The 25 Days of Christmas!

Believe it or not, tomorrow is the first day of December! (It is also, coincidentally, a week before my birthday. Just a reminder to all my family and friends that may want to buy me a present call/text and say, "Happy birthday.") So tomorrow means 25 days until Christmas! Where did the year go?

Well, just in case shopping, preparing for family, cooking, decorating, and all of the other wonderful traditions associated with this glorious holiday do not keep you busy enough, here are 25 things to do on the 25 days of Christmas:

1. Decorate- I'm sure most of you have already done this, but if you're like me, holiday travels kept you away from your home and you're just getting back. Of course, if you have already decorated, you can always add more. I personally don't plan to stop until I'm literally walking in a winter wonderland. Need ideas? Check out Pinterest and get addicted. Need an invite? Just let me know.
2. Go ice-skating- Is anything more fun?
3. Build a gingerbread house!
4. Volunteer somewhere- If you live in the St. Marys area, follow this link to find out more about helping the Children's Home Society of Florida. Not your thing? No problem. There's soup kitchens, humane societies, USOs, and United Ways accessible just about everywhere that could use your talents.
5. Take a holiday tour of homes- For other St. Mary-ians (???), this event takes place in downtown St. Marys on December 10th and in Amelia Island on December 2 and 3 from 10-4. 
6. Send an USO holiday box to a troop overseas-Details here.
7. Bundle up in your peacoat and scarf and head out to a Christmas play.
8. Watch Elf, A Christmas Story, and It's A Wonderful Life over and over again.
9. Make hot chocolate- Yummm!!!
10. Become a Big Brother or Big Sister- It's a one-year commitment that takes away a minimum of 8 hours of your month. Most of us can sacrifice that, and you'll make a huge difference in a child's life. 
11. Send homemade Christmas cards-All you need is some card stock paper, stickers or a stamping kit, and a little bit of creativity. (Some postage necessary.)
12. Make reading your Bible part of your daily routine. That way, when the new year is upon us and we start once again the "Read Your Bible In A Year" plan, it won't seem like such a daunting task.
13. Send flowers to someone you think might like them.
14. Host (or participate in) a gag-gift swap.
15. Finish up your scrapbook from four years ago this year- I know there seems like no time with everything else you've got going on, but most people have some extra time off in the month of December; take an afternoon and see what you get accomplished.
16. Take a lot of family photos!
17. Read a classic book snuggled under a warm blanket. I recommend To Kill A Mockingbird.
18. Put together a Christmas puzzle.
19. Give a book to everyone on your list-Me=nerd! But seriously, there's a book out there for everyone.
20. Make your bowl predictions, and participate in a friendly competition (i.e. one that involves NO gambling).
21. Bake and decorate Christmas cookies.
22. Get away for a weekend and go skiing! Before Christmas is considered off-peak season, so the prices are usually lower. Can't afford it now or just can't get away? Plan a family ski trip for a little later in the winter season, then start an adventure fund of spare change. You can even plan ahead for next year!
23. For the die-hard football fans, find which bowl game is played closest to you and go! Last year, Ryan and I went to the Gator Bowl (the one where Mississippi State demolished Michigan) and we paid $80 for two can't-beat seats. Plus, we had a fantastic time!
24. Adopt a puppy! Everybody needs a home for Christmas, including our four-legged friends! And while we're on that subject, if you've ever even considered adopting a child or becoming a foster parent, you definitely should! What could be a better Christmas present than to save a child from a lost childhood and bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? Ok, enough for that soapbox.
25. Thank God daily for every blessing in your life!

