Disney – Page 3 – my ft.notes

Table Topic Tuesday 4/8. Meet the team.

Today, I’m introducing y’all to my Table Topic Tuesday peeps. I started this little game without proper introductions. Now you can connect a face to the funny.

Every Tuesday, I’ll pull a table topic conversation starter and send it to my pals to get their take.

To help you get to know the panel that will be answering a weekly question, I asked my friends to answer a few, yup, questions (I get to answer first).

What song do you listen to more than any other song? (Me? Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby. Foolproof for any mood. Dare you to try it.)

What’s your favorite writing utensil–pencil, sharpie, etc? (Purple pens. I don’t like slippery, smudgy ink. Black and blue are too legal and red is way too angry. Purple is just right.)

What’s your favorite quote? (I have a bunch of favorites.)

What’s your favorite dessert? (Pecan (that’s pee-can) pie, salted caramel, coffee ice cream)

What’s your biggest pet peeve? (mouth noises, pity parties, mean people)

And the best for last: What is your all-time favorite Disney ride, attraction or movie?
(Magic Kingdom: Big Thunder & Wishes. EPCOT: World Showcase. Hollywood Studios: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Animal Kingdom: Expedition Everest. Movie: Beauty & The Beast)

Now, the panel’s up.

Meet Javi.

Javi says:

Song? U2’s For the First Time.

Writing utensil? A keyboard, headphones and my iTunes library.

Best quote eva? Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. – Calvin Coolidge

Yummiest dessert? Cookies and milk.

Pet peeve? Any denial of my right to failure Disney highlight? Peter Pan: “think of all the joy you’ll find, when you leave the world behind and bid your cares goodbye.”

Meet Lindsey.

Lindsey says:

Song? That’s really tough. It varies all the time. Right now “stronger than me” from the Nashville soundtrack.

Writing utensil? Blue ink pen. (distinguishes originals from copies). Lawyer thing.

Best quote eva? “be a best friend, tell the truth and overuse I love you. Go to work, do your best and don’t outsmart your common sense. Never let your prayin knees get lazy. And love like crazy”

Yummiest dessert? Root beer float or pecan pie

Pet peeve? When people don’t follow through with what they say they’ll do.

Disney highlight? Because I can’t decide: Ride: rockin roller coaster, attraction: world showcase, movie: Cinderella

Meet Lynda.

Lynda says:

Song? Who Wouldn’t Want to Be Me…Keith Urban

Writing utensil? Definitely a black roller ball pen…always. Unless I’m doing a crossword puzzle, then pencil all the way.

Best quote eva? “What we leave behind is not as important as how we lived.”

Yummiest dessert? Rice krispie treats, because who doesn’t love a little gooey marshmallow in their life

Pet peeve? People who don’t know how to drive. Road rage is a fault of mine, which is why I maintain a 5-minute commute to work.

Disney highlight? Spaceship Earth…hands down. With the Norway movie coming in a close second.

Meet Matt.

Matt says:

Song? Probably a tie between “Carousel” by blink-182 (My friends and I all take our hats off during the intro, out of respect), “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows” by Brand New, “Pursuit Of Happiness” by Kid Cudi and “Halftime” by Nas

Writing utensil? Whatever is in front of me. I do usually write out scripts, headlines and posts on paper before typing them out.

Best quote eva? “You’re not useful to me until you’ve made three momentous mistakes.” – Dan Wieden; “Everybody is wrong about everything, just about all the time.” – Chuck Klosterman; “You idiot, the Boston Tea Party was in England” – My friend Noah; Everything Bill Murray has ever said

Yummiest dessert? Pinkberry original with fruity pebbles, almonds and gummy bears

Pet peeve? Having to declare one pet peeve as the biggest. (A few highlights: People who call the Nike ‘swoosh’ a check; cotton balls; cats; drivers who don’t use blinkers; every person in every airport, ever)

Disney highlight? Somewhere at my parents house I have a full set of Disney trading cards, every issue of the short-lived Chip N’ Dale Rescue Rangers comic book series and a 3rd grade yearbook picture of me wearing a homemade Pluto Christmas sweater. Top 5 Disney movies: 5. Peter Pan 4. Snow White 3. The Great Mouse Detective 2. Beauty and the Beast 1. The Rescuers Down Under

Meet Lindsay.

Lindsay says:

Song? This changes every few months, but I love Burn It Down by Awolnation

Writing utensil? Black pens because I’m boring.

Best quote eva? “If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.” –Andy Rooney

Yummiest dessert? Cookie dough ice cream

Pet peeve? “Literally”

Disney highlight? One from each park:
Epcot — Spaceship Earth
Magic Kingdom — Space Mountain
Animal Kingdom: Everest
Hollywood Studios — The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Meet Erika.

Erika says:

Song? Depends on the week!

Writing utensil? My laptop. How unromantic, right?

Best quote eva? “I don’t think any day is worth living without thinking about what you’re going to eat next at all times.” ― Nora Ephron

Yummiest dessert? Publix’s Carrot Cake. To. Die. For.

Pet peeve? When my husband throws his towel on the bathroom floor instead of the hamper.

Disney highlight? The Little Mermaid!

Your turn! I want to hear about your favorite song, writing tool, quote, dessert, pet peeve and Disney highlight.

Table Topic Tuesday. 3/11.

