Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Spirit of Christmas

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. -Calvin Coolidge
After having a wonderful Thanksgiving with family it really set the mood for December. I had the Spirit of Christmas burning through me. It was going to be a busy month! I was working so many promos, and having holiday cocktails with friends. I loved every bit of it! I think its because I didn't enjoy those moments as much the year before until it was almost to late. Not this year, I wan't going to let my favorite time of giving pass me by. I couldn't wait to put up our Christmas tree, hang our stockings, and decorate our house with lights outside. I even planned a Christmas party for my girls. Shopping for them, cooking for them, everything was so fun! It was a little difficult picking the date for the party but we all managed to find a night.
The scent of cinnamon apples and the exchange of candles and laughter, filled my living room over wine and hors d'oeuvres. Chris played a private acoustic session for us. We even skyped with Jennifer who wasn't able to be there because she was in Cali. It was a great night. I was so happy how it turned out. That following weekend I went to Indy for Christmas with Rachel since she was in Nashville for Thanksgiving. We open gifts, went out on the town. It was nothing too crazy, just simple time together. On the last day I was there we had tickets to the Titans vs Colts game. It was my first time at Lucas Oil Stadium. I was definitely impressed in the facility. The game was somewhat of a shocker though. It didn't quite turn out how everyone anticipated it to. That season the Titan's were a little rocky, but the Colts oh my, they were terrible, because they lost Peyton Manning to an injury. Something happened in this game though.
The Colts ended up winning their first game all season! That blue and white confetti had waited months to be released from its holding place. Kinda, ironic how that happened. When I made it home, it was only a week and half until Christmas. I had the MillerCoors Mistletoe party with my SPEAKeasy ladies that week. Lina and I entertained ourselves all night in the photo booth. Trae came for the free beer and then we went Honky Tonkin after I was released.  It was such a merry time with my girls. I still had shopping to do for family and Trae. I was starting to stress over his present. I knew he wanted a guitar, but geez they were so expensive. Then one day at work I finally found one online, I was so excited. It was perfect. There were many more celebrations that week. It was Tiffany's birthday, Jennifer and Josh were in town for Christmas, we all got together for drinks and catching up. It truly felt like Christmas. I was so blessed. Trae and I had points that holiday season that we didn't know if we were going to continue working on things.
We both had moments and people that we still connected with, I had thoughts that maybe this wasn't right, that maybe there was someone else that was better for me out there, and I just wasn't giving myself the opportunity to explore those feelings.
 I tried many times before but,  he was always the one person that my feelings stayed constant for. The one my heart raced for. We had decided after everything we were trying to do, that we owed it to ourselves to go somewhere just the two of us for New Years. Years before that we always spent this night in the company of friends. But this was different. After the exchanging of presents and time with the family. A few days later we packed the car and headed to the NOLA! It was going to be my first time there, and I couldn't wait to walk down Bourbon Street!
.:XOXO TMARIE:.

