Closing 2012

I love this video.  Keep things in perspective.  Smile.  Love.  Live.  Any other way takes way more effort and more energy.

Our Neighborhood

This weekend was filled with company Christmas parties, snowboarding (IN SNOW!!), sleigh rides, a dinner at a mountain cabin and even wedding dress shopping.  With all these amazing things going on, it was hard not to think about/ discuss what happened in Newtown, CT.  I tried to avoid the news, Facebook, all I could because I wasn't ready to hear how "there was nothing we could have done."

The finance and I headed home from a great Colorado weekend in Summitt County to catch the Broncos win and catch up on life at our apartment.  The Sunday Night Football game was on, the Christmas tree glowing in the background:

Fiance:  Do you hear something?
Me: No, it is just the TV.
Fiance:  No, it sounds like bells.
(I mute the game)
Me:  I hear something, but where would bells be coming from?
We both look outside and we see a large group of people heading down our street.  They stopped at our corner.
Me:  They are carolers, they are singing Christmas songs. 
At first I just opened the window to hear them, to confirm that this actually happens.  In all of my previous 31 Christmases, I have never seen carolers.  I got so excited, I grabbed my jacket and opened the front door.
Finace:  Are you going outside?
Me:  Yes.  Other people are.

And there it was.  A large group of carolers, singing.  People from the neighborhood walked outside to watch, to listen.  There is a retirement building across from me, I noticed many couples standing on their balconies.  You could see people standing in windows, the little girls across the street came running out with their parents to get a front row seat in their lawn.  As soon as they noticed we came out side to join them, the carolers started to wave and a few turned to face us, to sing to us and spread the true meaning of Christmas.  I cried.  At the end of the song, the neighbors clapped and cheered, it filled the quiet street.  The carlors echoed, "Merry Christmas!" and moved on down the street.  I didn't want them to go, I could have sat on our porch and listened to them all night.

Each year, I find it harder and harder to not get wrapped up in the commercialism of Christmas, to remember what it is about.  This year with the saddness that has been in the news, on all levels, the carolers reminded me that showing a little love goes a long way and good will towards men is what Christmas is all about.  Right Linus?


Not the best video however one of my favorite.

What's Next

It was about three years ago that I started this blog.  I didn't know what it would turn into, who would read it, if I would keep it up.  I have readers come and go, some tell me about it, some not.  Funny, some of my loyal readers I haven't seen in years and friends that I consider a big part of my life don't even know the link.  Lately, the busier life gets the less I write.

I started to think about why I don't write as much as I used to, and I think it is because this blog was a place for emotion.  Not always good.  It was set up to let some people know as I was transitioning through life, I was okay.  During the course of the blog I started to embrace where I was in life and very quickly started sharing my travels and dating stories.  Then I met, the boyfriend, now fiancee.  And I am happy.  I am planning my wedding, something I almost convinced myself I would never have.  I am ready to share that part of my life.  It goes against what the blog became, for a long time.

I have decided to keep the blog going until the end of the year and then transition into a new one.  I mean really, I don't even live in Texas anymore... people KNOW I am not a Cowboys fan.  Let me know if you want the new web address when I get it going and I will also post it here for awhile, morgan.csu@gmail.com. 

New year.  New transition.  New blog.

I Am Getting Married

So after all the failed relationship, dating emails/ stories everyone has had the opportunity to enjoy over the last few years, I am super excited to write the final chapter of "single" Morgan.

It is December. I have plans from now until December 21.  The boyfriend took the opportunity to send me a calendar invite for "Date night- Tree Erection and Decorating." We spent the weekend buying stuff to decorate our apartment and for the first time ever, I agreed to buy a real Christmas Tree.

I knew it was the last date night for a few weeks, so I took off work a little early to enjoy the night. We went to Pho. Which I love and little did the boyfriend know when I introduced him to Pho for the first time a year ago, how much he would love it and how big Vietnam would be for both of us in the next few months. We congratulated each other again for managing to go out and finish dinner before 5:45 pm.

The boyfriend picked the Christmas tree lot downtown, with no parking, surrounded by one-way streets. So we got to battle rush hour, loop around twice before he so gracefully parallel parked. We got the real, overpriced tree we both envisioned, jammed it into the back of his SUV and headed home.

The Boyfriend: Do you think this will be the first of many Christmas trees we put up?
Me: If you don't mess up. 

Typical Morgan.

As he was fumbling around in the back of the house, I walked back there to ask him to get duct tape out of my car and I see him holding a little gift bag. **CRAP** He comes back in from the car, with the duct tape in hand.  I knew I had messed up whatever he planned to give me so I started to mess with the extension cords...

The Boyfriend: Will you open the bag already? (as he is shaking nonstop)

It was a Christmas Ornament. "Our Home"

The Boyfriend: You know why I am giving you this ornament right?


And he got down on one knee. One year from the day we first told each other "I Love You" the boyfriend became the fiancee.  I couldn't be happier, I love him, I love the ring and it was the best start to the holidays ever!!!

Thanksgiving

You know those days when your mind starts racing and for whatever reason you are worrying about everything that is not within your control? Those things that you can't do anything about? Why are we not friends anymore? Why is this person so selfish? Why is traffic so horrible? Why didn't I run today? I hate those days.