It’s Table Topic Tuesday.

Party People–this one’s for you.

Costume parties, theme parties, last-minute parties. I love them all. And grown-ups don’t have enough parties. We save them all up for the holiday season. Remember in college when breathing was an excuse to celebrate?

A great party needs the right location. Enough rooms that you can spread out (or hide), patios or balconies and a mile-wide dance floor. If money were no object, I’d have a party here.

Themes are great, too. What about 80s get-up? How can you not want to party in a side pony and slap bracelets?

Then there’s the music. Essential. You want songs that everyone can sing to. And you need dancing music–slow jams to shakedowns. Enter the world’s best party band.

Motown Philly back again.

Now we just need party snacks. A sangria fountain and butler-passed Mickey ice cream bars? Check.

All the rides would stay open, of course, and I’d have a fireworks nightcap, too.

My friend Javi had some ideas for a party.

What kind of party would I throw with unlimited money? An underwear party on the international space station. Yup.

“But, I feel insecure in my underwear. I’m not space underwear party ready.” You say to me with furrowed brow and trembling hands.

And, I take your hands in mine, and look with stoic confidence in your eyes, like a father would to a child, and speak with quiet wisdom, “Oh my precious, naive, little lamb. The international space station is anti-gravity…”

“So, you mean, my saggy bits –”

“They will rise on cherub wings my pudgy pal. Everything looks sexy in space.”

Suddenly, the realization of space sexification washes over you like a soothing ocean wave of sexy space logic. But, a new question bubbles behind it.

“What if someone gets into a fight at the party?”

Sensing your anxiety, I cup my hands beneath your chin, and quiet the roaring winds of worry behind your eyes as I let these words unfurl from my lips: “Have you ever seen anyone fight in their underwear? Of course not. It can’t be done. Being angry in your underwear is instant hilarity. Nothing can be taken seriously when you’re in your underwear. When the walls are down, compassion is set free. And by walls, I mean pants. The Dalai Lama is the embodiment of kindness, because the man pretty much just wears a sheet. If the UN would check their pants at the door, we’d have world peace in less than six months.”

And, the world peace potential of space underwear rejuvenates your faith in this party and in humanity itself – and you RSVP with sexy spacified zeal.

Oh yeah. I’d also probably play a lot of 90’s Hip-Hop. Keepin’ it G in zero G, you dig?

Okay. Your turn. Tell me what kind of party you would throw.

Thursday Thanks. Helping #20.

I’ve been a serious slacker, but I couldn’t miss today’s Thursday Thanks.

Because March 6 marks the day that I got a little sister–my taller, wiser, younger sister.

And I could not be more thankful for this girl.

It’s the way she knows baseball things and hollers knowledge from the stands to support the boys. The way her thoughts rocket from her brain and over her lips without apology. The way she calls me out on my bull-drama like no one else on the planet is brave enough to do.

I can always count on her to share a drink (tea or something stiffer), to share a laugh (and not prim, sissy giggles–but messy, snorty, all-in-body-shaking-til-you-tinkle silly), to have a plan. Thank goodness she always has a plan.

She’s a bulldog in the courtroom. A bailiff told her so. She sings bedtime songs to the boys like a Disney princess. And she brushes another brain surgery off like dirt off her shoulder.

On her birthday, and every day, I’m grateful for my beautiful sister.

Who are you thankful for today?

Table Topic Tuesday. 2/4.

It’s Table Topic Tuesday time. And the survey says:

WHAT FIVE FOODS DO YOU WISH WERE BANISHED FROM THE EARTH?

It’s a little absolute, I know. So I apologize if I banish something you can’t live without.

#1. My first answer (read: gag reflex) is eggs. Ew. The thought of them, smell of them, taste, texture, existence of them as a food source, completely icks me out. I don’t remember when I first hated on eggs, but I’ve never looked back.

I do love cake—cupcakes, breakfast cake, birthday cake—as much as I hate eggs. I’m just in denial that those globes of gross have ever been cracked into any batter.

#2. Milk. I just don’t dig it. Cold. Warm. Chocolated. Strawberried. Just no.

But I heart ice cream, yogurt, cheese. Hello, cheese. And I also take a little coffee with my half & half. Go figure.

#3. Bologna. What a mystery of a meat. Just look at the way it’s spelled and pronounced. A hodge podge of rejected meat pressed together into a perfect circle? No, thank you.

#4. Bone marrow. I tried it. I didn’t like it.

#5. Candy corn. Okay. I’m the kid who would often trade her sandwich for a friend’s dessert in the lunchroom (sorry, Mom). I love cake for breakfast (see #1). I have sweet teeth. So, I haven’t met many sweets I didn’t want seconds of.

Candy corn does not equal candy. Or corn. Is it even edible? It’s colored, triangular wax posing as a treat. Beware, kids.

Now, to detox from all that yuckiness, here is some delicious food for thought:

Screen Shot 2014-02-04 at 1.07.14 PM — Disney Digression

Lindsay‘s up! She says:

There aren’t a lot of foods that make me squeamish. None that I’m truly revolted by except one: Olives. Nothing is more offensive than a bowl full of olives. Strike that. State fair funnel cakes are pretty foul. But I can live with those. Olives, on the other hand, are sneaky little buggers that have been ruining salads for the history of ever. Did you know that olives are actually in the fruit family? That poor, poor family. A perfectly delicious reputation stained by the ugly little step children. And they really are ugly. The green ones have eyes. If I had to banish a certain food from the universe, that’d be the first to go. I can’t even think of four more that I’d get rid of; all this olive talk has messed with my brain.

