Happy Holidays??? Bahumbug!

That about sums up my feeling this year… “Happy Holidays”? No… It’s Merry Christmas thank you very much!

I admit that I am now an Easter, Christmas, Holy Day of Obligation Catholic.  I get it… I’m far from the perfect Christian. That being said, I still understand the meaning of CHRISTmas and what is important.

I was blessed at the tender age of 5 to understand Christmas. As I’ve mentioned before my mother and I ran pretty through life as a two person family for many years.  It made me who I am today. I learned a lot from my mother and I couldn’t imagine my life being any other way. 

One of the most important things I learned was what is important about Christmas. A few weeks before Christmas I was sent to stay with my maternal grandmother in a small town in west Texas. It was one of the hardest times of my life even to this day. A 5 year-old child whose parents were divorcing being sent away for the holidays. Even though it was hard, even then, I knew it was necessary. A small sacrifice to make for a happier life.

I can remember the weeks prior to Christmas and all I remember wanting was to see my Mother.  To just be able to have her hug me, hold me and sing me to sleep the only way she could… slightly off key. 

On Christmas Eve I remember saying my prayers and my grandmother telling my cousins and me about baby Jesus. While that is the true reason for Christmas I still wanted what was important about Christmas… my mother. 

To this day I still remember falling asleep in front of the tree waiting for Santa, but deep down inside I hoped I’d find my mother under that tree. That year Santa pulled through. My mother woke me up in the wee hours of the morning to say “Merry Christmas”… not “Happy Holidays”. I had my mother for Christmas! The only thing this 5 year old girl wanted. It was the best gift ever. 

Now that y’all know that about me I can jump on my soap box. With all the ducks and gays and school shootings and credit card hackings we’re all forgetting the true meaning of the Christmas season.

It’s not to buy an overwhelming amount of gifts or make the biggest dinner or have the biggest tree. It’s about family and loved ones. It’s about celebrating the birth of our sacrificial lamb. The lamb that will save us… and the fact that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son and that whoever believed in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  (That’s John 3:16. In case you didn’t know) 

The true meaning of Christmas is about love and sacrifice. Don’t get me wrong… the gifts are nice too. But when I give gifts I always give them with the thought that we aren’t promised another Christmas. The fear and love and anticipation and hope I had as a young girl has always been a part of me at Christmas.

So as an adult my gifts represent a small financial sacrifice, but most importantly it’s a symbol of love. A love, like God and Jesus had for us. A love and sacrifice that I could probably never fully know or act on. It’s a reminder of what Christmas is all about. The gift of everlasting life. The gift of unconditional love. 

So as I see news reports of people physically hurting other people to get the next Playstation and tickle me Elmo and I see companies taking financial advantage of people needing to keep up with the Jones’s  I can’t help but worry. 

As a nation we have truly forgotten that Christmas is a Christian holiday. The money being made and gifts that are given under the mask of Christmas are ruining the true meaning. The true meaning was broken in a Wal-Mart or Target isle somewhere...clean up isle 3.

As you read this I hope you’re reminded of what this season is all about. It’s about love and sacrifice and family and everlasting life, but most importantly it’s about Christ. Holiday didn’t die on the cross for us…Jesus Christ did. As you give your gifts and eat your dinner don’t let the true message of Christmas be lost. 

Try to keep the heart of a 5 year old girl in mind. It’s not the material things that are important. It’s love and family and sacrifice.

Merry Christmas to you all! May your day be filled with love and family and remember the sacrifice that was made for us!






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30 Things I learned from High School

1.      No matter what they say being popular helps.

2.      But just because you’re popular doesn’t mean you’re a good person. 

3.      Play sports! Even if it’s one sport for one year. The memories and friends are priceless. 

4.      DON’T EVER feel or look under a desk. Yes, there is gum under there… and no it isn’t yours.

5.      Skip class at least once. Just to say you did it. 

6.      Go to prom and the after prom, and Jr. girls, Sr. girls and any other formal your school has. 

7.      And you don’t have to have a boyfriend as your prom date to have a good time.

8.      Keep at least one pair of jeans from high school…so you can remember that even though you were a size 2 you didn’t have the curves you have now. 

9.      Eat all the crap you can! This is easiest time of your life to stay thin, toned and tight. 

10.  Talk to everyone. It makes you a more well rounded person…some of the most interesting people I knew in school no one else knew existed. 

