I finally made my wreath!

SO.. I finally found the time to make a wreath for my mom for Christmas based on the beautiful wreathes I saw on Eva's blog not too long ago.

It is no where near as pretty as hers or Rebecca's which is in the top 8 of over a 100 entries into Eddie Ross' wreath challenge! Vote for her.. wreath #6!

I decided on garnet/red and gold for my mom's wreath because she and my dad are FSU fans. I think it is just really Christmas-y, too. I may change the bow and get my very artsy sister to make me a new one... but this will do for now!

Merry Christmas Momma!

put my feet in the sand

As I sat down to write this I laughed a little.

I was planning on writing about how much I am looking forward to my cruise for my birthday coming up this friday, because I need girl time, a good tan, a tropical drink, dancing, travelling and so on.. the funny part is that it is 85 degrees here during the day. (Summer decided to kidnap our winter this year.)

I could have gone to the beach today, December 15th; how does that make sense?... you cannot tell me Global Warming is NOT real. Just so you know, there has been a temperature increase in the past century, about 1 degree. Whether or not you care or even know anything about the Earth's climate, I will tell you: the cold hard facts are that yes, the Earth is getting warmer. The US alone, accounts for 1/4th of all carbon emissions. Surface temperature is projected to rise by another 11 degrees in the 21st century, at current and projected levels of emissions and activity. Why the US hasn't signed the Kyoto Protocol... I don't know.

I am going to be a little blunt when I say Americans in general are lazy, ignorant and uneducated. There is an overall lack of motivation from people to preserve and protect their Earth. I will acknowledge recent efforts to Go Green have been promising but using your recyclable bags at the grocery store isn't the only way you should respond to our changing climate.

I am guilty of this as well, but I would hope that the phrase "White Christmas" wouldn't be something future generations only know about because their grandparents tell them.

(Not that FL has seen one in the past 20 years anyway!)

'tis the season..

In light of recent events, i.e. college football bowl games, I felt the need to express my complete disappointment in college football fans and followers. And for the record, I'm not just talking about the recent loss the Gators experienced playing Alabama this weekend.
Let me first say, ever since I can remember I have been a college football fan. It is in my blood. My sister went to FSU, my mom went to FSU and FL and my family is literally obsessed with football. Every saturday in the Fall we watch Football, we cheer for teams we like (mostly FSU and since I got into UF in 2007, we do a little cheering for the gators, too), and we dress in full team spirit. There are alot of people who consider me a "traitor" for cheering for the Gators because I grew up wearing Garnet and Gold and cheering for the 'Noles, but the truth of the matter is I just love college football. I have other teams I like too, not just the Gators and 'Noles. I like alot of different college sports too, not just football.
So call me a traitor if you want but I don't think it's a crime to cheer for your school. If I didn't go to UF it would be a little different if one day I woke up and said, I think I will start cheering for the Gators...but would it really? Don't we have the freedom to cheer for who we want? So what if they are arch rivals or enemies?
Even I understand, that yes, it is more than just a game to some people.. it is a lifestyle. My sister would describe herself as an FSU fan through and through, she says her blood runs Garnet and Gold (and I totally believe it!). This doesn't mean we can't enjoy watching multiple teams win (or lose, in FSU's case.. just kidding) But seriously..
My point is, football can be fun and is meant to be enjoyed! We can make it a healthy aspect of our lifestyle or in some cases.. unhealthy. It is when people start becoming angry and viscious towards other teams, and doing alot of smack talk that it really makes me mad.
For example, just this Saturday as I got on Facebook, I saw 100s of posts saying GO GATORS or ROLL TIDE. This is all fair and well till you look at who is posting this... fans who intently cheer for the team playing the one they dislike.. where is the fun in that? Why would you wish for someone to lose? I understand the whole standings thing- trust me- but if you are an FSU fan and you are hoping for the Gators to lose.. it really isn't going to help you out anyways so why wish for them to lose???
Also, after the game when the Gators lost to 'Bama.. congrats to Bama by the way (Reppin' the SEC in the BCS game!) all of these bitter and annoying "fans" started tearing apart the losing team in anyway possible. What kind of sportmanship is this? It's not sportsmanship at all. I want to cry when I think about how mean people were about Tim Tebow crying. Nobody can talk about him until they put as much of their heart and soul into a game and do as much for a team as Tim... if you or anyone you know has done that.. please let me know.. otherwise have some respect. That is all on that subject. :)
All in all- I think the malicious talk and disrespect that goes on in facebook posts or in everyday conversations needs to stop. The fall football season has made complete idiots out of people and left me feeling completely hopeless when it comes to finding a good group of people to enjoy football with.
Where is the love? Why can't we be respectful of other teams and share in a good handshake after a game like they make you do when you are a little kid after your soccer game?

'Till next season...

Go Gators! :)