Javi says:

I love to eat. I eat without question. Without emotion. Without judgment or prejudice. More machine than man, I have the power to devour. However, there are foods that do not belong. They have coerced their way into the realm of human consumption without warrant, purpose or function. But, no more. I’m taking a stand. For myself. For my children. For my food, my future… my freedom. These five foods… I banish thee.

Candy Corn: It is neither of those things. How can you name something two NOUNS and that thing is neither of those things? People get sued over that stuff. It’s more of a lie than it is food. Plus, what kind of monster names a candy after a vegetable? Who exactly do you think you are fooling candy corn? The jig is up. You’re gross. And, for those of you who refuse to join me in my crusade against candy corn ask yourself one question: In the next few hundred years, when the world candy treaties are signed across a unified globe of nations, what side of history will you be on?

Tea:

ME: Hey, watcha’ drinkin’?

YOU: Tea.

ME: What’s that?

YOU: Well, I brought some water to a boil. Then drop this small bag full of leaves and twigs in the water to soak, and then I drink it.

ME: You put a bag of mulch in your water?

YOU: It’s not mulch. It’s leaves and sticks and…

ME: [staring]

YOU: It’s not mulch!

ME: So, you’re drinking scalding hot, dirty water?

YOU: It’s not dirty water. Well, it is, technically… but not the way you think it is.

ME: I don’t understand… did you lose a bet or something?

YOU: No! Stop it! Tea is good for you. Want to taste it? It’s called Green Dream Baby Laugh.

ME: …

Black Licorice: It’s just melted down old tires, right? It’s what’s left over and gathered in landfills when environmental criminals burn piles of tires. It’s not even food. It’s a byproduct of illegal behavior. Besides, food has to give your body something of substance or value. The only thing I’ve ever experienced after mistakingly eating a bite of black licorice was a week of night terrors. When people accidentally eat black licorice they react like they’ve been shot with a poison dart in the tongue. But, there is always someone you know that has some crazy second cousin or distant relative that loves black licorice, and that family charges the neighborhood kids a nickel each to watch him eat it without dry heaving.

The Pecan: No one can pronounce it. Say pecan. Nope, you’re wrong. Keep saying it. You’re still wrong. God forbid you say pecan in front of another living soul. Say pecan in earshot of anyone and that person will be whole heartedly compelled to correct you in some overly pedantic way like they have a PHD in nut grammar. “Its not pecaaaahhhhaaannnneeeee. It’s peeeecccooouuugghhhnnneee.” Pecan has 5 letters in it, is pronounced with 18 letters (6 of which are silent), and is broken down into 12 syllables.

Banana Now & Laters: Not now. Not later. Not ever. It’s not a candy. It’s not a food. It is a personal affront. If someone presented me with a banana flavored Now & Later, I’d fight them. I would slap that horribly offensive gelatinous square out of their awful little carny hands and challenge them to fistacuffs. Imagine if a panda cub approached you riding the back of a baby elephant. Think of how incapably cute and arrestingly adorable that would be. And then that panda cub extended its wonderful little panda cub arms, and opened its little panda paws to reveal a rainbow of light. And then, the elephant, with it’s baby trunk reaches into the rainbow of light and presents you with a banana flavored Now & Later. Imagine the spectacular nature of it all. The indescribable beauty. The joy that such an event might bring to children. To adults. To the world. I’d punch that panda in its adorable panda face.

Your turn. Speak up. What food would you banish?

Table Topic Tuesday. 1/28.

Happy Tuesday, y’all.

It’s Table Topic time and, with Winter Storm Leon barging through, this question is apropos:

Would I? Heck-to-the-yeah. I would live in summer all the days. Summer means there’s no school bell to beat in the mornings, sangria is in season and there are no cold toilet seats (I’m looking at you, Winter).

Right now, I’m on a plane, wearing two pair of socks and high-top tennies because, when I land in New York City, it’s going to be 17 degrees. That just sounds like an immature, angry, awful temperature. I can’t feel my feet. And feet were meant to be free!

Each season does have its redeeming gems. Winter means boot slippers. (I know I just said that feet should be free, but they should never be freezing). Spring has red clay and peanuts and cracker jacks. And Fall? Mickey. Pumpkins.

But no other season promises as much fun and mischief and warmth as summer.

I love my friends’ responses this week and I know you will, too.

Javi says:

You can argue with me all you want on this. You can state your case with science and facts. But, believe me when I tell you that the ONLY season that is not actively trying to kill the human race… is summer. Summer is the only acceptable season.

If you say you love the winter, then I’m concerned for you as a person, because obviously you don’t have skin on your body. There are animals that spend a whole year preparing to sleep through winter, just to avoid it. Imagine actively trying to double your body weight all year so that you could pass out like a coma patient to AVOID A SEASON because that is what nature intended. I know we, as people don’t do that – because somehow we’ve evolved beyond it or whatever – but more and more, year after year, hibernation looks like a viable option. All I’m saying is why don’t we just kick it biologically old school for a year… and see what happens. Could it be any worse than… you know… WINTER IS! Winter is attacking us right now with a Polar Vortex. I don’t know what that is, but with a name like that the streets should be filled with people fleeing in horror while others stand paralyzed in fear. It sounds like a super villain invented it. It sounds like the title of a show J.J. Abrams is producing. Why is no one hitting the panic button about something called a POLAR VORTEX!? I wore a Tauntaun to work on Friday!