Those to be Thankful For

It was now November the month to give thanks for all the things that you had in your life. I had started working promotions again this month with SPEAKeasy. I was making new friends and growing older friendships that needing a little watering. The new girls I worked with were something of a breath of fresh air. They looked up to me, but I looked up to them for the accomplishments they had in there life as well. Lina for instance, she is the kindest soul I've met in a long time. So naturally beautiful, her personality shines with a sense of innocence to the way people can be in this world and I love that about her. She is always so sweet and never feels a sense of entitlement to anything. She just has this amazing free spirit, and a beautiful daughter as her mini side kick. I am so happy to have them both in my life. Its like having someone always there to remind you that no matter what you have been through, that you can do anything and still be as kind-hearted to the people around you. 
Then there's Tiffany, T-Squared is what we like to call ourselves. LOL its always an on going joke when we worked together when people ask us our names. They never believe us or they blurt out T-Squared! Well anyways, I've known Tiffany for a long time, we had always remained friends, but it wasn't until this recent 2 years that we became closer as friends. We had moved close to each other in Brentwood when I moved out of Trae's. She was there those nights that I just didn't want to go out but needed a friend and a glass of wine to talk. I was happy to have made such a good friend out of an acquaintanceship from previous years. I remember meeting her when she was just in high school, we still look back and laugh about those days and how crazy it was that we ended up where we are today and how our circle of friends connected. It was truly a blessing meeting her.
 I somehow think that we were supposed to be close friends all along, it was just a matter of our paths in life colliding at the right times. Now that they finally had, I know I would always have this beautiful soul to count on. Peyton and I had been friends since high school, we grew so much closer those long summer months. He was always there for me, a place to workout frustrations in the gym, or lay out by the pool where he could scope out the ladies. Either way we were like Bonnie and Clyde that summer. As November rolled around, we celebrated our Thanks with a night of Charity for his organization the Phoenix Club. Rachel came down from Indy for our "Twinky Thanksgiving" we enjoyed the Taste of Nashville event then headed downtown to do a little "honky-tonkin." 
Of all the times she had been here, we never once went down to Broadway. I usually steered clear of that area because of Trae, but now I loved to go because of Trae. He took me a few nights that Fall and I truly enjoyed it. Maybe it was just I was so tired of seeing the same people all the time, but this became fun to me, and working promos down there helped me know what nights to go. I was so thankful to have such strong relationships with these people because, Trae and I were doing alright at this point but it wasn't anywhere near the way I wanted it.
 He was still having doubts about me, and I about him. We were constantly battling the fact of trusting each other. There were so many reasons for us not to trust each other. But to trust in the love we had for each other was something we didn't quite understand, and with all the doubt I was experiencing with him, to have these people there and my SPEAKeasy team of girls, it kept my mind and heart sane. Thanksgiving day I found myself boarding the plane to Pennsylvania for my first Thanksgiving as a complete family. 
There were so many thoughts running through my mind about how this was going to go. We as long as I can remember hadn't been all together in a long time. There were always family matters that prevented us from being together as a family. I honestly wasn't too excited about going. All of the preconceived thoughts that kept us apart for so long scared me a little. But I went for my Dad. It meant the world to him to have all of his girls together and grand-kids. I chose to fly alone to PA to gather my thoughts and prepare myself for what could happen while I was there.
 But once I landed in Philly and on my layover I sat with a glass of wine in the airport and realized that everyone was waiting on me. That they were all together, happy in each others company. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all. I picked up a little airplane for Rowan because he was going to be there to greet me at the airport. I was so happy to see Laurie, Brett and Rowan. When we got to Nikki's house everyone was in such bright spirits. We were family, like we had been doing this for years. The food was amazing, the desserts even better. But it was great to see my nephews and sisters. This time that brought us all together was what we needed as a family. We even went black Friday shopping that night around Midnight. LOL Oh the crazies you see during that time was hilarious.
 It was cold, and we didn't want to stand in line so we sat in the car until the doors opened and made a mad dash for the entry way. HAHA, everyone was so pissed off but it was funny to us. The next day we spent taking family portraits, and Nikki and Matt took us to this awesome place to eat dinner called the Bube's Brewery that sat above catacombs in PA. It was such an amazing place. They couldn't have picked anywhere better. Later that night we met up with our cousins at a little bar in town. My parents dropped us off, and as the Brensinger's walked in we all sat and ordered drinks, catching up, singing, and laughing like we did as kids...

then a song starts playing "Forever Young" and as I sat my glass of wine down from taking a sip....I look up and my parents are walking in. It was such an appropriate song for the two of them. When they sat down to join us, they said, we drove around the parking lot and decided we weren't ready to go home. Haha, this is why I love my parents. They are such an inspiration on how a marriage should be. I want that best friend for life and I wanted it with Trae. It was just a matter of time for us to get back on that  level. After the long weekend celebrating, and giving thanks to a family once forgotten, now saved....
 I look back at how things were and so happy that we had this time to reconnect as siblings. These were some of things I found myself being thankful that Thanksgiving.
.:XOXO TMARIE:.