Excuses, Excuses!

Well, it definitely has been a while since I last posted.  But SO many things have happened! Lets see... Back at work, trying for a normal 40 hour week but somehow that hasn't been working out too well for me.  Monday, the 17th, my Fiance''s Grandmother got taken out of the nursing home and was intubated and put on life support at the hospital, that night Alex was in the ER until 5:30 a.m. (he's okay!) Wednesday, Alex's mom went into the ER, Thursday night Alex's 2 Aunts came into town to say goodbye to their mother, early Friday morning Babcia passed away.  Saturday was Funeral and Wake preparations, and Alex's 2 cousins stayed with us the night, Sunday was the wake, Monday Alex's Mom got out of the hospital and the Funeral/Burial/Luncheon happened.  Phew! Over yet? I think not! Tuesday was Christmas Day, and spent with family and watching all the new movies we got for Christmas! Then, Weds-Fri was work! Holy Cow, that's a lot! And now due to some Dr/Scheduling mess, I don't go back to work until the 2nd! It's leaving me time to finally catch up on the housework, go through all my magazines, take pictures of the snowfall, (which is gorgeous!) and go sledding!

Today my friend Katie and I went sledding at the Ridge!  We felt like little kids again! We made sure to take a lot of pictures, and bundle up! 

Wednesday was a super bad snowstorm that somehow my partner and I managed to work through! We were going barely 20 mph trying to get back to punch out! On my way home that night I saw 12 people spin out, and countless people losing traction while trying to make a turn.  But, after all that snowfall, the scene turned peaceful for a little while.  Pristine, cool, and beautiful.  White everywhere, on tree branches, icicles hanging on almost all the houses, fresh powdered snow untouched by animals or humans.  It really was gorgeous! Thursday was fairly clear, but Friday it started to snow again in the late evening and into today! This morning on the way to the bank, I didn't even bother taking my car out of four wheel drive.  By the time I started coming home, there were plows on the road, and by afternoon the roads were completely cleared off... at least in my town! Not in some of the neighboring towns, where side streets were untouched almost all day, slush everywhere, just blah! 

Today, I figured out one of my goals for 2013:

To go snowmobiling! 

Well, off to bed! Lots of catching up tomorrow with everything, especially those cuddles with my puppy! 

A fun picture to leave you with today! :)

Comments and questions are always welcomed!

xoxoxo

A Must in Today's Society

Related to my previous post on etiquette, I feel the need becomes stronger every day to create something for people in the area to learn manners.  I've been experiencing so many people at work and just in my running errands, that so many people are inconsiderate and rude.  Not many people think of others' feelings, just themselves.  It's always some rush to get around others at the grocery store, beat someone else into a parking space, cut off someone on the highway.  Where on earth are people with some sort of manners and understanding in this world? I'd love to create some sort of "Finishing School" or "Charm School" for the area.  I looked up the local Junior League, but that doesn't offer much other than more places to volunteer at.  I have only found one local Charm School, but I doubt many people know of it, or even have enough money to be accepted.  That's another problem in today's society: so many people are greedy.  I'd open something up that is small, personable, and cost effective.  {Why is everything so expensive nowadays?}  I feel as though I can incorporate this even into the local Historical Societies in the area.  That would be a fun aspect, have some sort of "Coming Out" thing for each.  Almost every girl I know likes getting dressed up and ready for some sort of celebration for themselves.  A Coming Out party, or Debutante Ball would be a fantastic thing to bring to this area.  Every girl I know of wants to go to a Grand Ball someday! That's what we grow up with: watching Disney movies like Cinderella, going to a big Ball, meeting people all dressed up in a beautiful dress, elaborate decorations and food.  Any ideas on how to start something like this? I suppose to start out with some sort of curriculum, and a business card would be a good bet.  What do you think people nowadays need to learn? Let me know! I've been reading my Emily Post's book, and doing a lot of research on it, I have an overload of information.  But, you can never have enough information!

A quote I found today that I'll leave you with today:

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci

xoxoxo

Comments and Questions are always welcome!! 

Etti...Whaaa?

Nowadays, people don't have a clue what the word etiquette means, asides from the fact that old people had it and rich people still do.  Little do they realize, there is a TON of things out there still today that count as having "good" etiquette.  But do people know what to do at formal dinners? How to properly set a table? How to properly address an envelope for snail mail? People back in the day went to a school called Finishing School to learn these things if their Governess/Homeschool teacher did not teach it.  I wish that was the norm still today... Although there are some places, mostly in the southern USA that have a Debutante Ball, or Coming Out Party presenting the young ladies to society. 

