25 Days of Christmas: Ornaments and Memories!

Sorry we're a little behind in all of this - sometimes a girl just has to catch a cold and then get drunk off hot toddys in order to avoid the pain of constant mucus running from my face (I literally had to sleep with hankies on my pillow because my nose just. wouldn't. stop). But let's get to the action!

6.) What's your favorite Christmas ornament?
7.) Most memorable Christmas?
8.) Post a picture of Christmas decor
9.) Easiest person to buy for?
10.) Favorite holiday scent?

Day #6

Our family implemented the new ornament each year until 18 (or so), so the early 80's ones are definitely cute and different since they're wooden and probably coated in lead paint. But my favorite ornaments are the interactive ones. From the bullshit notion that "every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings," I do love having a bell on my Christmas tree. Though last year brought this gem:

That boy is just awesome.

Day #7

Somehow I think trying to pull a favorite Christmas is like trying to choose a favorite offspring (but clearly, parents, its me). How do you rank Christmases (or is it Christmasi?) between the different families? I've had some crazy times with my family in Hometown, Oregon; but I'm pretty sure Mr. Wookie claims psychological scars with the amount of people and volume level that typically happens when my family cracks the wine and hangs for the holidays. And there's been great low-key events with Mr. Wookie's side where we pick up candy at the supermarket and then trek to the movies (seriously, genius; no lines!).

So I'm going to answer with "Switzerland." I can't choose. Though, again, this one is pretty special. He'll be home!

25 Days of Christmas: GIMME GIMME!

And we're back in 5.......4.......3......2.....1, "Hi, welcome again to the Wookie & Co. daily blogging of all things mistletoe-y, festive, and alcoholic. While, yes, I did contract a strain of sinus cold that kicked my ass to infinity and beyond, I'm Backstreet's back. Now where did we leave off?"

Are you enjoying the fun?!?! Seriously, what's a better way to get into the Christmas spirit than to endlessly talk about yourself and annoy your fellow bloggers with the BEST HOLIDAY SONG EVER (take that Well-Adjusted Pessimist!). ;)

1.) What's your favorite Christmas movie?

2.) What's on your Christmas list?

3.) When/How did you learn that Santa wasn't real?

4.) Favorite Christmas song?

5.) Best gift you've ever received?

OOOOooooooo, now this is a question to question upon questions? (Get that?)

Where do I begin? What category do I discuss? Do I thank my parents for the horizontal polka to which gave me life?? (You're welcome, readers). Where does my hammock rank in the gift list? (It's pretty effin' high up.) What about the sock money wine cover?

(Awesome.)

I think I'd like to rephrase the question (because I totally can write the rules). Let's convert it to, "What's the best gift you've received yet?" Because seriously, your ______ may later be surpassed by a later-received _______. My 24th birthday was pretty awesome as I was surprised by a weekend trip to Disney World from NAS No Thank You (Pensacola). Christmas 2 years ago brought a fancy shmancy DSLR to my life (which in all seriousness could use a new dog as the perfect theme for 2014, eh Mr. Wookie?).

Best Gift Ever

Port Call: Sorrento, Italy

This guy home for Christmas when it was questionable a couple months ago (we were told to mentally hunker down on 'end of January'). I'm still in shock and can't believe they're almost home. It's definitely a surreal moment after been jacked around to know that there will be another human in my house (other than my fellow girlfriends/wives who stay the night after we slay wine bottles like dragons). We have T-Minus _ days. Can I get an amen?

"Do You Really Need to Work?"

We're taking a brief hiatus from the 25 Days of Christmas in part to a mega illness that I contracted (it's HIV, yo!) and the mental recovery of dropping the "work bomb."

I've toiled and I've troubled with this for a short bit. It was a mid-morning text from the boat (he really just emails my phone number, but that way we can have a 'conversation' when he's not flying/being awesome) when the words rang out. "We have Orders."

Gulp.