Spring is round two of the assault – advanced now by chemical warfare. Have fun not breathing properly for eight weeks. There is so much pollen in the air that I don’t even go outside anymore. Why waste time slowly setting my lungs ablaze when I can do it in one shot! Instead of wheezing like Vader for eight hours, I just start my day by huffing a bag of flower until I have a coughing fit and pass out. Then, I wake up the next day on my kitchen floor and do it again. Natural law has somehow made spring the time of reproduction, where we should be cozying up to our loves, flourishing with romance, vigor, and life. Yet, everyone around us looks like snot covered 3-year-olds… making snorting noises like a beached manatee with asthma. All spring long people just ooze from the face like they opened the Ark of the Covenant, and for all that is good and holy people just blow their noses on anything they can get their hands on – napkins, sleeves, kittens… babies. How is anyone supposed to want to make out with the person next to them when their face is a yuck waterfall?

And, the fall is not a season at all. It is ALL the seasons. In one day during the fall you can experience every temperature in 12 hours. There is no fall coat or jacket. It doesn’t exist. All you have to cover yourself with is the enveloping sense of failure you experience as soon as you walk outside and realize everything you’re wearing is wrong. And, by the time you change, it won’t matter. The weather will have changed so much, you’ll be wrong again. It’s hot, it’s cold, you’re roasting, you’re freezing – you’re sweating buckets while sleet comes down from the sky. Fall is not a season. It’s malaria. But why should any of us trust the weather during fall? Fall gives us no reason to believe in it. Because, really, how can we trust a season that has two names. Autumn, anyone? Fall is so shady, it has an ALIAS! Dr. Jekyll is less bipolar than fall.

Summer is the only acceptable season. The sun’s rays actually give you vitamins. Nutrients from the sky! It’s true universal healthcare… because it comes FROM THE UNIVERSE! Global warming is a very real thing… and I’m all for it.

Lindsey says:

If by season, the reference is weather, then yes; spring time all year please. I love the hot but not too hot climate.

Any other season; probably not.

I like to divide my year into sports seasons: and it’s nice when they merge from one to the next. Baseball season, football season, the smidge of time we are in now which I call the in between baseball/football when all we have to watch is hockey and basketball (well until
NASCAR starts back in February anyway).

And while I love Christmas and the holiday season I think I might go bananas with year round lights, music and mall Santa Claus.

Matt says:

You know that saying, “the grass is always greener on the other side”? Or that other saying , “you always want what you can’t have”? Or that other other saying, “Every great love starts with a great story.”?

The last one is from The Notebook and it doesn’t apply. Also, if anyone asks, I’ve never seen The Noteb… actually, screw that. I have seen The Notebook and I was super suave. It was my third date with my ex, THE EX, the one that hovers above all future and ex-exes, and we were planning on seeing a movie. When we got in the car I looked at her and said, “why don’t we just grab a pizza and I’ll go buy The Notebook, since I’ve never seen it.” Speechless, she nodded in agreement. Awesome story short, we cuddled as the Gos won, lost and re-won the McAdams. Then, you know that part where future-old lady McAdams finally remembers non-cenile Gos and asks her to dance? I turned to my girlfriend and asked her to dance. And we did. By the side of my bed. Hashtag romance.

That’s called going off on a tangent while simultaniously playing to your demographic. (Ladies, I’m currently single.)

Where I was going with the first two phrases is that I always want to be in the season that I’m not presently in. Right now, like most people, I can’t wait until I’m able to break out the tank top (though, not in the office because they have been banned by my SVP). In the Fall, I can’t wait for Spring, and vice versa.

I’ve lived in one season in two different places; L.A. and Florida. It’s not great. Sure, it’s sunny all the time, there’s no -20 degree temperatures and I can always feel my toes, but I always find myself wishing a leaf would change color or that I could buy some cool winter clothes like a vintage Starter jacket.

I want to live in all of the seasons.

Except for Winter, Summer, Spring and Fall.

Lindsay says:

Can we all agree on something? Fall is not a season. It’s a time of year. Fall is much bigger than a season. The way it feels, and the way I feel in it makes it bigger.

The best Fall exists just outside Buffalo in my hometown, East Aurora. My favorites are the familiar faces bundled up in scarves they probably knitted themselves. The thick boots that find their place in the mudroom again. The misty breath you can see before you begin speaking. The crunchy brown leaves in my favorite park that we have to step on because that’s what Fall sounds like. The full mugs of early-morning coffee that feel like something special rather than routine. The best running is in the Fall when the muscles are the perfect temperature of chilled but strong. When you’re in shorts and a tank and a hat and gloves. It’s a runner thing, and I miss it. I feel at home in Fall. I could write a book about Fall. Gush aside, I think I answered the question. I would live in Fall forever if I lived in East Aurora, and I would bring everyone with me so you could feel it, too.

Okay. Let’s hear it. Would you, could you live year-round in your favorite season?

Table Topic Tuesday. 1/14.

