Amy’s Adventures

I'll be here this time next year!

Accountability is required when you want to make a change. That’s why I’m writing this now, so in September when I begin to make plans I’ll have this post to look back on. I figure that if I put it out there, write it, then I’m much more likely to follow through when it’s time. So what the heck am I talking about?

Well, it occurred to me on my drive back home from NC this past weekend that it’s time for new traditions. As a childless, thirty-something without a significant other to speak of, I’ve discovered that for the past 7-8 years I’ve been sitting around waiting to join in without considering what my traditions will be without the kids and the family that have eluded me to date. Therefore, I’ve decided that it’s time the family of Amy begin new Christmas traditions on the Italian coast. That’s right folks, next year, while everyone’s rushing to wrap that last gift and round up the troops for Christmas Eve services, I’ll be on a flight to the Amalfi Coast for a week long escape from all the US Christmas craziness in favor of a quiet week of writing and photography. So save the gifts and cards, just say, “arrivederci!”

Although, I’m non-traditional in my Thanksgiving feast and opt for wine and pizza over turkey and mashed potatoes, my food choices don’t translate to the heart of the day–giving thanks. So in the  spirit of the day, I give thanks for:

1. Twitter - This simple tool has provided me with a world of new friends, which I enjoy hanging out with both online and in person.  Together we share information, drink wine and rant about what ever bugs us.

2. College Basketball - The dreary days of February and March are much more bearable with the thrills of the ACC basketball and March Madness.

3. Airplanes - Despite all the crazy added fees,  airplanes open me to the world of travel, for which I could never live without.

4. Clean Air- Having visited China where there are no regulations on pollution and a simple walk outside leaves you covered with soot and dust in your mouth, I am forever grateful for clean air.

5-iPhone - What can this phone not do? It keeps me connected to everyone and everything.

6. Paxton, the cat –For 12 years, this cat has provided me with friendship and unconditional love.

7. Google - If I have a question, Google’s always there.

8. Health- A traditional response for Thanksgiving, but I’m especially grateful since I get the flu once every 14 years and  a cold every 5 years. I’m a very healthy specimen!

9. Botox - I don’t get this is as much as I’d like, but it’s a miracle for minimizing the aging process.

10. Family - Another traditional response, but when things are tough, you’re stuck or need some extra help, I can depend on them.

Thanksgiving’s just five days away, but a local radio station and countless retailers have bypassed our forefathers in favor of  24 hour Christmas music. Now, I agree that the birth of Jesus should get more attention and yes, more songs, but let’s not totally shaft our forefathers. Don’t they deserve more than crowded airports, bloated stomachs and highway traffic jams?  After all, they risked their lives in search for the freedoms we enjoy today. Shouldn’t they have a few songs too? Yet, in my quest to find songs dedicated to these brave colonists, for which Thanksgiving was founded, sadly I only found one: “Faith of our Fathers.“

In the spirit of the 4th, I’m defining my personal independence.

Independence for me means:

-Sleeping in until 10 or 11 on Saturday morning

-Visting foreign countries and meeting people when I get there

-Control over my remote control

-Watching chick flicks instead of football

-Choosing the weekend movie

-Staying beyond Happy Hour hours

-Indulging in mid-afternoon wine

-Eating ice cream for dinner instead of cooking

-Sleeping in the middle of the bed with 4 pillows around me

-If I don’t like you, I don’t have to hang out with you.

-Writing what I want to

What’s your independence?