Some people know that I've always thought about teaching a "Etiquette Weekend Seminar" or offer weekly classes to students/people around town.  But who would even want to learn it? It's not the "cool" thing to do anymore... Unless their Grandmother came with them, I doubt many people would go.  I feel that more and more people need these kinds of lessons, because the world is turning into a very rude place.  If people had manners, took their turns, respected the roles they and others take part in throughout the day, we'd be in a pretty happy society.  

I found a book a few months ago that I haven't gotten a chance to read yet.  It's called "What a Young Woman Ought to Know" Copyright 1899.  I'm unnaturally excited to read this and compare it to the standards society has for us today.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qaxA5Xa_e0
That video makes me smile every time... I think some of that should still happen nowadays, but maybe that's just because I'm old school.  I can only imagine when I have kids, how they're going to like the Manners Mom I'll be.  I think I'll watch this movie now tonight haha :) 

What are some of the things you were taught to do growing up?  Do you think parents now will teach their children the same thing? What do you think society as a whole needs to learn? Let me know! 

Off to go read! (And see what Puppy's getting into!) 

Questions and Comments are always welcome!!

xoxoxo

Careers: Why are they so confusing?

All my life, I had some sort of plan on what I wanted to be when I grew up.  And now that I'm "Grown Up", I have no bloody idea.  I know my passions, which are many, I know my career now makes me happy when I'm at work with my patients, but when I'm not at work, I catch myself looking online at other job postings.  I know I want and need to go back to school.  But if only I could figure out what for... 

The pros of my current career: 

Hours

Insurance

Save Lives

Re-Hired me

Went through all the training

Pay for Paramedic

Cons:

Wild Hours

Office Staff

Rotating Schedule

Handful of irritating people

Immaturity, but most of it's fun :)

High injury rates

Not a bunch of room for promotions

Now, I applied to a Bank Teller position... I don't know much of the specifics, other than a set schedule, holidays off, and it says benefits.  Who knows.  I'm kind of hoping for it actually. But then we deal with the whole leaving the company again, getting rid of my insurance and transferring to another.  

If I can get this, I can go back to school, and not worry about a rotating schedule, or shift bidding every 6 weeks.  Being indecisive doesn't exactly help the situation. haha :) 

The only thing I do know, is at this point, if circumstances allow, I'd love to retire and buy an old house and own a bed and breakfast.  Granted, that might be because I've been looking at bed and breakfasts for our honeymoon haha :) 

What were some of your childhood dream careers? Mine?

Dancer

Astronaut

Doctor

US Navy

Teacher

Journalist/Writer

Party Planner

Animal Trainer

Comments and questions are always welcomed! 

xoxoxo

Vacations: Everyone Needs Them

When was the last time you went on vacation? Me? Back in July before I had bought my house.  It was only for 4 days, but enough to clear my head. It was very entertaining though! Alex and I went up to spend time with his brothers in New Hampshire and his other nieces and nephews.  Lets just say when 3 brothers get together and drink, someone ends up passed out and gets purple nails and makeup done! I'll leave you to decide which brother you think that was! Hahaha! Out on a boat every day, drinking a little drink, tubing, relaxing, and enjoying each other's company! I could get used to that very quickly! 

But what about those dream trips? I consider myself lucky already being overseas a little bit, to 6 countries, the western Caribbean, and much of the United States.  Some of my dream vacations?  Let's see how many I can fit in tonight! Comment with your dream vacation spots! 

1.  Tuscany, Italy

Wine tours, trying my very bad Italian, gorgeous pictures, amazing food, temptations to buy a villa, tans... I could go on but I'll end up staying on hotel websites trying to book a cheap trip! Some good movies to get you in the mood? Under the Tuscan Sun, Letters to Juliet. 

2.  Ireland

There is so much I want to see there! Have a beer in Dublin, search for the loch ness monster, Cliffs of Moher, learning the accent, learn the old tales passed down, and even more pictures! 

Good movies: The Luck of the Irish, Top O' the Morning, P.S. I Love You.

3.  United Kingdom

Where to even begin?  I suppose we can start out with Buckingham Palace! Pay my respects to Lady Di, see the Crown Jewels, Stonehenge, a service at Westminster Abbey, go to the Globe Theatre, go for tea, Edinburgh, Jane Austen museum, King's Cross, Tower of London, Clock Tower (Big Ben), sit in on Parliament, St. Paul's, you get the picture.  I'd want to do everything! I'd never sleep! Movies: Documentaries are the best for this! 

