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Thursday, January 7, 2016

Family Photos: Our Holiday Staycation

One of the things I love about working from home is the flexibility when it comes to vacation time. Of course, that’s not to say that I take time off willy-nilly, but I do appreciate having the freedom to coordinate my schedule with my mom’s work schedule.

Take last week, for example. My mom was on winter break, so I decided to take the entire week off. As crazy as it sounds, this wasn’t a decision I made lightly; after all, this was the first time in seven years that I was taking that long of a break from anything blog-related, so needless to say, I was a bit unsure at first.

What would I do with my time? Would I get bored after one day and find myself climbing the walls in a furious fit of despair? Could I even resist the siren song of my laptop?

So. Many. Questions.

But! As is typical with me, I worried myself into a tizzy over nothing, and before I knew it, there I was, rolling down the metaphorical expressway to Relaxationville! Oh, what a glorious and relaxation-filled week it was. I really felt like I was able to fully slow down and turn off my mind and all that pressure I seem to put on myself the other months of the year.

We enjoyed a quiet Christmas morning, complete with a box of chocolates and wrapping paper strewn all over the living room floor.

Stella even wanted a court-side seat to all the exciting action!

As the week went on, I noticed a few themes emerge as far as activities go…

1. We watched A LOT of television: And by a lot, I mean, well, maybe a bit too much sometimes. I kicked off the week by watching a Lifetime movie. How did I end the week? By watching another, equally cheesy, Lifetime movie. We also found ourselves taking two-hour lunches and binge-watching episodes of Hart of Dixie, which is such a fun show — not sure why I didn’t watch it while it was on.


2. We enjoyed lots of good food: Never mind the wonders of a Christmas feast, which in itself was quite the sight to behold, but my mom cooked some delicious desserts throughout the vacation.

My favorites were her seven-layer bars — the kind that oozed gooey chocolate and were topped with flakes of coconut.

We also enjoyed our pumpkin pie on a family heirloom: My grandmother’s famed Santa Claus plates. As the story goes, my grandparents bought them when my mom was a kid and would only use them for special occasions — think holidays and Sunday dinner. When we took those plates out this year, it felt like a piece of our family history was alive and sitting right there next to us — it’s those kinds of memories that are really important, you know?

And, thankfully, we finally had some snow that stuck to the ground! This Midwest winter has been crazy, with the weather all over the place, so it was nice to at least get a little taste of winter, if only for a day!

As we all know, however, all good things must eventually come to an end. Last Sunday night was a pretty rude awakening, as we all wondered where our fun, precious, relaxing time had gone. The week’s breakfasts and lunches never looked so ominous, and when my mom woke up so early on Monday morning, even the cats were confused!


Still, you can never underestimate the value of a good staycation. It’s restorative. It’s good for the soul. And, like I always say, you can never watch too much soapy, sudsy TV. What did you do over the holidays, friends??? I’d love to hear all about your adventures — or staycation! — in the comments!! LOVE YOU!!!! xoxo

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5 Comments Filed Under: dream vacation, family, family photos, Happiness, holidays, holidays 2015, Photographs, Uncategorized

Friday, December 25, 2015

Have a Happy Holiday! Plus, The Best of The Blog 2015…

Merry Christmas, friends! I’ve always cherished this time of year, when everything seems to stop and a peaceful calm blankets the whole world. It really is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? We’re enjoying a quiet Christmas at home, and I’m looking forward to some leisurely games and lots of delicious food.

I hope you have a relaxing holiday and new year with family and friends! We’ll be back to regular posting on January 4th, complete with lots of family photos from our holiday shenanigans! In the meantime, here’s a look at 2015 on So About What I Said (cue flashback music)…

Disability posts, including the 25th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, an inspiring model, 12 (medical) things you don’t know about me, a surprising revelation during my physical, how to pack the perfect hospital bag and what NOT to say to someone in a wheelchair.

Letters To My Future Husband, on topics like the power of names, choosing you every day and missing seeing that first handshake with my father.

Love Lounge posts, such as first kisses, how you know you’re in love, four things I know about love, the dangers of double standards and the allure of bad boys.

MEMO TO MEN posts, like four things more important than looks, where you can find me, questions to NEVER ask a woman with a disability, similarities between dating and blogging and confusing mixed messages.

Fashion posts, such as Polo Shirt Season 2015, top lip balm picks, pretty pendants for fall, 10 quirky jewelry finds and my new haircut in DECADES!

Beauty posts, like watercolor nails, the best fall hair accessories and Adele on being yourself.

Dream Home posts, such as this beautiful floral entryway, tropical wallpaper, romantic rooms and a rooftop pool.

Dream Vacation posts, including the Pacific Coast Highway, Ms. Bear’s trip to NYC and tree camping.

Family posts, like fun times in the winter, the best age to have a baby, conversations with Ms. Bear, wise words on crying, my 34th birthday, four lessons my father taught me and more on my father’s suicide.