Hey, hey. It’s Tuesday. And today’s Table Topic is:

This is how I feel about travel.

But here are the top 5 places I’d like to experience if I have to pick right now. I want to:

1. Watch the sun sink into the sea from Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, CA.

2. Sip through wine country with a head that’s happy, but not so hazy that I don’t remember every whiff and inch and taste.

3. See Disneyland–the mother ship of the magic–though I’m positive no other location could ever replace Disney World.

4. Eat my way through Italy, south to north–so long as I wind up climbing a Lake Como staircase, high enough to see into Switzerland.

5. Linger in The Lakes of England. Write something on the same parcel where the greats poured their bliss into poetry.

And everything here. Wowza.

Here’s where my pals want to go.

Lynda says:

Ah that is the question, isn’t it? I love to travel. Always have. Probably always will. I keep a running list in my mind of the places I’d like to go, see, and experience. Perhaps I could even go so far as to say the World Showcase at Epcot (a Disney Digression as my blogging host Mindy would say) helped spur those travel dreams on? Perhaps. Or perhaps it was my dear friend, Rick Steves? His European travel show on PBS was a staple in my house growing up, and I’ve relied on the guy many times to get me from place to place as well as for advice on the best things to do and see. Perhaps. Regardless of the inspiration, I got the itch in high school and never looked back. My very first “big” trip was with my French class, to where else? France. It was tres bien, bien sur! I absolutely loved it. The culture, the atmosphere, the walking-in-the-steps-of-history, the language, well, just everything. I’ve been back quite a few times, but I’m always open to going someplace new. Norway. Argentina. Australia and New Zealand. Those happen to be in the top three, and I’ll get there one day. It’s just a matter of time. And money.

And why do I love to travel? Well, the Type A planner in me loves the thrill of the planning, probably more than anything, as this little entry in my own blog can attest . It can be hard work, frustrating, and just downright tiring, but the experience itself is worth all the blood, sweat, and tears of putting together an amazing adventure. I firmly believe your experiences are the result of your passion in making them happen. And never is that more true than with stepping outside your comfort zone and stepping foot in a land not your own.

So get out there. See the world. Bring back an experience or two that will last in your memory forever. I think it’s a mark of a life well lived, and a soul fulfilled.

Matt journeyed off to dreamland.

I fell asleep at with my hands on my keyboard…

And Lindsay is running around Europe as I type. Take a peek at her adventures.

What about you? Where would you go first?

Thursday Thanks. Helping #19.

It’s the first Thursday of the new year and it’s high time I spent a little time in my Thanksgiving Chair.

Some of my friends got engaged last year. Some got married, some became parents, some had a milestone year.

But, for a lot of people I love, 2013 was a broken year flooded with bad news, deflated dreams and health gone kaput. It wasn’t my favorite year because, frankly, it wasn’t an easy one. But I am thankful for it. And the more I looked back on it, the more 2013 looked up. Here’s an itty bitty smidgen of the blessings I counted.

January:

We rang in 2013 with some of our dearest friends and hotfooted it into the new year full speed.

Tucker started reading more and more–signs, labels, recipes. And Jeff and I had to stop spelling secret things out loud.

Case’s contagious dino craze intensified.

And I kicked off what would become my busiest, best professional year to date.

February:

I got 1 year older and I got a bike.

March:

We celebrated my sister’s 30th birthday in the most magical way.

We danced. A lot.

April:

We spent Saturdays unplugged at the ball park. Tucker batted.

Case cheered.

They grew. I noticed.

May:

We celebrated our brand new 4-year-old spunk muffin–my own personal sunshine.

We unleashed the Jedi on Star Wars Weekend.

And we joined Forces with some pretty great friends.

June:

I started this silly little blog.

For possibly the only time this will ever happen, the boys were on the same team. Summer Flag Football.

Well, Jeff coached. Tucker played. Case chased the field’s wild peacock family.

Tucker had his first sleepover ever (gulp.) and said goodbye to his best bud who moved out of state.

I bought a fancy dress (for the first time in years, no lie) and went to a swanky industry soiree in New York City.

July:

Because I have the best parents (a lot of people think they do, but I know that I do), they came to keep the boys so Jeff and I could celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary a few weeks early. I will always remember our trip as ~~one of~~ the most wonderful weeks of my life. Plus, we hit all four Disney parks in one day: Grand Slam Dunk.

We also celebrated Tucker’s 7th Birthday a little early. Lego love for life.

Jeff had a birthday. And we popped into the Trop. Sat up top. Make me stop.

August:

I flew to LA for a shoot.

There was Pretty everywhere.

My boy, my little man, thoughtful old soul, turned 7 while I was away.

I hung out with my parents–just the 3 of us for the first time since ?–on a work trip in the Big Apple.

And another school year started.

September:

I realize just how much I love my husband each football season. His unshakeable fanhood has rubbed off.

October:

After so many seasons in the stands, Case finally had a team of his own. And an amazing coach.

Tucker perfected his slide.

And Gamps & Grandmama came to see.

During our 5th annual sister trip to EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival, Lindsey sat with me through 3 sets of Boyz II Men. Check.

Halloween was pretty rad, too. The boys trick-or-treated in my office, in the neighborhood and in the Magic Kingdom.

November:

We joined our church.

Jeff’s Movember team raised $2820 (and quite a few facial hairs) in honor of his dad.