4.  Santorini, Greece

Because, well, who wouldn't want to wake up every day to that? I could write ten novels in a month, granted that month was after a month already enjoying the view, getting a tan, swimming in the pool and the sea, eating the cuisine, really just enjoying being alive! Movies: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Mamma Mia

5.  Hawaii, USA

Aside from the obvious, this also has some sentimental value to it.  This is where my parents went on their honeymoon.  Things I'd do: Watch surfing, Pearl Harbor, visit volcanoes, see where some movies were filmed, whale watching, take pictures of the sunset, and go to a real luau! I'll leave this open for you all to tell me your favorite movie that's in Hawaii! 

What are some of your dream vacation spots? What would you do on the vacation? Let me know in a comment!

Comments and questions are always welcome!!

xoxoxo

40 Classic Films to Watch Before You Die

This is a list of the ones that I can think of right now... I'd imagine I'll post something later on to add to this list! I think every person can appreciate the early film business a lot better if they watched older films, not the more recent ones! Filmography used to be such a grand experience, not only to make, but to watch as well.  The films were made to please, experience, and enjoy.  I hope you enjoy these films as well! Don't forget to leave comments on the ones you think I should add to the next list and also what you thought of the ones I already listed! 

(In no specific order)

An Affair to Remember (1957)

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

White Christmas (1954)

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Bundle of Joy (1956)

The African Queen (1951)

The Bishop's Wife (1947) 

Going My Way (1944)

The Bells of St Mary's (1945)

Operation Petticoat (1959)

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

True Grit (1968)

Pride and Prejudice (1940)

Niagara (1953)

The Singing Nun (1966)

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Casablanca (1942)

Parent Trap (1961)

The King and I (1956)

The Long Long Trailer (1953)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

7 Brides for 7 Brothers (1954)

My Fair Lady (1964)

Top O' the Morning (1949)

Gone With the Wind (1939)

Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)

Anchors Aweigh (1945)

Little Women (1949)

The Pink Panther (1963)

Topper (1937)

Mary Poppins (1964)

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Tarzan (1932, 1934)

A Place of One's Own (1945)

Woman of the Year (1942)

Pollyanna (1960)

Psycho (1960)

The Dirty Dozen (1967)

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)

The Birds (1963)

Comments and questions are always welcomed! 

Let me know your responses!

xoxoxo

Obsessions... They can be healthy, right?

Obsessions can be healthy, right? For me there seems to be so much that I love, and can very easily get carried away with. So, a top 10 here! In no particular order.

10.  Classic Movies: Because who doesn't fall in love with the dreamy Bing Crosby or Cary Grant? And who doesn't want to re-live the elegance? Dare I mention that men were brought up with more manners than today? What lady doesn't appreciate a guy with good manners?! I always thought I was born in the wrong time period... There's almost too much I can say about this! 

Oh, Bing, how I would let you serenade me with your songs! Let me be your dance partner!

Cary Grant... You are such the gentleman in The Bishop's Wife. You are a fantastic model for gentlemen these days! 

Maureen O'Sullivan in Tarzan opposite Johnny Wiessmuller, and also Pride and Prejudice.  

Others worth mentioning: Catherine Hepburn (Bringing up Baby, The African Queen), Audrey Hepburn (Breakfast at Tiffanys), John Wayne (Old West Movies, True Grit), Marilyn Monroe (Some Like it Hot, Niagara), Humphrey Bogart (Casablanca), Gene Kelly (An American in Paris), Yul Brynner (The King and I, Anastasia)  Deborah Kerr (An Affair to Remember), Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara (Miracle on 34th St) Judy Garland, Jane Powell, Clark Gable.

You get the picture! I could go on, but I think I've made my point on this one! 

9.  Books:  Anyone that knows me, knows I always have a book somewhere with me, or at least in my car! Some good Titles and Authors: Christine Feehan's The Dark Series

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter

Jane Austen

Charles Dickens

J.M. Barrie

James Patterson

8.  Harry Potter: Because this is good enough to get it's own category.  If it's anything HP related, I'm probably already on top of it! 

I'd probably be put in Hufflepuff! That's what I'm in also on my account in Pottermore! 

7.  Wicked: The Musical: Because this is such a great performance and story line for any age group.  It sends a really great message to everyone.  I really can appreciate it because I used to be super scared of the Wicked Witch of the West until I read this story.  It really is nice to have a story like this root for someone we think to be a horrible person, but in actuality, she is doing nothing but trying to do the right thing. 

