.
 

•That I have done absolutely nothing today

•That I have spent hours catching up on my usual YouTube videos. :)

•That I just ate a bowl of mashed potatoes and a mashed potato sandwich & now I'm eating hot fries. (Sorry body)

•That I don't really want to do anything spectacular for New Years, & thankfully Doug feels similarly about it.

•That I am so ready to get re-motivated to bettering myself and my life.

•That I got/am still tied up in Christmas stresses and happenings that the previous mention has been put on the back burner.

•That I always get distracted when I'm blogging...part of the reason it takes me SO long to do ONE post.

•That I still haven't fully grasped how to post a speedy blog post (aside from being distracted)...even my speedy ones are usually time consuming. I'm just slow I guess.

 

•That I'm not sure if our/MY first round of treatment & trying worked , but I'm trying to not overthink it. I don't feel any different, but even if I was knocked up I'm not sure I would feel anything different with my body just yet.

•That I have legitimately thought to myself "What if I am?...That means that I will be about 6 months pregnant going to a One Direction concert. LOLOLOL!" 

& bet your bottom dollar that if that were to end up being the case I would STILL have a blast

•That I have been battling with the decision to make a dentist appointment.

I'm scared and extremely anxious almost to the point of wanting to cry a little just thinking about it.

•That I'm multitasking and applying for a job, but I feel like it's useless because I never get called. Having no work history or references kind of sucks.

•That I'm probably going to wait until my Hubs gets home before getting ready to go to his moms. Today is his little bro's birthday, he's turning 12. Crazy stuff.

•That I am all of a sudden really tired.

•This list isn't that exciting.

•That it took me well over an hour, pushing 1.5-2 hrs, to do this post...when I said I get distracted, I wasn't kidding! lol

Have A Great Day!

♥♥♥

Brandy

I am...

SOOO damn tired of having to defend Facebook statuses.

I mean really?

Before I EVEN get INTO my rant, let me just say; 

1- I, like everyone else, will post a vague status in a heartbeat [don't try to say you don't, cause more than likely you have before, it's okay to do sometimes] ;). Sometimes it is referring to something or someone in particular, most times though--it's not. General statements, ya know? 

& 2- If something that I post that is clearly generally stated & YOU feel personally attacked, you probably need to step back at look at yourself. 

That's called a guilty conscience. 

So, little back story leading upto my post....Monday I was sitting in my living room trying to figure out what to get a few people for Christmas -cause I am STILL not finished-...and y'all, when I say I stress about this, I'm almost overstressed, lol. 

So as I was thinking, wracking my brain over stuff, my thoughts shifted from, "Should I get them this, or that?" "Will they like it? Or should I get something else?" to, "What if they don't like it at all?" "If they don't like it will they even appreciate the effort?"

That prompted me to post this:

And this is all of the comments:

So, this post has me-once again- in the middle of, or I should say a factor in, a "rift" in the family. 

YEA, F-A-M-I-L-Y!

IF I am going to say something about you, I'll make it a little more personal (without name dropping) TRUST ME. 

This however, was a completely general post. AREYOUKIDDINGME?!  

There are many people, on my friends list and in the world, that that status can apply to.

 I mean...

Just shut the fuck up. 

I'm sorry to my other family that has to deal with the ignorance from it.

The point I was making is people whine about being broke, but they spend and spoil, which is fine by all means. But are you teaching your kids to appreciate it? That they can easily not have those things or that they don't always HAVE to have everything that everyone else does.

I say kids, but as I said, it can apply to anyone. 

Anyway,

This isn't the first time, & won't be the last.

But it's seriously tiring sometimes. 

Like, go find something else to whine about, don't flatter yourself thinking that I'm thinking about you THAT much.

It's sad, it makes me feel bad because I do love my family. There are some people that can kind of turn off there feelings and just not care about certain people or things, but for some reason I can't that much. So, my feelings are hurt because apparently there was a low blow taken towards me.

It's whatever.

I can do low blows too, baby. You're older than me, act like it. AND, don't come out saying anything to me, or to my family about me, if you don't want the same done to you, because I can be a bitch too.

I told my hubs, I get in sooo much trouble over my thoughts on Facebook...and I refrain from a lot on there....can you imagine the shit I would cause if people knew the unfiltered versions? DAMN, I'd be shunned from my family.

I feel like I'm the Regina George of Facebook.

People always getting butthurt over what I say.

Everyone thinks it, I just speak it.

MOTHAFUCKKKAAAASSSS!

I'm now gonna get lost in "40 Greatest Hip Hop Songs of the 90's" on VH1. :)

So, whether it be family or friends, does this ever happen to you too?

♥♥♥

Brandy

Silence and Support

 

'Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.

their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.
they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
they were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.
they remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"this is heaven." declared a small boy. "we're spending Christmas at God's house."

when what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
and in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew into the arms of their King
and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
and as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe
then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"
"may this country be delivered from the hands of fools"
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"
then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"come now my children, let me show you around."
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
and i heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA

Weekend recap and junk...monday night post number 2.