And when we went to spend Thanksgiving with his dad in the quiet Carolina country, we had a good prognosis to be thankful for.

December:

In a season that’s bedazzled with busyness, sometimes you need something simple to slow you down. Like these December skies.

The Bucs did not have a winning season, but the Faith & Football event cemented one thing. Love has already won.

And I spent Christmas with my entire family–my husband, our boys, my parents, my sister and my brother. It. Was. Super.

At first mention, 2013 rings a little unlucky, a little sour. But, look at all the life, the fun, the growth, the triumphs, the good.

I’m so grateful that I re-measured the year.

Table Topic Tuesday. 12/31.

To celebrate the last Tuesday of the year, I have a fun Table Topic question.

WHAT SONG SAYS IT ALL ABOUT YOUR LIFE CURRENTLY?

My life or my current mood?

There are a few songs that always say it all to me, if not about me.

NeedToBreathe’s Slumber: Wake on up from your slumber and open up your eyes. Hello.

Pearl Jam’s “Just Breathe”: Oh, I’m a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love.
Some folks just have one, yeah, others, they’ve got none.

Stay with me…
Let’s just breathe…

Did I say that I need you?
Did I say that I want you?
Oh, if I didn’t I’m a fool you see.
No one knows this more than me.

For giggles: “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and Otis Redding’s “Shama Lama Ding Dong”.

For nourishment: “Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing” (written by Robert Robinson). I love, love, love this old hymn and new renditions stir me up every single time. Have you heard Mumford’s version?

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.

Here’s my heart, Lord. Take and seal it. Seal it for thy courts above.

But, because it’s the very last day of a very challenging year, I’ll pick this one: “It’s Time” by the Imagine Dragons (Plus, I heard The Railers cover it live last night and my ear drums are still tingly. Check them out. I have a feeling they’re gonna make it big).

So this is what you meant
When you said that you were spent.

It’s time to begin, isn’t it?
I get a little bit bigger, but then I’ll admit.
I’m just the same as I was.
Now don’t you understand
That I’m never changing who I am.

Two of my pals weighed in, too. Here are their tunes.

Lindsay says:

When I graduated high school, our teachers asked all of us seniors to pick a quote to accompany our yearbook photos — a quote that summed up our favorite moments or ones that brought us to that point. “I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the heavens.” It was almost impossible for me. I thought and thought and thought for weeks. I ended up choosing a couple lines from one of my favorite John Mayer songs. Sappy. Lofty. Vague. I was 17. Now at 24, my life is a bit different, but John has remained one of my favorites. He’s a really smart dude {despite what Javi thinks} and I dig him. He sings a song called “Badge and Gun,” and I listen to it on repeat. It gets under my skin a little bit. It finds its way to my soul as so many of his other tracks have. It reminds me of all the great times behind me and the ones I can’t wait to meet in the future.

Matt says:

If there was just one song that could describe my life right now, my life would be easy.
My just strained my mind grapes trying to narrow it down to one. So, I’ll break it down in a few different ways. My favorite song of 2013: “Favorite Song” – Chance the Rapper ft. Childish Gambino
This one made my life easier. So much easier. When I was trying to figure out my favorite song of the year I looked at my iTunes number of plays function and, sure enough, “Favorite Song” topped the list. This makes “Favorite Song” my favorite song and I love how life works out.
Easiest song to relate to: “It Never Snows In Florida” – New Found Glory
I used to be super into New Found Glory. I also used to be super into snow and Christmas and all the stuff. My first Christmas in Florida has thrown a wrench into my Christmas Spirit. Not only does it now snow, it was like 80 today. 80 degrees. Maybe when I get to Oklahoma, where today is was 11 degrees (69 degrees left
if I can still do 2nd grade Math), it’ll all come back to me. But, right now, I have no faith in snow or my Christmas Spirit returning. At least not like it was. At least I know that Santa Claus is real and delivers in any climate. The song that’s really my favorite song even though I said “Favorite Song” was
my favorite song because it’s a cool story and was #1 on my iTunes for the year:
“Step” – Vampire Weekend

I love this song. I could listen to this song every day. I love this song.
The song that could actually describe my life right now: “V. 3005” – Childish Gamibno
Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino has been the artist I’ve most identified with over the past few years. Everything I’ve ever done (screenwriting, stand-up, hip-hop) before advertising, he’s excelled at. He’s also open, honest and lets his emotions spill into the pen. “V. 3005” is about his insecurities. His battle with success and fear of success. It’s his acknowledgment that he’ll never be alone, even if he’s alone. I don’t know, it’s just deep. Really deep. It makes me feel all of the feels and I need that in my life. Because I feel all of the feels all of the time and there’s no cure. And I love it.

Your turn. What song says it all about you today?

Table Topic Tuesday. 12/17.

Hiya. Didn’t want Tuesday to sneak away without a little Table Topic fun.

Today’s question is apropos for this December Tuesday.

Really, I love any gift I get because it means that someone thought of me and acted on that thought. What’s sweeter than that?

Disney Digression: This is always a good gift idea.

I did get a bad gift once, so I’ll call it the worst. It was a wedding gift. It was a wedding re-gift. Yup. One of our guests was a newlywed. He gifted us a lovely set of champagne flutes. I was tickled pink when I opened up the box–until I saw that a scrap of the original wrapping paper was still taped to the underside of the box. Just a wee triangular piece wagging at me like a 4-year-old sticking his tongue out. Nanni nanni boo boo.

