Before we start, I'd like to take the time to wish each and every one of you a very, very Merry Christmas! Jesus is the Reason for the season, and I hope that all of you found Him in something or someone today. As for the Chicken Wings, we had an extremely blessed day, spent with my family - and the fun's not over yet! In a few days, we'll be heading north to see Mr. Chicken Wing's family, and we are so excited! I'm also excited because I've taken next week off from work, and it will be the first vacation I've had in months.
But, I know you are all excited to know how the snowstorm went down, and this post is going to document the amount of snowfall we experienced - and let me tell you, it was intense. You may have noticed in the title of this post that it is Part I. That's because this will be my photo-heavy post. Next will be more photos, and I'm going to attempt to do a vlog post (vlog = video blog). That way, you'll be able to see all of the fun we had during this storm. So, buckle your seat belts and get ready - this post is full of photo content.
So, after all was said and done, we ended up with about 17" of snow!!! It was absolutely incredible and so much fun for us and the puppies! It did shut down our city for a day or two, but I say that's okay. Stay tuned for the follow-up snow posts, because there is definitely more to come! :)
There are many ways that people deal with times when they are tested. Some people get mad, some people get sad, some people turn to friends, some have a favorite song, and some have a quote or motto - a mantra, that when uttered, changes their perspective.
As for me, I'm in the last group. I have a mantra. It comes from my absolute favorite Broadway production, the everlasting goodness that is RENT.
You can catch this production "off-Broadway" or you can rent/buy the movie, which features an all-star cast. I saw this production for the first time when I was a junior in high school. I was privileged enough to be accepted into Governor's School (a supplement to high school that truly changed my life personally in addition to academically). My G-School (as we called it) junior year field trip was to New York City, a dream of mine to begin with. When we all went to the actual Broadway, we didn't know what we were getting into with RENT.
I wish you could have seen our faces when we realized the depth and the meaning beautifully framed by the entertainment that the actors and actresses gave to us. There were tears, there were laughs, there were mostly smiles - we had all been touched, and I don't think a single one of us expected that reaction at all.
So, since that day, I've had a relationship with RENT. When the movie came out, I went to see it, and something surprising happened - I wasn't disappointed! I was ecstatic! Then, years passed. I got invited by a friend to see a local theatre's production of RENT. Mr. Chicken Wing (after I had forced him to watch the movie with me and he had decided on his own that he LOVED it) decided to come with me, and we made a date night out of it. I thought that there was no way our little city could produce the caliber of talent that I'd seen both through the Broadway production and the film. Boy, was I ever wrong. I got teary-eyed, I sang along, and Mr. Chicken Wing was equally blown away.
The cool thing about RENT is that not only does it touch the people who are watching - but it deeply affects the actors/actresses that step up to the plate and try to do the production justice. They have so much respect for the work that it's not even an option - they have to be great. And I think one thing that seeing this local production taught me was that it's not about the production as much as it is about RENT. The show is just that good, that profound, and that meaningful.
If you haven't seen it, I would highly suggest you do. I hope it changes your life as much as it did mine. I will forewarn you that it does touch on issues that people are still sensitive about today, so if you aren't open-minded, it might not do as much for you as for me. But, the songs, the characters, and the topics that this work touches on will stick with me forever.
I guess all that's left to do is to introduce you to the four words from RENT that changed the way I live my life.
Are you ready?
"No Day But Today." - RENT
That's it. And so you can get a sense of what those words mean in the movie (as they don't have workable footage of the Broadway production that I know of), I've included the last clip from the movie, when all the friends come together and remember what's important - each other, and life.
What's really awesome is that several of the actors and actresses in the movie were also in the Broadway production! (Some of you reading this blog may know that!) :)
So there it is: you have to live your life like there is no day but today. Don't wait to tell those around you that you love them. Don't get so caught up in the stresses of life that you don't enjoy life. Don't take the ones you love for granted. I know all too well that they won't always be around, and you have to cherish whatever time you get to have with them. Don't wait until tomorrow to start that project you've been wanting to do. Send your Christmas cards now. Stop and bake a cake with your family. Take your dogs outside and go wild! LOVE while you have the time. Make a difference. NO DAY BUT TODAY.
I apologize for my delay in blogging - we've experienced the largest snowstorm we've had in years, and therefore, I have been outside enjoying it! :)
But, I wanted to take a quick moment to post on a terrible tragedy that came out of Hollywood today before I get back into the swing of things and begin posting fabulous coverage of the snowstorm!