6.  The Little Things in Life: The small things that people don't notice every day.  Like waking up and going downstairs after a bad dream, and letting the puppy out and have him dance around you while you get his breakfast ready.  Or waking up to the kitty curled up in a ball right next to you cuddling with your legs.   Walking outside and smelling manure: where would your produce come from without productive small farms? It's all a part of a bigger process that people tend to forget.  I love living in a small town, farming community in the middle of no where.  The gifts you find from yourself when you empty out the dryer: the money you forgot to take out of your pocket. Every part of your life makes you who you are, small and big.  And generally, the small things tend to have the biggest impact on your life, whether you realize it or not.  

5.  My Family: Because where on earth would I be without their love and guidance? As annoying and loud mouthed Polish people can be, they're the ones I would pick any given day of the week  because they're my loud mouthed, annoying family. (And Grandma Barbara!) I wouldn't have it any other way.  To think, this picture doesn't even have a quarter of the family in it.  I love them all with all of my heart.  I couldn't imagine my life without them. 

4.  My House: Because, well, I'm starting to renovate, and it's becoming a huge project! Tearing down wallpaper, finding old wallpaper, wondering what the house was like in the early 1900's, liking that wallpaper more than the top layer of wallpaper.  Everything is a project, just making the house more of a home and into something Alex and I can love even more. 

3.  Pinterest:  This site has every awesome idea imaginable! There is so much I'd love to be able to do, but there's not enough time in my schedule! My boards are pretty well filled with over 300 pins overall... I'd definitely call that an obsession...

2.  My Animals: I think this one's just a given! They are my kids, and keep me smiling through the worst days, keep me on my toes when I'm on my days off, cuddlers when I'm watching a movie or reading a book, or like right now using me as a pillow!  

1.  Traveling and Exploring: If I had no money worries, I'd be a globe trotter and checking out all the wonders of the world! Before I die, I want to go to: England, Ireland, Poland, Japan, Australia. And learn Italian and some French. I'd love to go back to Italy. Maybe buy a villa, and disappear from life on this side of the world.... One can dream, right? 

Make sure there's a pool and I'm set! 

xoxoxo

Comments and questions are always welcome! 

The Beginning

Hello there! Let me introduce myself! 

My name's Jennifer, and you've just been Jennifered! I'm 20 years old, but my birthday's coming up next week.  I'm engaged to Alex Robinson, who I just love <3 We just bought a house and have the start of a zoo here! We have:

Ares, who answers to Puppy or Tuna.  He is definitely a Mamma's Boy and has no idea what the word "chill" means. 

Velvet, a.k.a. Miss Brat, but really, she's a sweetie with separation anxiety and likes to sit on our chest and paw at our face to wake us up in the morning to let us know she's awake and wants wet food! This picture makes me remember her little kitten days... now she's 8 months old and has a little pooch she's starting to work off! 

And 2 ferrets, but I have to get the pictures off of my phone to upload them.  They're Mya and Kisses :)

Perfect timing, the dog and cat are playing catch me if you can! All over the first floor of the house.  It's so silly to watch Puppy do his little tuck butt run! But, as with all little "children", they like to get into absolutely everything! So we have to make sure everything is off the floor, and always have at least one eye on them! They are very much like brother and sister: they play and rough house all day, but come sleepy time, they curl up right next to each other. 

Both Alex and I are EMT's and work for an Ambulance company.

That's a good start, huh? 

So... to answer Facebook's famous question of what's on your mind, my answer is... lots. The biggest thing right now? Today one of my good friends is leaving on an Airplane going to Afghanistan.  I've had friends and family members be overseas before, but somehow this time, it seems more real to me.  Maybe because I'm older, maybe because we have a pretty good friendship.  Although he's been out of state since May, he's still someone I know I can talk to, and I can only hope vice versa.  My heart breaks as I think about how a military spouse can endure their wife or husband for being away for so long.  I know friendships are strong, but to be married to someone, that's an even bigger connection.  I don't know how they could do it.  I'd imagine if I were in that situation, I'd find a way.  Prayers and love sent their way! To the soldiers, their families, and their friends.  Because in some way, every one of those seems to serve the country by letting their loved one leave to protect what we all hold dear.  It makes me tear up every time I think of something ever happening to my friends and family who serve.  What they do is selfless.  I'd be on the first plane to some hospital overseas if anything ever happened... Letters and care packages are going to start being sent out of this house as soon as I get the address! I miss him already... and almost a year until he's back for good.  5 months until the wedding, and he's our Best Man.  I just want him home safe and sound. But I am thankful to have friends like him, and I hope that he knows it. 

God Bless the United States of America, and the Men and Women who serve this great nation. 

xoxoxo 

Comments and questions are always welcomed!