Seriously? How do you wrap over old wrapping paper and not notice? Plus, if he had scrapped the scrap, I would’ve never known it wasn’t handpicked and purchased just for me.

I’ve had my fair share of gifting groaners, too. I gave the worst gift ever just last year. I thought I’d be all cute and sweet and plan a horseback riding adventure for Jeff and me. I’ve known the man for 14 years, we’ve been married for 10 and in my mind, he was a horse whisperer. His dad grew up on a farm, grew up riding horses, grew up to raise them and show them. I thought horse-love thundered through Jeff’s blood and I’d be wife of the year for orchestrating this romantic trail ride. Cowboy: take me away.

It was supposed to be a surprise. But he saw the signs as we got close to the farm.

Are we going horseback riding?

Maybe, I grinned and shrugged and batted my eyes.

I really don’t like horses, babe.

Colossal gifting fail. I felt so awfully silly, I called and cancelled right then.

Those are my worst gifts. My friends weighed in, too.

Lindsey says:

Unsolicited advice.

Lindsay says:

First off, I’m an awesome gift giver. Homemade this. Crafted that. I even made a spiral bound book once. The happy tears pour every birthday, Christmas and Mother’s Day. It’s a gift, really. But don’t get me wrong. There are doozies in my past. Let’s start with the elementary school Fruit Loop ornaments… that my mom still has. That says a lot about one of America’s favorite breakfast foods, yeah? Should I tell you about the time I re-gifted an entire soaps & lotions basket? Thoughtless. But time was of the essence. How about when I went all ‘nature’ on my sister and stuck some fallen leaves on wood and called it a picture frame? She probably forced herself to forget that one. I know I’m not alone, though. While I can’t remember ever receiving any truly horrible gifts, there was one time when I got a heinous shirt from a family member. Ever see those tops that are the size of wash cloths but stretch out to 8x their size when you put them on? They’re usually in loud, offensive colors that resemble the texture of bubble wrap? A walking funhouse, if you will. You know the ones I’m talking about. I almost laughed until I realized this was, in fact, a serious gift. Memorable, to say the least.

What do you say? Worst gift you’ve ever gotten or given?

Table Topic Tuesday. 12/10.

Happy Tuesday! It’s Table Topic time.

I let Lindsay choose this week. She picked a doozy (smart girl). You ready?

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT ARE THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD?

My answers are valid today only. I’ll be wondering about new wonders tomorrow.

Here are my seven.

1. THE ELF ON THE SHELF

This footless, frozen-faced sprite freaks me out a little bit. I mean, let’s call him what he is. He’s a spy. A bribing spy. And there are entire Pinterest pages and blogs and sites encouraging this mischief. We’re drinking the eggnog, too. The boys love our Adam Winston Adams. So far this season, he’s wrapped an entire toilet in Christmas paper, gone fishing for goldfish in the sink and taunted me with unblinking, plastic eyes to one-up yesterday’s stunt. I kinda want to send him to tinsel oblivion. Can I get a witness?

2. MACHU PICCHU

The most haunting corner of the universe I’ve ever seen.

3. LEFTOVERS

Does this sound like a let down after Machu Picchu? Well, on a day when you had a banana for breakfast on the way to the office and you work straight through lunch and don’t realize it until 4pm, you come home to find that you have enough leftovers to feed all of you for dinner? Like, dinner’s done. You just have to heat it up.

Boo-yaka-sha.

4. SEX

(And I’ll just leave that one right there.)

5. SALTED CARAMEL

It’s salty. It’s sweet. Crunchy. Gooey. It’s everything.

6. WALT DISNEY WORLD

Where else can you walk around the world in an afternoon, ride a safari, ride a monorail, eat a turkey leg, eat a dole whip, see fireworks and every matching T-shirt ever made? Where else can you take a seat in the dueling piano bar, a pool bar, on a roller coaster, at a show or by a Swan? Where else can you complete the ultimate Grand Slam? You can bike, you can boat, you can fly. The music, the detail, the magic. The spell of the place is real.

7. LOVE

Love that has a work dinner and stops on the way home to get you a chestnut coffee—the kind you would never get because of calories and pennies—the kind you love the most.

Love that sees you come in the door and drops everything to run towards you, full-speed, arms wailing, towards you.

Love that finds your hand before putting one toe on the parking lot asphalt.

Love that always pulls the sun up each morning. The Love that lights the way. Wonder-full.

Lindsay says:

Seven wonders? I wonder about a lot of things. Here are some that break the top ten.

1. Two “Us” in the word Vacuum. It’s not right, it’s downright confusing, and it’s the reason I was ousted from round one in the third grade spelling bee. It still hurts.

2. Spinners on a ’91 Impala. No.

3. Unsubscribe confirmation emails. Thanks for reminding me I don’t ever want to receive emails from you again. Again.

4. Kids on leashes. Pay attention to and love your children? Or, rope them up like bomb-sniffing K-9s?

5. Drivers that leave their blinker on for 15 miles after switching lanes. Are you going to make use of the shoulder in a little bit or are you purposefully taunting me? I might seizure right there at 10 and 2.

