Give Thanks

CarrieLeave a comment

This year I hosted my first Thanksgiving.  I am proud to relay the message that it was a success.  While gathering around the table, I said a Thankgiving prayer and then took a moment to silently reflect on the past year.  I am thankful for many wonderful blessings…my family, friends, career, cozy home…the list goes on and on.   Now that I am myself again, I can also say that I am thankful to have been loved and to have experienced love.  I’m not sure when I will have a go at it again, but I can finally say that I am healed from the heartbreak.  I didn’t know how the holiday would pass, but I can honestly say that I didn’t miss having that special someone around.  I admit that it was quite refreshing to be able to do my own thing.  I spent the weekend with friends and family and enjoyed every minute of it. Here’s a look at the Thanksgiving spread.

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Now it’s time to get decorating for Christmas!  The countdown begins.

 

Wine and Paint Night…you can do the dining after.

Carrie1 Comment

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Since I turned 30, my nights out have changed quite a bit.  Don’t get me wrong, I still go out on the town but the occasions are more rare these days.  Instead, I like to find alternatives that tend not to leave me with a wicked hangover.   My friend, Christina and I, are pictured above with our smocks on because we decided to spend the evening being slightly productive.  We decided to go to a wine and paint party at Artist on the Rocks in North Cape May.  I realize that these places have been popping up all over the country in the last year, but Cape May County is usually a little late to the game.  Better late than never!  All we had to do was bring a bottle of wine to the studio and pay $25 for our 3 hour session.  They provide you with the canvas and all the supplies you need and a slice of pizza (painting is rigorous so you need some sustenance along the way).  They post a session schedule of the paintings on their website so you can plan your night ahead of time.  I have been two times already and you can see the results below.  Looks like a little wine brings out the artist in me!
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Last Five

SadieLeave a comment

Songs I downloaded from iTunes.

1. Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars. This one is hard to resist. Who doesn’t want and need some uptown funk in their lives? I heard it on the radio when I was waking up one morning and I knew I had to have it. This is going on the cooking music playlist for sure. Best lyric: “I’m too hot, I make a dragon want to retire.”

2. We All Want the Same Thing by Rixton. This was a Pandora find. It came up the other day and I thought it was catchy. These guys have had one medium radio hit recently, but I don’t know if this is reaching the Top 40 at this point.

3. Cross my Heart by Marianas Trench. Another Pandora find. I downloaded three songs by Marianas Trench this summer and I’m still listening to them constantly. Their sound is very similar to Fall Out Boy, and I love Fall Out Boy, so it all makes sense. It’s a great gym song.

4. Never Had a Dream Come True by S Club 7. I heard it randomly, and I needed it immediately. S Club 7 is good stuff from the middle school era of my life.

5. Hark the Herald Angels Sing by Pentatonix. My first Christmas song of the season! This version is an interesting combination of traditional, a cappella, and gospel. Their whole Christmas album is pretty solid, but I didn’t go crazy, because my Christmas repertoire is already pretty full of the songs they selected. I can’t make a mix with my five favorite versions of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” I wish they put out a few more songs.

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PS- I’m seriously considering downloading Dangerous by David Guetta featuring Sam Martin, because I’ve heard it on the radio about 20 times in the last couple days and I like it (the video takes about 4 minutes for the actual song to start).