It is the Christmas Season!! Technically, I can not really decorate or start thinking of Christmas until after December 1, my husband's birthday. As far back as he remembers his mother has celebrated his birthday on Thanksgiving and he feels it has never been very special. We have known each other for 3 years and every year I try to make it as special as I can for him. So, on Saturday December 2, I will be putting up my decorations.

I have written out my christmas cards, to me they are very personnel. I just do not like email Christmas Cards, I do like any other holiday but that one. When I was a little girl growing up, I remember we used to get so many Christmas Cards, we would hang them up around the house and it just looked more festive in the house. My mother always had extra cards and extra gifts just in case someone sent her a card and she had forgotten them, or someone stopped by unexpectly. I always thought that is so thoughtful of her, and wish I could be that way. I seem to have enough money for just the amount of gifts I need, and never any extra cards. This year I do have extra cards, because my husband bought me a box yesterday.

My mom is the most giving person in the world. When I was in high school, she bought my friend her prom dress because she couldn't afford one, she took in a troubled teen friend of mine for 2 months, until the girl hurt me deeply then my mom protected me as she always had. She has just gotten married for the third time, and even though she is retired she asked me, do you want me to get you a washer/dryer set? I am like mom, NO you can not afford it, we will get it when we can buy it ourselves think of yourself for a change. When my mom married my stepfather (2nd husband), the first christmas while my sisters and I were at my Dad's, His children all 5 and their spouces and children came to our house, they brought gifts for everyone but my mom. How rude, she made a great brunch for them, made sure she had the perfect gift for each of them, and then they bought her nothing, and sat there and smiled while they opened presents and so did my stepfather. I have never forgiven them for that slight, I know it has been about 25 years since that Christmas and they are not married anymore, but it is a time for sharing and loving why intentionally hurt someone?

My biggest wish is that my mother is happy, healthy and settled. She deserves the best in life and I miss not living close to her, especially this time of year. My mom is my best friend in the world, she makes me laugh an think about what I want out of life. I admit I don't take her advise that often, my mom's beliefs are alittle off, but she always means well. My sister and brother depend on her more than I do, and I think that is why she offers me things. My mother is the queen of cleaning out her closets and sending or dropping off boxes of stuff to us, never a letter or an explanation. My husband and I got a box on Monday of Curtains, (1) Chair Cover and tablcloths, what makes this extremely funny is my mom has never seen our house or how we have decorated. What is funny, this is new to my husband and I explained when I lived close to her, I used to get furniture or boxes left at my house or apartment and my roommates would be like where did that come from? Oh, my mom!! Her giving nature makes me laugh and I love her for it...

Everyone, have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year.

Respect is the word today!! Do you say thank you and please to every person that helps you in your life?

The check out girl/guy at the grocery store? The bank teller? The front desk agent who checks you into a hotel?

My husband has instilled in me over the 3 years that I never said, thank you or please to people and he was appalled especially since I was a waitress, banquet server and restaurant manager for many years, and hated when people were not respectful of me. I now make a point of saying, thank you, please and not have an attitude with sloppy service. Bad attitude breeds bad attitude back.

Please realize people in the service industry do it because we love to work with people, and sometimes it gets really hard when the guests/client is snapping at you or yelling at you for this or that because they are having a bad day.

Smile, before you speak an realize every person deserves respect...

I am very angry today. I have just gotten to work, yes I am working on Black Friday. I work in Convention Services at a Hotel basically, I detail events coming into the hotel. My anger today is directed at selfish uninformed customers who come into the hotel when it comes to banquets. Here are some steps to live by if booking a banquet event in a hotel:
1. There are policies in affect for a reason when it comes to guarantee of how many people you can accommodate at a function. We have to staff, and ensure enough food most hotels is 3 days prior to the event and my hotel is no different.
I had a group of 30 people coming in for a Thanksgiving Dinner, then at 430pm on Wednesday before she left a Voice Message on my machine to add 21 more people, I did not get this message until Friday morning and even if I had received this message I could not do that, we can not get food on such short notice and especially not on a holiday. DO NOT ASSUME I RECEIVED A MESSAGE UNLESS I CALL YOU BACK!!
2. Banquets are not restaurants you can not pay as you go through the buffet line, you have to give back up for payment.
3. When we tell you we need your menu and counts as soon as possible, don't say we can't do that, we are busy or we will not be getting together for a week, then do not expect to have a successful event.

We want to service you and make your event a success but if you sabotage it the only one you can blame is yourself. Realize we are a business, what our contract states is true not just "until you realize you are not meeting your numbers". Please treat us with respect, we only want a successful event it does not do us any good to have an unsuccessful event, word of mouth is huge!! We are professionals, gone to school for this..

