Holiday’s are ALWAYS a BIG deal in our family. Not just big because it’s a holiday but big because holy crap, we have a HUGE family - minimum of 20 E-V-E-R-Y single time. And anytime you put that many people in one place it’s an ordeal. About 11-12 years ago, my family and I drove up to Indiana to see our family for Thanksgiving. One of the days there, I decided to offer to help slice up some potatoes! My Aunt and Mom gladly accepted my help and I was on my way – cuttin’ up a storm! I got to a point where…well, I’ll save you from the disgusting details, but I basically almost sliced my thumb off. It was bloody, there were tears, and it was a HUGE ordeal. More details than that is definitely not needed. (You're welcome.)

Yep, I said it. Let me explain - I went to Target to buy a Christmas present for one of my friends. I ventured to the clothing section, saw some cheap shirts on sale – convinced myself I could NOT leave without them because I needed some new workout clothes. BAM - $20 later, new clothes and no Christmas present.

Okay, okay…this could also be known as a little disease called I AM ADDICTED TO SHOPPING.

Sooooo, for that purpose, I’m going to give you another example. :)

I had a completely different post ready for you today and then with the drop of a dime, or really the ring of the phone, I changed it. On this phone call, we were talking about purging. No, not the kind of purging because we ate too much at lunch, or had one too many M&M’s, but more so cleaning out the closets, sheds, kitchens, or anything else you can think of and just getting rid of it. Saying goodbye to old things that are just taking up much needed and valued space.

Last week, reality slapped me in the face yet again. Five people were injured and one person died in a mass shooting in downtown Orlando, FL (where I live!) I know that this sort of thing happens everyday, everywhere…hell that shooting happened in Fort Hood just the day before. Children are kidnapped and killed, three young softball players drive into a pond and die in North Dakota.

I first heard about Ingrid Michaelson years ago at a Matt Nathanson (AMAZING as well - will blog about him another time :) ) concert and I was blown away. Her unique Indie voice combines with one-of-a-kind, heartfelt lyrics for a perfect combination. She's definitely not new to the music scene either. Her 4th (and most recent) album, Everybody, was just released in August of this year, and is quite honestly, my favorite Ingrid album.

Well, my hairdryer caught on fire this morning, my laptop is now giving me the blue screen of death and the only thing that got me through today was my Pumpkin Spiced Iced Latte from Starbucks and remembering my "me" day from this past weekend.

"When slacker thirtysomething couple Burt and Verona discover that his parents are moving overseas, the duo -- who expect their first child in a few months -- set off on a cross-country tour to figure out where they should lay down some roots in Sam Mendes' poignant comedy Away We Go. They visit a number of different cities..."* and aside from this being an amazing movie that I highly recommend you seeing, it has one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a while.

Sometimes I feel like there are certain people who keep moving, who keep doing what it takes to rise to the top – to be better, to grow, to learn, to network, to experience life. And then there are people who are stuck in their time warp. I’m not talking about those people or “friends” you need to take to the trash. I’m talking about the friends that haven’t really done a single thing wrong to you.

As much as I love music with lyrics, I have to say that instrumental music holds a very dear place in my heart. Sure, song lyrics are absolutely amazing and sometimes the words are so eerily close to how you're feeling at that moment that it's scary. But if you think about a song, what really draws and keeps you listening? For me, it's not the lyrics. It's the incredible collaboration of the piano, guitars, violin, drums, flute, or any other instrument you can think of.

After last week’s post about life’s crazy twists and turns, I really got to thinking about happiness and life. It seemed like a good time to have a seat and try to figure out all this crazy curiosity and questioning.