Six Years!

Type of Ticket:  One Way
Destination:  Crazy Town
Population:   Me

I just wanted to say that today is the six year anniversary of my being employed at my awesome company!  On one hand, I'm hollering "WOO HOO!" and on the other, I'm scratching my head in disbelief that it could even be possible!  I'm a huge fan of longevity, so I guess this is right up my alley.

It's really cool to think about my 21-year-old self walking through the doors for my first interview here, wondering if I was giving away just how nervous I was.  It was a weird, out-of-body experience, because nervousness actually fuels me - I guess I could chock it up to my Public Speaking classes in college.  Scared to death - check.  Ready to kick some arse - also check.

I've come a long way since January 16, 2006, and my life has seen so many changes, but one thing remains - I am so grateful for the experiences in my life.  I'm so proud to work where I work, with the people I work with.  I'm so thankful that the powers-that-be decided to extend a hand and give this young gal a chance.  I hope they're as happy with their decision as I've been with the decision to accept their offer.

Here's to my sixth year of being excited to go to work every day!  Let's make it a great one!

Until next time,

The NEW Post

Okay, let's just be honest - I've been a blogging slacker to the max lately!  And, in typical Chicken Wing fashion, I'm fashionably late in wishing each and every one of you a very

Well, 2011 left as quickly as it came, didn't it?  I don't know about all of you but I have gotten quite busy - not that anyone should necessarily be surprised by that.  For whatever reason, it's surprised me more than ever. 

But, it's now 2012, and this is a NEW post in a NEW year with a NEW blog background (you may or may not have noticed).  I felt the desire to change it up because hopefully, we're all changing up.  New years bring new resolutions and new hope - you want to learn more, eat better, live better, and just be better.  None of these are easy tasks, to be sure, but for whatever reason, when the last two numbers of the year change, you get this jolt of electricity through your veins that makes you excited about the possibilities that await you.

Don't get me wrong - I'll never completely change.  I like myself - sometimes too much, and other times not enough, but as a general rule, I really like myself.  I just aspire to be the very best version of myself, and I really don't think there's anything wrong with that.

From where we left off (Christmas, of course) to now, I've been living in a maze of boxes as Little Sister Chicken Wing and I prepare to depart our current rental townhouse!  Talk about crazy!  We've lived together for the past few years, and there have definitely been highs and there have also been lows.  I don't know about each of you, but for us, we get along so much better as siblings when we don't occupy the same dwelling.  I'm looking forward to us branching out on our own again and the closeness it will allow.  I'll miss the absolutely crazy things she does that typically make me laugh (either with her or at her) at least once per day.

Our moving situation is a little more stressful than others I've been in before for a few reasons.  1)  The little sister and I are moving to two different places.  2)  The majority of the furniture in our townhouse is mine, so moving it too early will make it really difficult for LSCW.  3)  LSCW literally has ONE DAY to move.  How?  She can't move into her new place until the same day we have to turn the keys over to our place. Suckfest 2012!

Where does all of this leave us?  Feeling like we are going to soon be featured on an episode of this:

I'm shaking in a corner already.

I've always been a little bit of a clutterbug, and I also have a tendency to want to keep things.  But, for some reason, ever since this show started and as the level of horror I experience when I watch the stories deepens, I get panicky!  So, my answer to that has been to sell pretty much anything I don't think I'll need!  I figure, the best way to keep the new place pared down is to get rid of things that are not necessary for living there before I even have the chance to move them in!

While a few sales made me sad, most of them make me want to high-five myself!  (Subsequently, I may or may not have actually high-fived myself multiple times - don't judge me.)  It feels pretty good to just let go of things that actually weigh you down in the long run, especially when you realize that someone else can love the item even more than you did!  Plus, with a wedding to pay for, the extra income is another glorious benefit!

If you are moving, too, I feel your pain sisters and brothers!  If you are not, high-five yourself.  If you're busy, I hope you are busy doing things you love and that make you happy.  If you're not busy and not enjoying it, get PUMPED and off the couch!  If you're too busy (like I've admittedly been), take a breather and live in the moment.  Happy Everything, Peeps!