Its the day before Thanksgiving, this year is just the two of us. I am looking forward to it, I will be watching the Macy's Day Parade and then the original Miracle on 34th Street. Because, seriously the original is my favorite, even though Dermot McDermott is dreamy but he I watch in Home for the Holidays my other Thanksgiving must have!!

We are having a huge dinner and will have left overs for at least two weeks, but it is so worth it. I wish everyone out there a very Happy Thanksgiving.

UCONN WOMENS FIELD HOCKEY are in Winston-Salem, NC for the NCAA Tournament, today they are going against UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND last years winners. I am so excited they are staying here at the hotel I work for, due to we are in the south it is great to see and meet people from my home state.

GO UCONN!! KICK BUTT

Ok, today I was reading my home paper and was horrified to see a 'Shooting in Putnam", so of course, looked on it and was even more appalled about the reason. It seems today the Playstation 3 comes out and two teenagers thought, "Hey it is $500-$600 for one of those, lets go rob the people who are standing in line." Well, a "21" year old who most likely has worked hard for this item, was not about to give up his money and was shot. WHY?? To him you wonder was it more important then your life? To the shooters, are you that motivated by greed that you would shoot someone for $500 or $600?

Why were two teenage boys out at 3am, did their parents even realize they were gone? What has the world come to that, these boys don't want to work for something but what it given to them? I think our society tells young children you need all these items, get them anyway you an instead of when I was growing up in the 70's, work for what you want an you will enjoy the item more.

When I got my first paycheck when I was 15, I went out and bought a turn table and 10 45's, I was never more excited then the fact I bought them with my own money, then asking my parents and I had that turntable well into by 20's. It was my first earnings and I admit it meant more to me then anything in the world. I felt I had accomplished something and a sense of freedom for being able to pay for it myself.

Why do the young people today have no sense of accomplishment or pride in doing a good job? Is it society, parents or just plain inbred laziness?

Just a thought.

Last night, was another new episode of Gilmore Girls, it was good except for the fact that Lorelai married Christopher in Paris, why??? I am so upset by this turn of events, where is Luke? I am still questioning where Scott Patterson is, what is with the new writers??

I also watched Law & Order CI, I think my favorite character Bobby Goran is losing it, please do not get rid of one of my favorite characters on TV. Reality television has taken over the airwaves so when you actually get into a show and the character you hate to lose them. It is like losing a friend. I was excited when the brought back Mike Logan, of course being a HUGE Sex and the City fan, I still think of him as Mr. Big..

Television is my escape and I like it better if it is not real people. Believe me I watch Reality TV too, but enjoy the real shows, real writers than the self indulgsion of real people trying to get on reality tv to become famous.

Well, this weekend, I did something I never do, I actually worked around our house. I stained boards to make our book shelves. Must husband and I have almost 1,000 books between us and since the move 7 weeks ago most of our books are still in boxes. Our bookshelf now repaired stands empty, and the boards needed something, due to the 82' weather I took it upon myself to stain them.

Anyone who knows me, knows I am not coordinated or artsy in anyway. Basically, I make a mess of almost everything I try, either on myself or on the piece of material I am working on. So, I was quite surprised with myself when the boards came out half way decent. I think my husband was in shock.. I admit I never thought I would be one to want to make my home better, but due to circumstances lately, we have been spending most of our time at home, I need it to be cozier, nicer, basically as comfortable as possible.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

It is Election day did you vote? My husband set the alarm early so we could vote before work, I think he was worried I would not vote unless he was with me. (most likely correct).

Anyway, we made friends, with another couple. We met up on Friday night for drinks and ended up eating too. It was so much fun, they were so much like us, it kind of was scary. We were so excited that another couple would want to be friends with us, not that we aren't nice people, its just we are so new to the area and it seems the older you get the harder it is to make friends.

Do you remember when you were in grade school, and it was easy to have a friend? Or your mom made you be friends? It was also easy to make enemies depending on where you stood on the social ranking, which in grammar school I was on the bottom rung, Junior high a little higher not much and by High School, I knew how to play the game and pick an choose which "click" to belong too. I think when you are growing up we are programmed to play the game and learn how to work what we have or don't have to our own advantage. So if you think about it we learn about politics from an early age.

Think about it, did you put yourself out to embrace the "new" kid? the nerd? the shy one? Who were you the bully, leader or follower? Or were you like me, I just wanted to blend into my surroundings I didn't put myself out there, not that it helped. I was still picked on by the more secure girls, for anything and everything. I made the mistake of becoming friends with one girl and when I told her my deepest secrets (11years old), not so big or deep now anyone she told the bully and I was tormented for the next year, until someone new screwed up to be made fun of and take the heat off of me.

Life is tough, but I believe if you can make it through school without psychological problems you are better off then many.