I remember exactly the day the last time this happened. I couldn't wait to give my two-week's notice then. I was burnt out and over the 'office drama' that everyone complained about (umm, I don't do drama). So one Friday, I walked into my boss' office and put my letter on her desk. "We're moving in 2 weeks." And that was it. My old job was a great blip on the employment radar. I learned a lot in life and corporate atmosphere (I worked as an Event Planner for a Legal 100 Law Firm). But damn, it wasn't hard to leave.

Now enter life in beautiful California. Other than this nasty cold spell that's plagued most of the Nation, life is perfect here....when he's not deployed, when our dog doesn't die, and when it's not rainy (like this morning). And so with a lot of counseling from past "work at home"-ers and business friends who makes sales look like stealing candy from a baby, I went forth with the plan to tell my boss the news of Wookie & Co.'s future. Almost everyone was in agreeance, "tell them early so they'll make the arrangements to keep a position for you just across the country."

Holy shit, I was an internal hot-mess.

I poured open the knowledge that our bags will be packed in a few months and the caravan across the great United States will begin. While we won't have a resident canine in tow to help make the miles more enjoyable with her lovable slobber and room-clearing flatulence, we have a petite gatita that's made a better friend than I could have imagined. So while we plan on shipping my car because it makes one less ass-pain, she'll be free to roam about the cabin as long as her tray table is in it's original location upon arrival each night and we can smuggle her into the hotel room like ninjas. Honesty is overrated.

What was I expected out of this? Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn, I wanted to provide ample opportunity so they can realize I'm not a commodity to lose. I wanted them to realize they have a few months to get everything in order for a remote Mrs. Wookie to answer the phone a week, "Good morning, this is Ashley" to my sales accounts and constant contacts. I wanted this not to be a band-aid-rip-off shock that I'm just moving without notice. I want them to pour over my sales records and customer loyalty. I want them to realize I'm a 'need' to the team.

But then the words left my boss' mouth as she soaked in the news...

"Do you really need to work?"

I. hate. these. words. And I can sense she was coming from a good place, however they just made me cringe. But she did warn that there is the reality that her upper management won't want a so-remote Mrs. Wookie, and that's the slice of pie I'll have to dollop with a mega coating of cool whip.

Who wants to help eat my feelings?

Define "need." Do we financially need me to work? No. We are fine with just one income (his). But what does that leave me? I get to be a housewife? Ummm...no thanks. Why did I go to college then? What would I do all day? I already feel like an incomplete person just after relocation because I have nothing 'going for me.' Yes, it's nice to settle into the house and explore the new area...but after 2 weeks, the jig is up. I'm a feminist with a pretty sturdy foundation that women can do a lot in this world (minus throwup after being kicked in the crotch) and that includes hustling a non-1950's Secretary paycheck. So why would I want to decline the twice-monthly deposits into the ol' bank account?

So my conversation ended just before the 5:30pm mark. I knew my boss needed a cocktail to soak in the news. And I need a drive home to escape. So into the car I got, tears brimming at my eyes, feeling like a failed at trying to negotiate my own future and happiness amidst Uncle Sam. I sent Mr. Wookie an email, but what I really wanted was a hug. A big, deep bearhug.

Once home, I didn't open the margaritas. I didn't open a bottle of wine. And I didn't open a beer. I sat on the couch with my loving feline, obtuse to any knowledge that I just dropped the "work bomb" as we've coined it. She just wanted a place to snuggle while my feet were propped onto the coffee table. And together we watched Jeopardy and then a marathon of Say Yes to the (Overpriced) Dress before calling it a night. But still...I tossed and turned the whole night. What will come of this? Will they make the arrangements to super-remote me? Will they offer a handshake and stack of letters of recommendation instead?

Part of me wishes I would have waited until Mr. Wookie is home that way I could have had the comfort of an actual hug with this situation. But out of discomfort comes growth, and this deployment has just reassured that I'm still as bad ass as I thought I could be (though sometimes it's nice to be a chickenshit, lol). So I just wait for my hug now in __ days (and get to cleaning the house before he comes home - crap!).

