Today's Playlist: Tonight Show Thank You Note Song (Because music is the perfect backdrop for everything...click on the link above to listen) If you have never seen it, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon features a segment on Fridays in which he writes out funny thank you notes that call attention to various ironic or humorous elements of pop culture. You can see a funny example here. Lately, I have been catching myself talking in my head and sarcastically thanking people who do something silly, inanimate objects that I argue with or don't understand, or situations that don't make sense. So I thought I would write about some of those as they come to mind. In the style of my man Jimmy, I would like to catch up on a few of my thank you notes if you don'mind. Today's Playlist: Mandy- Barry Manilow Forever Young- Bob Dylan ABC- Jackson 5 (Because music is the perfect backdrop for everything...just click on the links to listen)
D: Days of Our Lives...Although I almost hate to admit it because of its questionable content, but I have watched Days for as long as I can remember (about 36+ years). I have been there when Bo rescued Hope from the church on his motorcycle, when all the kids (who now look older than me) were born, when Marlena was possessed, and through all of Stefano's antics. I feel like I know the characters personally and it will always have a place in my heart even though I don't watch it every single day. E: Everybody Loves Raymond...This is probably my favorite comedy sitcom (although I love Friends too) and it literally makes me laugh out loud every time I watch it. The story lines they come up with are so hysterical and so relevant to married life. I also LOVE Ellen DeGeneres. If anyone has any connections to get me to see her show, hook me up. Please. H: Halloween...Anyone who knows me will tell you of my disdain for Halloween. I know a lot of people love it and think of it as just a fun "holiday" to get free candy, but I HATE everything about it. I always have, ever since I was a kid. I love decorating for fall, but I do not put up any Halloween decorations and if it was up to me, my family would skip it altogether (that is something we had to work out and compromise on through the years). I also am deathly afraid of Michael Myers...I can't even stand to see his face. My students used to scare and tease me all the time with the Halloween theme song or by changing my desktop background to a picture of his face. I: Instruments...My favorite stringed instrument is the mandolin. I love the sound of it and immediately recognize it in a song. I actually bought one and learned to play a few chords but, just like the guitar, I didn't commit enough time to learning so it sits in my closet. Learning to play the mandolin still remains on my bucket list though.
K: Kids...As the oldest of four kids, I spent hours babysitting my siblings. I DID NOT want any kids when I grew up. Well, I now have six kids and wouldn't trade it for the world. I guess God knows better and I'm thankful He doesn't let us plan our future. No matter how old my kids get or where they are (at home, college, or even Heaven), I will always be a mom of six and be grateful for every memory and time spent together. You will hear all about them on the Family & Connections blog page. L: Lights...I am obsessed with twinkle lights. In my home, which is filled with country decor, I have lights everywhere all year long. I have several slender pine trees that I have decorated with things to match my decor that are lit and scattered throughout the house and I have lights on top of my kitchen cabinets and living room picture window. I think they make my home feel so relaxing and cozy. At Christmas, I change the lights from white to multi-colored. M: Maroon 5...They are my guilty pleasure when it comes to music. I know they are not the most moral of musical groups, but for some reason I love their sound. My husband makes me limit the number of Maroon 5 songs I put on playlists for road trips because I will put too many. All of the music I have download by them is censored because I rarely curse and don't like music that does...I didn't actually realize their music had profanity until my sister bought us tickets to see them for my birthday. Adam Levine definitely has a potty mouth but yes, he is just as attractive in person. N: Night Owl...I am such a night owl and always have been. I do not do well in the mornings because I love to stay up really late. I get my best work, especially writing, done at night and I love to be up in the house when everyone else is sleeping. It does not contribute positively to my overall health because I still have to wake up at about 6:15 every day and don't usually go to sleep until after 1:00 am. O: Outdoors...Believe it or not, I love to be outside. Although I like my cozy house and my recliner and spend most of my time inside, I love the feeling and the smells of being outdoors. I could take the best nap on my porch if the weather is right. I don't like extremes in temperature though; 65-70 degrees feels amazing. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being at our campsite, sitting outside and the smell of a campfire in the evening. There is nothing like it. P: Parenthood...The BEST show ever. I binged watched the entire series on Netflix and cried on the last episode. Then I was sad because it was over and wanted to start it again. I have since done just that. I love all the characters and the way they confront and work through real-life issues together as a family. Crosby is my favorite; I named my car after him since I won't have anymore children and probably no more dogs. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it but be prepared for late nights because you will find yourself saying, "Just one more episode." Q: Quiet...I like things to be quiet and peaceful as opposed to loud and chaotic. This has been hard to achieve through the years with six kids and teaching 150+ middle school kids, but my favorite times are when all is calm. As for my personality, I am actually pretty quiet and introverted until I get to know someone. I prefer smaller groups and a few really close friends. I find myself shy when it comes to meeting new people and often look away or down when carrying on a conversation that doesn't feel natural. Once I get comfortable with you though, I love to joke around and have fun and if you get me talking about God, you probably won't be able to shut me up. R: Roadtrips...I LOVE road trips! My family and I take road trips regularly. We love to go to Gatlinburg TN, Erie Pa, Deep Creek Maryland, Myrtle Beach, and just about anywhere. Last year I took my two older girls to Ocean City and my husband and I went on a New England road trip. We liked it so much that this year, we are taking everyone on a ten-day road trip to the New England area (will travel through 10 states in 10 days). I even love solo road trips and am not really scared to drive long distances alone. One of the best part of road trips is stopping for snacks at gas stations. My bucket list includes wanting to visit all 50 states. I think I'm about halfway there. S: Seasons...One of my favorite things about life is the change of seasons. I am amazed at God's presence that is so evident in the process. I love something about every season and could go on and on talking about it. My favorite thing is the changing of the leaves and the colors that emerge. I think fall is my favorite season. I love the "Christmas season" more than you can imagine (even though it is not a natural "season"). I can relate the changing of seasons to the cycles we experience in life, which is so profound to me, and my favorite Bible verse is Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2...Look it up! T: Theology...I know it sounds nerdy, but I love to study Bible theology. Having been confronted with some major errors in theology that became evident when dealing with real-life issues in my life, I plunged myself into finding Biblical truth about major Christian beliefs. The more I dig into the Word, the more excited I get about what I am learning and the more the truth of God becomes evident. There are so many things in the Bible that I never knew about even though I have been a Christian for many years. I wish more people would really find out if what they have been taught in church is actually true. U: Under a blanket...You will always find me cuddled in a blanket, even in the summer. It makes me feel safe and cozy. As strange as this may sound, it makes me feel like God's arms are around me keeping me safe and carrying me through, especially during the tough times. V: Videos...One of my hobbies is making videos on my computer with pictures and video clips. I use Windows Movie Maker (currently) to put together a sort of slide show of all my family's photos from the year. I include photos of major events, vacations, and even just silly moments. I set the pictures to music and add captions. The videos end up being over an hour usually and every year we watch it as a family around New Year's Eve. Everyone looks forward to it and it has become a wonderful tradition that I am so glad I started. I can give my kids a copy of the family videos to show their kids someday. I also did the same thing for my classes when I was teaching. I would take pictures all year and then show the video the last day of school. My students (and I) would cry every year and they would skip other classes to watch it over and over. It was my favorite day of the year. W: White Christmas...This is my favorite movie. I have been watching it ever since I can remember and it is very nostalgic for me. It has been a tradition passed down for several generations in my family. I know just about every word and song in it and have seen the play off-Broadway twice. Every year, after I put my kids' presents under the tree, I watch it. My husband and I actually watched it on our first date too (which was in early December). It thrills my heart now when I hear my girls sing "Sisters." X: X-Ray...I used to be an x-ray tech about ten years ago. I went to school at Wheeling Hospital (there is no longer a school there now) and worked in x-ray for about nine years, including my time in school. I went back to college to be a teacher while I was still working in x-ray and transitioned to teaching full-time in 2005. I have seen lots of interesting things during my career in x-ray and have been able to share those experiences in my classroom. Z: Zoo...I love to go to the zoo. My daughter, Kacie, wanted to be a zookeeper so going there will forever remind me of her. The Columbus Zoo actually sent her a name tag and a certificate to be an Honorary Zoo Aide when she was sick; it meant more to her than they will ever know. My favorite animals are the giraffes and I love to see the male lions. They are so majestic and to hear them roar gives me chills. I always take pictures of the animals even though I have seen them a dozen times and I know I will probably never go back and look at them again. Well, those are some unique things about me...I love reading these kinds of facts about others. It makes me feel more normal. Hopefully you enjoyed getting to know me a little better and you continue to come back to my site as I reveal even more about myself and my family; please feel free to comment and share some things about yourself that we may have in common. Until next time...
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AuthorHello and WELCOME to my site! My name is Amanda Yates and I am a 44 year-old mom of six children from a blended family. I am a middle school teacher and a passionate follower of Christ. In my "free" time, I love decorating my home, organizing, studying scripture, and making every attempt to get my life "just right." I am blessed beyond measure! ArchivesCategories |
Life Just Right. | Random Collections Blog |