Until next time,

Christmas 2011 Recap

I sincerely hope that each and every one of you had a fabulous Christmas and made time to remember the reason for the season during your hustling and bustling!  It's time for the annual Chicken Wing Christmas Recap! 

Our weekend started with Comanche's family celebration, where we got together and exchanged gifts and Comanche's older brother prepared cherries jubilee for everyone!  It was amazing to hang out with my soon-to-be in-laws and nephews and watch them interact with CiCi and MuChi, who came along in their Christmas best - a sweater for CiCi and MuChi's famous "I ate Santa's cookies" t-shirt!

Then, it was on to Momma Chicken Wing's house where the Chicken Wing siblings did our annual tradition - we drag Little Brother Chicken Wing's mattress into Little Sister CW's room and we all stay cramped in there and watch Elf as we fall asleep.  Always funny!


pics on Sodahead

The next morning, we opened our family stockings, and this was the very first Christmas for Momma CW's new husband Dubya!  I think he made out like a bandit and had some Christmas fun!  After we all got dressed and ready, we made the trip to Grandma Chicken Wing's house with all of our presents and had one of the most delicious Southern lunches you've ever seen!

On the menu:  turkey, country ham, creamed potatoes, green beans, butter beans, corn pudding, deviled eggs, rolls, fried apples, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole, macaroni salad, pumpkin pie, chocolate cake with white icing - it could not be beat, I'm telling you what!

After lunch came the food coma and then we opened gifts, which is always so much fun!  I get way more excited to watch everyone else open their gifts than I do to open mine!  I will say that Comanche did especially well this year!  He knows me better than I know myself sometimes and he gave me two gifts that stood out this year!  The first?  These gorgeous Jessica Simpson flats that I'd been drooling over for weeks:

Bring on the bling!  Your feet should get to sparkle too!

The other gift is one that I will truly cherish forever!  For our wedding next year, there are lots of things that will be classic and traditional (we're not too wacky, y'all!).  One thing that will be a little different is that I didn't want to wear pearls on my wedding day.  I know, I know - call me crazy!  I want to wear blue topaz jewelry since it is my Daddy's birthstone - that way, he can be with me all day even though he can't be there in person!  I had one blue topaz necklace, but it wasn't going to work, so Comanche got me the most perfect and beautiful necklace ever!  Here's the photo of it from the seller:

Isn't it GORGEOUS?!?!?

What I love about it is that I can enjoy this on our wedding day but also any other day!  It is so pretty and in no way is it too gaudy for everyday!  The really cool thing is that blue topaz is also Comanche's birthstone, so it's really special! I think the man did very well this year and I adore him!  (For those of you who wonder how Comanche made out, he did pretty well - I finished off his weight set for him for Christmas and his birthday, which was two days after Christmas)!

I hope you all had a fabulous holiday full of laughs, smiles, and thankfulness!  I am so excited for next Christmas as I expect it will be even better!

Until next time,

If I Were Famous...

I've always found the idea of being famous a little crazy.  It must be totally weird to be followed around and to see your face on the covers of tabloids with lies emblazoned across your chest claiming to know the next "big" thing about you.  It must be hard to date and make true friends.

So, my recent thoughts about being famous are these:  There are a few people that I would LOVE to hang out with/be best friends with should I happen to become famous anytime soon.  List form works for me, so here we go, Peeps!

1.  Anderson Cooper

Hello, Silver Fox!  I love you!

Ahh, Anderson Cooper.  I adore you.  Why?  You are so down-to-earth and hilarious, and I genuinely believe that you care about people.  I feel that you are one of the most honest reporters/hosts that has ever existed, and I really appreciate your passion for good solid journalism.  I love that you cover topics as serious as war and as light-hearted as The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.  I love that you include your mother, the ever fabulous and classy Gloria Vanderbilt, in your new show and I am so glad to be hearing more from her!  I love that you can laugh at yourself (can we say Gigglegate 2011?).  And you are gorgeous, but this you already know.  If I become famous, let's hang out, mmkay?