6. English tutoring flyers with spelling errors. Let’s pretend like I didn’t do this once. Or twice.

7. Phone calls on speakerphone. In public. The best use of a cell phone for these people is in off mode, buried in a pocket, never to be turned on, ever.

Lindsey says:

1) Cinderella’s castle

2) Common sense. I wonder every day if it exists.

3) Akashi kaikyo bridge in Japan. Scary stuff.

4) The Grand Canyon

5) The Chanel tunnel (Chunnel)

6) The Great Pyramids

7) The Internet

And Javi says:

The Seven Wonders of the World are an ever-evolving list of amazing feats of man. Even with all of our technology, knowledge, study, and documented history, man still struggles to explain how many of these wonders in fact came to be or what there original purpose was. They are as follows.

Every John Mayer Album

It’s the same album every time, right? Has someone been smashing crazy pills into my pop tarts in the morning? It’s the same song over and over on every album! Every song is barely audible guitar and the creepy whisper of John Mayer saying things about your body being compared to ferris wheels or something. The fact that a man can consistently dupe the world into somehow buying the same thing over and over and believing it is something different is amazing. It’s crazy. It’s baffling. I don’t understand it. Scientists who have spent their whole careers studying auditory effects on the human brain don’t understand it. I mean, play two John Mayer songs right now. Do it. It’s the SAME SONG! He’s like some kind of whispery warlock. A WONDEROUS whispery warlock… with a touch of creepster … but none the less A WONDEROUS whispery warlock.

Wyoming

It doesn’t exist. Have you ever been to Wyoming? Have you ever met anyone from Wyoming? Have you even heard of a news story out of Wyoming? No, you haven’t. Because it is not there. Wyoming is Native American for “empty land”, or “wendigo valley”. Some of you might rebuttal with statements you feel in your heart are compelling arguments like “I drove through there” or “I’ve been to a ranch there.” False. You’ve been lied to. You were in Montana. Maybe, Nebraska. Wyoming is not a place. It is a square. Look at it! It is a perfect square. That’s not a state. It is just a shape. A WONDEROUS shape.

Candy Corn

All candy corn was made in 1956. All of it. Every kernel of corn. Candy corn is made of equal parts orange candle wax, melted mannequins from the 40’s, and a touch of broken dreams of children to add the flavor of something that tastes sweet, yet horribly sad and inedible. After candy corn is bought it is traditionally displayed in pastel porcelain dishes in the most depressing environments imaginable – a doctor’s waiting room, that dusty table in your office building that so few people use you would think it was freaking haunted, or a DMV window. The pastel dish helps trap in the surrounding sadness, and harness it to the candy corn to preserve it for the following years distribution. Nothing is a better natural preservative than sadness. After a few months, the candy corn is collected by candy corn associates in the shroud of darkness, and repackaged for the following year.

Stonehenge

Possibly the biggest and most famous henge ever. It is a henge among henges. The bar that all other henges must compare themselves. And, the main reason Stonehenge has earned it’s rightful place on this list is because of the deep mystery surrounding it – often inspiring soul defining questions raised when people visit and stand in its majestic hengy presence. Questions heard time and time again by those who come and visit the henge year after year. Questions like, “Dude, does this place make your brain just go (explosion noise)… or what?” or “What button do I press on this camera… seriously I feel like I’m disarming a bomb?” or “Why did your father take us here?” and “I bet these people were ‘Stoned-henge’, get it?”

Bounce Houses

Do you know what goes on in bounce houses? The bending of all things known in thermodynamics. Know these facts: It is almost impossible to follow the movements of a 3- to 4-year-old. Now give them the gift of partial flight! Plus, kids that age have this innate ability to increase their own gravity ten fold when they do that thing where their bodies go limp, and picking them up is more difficult than trying to hoist an oiled bar of gold. If we, as a species, could harness the power of a room filled with flying children, crashing against each other with the weight of a thousand suns we could solve the energy crisis. Bounce houses are like the Hadron Collider, but made of children. So much danger. So much wonder.

6. Miley Cyrus’ Tongue
Where’s it going? What’s it doing? Did you see what it did there? Oh jeeze, no please don’t do tha – GROSS! Why can’t I stop looking? Eeewwww, look! If I cover my eyes will you just give me a play by play of what it is doing? Ugh. It’s doing it again! It’s still doing it? Make it stop! No! NO! I’m not looking anymore. Someone keep an eye on it. What do you mean it disappeared? Oh god no. Is it gone? It’s GONE?! Are we safe? Seriously, did someone see where it went? I don’t want make any sudden moves until we know it is for sure gone. I think it was pointing me out… I think it might know where I live. What if it shows up at my door, you guys? C’mon, that’s not funny! Alright, fine. I’ll relax. But, just please keep an eye out for – AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

The Internet

Rushing you info like a beer bong for your brain, the Internet is our teacher, mother, friend and lover. It does nothing but give. We choose what to receive and, in turn, give back. The relationship you build there, cradled in its cyber arms, is of your own doing. It is at fault for nothing. It merely provides us all entry into something greater. All that has been, could be, and will be. It is pure. And, when I send these words off into the ether, and sully the wonder of the Internet with their inane constitution, and someone stumbles upon them, and in turn, becomes less of a person for doing so, the Internet allows me to give a pre-emptive apology. I’m sorry.

Okay. Your Seven Wonders. Go.