I hate those days because my life is great. And one small negative seed gets planted somewhere in my brian and it takes 24 hours to get it out. To distract me from focusing on the negative, I keep going back to the resolution list.

• Stop trying to plot giving; do it spontaneously, and often.
• Pick a new, favorite charity.
• Every time you food shop, buy 2 extra cans of nonperishable items and donate them to a food bank.

I don't know why it popped in my head, but it did, to organize donations to the Denver Rescue Mission, I spontaneously reached out to my friends and coworkers. I have learned that sometimes just having the information in front of people will motivate them. The Denver Rescue Mission is close to where my good friends live and takes care of those in need that are so close to my home.  I can't ignore the reason for the Mission. Thanksgiving is a great time to remember how lucky we really are and help those that are less fortunate. I am trying to make it a year round thing.

So while I continue to work on these resolutions:

• Shift perspective on your situation once every day. Take five minutes to look at a situation, relationship, conflict, or so-called problem ongoing in your life from a completely new perspective every day. Hopefully, issues will not be so frequent that you’ll need to every day — but such a positive perspective-shifting practice as “reframing” helps us to break bad habits of thinking and realize that everything ain’t so bad after all.
• Lose expectations. On purpose. And stop expecting specifics. We tend to believe that knowing, wanting and even demanding specifics will be the fastest path to seeing results. The truth, as I’ve learned, is that expectations actually hamper achievement and, maybe ironically, that decision-making without expectations is the real powerhouse of positive growth and forward momentum

I keep smiling at the good things in life. Happy Thanksgiving!

Still Time for Resolutions

It seems like just yesterday I was talking about all the things I had planned for 2012... San Fran, Vietnam, Olympics, weddings, concerts... I managed to keep the schedule pretty full.  I saw some amazing things.  I did some amazing things.  When the year started a good friend sent me a link about resolutions, 57 Life-Changing Resolutions. 

I am starting to feel that life is more than bucket lists, accomplishments and material things.  The more comfortable I become with where I am, the fewer things I want and the less I want to be around negativity, people or otherwise.  I constantly look at this list and I have challenged myself to grow by changing a few things I do.  A few things that the boyfriend and I have done lately that I love:

• Leave a 30% tip, every time- It really makes a difference.  I challenge everyone to do this.
• Go 1-for-1 on your wardrobe.- This is now a solid rule, we really don't need stuff.  And not having the room since the boyfriend moved in has made it easier to enforce.
• Do less better. - I have stopped planning so far in advance to make time for random dinners, brunch dates with old friends.  Or one on one time instead of time at a bar with 20 people.  I have really reconnected with some people I really missed.
• Break an old habit.- I haven't bit my nails in 2 months.
• Bury the hatchet.- They know who they are (in fact this year there were many), and I am glad to say it is water under the bridge.
• Teach gratitude, selflessness and charity (quietly). - I started keeping dollar bills in my car and told myself any time I see someone that needs help, I will give them a dollar if I have it.  No judgement.  We were walking downtown and we passed an old man, reading, in his sleeping bag in a doorway.  He had one tomato by him.  Without me saying anything the boyfriend went to the ATM, we went back to him and handed the old man some cash.  Life gets hard.  I am not here to judge and being poor is not a crime. 
• Write more letters. -I focused on my Grandpa.  I think he loves it.  Better late than never.
• Create something real. 

So here is where the boyfriend comes in, "create something real."  I do not have a creative bone in my body.  When he was moving in he had some old end tables.  We decided instead of throwing them away we would make them into something we wanted and create something, even get a little creative.  We have very similar tastes when it comes to furniture so with his know-how, skill and well... he did most of it.  Haha... we have some amazing end tables and we had time to do them this past weekend because I didn't schedule anything to do.  One thing at a time.



Before:  There were two, product of the 80s?







During: Mixing concrete on our deck

Finished Product with the concrete top

I kinda love them

What's Next

When you read the articles about why Romney lost the election and they mention that the grass-roots, on-the-ground campaign that Obama's camp ran was superior to that of ol' Willard's.  They are right.  I saw it first hand.  I would show up at a local supporters house, where his first floor was set up with campaigning materials, computers, snacks and be greeted by a happy, eager organizer, Eddie.  Eddie would explain what we were doing, the laws around how it worked and patiently answered questions.  The first phase I registered voters, the second phase I made sure those that registered were going to vote.  Each time I showed up to volunteer Eddie would be there with a map printed, names of registered democrats or unaffiliated voters on the two by two block area I would canvass that day.  It amazed me.  We really did win this election "block by block."

I enjoyed the moment as long as I could, with a beer in hand watching Brian Williams announce Ohio was projected blue... and relaxed.  Then the sad stat was realized, the country was subjected to this LONG, EXPENSIVE campaign for 18 months and we are back to where we started... a do nothing House and a Democrat President.  But is it worse?

Thank you GOP for portraying Democrats as lazy, self-entitled minorities.  Thank you liberals for stereotyping Republicans as the rich 1% of the population whose greed collapsed the banks.  Thank you to those around me that bought into it and focused on what they didn't want in our government more than what they wanted.  Once my neighbors, friends, coworkers remove their yard signs, I have to accept our differences and work as a community again.  Will Congress?