2.  William and Kate

Love, sweet love!

These lovebirds need no introduction!  Why do I want to be mates with these two?  I love how charitable they are and how connected they are to the general public.  I have to imagine that being royalty would make that a wee bit hard, but they do a fine job!  I love Kate's sense of style - she is the epitome of class and grace, and I love William's sense of humor!  It appears very clear to me that these two adore each other and are genuinely happy, which is something I believe the world wanted to see.  We all know the difficult journey Princess Diana was on, and I am thrilled to see her son have a bit different path.  I feel that their accents alone could entertain me for days, and therefore, these two make my list!

3.  Tim Tebow

Purrrrr!

Okay, is this guy seriously not the total package?  Good looking - super check!  Smart - check!  Talented - check!  Driven - check!  Good Christian man - you know it!  Role model - check!  I would love to be friends with this guy mostly just to thank him for continually persevering when people try to bring him down. He recently said in an interview that the reason why he was so open with his faith is because due to his success on the football field, he had both, "a platform and a responsibility," and that is nothing if not admirable.  We need more solid men like Tim in the world who get what's important.  He seems to have a good head on his shoulders and values that are important to him.  I am down with that, so let's be friends, Tebow!

So that's my short list for now, folks!  What famous people would you want to be friends with if you had the opportunity?

Until next time,

New Sounds of Christmas

It seems that life has been a whirlwind lately, and I am halfway getting excited about Christmas. Don't get me wrong - Christmas is my very favorite holiday, followed directly by Thanksgiving.  This year has just been a weird year for me as far as the holidays are concerned.

The main reason is that the lease on my townhouse is up right after the holidays are over, and while I would LOVE to pull out all of my Christmas decorations (and they are plentiful), I have to be realistic and be okay with the fact that it would make a whole lot more sense to pack up the rest my things than upack a million ornaments just to put them back again.

So, while I don't get to have my wonderful full-sized tree this year, Comanche and I did finally get a tree - even though it looks like it may be.....um, of the "Charlie Brown Pine" variety?

Oh well, it looks great on my table and we can plant it!

Either way, one thing that really does help my spirit during this stressful packing time is the music that you usually only get to hear this time of year!  Check these out, y'all!  Maybe you'll even discover a new Christmas hit to add to your playlists!

Be Born In Me - Francesca Battistelli

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A Baby Changes Everything - Faith Hill

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Mary's Boy Child - TobyMac ft. Jamie Grace

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Winter Song - Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson

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Until next time,

Hello? And Happy Birthday!

Get it?

Wow - if I had a nickel for every time I took a second to realize how quickly time is flying by, I would be a very wealthy Chicken Wing!  I've recently discovered that Christmas has decided not to wait for me to be ready, and I really need to put the other million things going on in my life aside and devote some attention to getting ready for the holidays!

I greatly apologize for the lack of posting here lately - I'm still working on this whole promotion at work/planning a wedding/couponing/being addicted to the facebook online yard sale balancing act, and to be very candid, I'm not doing very well at it!  I mean, I'm being successful at most of these things, but it's definitely hard to keep my blogging up to date with all of that going on!

Oh, you thought that was it?  NO SIR/NO MA'AM!  There's more, but that will have to wait for a future post because truthfully, that deserves a post all its own!

Today's post needs to center around one of the greatest guys I've ever known.  I haven't seen him in a long time - almost seventeen years, to be exact - but today is his birthday, and he deserves my undivided attention.

I have really big feet and ears for a little Wing, but my Daddy sure looks handsome!

This guy...is my Daddy.  December 5th usually involves many emotions for me, but I'm finding that this year, I have had a little bit of an easier time because I literally have been so darn busy, I basically turn into a vegetable in my spare time.  It doesn't leave a whole lot of room for grief.

When I prayed him a Happy Birthday today, I told him that I hoped he was getting in lots of golfing, hunting, fishing, and that he was getting to watch a lot of the Redskins and Tar Heels games. 