So, I just posted a novel post about my amazing time Thursday night.
Too bad it flat out ended once I went to sleep that night. Friday was a hard smack of reality.
I refrained from talking about this in light of the Newtwon/Sandy Hook Tragedy, because compared to it, my problems seem so small. But, I'll post about it now.
My weekend was HARD for me. And it was all because of my fish dying.
We stayed at my mother in laws Thursday night. Hubs went there to sit with his little bro (11) while we were gone so we just stayed the night.
Friday:
I woke up at around 10:30-maybe, to phone call, after phone call, after phone call. It was my brother and mom. My mom was hurting so he was gonna take her to the hospital to be checked out (she had a heart attack years ago and had no idea until she went to the hospital from being sick, so needless to say she extra careful especially if there is a pain in her chest or back). He needed me to be there to take her home because he was goin to have to leave for work. So, I had to force myself to wake up, eat a piece of pizza real quick, pack our stuff, drop it off at home, then off to the hospital..worried.
Thankfully blood work came back good, it was either just a pulled muscle or some arthritis, they gave her an anti-inflammatory and sent her home. We had to stop at the pharmacy, which is actually when I heard about the shooting in CT. Well we got home, I was home long enough to check my email and watch some of the news coverage and then I left with my mother-in-law for some Christmas shopping.
A little time passes and we were on our way to eat and to hit our last stop before getting home when my husband called and asked where we were, and proceeds to tell me "Well, Basstardo is dead." (yes, my fishes name was Basstardo...he was a bass..YES..A BASS..from the lake.) I was speechless. My ma-in-law and I ate Applebees and I tried to not cry over my food...I did pretty well. We hit Walmart and then home.
I got home & kind of lost it. I walked into my room and he had already take the tank out and everything. He waited on me to get there to bury him. I sobbed. Then I changed into pjs and went to bed and sobbed. I blamed myself. I still blame myself. I've cried everyday about that little guy. We kept his tank in our bedroom & it was my bedside lamp pretty much. I had a 10 Gallon fish tank on my bedside table with a bass that would stare at me all. the. time. We had him for 2.5 years. And now, it's gone, he's gone. There's a void there. All I have is a small fishbowl with a snail in it now. I miss him, so much. I know what happened, which is why I blame myself. His damn air filter kicked off and there was no one there to know and to fix it. And the two times I did come in (before and right after the hospital) even though they were short, well the 2nd time was longer (which makes it worse),I didn't go check on him (which is out of the ordinary for me). I feel like a bad pet mommy. I genuinely don't like being in my room right now, all because of that. And I try not to go to bed until I'm sure I'll pass out because I have no one to keep me company, so to speak, until I go to sleep anymore. BLAH!
Saturday was kind of busy, I had a birthday party to go to. Came home and pretty much lounged the rest of the night, spent time with the fam.
Sunday it rained steadily alll day & I didn't want to do shit, so aside from one trip to Walmart, I lounged. We all did. and watched the Falcons absolutely crush beat the Giants!
Today, wasn't much different. I took my mom to town, then I tried to go Christmas shopping. Just wasn't feeling it. I want to rewind to Thursday when I had a fantastic night and my f'king fish was still alive. :(

Here's my dude. Gonna miss seeing his spastic ass all the time.

RIP Basstardo! ♥

Anyway, don't forget tomorrow is the blogger day of silence. Post the button and nothing else.

For said button refer to my post from Saturday, I think.

♥♥♥

Brandy

Star 94 Jingle Jam 2012 -Lengthy Post-

Okay, so finally a whopping 4 days later I'm gonna rave about the concert I went to last Thursday  night (12.13.12).