The Case for Derek Dooley

Defendant: Derek Dooley, Head Football Coach at the University of Tennessee

Charges:

• Ruining the reputation/spirit of the University of Tennessee Volunteers-1 count
• Poor coaching decisions-5 counts
• Poor hires-2 counts

Prosecutor: People of Vol Nation

Evidence: Prosecution

• Defendant led his team to a loss against the University of Kentucky Wildcats, the first loss to this team in 26 years.
• Defendant failed to reach a bowl in his second year as head coach.
• Defendant hired Jim Chaney, an offensive coordinator with experience at the ever-so unsuccessful St. Louis Rams and the much less than prestigious schools Wyoming, Purdue, and Cal State Fullerton. 
• Defendant hired Eric Russell as Special Teams Coach, a coach that failed to teach his special teams how to tackle, block, or basically do anything one does on special teams.
• Defendant failed to replace Michael Palardy, a kicker for whom the adage "couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat" was made. 
• Defendant failed to bench an obviously tired/injured/lethargic Tyler Bray during the loss to Kentucky.
• Defendant forfeited Justin Worley's red shirt in the fourth quarter of the Alabama game only to hand the ball off five times.

Evidence: Defense

• Defendant suffered the loss of Justin Hunter in the third game of the season, followed soon by the temporary loss of Tyler Bray, losing possibly the best, albeit youngest, quarterback-receiver combo in the nation.
• Defendant endured the toughest schedule in nation, playing two national championship contenders and a very strong Arkansas team.
• Defendant assembled a team from the youngest group of football players in the FBS, only 68 of which on scholarship.
• Defendant's 2011 recruiting class ranked 13th in the nation.
• When the devil himself vacated his coaching position at the University of Tennessee two weeks before national signing day, the defendant managed to salvage a recruiting class ranked 9th in the nation. 
• Defendant has excellent hair and fashion sense.

Verdict:

• Guilty of 5 counts poor coaching decisions.
• Guilty of 2 counts poor hires.
• Not guilty of 1 count ruining the reputation/spirit of the University of Tennessee Volunteers.

Jury recommends Dooley be placed on one year probation, during which he must win all four out-of-conference games and a minimum of three SEC games, followed by a bowl victory. Defendant must also produce another top 15 recruiting class. Defendant must also fire Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney and vigorously pursue David Cutcliffe and/or Peyton Manning. 

Things I Think That I Think

Randomly throughout the day I have thoughts...ok hopefully that's obvious, but as anyone who knows me well knows, I have this running commentary I keep on life in general (hence the name of the blog). And sometimes I want to blog about these thoughts, but some require further research or just a significant time commitment I'm not willing to forfeit. But, just so the world does not go without knowing the depths of Angie's brain, I have compiled these thoughts together for you in a short list. This list is not comprehensive, just the recurring thoughts.

1. I think... I need to blog more. You may disagree.

2. I think... I want to buy a house, but for all the wrong reasons. Here's the reasons I told Ryan: The mortgage would probably be significantly cheaper than our rent (good reason), I could decorate however I wanted (not a good reason), and we could have like five dogs and all the pets we wanted (bad reason). Nevertheless, I can dream, and one day, when these military days are behind us, we can buy our little dream home in...well, that remains to be seen.

3. I think...that college football should definitely have a playoff.

4. I am think...-ing about a career/school change. What's the world record for college transfers?

5. I think...I cannot wait until Thanksgiving because the day after I can decorate for CHRISTMAS!!! We watched Elf last night, and now I am totally in the holiday spirit! Plus, I'm getting all these neat decorating ideas, and I cannot wait to put them to good use.

6. I think...Elf is Will Ferrell's best movie.

7. I think...it's amazing how man spends so much time and energy (not to mention money) trying to figure out how to live a happy life, and study after study continuously shows that the life outlined in the Bible is by far the best. I will blog about this soon.

8. I think...I am ecstatic my hometown is going to be employing Teach for America members soon, and I cannot wait to graduate and apply myself (though I would NOT request the Huntsville placement).

9. I think... I am going to run the Marine Corps Marathon next year, which probably means I should stop blogging and get to training!

10. I think...I am married to greatest guy in the world...wait, nope, I KNOW that one!