It is less than 24 hours until the mid-term elections in our country, please remember to get out an vote.

Today, I am bringing and issue that is close to my heart. On December 2, 2001 a man named Robert "Woody" Woodward was gunned down in a church in Brattleboro, Vermont by 2 police officers. According to the 18 people in the church have stated over and over again, Woody was not threatening anyone but himself with a knife, then why gun him down with 7 bullets in front of the congregation?

Why has there never been justice? We are coming up to the 5th year anniversary of this tragic death and still there is "NO JUSTICE FOR WOODY". Even the Governor at the time, did nothing and all the inconsistency of this tragic story have never fully come to light. So the people who knew Woody are spreading the word, what would you do if someone you know, care about is gunned down with no provaction?

I went to High School with Woody, a very smart man, funny, all he wanted to do was help people. He lived a very simple life in Vermont, and took care of mentally challenged children for a living. Did he deserve to die this way and no one is punished?

Don't forget Woody.

Good Morning Bloggers:
I realize no one really reads mine, which is fine. I like the feeling of putting my feelings, opinions and thoughts out into the universe. I have been told I never stop talking an most of the time I am on my soap box, today all I want to say is VOTE REPUBLICAN!!

The mid term elections are in 2 days and the DEMOCRATS want to raise our taxes can you afford that? I can't, to be honest I can barely afford my rent these days..

I should let everyone know I have A.D.D. so sometimes I will start something and my mind will waunder and I can not spell if you have not noticed already. For my job, I book and detail events at a hotel I have notes for everything, when a client is talking I am taking notes, I am sure they find that rude at times, but I do not want to miss anything. This way I do not lose track it gives me something to do with my hands so I can't look around and think of something else. I want your event and your experience to be as close to perfect as I can get it.

I have been in the hotel business for well over 20 years, starting as a Hostess in a Marriott restaurant in the 80's. Then little bouquet hotels (less than 100 rooms) and now a Convention Center with 460+ rooms, an 100,000+ square feet of meeting space. The reason I am sharing this is to let some clients know something about the hotel industry, WE ARE A BUSINESS.. When we give you our prices for banquet meals it is because in order to maintain our property at the standards you expect, and the service we must charge this prices. We do our homework and look at our competetion and are usually the same pricing or $1.00 more per item if that much sometimes it is a few cents.

Basically, you get what you pay for, but we have to not only worry about food costs, we have labor, lights, tables, chairs, linens to consider and depending on the property security. Please realize we are here to make money. Basically, when you go to McDonalds or a Steakhouse do you say? Your entrees cost to much this is what I am willing to pay? I have no problem customizing a menu to be within your budget but do not be shocked when it is not Filet Mignon or Shrimp and is Chicken and Pasta or only (1) entree depending on the budget. We want to help you and work with you but please be reasonable and $12.00 inclusive of service and tax is not reasonable for a plated dinner.

Contracts are not something you sign, but feel you can not live up to as if it doesn't really matter, we put those attritution, food and beverage minimums into place for a reason. We forecast on what you say your doing and turn other business away because we are planning on servicing your group, when your numbers drop and you decide to either cxl or downsize a week before the event it affects our bottom line like every other business. We do understands things happen and will work with you, like rebooking within a reasonable time, but if you decide to go somewhere else or cancel all together, our contract is there to protect us and yourselves.

People seem shocked that airline flights have gone up in the last few weeks, realize unless someone is in that seat you can not make that money up with an empty seat. Same with hotels if no one buys that meeting room for the day we can not get that back.

Please be considerate an realize we are a business, just like your business. We are here to work with you, but be realistic and not expect us to always bend because the limited hotel down the street will undercut us again you get what you pay for better or worse.

John Kerry did it again, put his foot in his mouth. Why can't he admit he was wrong? Why won't he apologize will that really make him look weak? I think any person who says something so stupid, should at least have the balls to say, I messed up, I was not saying all military people are stupid. Why????

How dare he make a derogatory remarks about our men and women in the military, I believe he has said enough times about his military career are you saying, your not smart Senator? Which even according to Don Imus, John Kerry's biggest problem is he thinks he is smarter than most of us, and he isn't. President Bush received better grades than you did Senator is that why he didn't go into the military and you did?

My brother was in the Marines during the Gulf War, and if anyone had made a remark like Senator Kerry did I would be up in arms. Our men and women in the military deserve our support not indifference, we do not want another Vietman, where we shun the military for doing their jobs.

They are protecting us, being away from their families months at a time, why would you not stand up and say "Thank you", do you Senator Kerry want another September 11, 2001 or have you forgotten that day?

Give it up Senator, shut up and admit you made a mistake. I think the Democrats are smart to cancel his appearances, he is more harm then good.