11.  Don’t stop working out after graduation day. 

12.   That smoking hot popular guy everyone likes doesn’t always end up a loser…but there’s a 75% chance that he will. 

13.   Don’t worry about what other people think of you…worry about what you think of you.

14.  When going to a house party park your car down the street and around the corner so you can leave fast when the cops get there.

15.  Know exactly what extracurricular activities your friends are into… you don’t want to be educated on this when a cop pulls them over with you in the car. 

16.  Peer pressure sucks, but no matter what happens if you do something do it because you want to know what it’s like not because you want people to think you’re cool.

17.  If you do try something be sure there will be consequences. Whether it’s the wrath of your parents, the strong arm of the law or your own personal guilt there will be consequences. 

18.  Be friends with the cool gay guy in your class. He’s a great ego boost when you feel awkward and ugly.

19.  Just because their car is nicer than yours doesn’t mean their life is nicer.

20.  Go to as many football games as possible. 

21.  Stay away from the college kids who still hang out with high schoolers. They’re trouble. 

22.  Work!!!

23.  Don’t be in a rush to get your driver’s license. I have some of the best stories about trying to bum a ride or getting stranded somewhere. 

24.  This is not the best time of your life… it’s the easiest! 

25.  It’s ok to be on the bottom of the “A team”. It’s being on the “B team” that really starts to make things hard.

26.   Stay away from skanks (guys and girls)… the smell of skank may rub off on you. No one likes the smell of skank. 

27.  Make sure you actually walk at your graduation. I know too many people who didn’t. It’s probably not your first graduation, but it still feels amazing. 

28.  Don’t rush it… Go all 4 years… nothing more…nothing less.

29.  Even the best of friends will lose touch after high school. 

30.   As an adult you will only use about 5% of what was in the textbook… It’s the friends, experiences, memories and social skills that you will really keep and use the rest of your life.





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I'm Baaaaack...

I’ve spent the last year suffering from a little thing called writer’s block. It’s been sad. It’s been frustrating. It’s been annoying. But most importantly I felt like I let my 7 fans/readers of my blog down. Every time they ask when my next story is coming I keep saying “soon”. Kinda like a father telling his son their destination is just over that hill. 

I’ve had entries about the George Zimmerman case, immigration reform, how Oprah is an idiot, how awesome Texas is, my last relationship, my second to last relationship, my grandparents, my family, my obscene shoe collection, my fractured foot…I could go on and on…

I finally settled on what to write about for the next few weeks…me turning 30. The lessons I’ve learned, the memories I’ve made and where I’m going. 30 is a milestone. At 30 you’re officially a grown up, but still young enough for your parents to treat you like a child. 

So over the next few weeks I will have a few lists of 30 things. 

Starting, today, with 30 things I’ve learned from my mother.

1.      I learned how to give a real hug. No person on this planet can hug me like my mother does.

2.      How to cook. I tease her about burning things, but at the end of the day I got my skills from my mother.

3.      How to run pretty…but you all knew that already. :)

4.      How to ignore someone when you’re mad at them.

5.      How to sing like no one is listening.

6.      How to put the fear of God into a child.

7.      How to do laundry.

8.      How to do my own nails. Even though it rarely happens these days.

9.      What football is all about…and track and field.

10.  How to buy a good pair of running shoes.

11.  How to do my makeup.

12.  How to shave my legs and not miss a spot or cut myself. Even though I seem to forget this every once in a while.

13.  How to read. Yes… simple and somewhat obvious, but it’s important.

14.  All about Greek mythology. Cupid and Psyche was our favorite.

15.  How to take care of a pet.

16.  That you should forgive, but not forget.

17.  How to use a sewing machine.

18.  How to pick your friends.

19.  How to see who your enemies are. Sometimes they’re closer than you think.

20.  How to pray.

21.  That people may let you down, but at the end of the day you are in control of your destiny.

22.  Work harder than the person next to you.

23.  How to iron. Even though I still don’t like to do it.

24.   How to French braid my own hair.

25.  How to kill a plant. Sorry… lol

26.  How to drive.

27.   We all make mistakes it’s how you come out smelling in the end that’s important.

28.  No matter how independent and self sufficient you are you still need a man in your life for those things women aren’t made to do, but most importantly to love and share your life with.  

29.  Sometimes your family isn’t blood, but are those people who love and respect you the most.

30.  Most importantly, my Mother taught me how to love unconditionally even when the person you love most may have just let you down. 





visit www.theavocadochronicles.com