I told him that I hoped he had the basket of rolled-up socks next to his recliner in heaven so he could chunk socks at the TV every time the Redskins made him mad (which unfortunately, has probably been happening a lot).  I told him that I hoped he was still singing ever-so-off-key but as loudly and proudly as he ever did.  (I used to love listening to him forget the words and instantly improve most songs by inserting his own noises or lyrics).

I told him how much I loved him and missed him and how I still think of him every.single.day.  I told him not to be mad at me because I've been getting so emotional every time I tell someone how sad I'm going to be at my wedding since he won't be there to meet Comanche, ease my nerves, walk me down the aisle, or share our special father-daughter dance.

I told him to keep watching out for our family and to keep an eye on Little Sister Chicken Wing and Little Brother Chicken Wing.  I told him to take care of some wonderful people I know that have lost their lives recently.  I told him to show them the ropes and teach them how things go in heaven.  I told him to hug my PaPa and cousins and friends for me and to remind them how much I love and miss them, too.

Finally, I told him, "Thank You."  I thanked him for teaching me things to do, things not to do, and for showing up now and then to remind me he's still watching.  I thanked him for instilling in me the importance of going to church and working on my relationship with God (even though I was quite lost in that department for a very long time).  I thanked him for marrying my mom and giving me my siblings, and for letting me keep one of the puppies that would eventually become one of my very favorite dogs.  I thanked him for just being him.

So here's to you, Daddy.  I will always be your little girl.  I will always remember you as one of the best guys I ever met.  I will never forget the legacies you left behind and I will never stop aspiring to take your best qualities and make them my own.  I miss you.  I love you. 

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Until next time,

Vocalism At Its Best

If you are a fairly regular reader, you know that there is a major fan of dance reality shows around these parts.  You may also know that music is something that absolutely rocks my face off, and I just have such a surpreme appreciation for the arts.  Music moves me, inspires me, motivates me, and overall just makes my life better!

So, I'm not sure if you are aware but there are just as many awesome singing reality shows on TV right now as there are dancing shows (like one of my faves, Dancing With The Stars - GO J.R. MARTINEZ!!!).  One show that really highlights amazing vocal ability is The Sing Off.  I've taken quite the liking to this show since the amazing vocal group "Committed" won last season!  What I love the most about the show is that the vocalists are responsible not only for singing the lyrics but also the musical parts too!  Seriously - there is such as thing as a vocal percussionist!  (Making drums and bass-lines with your voice).  Since I'm in a giving mood, I thought I'd blow your mind with some ridiculous vocals!

Enjoy and turn up those speakers - prepare to be amazed!!!

First up is all-girl group Delilah with their rendition of Lil' Wayne's "How To Love."

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Next up is last season's Committed with Maroon 5's "This Love."

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Finally, enjoy these two selections by The Pentatonix! They're on this season of The Sing Off and they are phenomenal!

First up is their rendition of some famous Britney Spears songs!

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Last but absolutely not least is my favorite performance of the season, Kanye West's "Love Lockdown," and I will let you see the judges' reactions because they're awesome!

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If that doesn't get your feet tapping and your hands clapping, I really don't know what will. I got so pumped up after watching that last performance especially - I feel like you just have to give it up for talent like that! They're my pick to win this season! Enjoy, Peeps!

Until next time,

I Feel Like Being Inspired

If you are like me, you know that sometimes you get so stressed out in life that you forget what it feels like to be inspired.  It's easy to get down or to feel so worn out that you need a little extra push to get you moving!

 
Since I feel like being inspired, I want to inspire all of you!  I saw the first video re-circulating on facebook, so I wanted to share it here.  These stories remind us that everyone can make it in this world - we all have a chance to achieve greatness.  We just have to keep trying...keep persevering!

So here's to you, Peeps!  Here's to me!  Here's to being inspired by greatness!  Let's go change the world!


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If you are crying after these, I am sorry.  Actually, I'm not.  Stories like these move people - they are designed to bring you to a new level and to make you aspire to be more than you are. That is the purpose, and I hope we each take the opportunity to be more like J-Mac or Team Hoyt today and every day.

Until next time,