It was the Start 94 Jingle Jam. Which is a concert with multiple artists performing...I'm sure you figured that much though. But instead of one or 2 openers and then a main act like a normal concert, there were 6 artists on the line-up. This is the first time I have ever been to this. It was at The Arena at Gwinnett Center. This is the second time I have been here, the first was for Justin Bieber, and I think it might be becoming a favorite venue.
My mother-in-law was nice enough to accompany me to it although she had no idea of any other the people were...and I wasn't far behind, kind of.
By that I mean, I had made it a mission to see Ed Sheeran live ever since I really got into his music. SO, I fully admit that he is the reason I went to this concert. Once I saw the line-up and his name on it, I was sold, didn't take anymore convincing. Well, I noticed I also recognized 2 other artists, Jason Mraz and Phillip Phillips, so I was even more content in going because I love Jason Mraz and Phillip is still "new" so I didn't know much aside from his song "Home" and of course his time on & winning American Idol, but he's a Georgia boy, so that was good enough for me. The other 3 on the line-up I had NO clue who they were (or so I thought). I only looked up one of their names beforehand and discovered the he had a song that I liked (Andy Grammer- Keep Your Head Up).
Well we got there an hour early, sat in the car for a few minutes and then decided to go in and find our seats. I didn't get the most amazing seats, but this arena is one of those place that doesn't really have a BAD seat, ya know? The distance stinks, of course, but those big screens work wonders, haha. I was happy.
Up first was Andy Grammer. His set was acoustic, just him and his guitar. And he was AAAMAZING! Of course the only song I could really sing along to was Keep Your Head Up, but the others were just as great and I'm a fan. Oh, actually, he sang Chasing Cars, I know you know that song, lol. It was great. Oh, and he can beatbox. I love that, so much. If you don't know him, look him up, or just click on the link above and watch other vids. :)
Second was Grace Potter. Okay...so I had heard the name Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, but I didn't know who they were, or so I thought. Well this show it was just her and her drummer. And the way I recognized them is because they sing "Paris (Ohh La La)" Most people have heard it, I know I definitely had, but if not give it a listen. Anyways, if I remember correctly she did 3 songs on the piano & 2 with her guitar. Ohh La La was the only song of hers that I knew. She also sang Joan Jett & the Hearbreaker's "I Love Rock & Roll" LOVED IT! All in all, she was AAAAMAZING also! New fan of hers as well.
Up next was Alex Clare. I almost can't believe I didn't know who this was. He sings "Too Close". If you haven't heard it on the radio, there is a 9 out 10 chance you have heard it on T.V. as the background music for the Internet Explorer commercials. (That is actually how I came to like it). Anyway, his set was a little more elaborate. He had a drummer, guitarist, and someone on keyboard & I'm thinking a mixer of sorts--since he has a bit of an electronic sound. Regardless, he was also AAMAZING.
Fourth of the night was Phillip Phillips. Georgia Boy. American Idol winner. Probably know his song "Home". Yes, him. He had a full band; a cello player, a guitarist, a percussionist, and himself. One of the things that I realllly loved that he did...he sang a Nice & Slow (you know, by Usher) and it was freakin' Awesome! Listen to it here (this vid doesn't start from the very beginning, but it's about the only one I could find from the Jingle Jam). And yea, you guessed it, he was AAAMAZING!
After Phillip , they had a drumline performance & all of the DJ's came out and talked about the Falcons. We're proud of our team. And they even had Thomas DeCoud, Sean Weatherspoon and William Moore, and Freddi Falcon there, (players from the team & the mascot) I'm a huge football fan, and the Falcons are of course one of my teams, so I loved that part as much as the rest of the night.
Fifth of the night, Jason Mraz. It was just him and Mona Tavakoli. She did percussion and backup singing/harmony. I liked him already, but this kind of solidified it. He was 2nd to last of the night, so I think he had more time. He did amazing. He sang The Remedy, Geek in the Pink, You Did It, I Won't Give Up, among others. Just..AAAMAZING. lol
Finally, the man I was waiting. The closer for the night was Ed Sheeran. I was so excited for him and for us that they gave him a longer set time. I think he had 45 minutes.  And the best part is that it was just him and his raw talent. I absolutely LOVE him. I knew already knew all of his songs. I was SO beyond excited that I got to here him sing "Wayfaring Stranger" live, he said he doesn't normally do that song in arenas because it's slower and kind of quiet compared to his others. It's not his song, but he sings it beautifully. I'm glad that everyone in the arena cooperated. It made it sound soooo amazing! He asked everyone in the arena to be quiet, and to my surprise, they did it. He sang this song to a completely silent (almost full) arena. Absolutely amazing! And then he turned my favorite song of his "You Need Me, I Don't Need You", a 4 minute song, into an 11-ish minute song, and it was awesome. I just honestly don't even know how to put it into words. I'm so glad he was the closer, finished the night on a high note. He was INCREDIBLE!
Everything about the whole concert was great. Even though I went in not knowing who some of them were, I left loving all of them. And as for Jason and Ed, well it just solidified my love for them. All of these artists are completely amazing live. No joke. If you ever get the chance to see any them live you won't be disappointed. (In my opinion, of course.) When someone can sound the same, or even better, live there is no doubt that they have an amazing gift and talent. That can be said about all of these people! Star 94 put together a great line-up and the DJ's did an awesome job at coming out in between sets to introduce themselves, hype the crowd up and introduce the next artist. It was all definitely worth my money, I had an absolute blast and I think my mother-in-law had fun as well.
LOVED, LOVED, LOVED IT!!!

Ed Sheeran

I cheated and took a picture of the screen :)

Gonna post and link to some of my favorites of the night. You can listen to them if you'd like. :) I'll post the live video & link to a non-live version so you can hear it without them without the echos and screaming fans.

Ed Sheeran- Wayfaring Stranger Live

Studio Version

 

Ed Sheeran- You Need Me, I Don't Need You

Studio Version/Official Video 

 

 Jason Mraz- You Did It

I'm not sure if there is a studio version of this onYouTube...

 

I posted Phillip Phillips singing "Nice & Slow" above...you can check that out, I also linked his video "Home" above.

 

Alex Clare- Too Close

Studio Version/Official Video

 

 Grace Potter- Ohh La La

Linked to her official video for this song above.

Andy Grammer- Chasing Cars (cover)

Linked to his official "Keep Your Head Up" video above.

[[Credit to any video owners. None of these are mine.]]

Anyway...that was my night Thursday night. It was great. I loved everything about it! Thanks to all of the artists that were there and to Star 94 for putting on a good show! 

 

♥♥♥

Brandy