Today, at the age of 32, actress Brittany Murphy passed away, supposedly of cardiac arrest. While an autopsy is set to be done in near future, it is truly a sad day for those who loved her in films such as Clueless, 8 Mile, Little Black Book, Don't Say a Word, Girl Interrupted, Sin City, Uptown Girls, and my personal favorite of hers, Just Married.
In fact, I loved it so much, I put mine and Mr. Chicken Wing's faces into on FaceInHole.com. See?
That movie produced one of the most profound statements about love and/or marriage that I'd ever heard at the time, and it's stuck with me since the movie came out in 2003 (I'd say that almost 7 years is a pretty decent amount of time to remember a movie quote, wouldn't you?).
In the movie, Ashton Kutcher's father, Mr. Leezak, says the following thing after the newlyweds encounter some tough times directly after getting married:
"Some days your mother and me loved each other. Other days we had to work at it. You never see the hard days in a photo album...but those are the ones that get you from one happy snapshot to the next."
How true is that? When you look at someone's photo album, you never see them fighting, mad, or arguing about something - you usually see them smiling or laughing. But, that doesn't mean that they don't go through tough things. Brittany Murphy helped make that movie for me, and it is still one of my favorite romantic comedies. It is truly a sad time for Hollywood now that she's gone, and at such a young age.
So, I hope she rests in peace, and that she knows just how much she touched the world in such a short time. Thank you for sharing your gift with us, Brittany. You will be truly missed.
Until next time (and a more fun post), Miss Chicken Wing
And I'm going to let the following pictures and movie speak for the title! :) I told you Christmas was my favorite time of year, and I love to be crazy and fun around the holidays!
Take this, for example. When else can you dress like an elf and people not think you're crazy?
You know the holidays are upon you when you wear an elf hat around your guy friends and they still pose in a picture without minding!
You also know that the holidays are drawing near when you are actually requested to wear your elf hat at the company Christmas party! :) Holiday cheer, anyone? Presents, anyone?
Lemme guess...you totally didn't think it could get any better, right? Well, HA! Now, there are two elves. BOOM! :) Meet TayTay, the second Christmas elf! (He also happens to be my boss's son!) He did a great job helping the Boss Elf (yours truly) pass out gifts to the employees! I must admit that I was happy to have the help...all that elfing sure makes ya tired!
And finally, I leave you with this. A family full of elves dancing in a hip-hop style. Does it honestly get better than this?!?!?! Yeah, I agree with you this time - PROBABLY NOT! I hope you enjoy my family in this Elf Yourself video!
Without further ado, I present to you Miss Chicken Wing, Mr. Chicken Wing, Momma Chicken Wing, Little Sister Chicken Wing, and Little Brother Chicken Wing - the hip-hop dancing elves!!!
Yes, Peeps...you read that correctly - this is a post about grass. (Now, you didn't honestly think I'd make you read continuous posts that were only about Christmas, did you? While I love Christmas to pieces, even I know that we would be traveling down a monotonous road if that's all I posted about this month).
Now, you already know that I've got the attention span of a gnat, but you might say that this is a major jump, even for me. Really, Chicken Wing? You go from Christmas to grass????
Hang with me! I heard a quote the other day that resonated with me, and inspired me, to say the least. As you know, when I find these so-called gems, I like to share them with you, because they might affect you in the same way!
So, here goes...
"The grass isn't greener on the other side, but where you choose to water it." - Author Unknown
Wow. I'd never heard this quote before, but how profound it is. In a nutshell, your grass is the greenest where you decide to nurture it.
If you're unhappy in your life, job, or relationship, the easy way out is too look elsewhere and dream of that "greener" grass. The fulfilling way to go about it, though, is to...
Water the grass you have. Mow the grass you have. If you're not doing your part, and putting in the work to make your own grass greener, there will always be temptation elsewhere. But, when you put in the effort and the elbow-grease, and you nurture your "grass," it's that much more worthwhile to you. You can't take ownership of grass you don't have, but you can make your grass the best in the neighborhood and that is something to be proud of.
So, there you have it, Peeps. A quote for the ages. Here's to all of us, and to making our "grass" the greenest that we can!
I'm just a girl, out in the real world trying to figure out who and what I want to be! As of right now, I don't completely know either of those things, but what I do know is that I have been blessed with the most AMAZING fiance, family, and friends in the entire world, and this blog is for them as much as it's for myself!
So, after all was said and done, we ended up with about 17" of snow!!! It was absolutely incredible and so much fun for us and the puppies! It did shut down our city for a day or two, but I say that's okay. Stay tuned for the follow-up snow posts, because there is definitely more to come! :)