Pop culture posts, like favorite Etsy finds, Open Letters, inspiring women, movies, music, television and more from the In The Pursuit of Happiness series.

And, finally, we celebrated the launch of four new series: Blogging Club, Style Guide, The Science of Love and Tuesday Tunes!

Whew, what an exciting year it’s been!! I can’t wait to share 2016 with you, friends, and I hope you know that I’m grateful for you EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! Thanks so much for reading and for all your support. Have a wonderful holiday and new year — now GO RELAX!!! xoxo

As always, feel free to connect with me on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube! See you there, friends! xoxo

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1 Comment Filed Under: behind the blog, Blogging Club, holidays, holidays 2015, round-up, Uncategorized, work

Thursday, December 24, 2015

My Father’s Suicide: On Still Believing In The Magic

It’s funny how memories creep up on you sometimes, isn’t it? During a conversation with my therapist last week, I was telling her how I was having trouble getting into the holiday spirit this year. She asked about some of my favorite family memories. There were the obvious ones — car rides down to Alabama, cozy Christmas mornings, walking around the mall with my father a few days after Christmas.

That’s when I remembered something I hadn’t thought of in years, and considering my mom just mentioned it in her recent post, I can’t help but think it’s some sort of sign. A bit of cosmic intervention at play, if you will.

Growing up, I don’t remember having strong beliefs one way another another regarding Santa’s existence. Nonetheless, that never seemed to stop my father from doing his best to bring Santa to our little corner of the world. The scene played out the same every year: Once it was dark on Christmas Eve night, my father would sneak outside to ring bells by our bedroom window. As the years went on and we knew it was him, I still looked forward to hearing that sweet jiggling sound every year. It became a wonderful family tradition, something that has come to mean more to me than just bells.

It’s something I never realized until this year, which just might have been my father’s plan all along.

Maybe it was more about the magic than anything else. Maybe my father was trying to instill a sense of magic in us, a sense of wonder with the world that extends far beyond the Christmas season. As we get older, we seem to lose that sense of enchantment, but there’s something to be said for still believing in the magic of it all.

So tonight, as I drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve, I’ll listen for the faint jingle of those bells. Maybe that’s the true lesson right there — a lesson my father is still teaching me all these years later. xoxo

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1 Comment Filed Under: family, grief, holidays, holidays 2015, my father's suicide, suicide, Uncategorized

Thursday, December 24, 2015

10 Holiday + Winter Pinterest Finds

A new season…a new Pinterest board! Back in September, I shared some of my favorite fall inspirations, and now I thought it would be fun to honor all things winter with its very own board. To get things going, here are 10 of my recent fave pins, like the holiday home decor, above…

Pine needle tassels

Christmas tree cakes (via Better Homes & Gardens)

Frosted pine cones

Snowball light

Vintage car

Peppermint brownie bites (via Bright, Bold & Beautiful)

Edible snow globe

Rosemary wreath place cards (via Camille Styles)

Winter wonderland walks

Be sure to follow my Winter Inspiration board on Pinterest for lots more seasonal merriment! What’s YOUR favorite thing about winter, friends?? xoxo

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Leave a Comment Filed Under: beauty, design, fashion, food, found: the perfect, holidays, holidays 2015, pinterest finds, Uncategorized

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Tuesday Tunes: “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”

Editor’s Note: This week’s favorite tune comes to us from a very, very special lady. Can you guess??? It’s Ms. Bear!! As always, song lyrics denoted in bold italics.

I’ll be home for Christmas
You can plan on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents on the tree

I’ll Be Home for Christmas….sweeter words were never spoken — or, well, sung! Sometimes, though, for reasons like no time, no money or even death, going home again at Christmas is not always an option. And, where is home anyway? Your childhood home? Your first home with your true love? Your home when your children were young? Through the power of music, you truly can go home again at Christmas time.

“I’ll Be Home For Christmas” has always been my favorite Christmas carol. It reminds me of every Christmas past — when I would awake in my childhood home to a magical Christmas morning (where my parents would let us eat candy first thing!), to my Christmas mornings with Brian and the kids (oh, the fun we had, especially when Brian would sneak out and ring bells outside the windows!), to the wonderful Alabama mornings we had with my parents as they got older, to the subdued Christmases after Brian died (we still tried to find the magic), up to today, where the 3 of us (and Harry and Stella!) are snuggled in at home together appreciating everything that has brought us to this point in our lives.

Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love light gleams
I’ll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams

So, maybe you can’t be home for Christmas this year….oh, but you can, if only in your dreams!

Enjoy! xoxo

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Leave a Comment Filed Under: family, holidays, holidays 2015, music, My Life Through Song, Song Series, Tuesday Tunes, Uncategorized

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So About What I Said is a daily blog that covers relationships, disabilities, lifestyle and pop culture. I love to laugh and have been known to overshare. I also have an unabashed obsession with pop music, polo shirts, and PEZ dispensers. Read more...

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