And yes, I've already started my secret Pinterest board for my Job Search 2014. I've worked hard for my resume, why give up now? So the suits and heels will get dusted off once we're settled, I'll start networking my old connections, and something will happen. Something always happens.

25 Days of Christmas: Turn Up The Tunes!

In continuing the trend of 25 Days of Christmas, on schedule (holla!), our next topic is:

1.) What's your favorite Christmas movie?

2.) What's on your Christmas list?

3.) When/How did you learn that Santa wasn't real?

4.) Favorite Christmas song?

Should you ever get to know me on a personal level, outside of the drunk-induced slur that occupies this blog, you'll come to learn and love my loud nature of voice immodulation. It's a genetic trait that allows brainwaves to generate between siblings and constantly and consistently annoy our parents to an early grave. They're very welcome.

With that, the holidays are no escape for our fun and entertainment. Poor Mr. Wookie tells me that my "(last name) is 'showing.'" Babe, seriously....that's not a threat. That's a high five.

My ab FAVE Christmas song.

[Video]

25 Days of Christmas: Santa's a Fake, Yo!

In continuing the trend of 25 Days of Christmas, on schedule (woohoo!), our next topic is:

1.) What's your favorite Christmas movie?

2.) What's on your Christmas list?

3.) When/How did you learn that Santa wasn't real?

I can't remember the exact year that the jig was up, but it was definitely later thanks to my parents running Navy SEAL night operations to keep the younger sisters still believing on the action. Though that doesn't change the tune of Mama Ging when she found out my dad had farmed out the Easter Bunny's duties to me at like 10 or 11 years old. :)

All parents,

Never let your 10-year-old daughter hide the eggs. She will torment the shit out of her sisters. The eggs will be MacGyver into the most asinine hiding spots. And I'll go back after they've whined and quit, and scoop up the goodness.

Yes, I'm mean.

Whatevs.

Get over it.

They don't care. They've developed UGG habits that'll rival the set of Baywatch.

25 Days of Christmas: The Christmas List.

In continuing the trend of 25 Days of Christmas, on schedule (mind you!), our next topic is:

1.) What's your favorite Christmas movie?

2.) What's on your Christmas list?

Ahhhh, yes....this one is a doozy. The Christmas list. The make it once, check it twice, re-edit for budgetary requirements since siblings don't have the funds the parentals do, submit to the family in a massive email, and then continue "Reply-to-All" so they're aware of updates since half the family isn't on PInterest to do an accurate stalking of daily activity.

Did you get all that?

To be completely honest, I don't know what to do about Christmas. We've been mute on the topic, minus Facebook (since I keep a separation between military life and work life), but there are Orders for us in the near future (time frame: 3 months). So what do you ask for when you're just about to pack up your life and trudge elsewhere? Exactly. I don't know either.

My Pinterest board could use the work, but I find working hard and playing hard way more fun than updating a Pinterest board for things that people can buy me. I've hit a recent "I don't need anything" phase with our impending relocation. Why buy me something that has to stay in the box until we move? Or what if it doesn't work with our next home? Or what if it....breaks?

Something You Want

What do I want? Minus a lobotomy? Oh, just another human in the home.

Something You Need

I honestly don't need anything. Okay, I lied. I need a new timing belt in my car since I'm 10,000 miles overdue. Dear Dad, you can add this to my list. Thanks!

Something You'll Wear

Well I'll always wear Gap Tall, Old Navy Tall, Banana Republic Tall, JCrew Tall, Loft Tall, Ann Taylor Tall, and every other store that slings tall-built dresses for us lanky, long-torso'd, life-could-be-worse ladies.

Something You'll Read

How about an instructional guide on what to wear to a Navy Homecoming Fly-In? I'd read that front and back, left and right, and probably search for chat rooms just to confirm that I'm not looking to corporate, or too lazy, or too poor, or too slutty. I'm honestly at a loss and the shopping in my area has left me saddened that I'll be reworking my own closet for that special day. Lame.

Have you welcomed home a long-lost aviator? What'd did you wear? What time of year was it? Did you keep the jacket on since the hangar is windy? Is black too depressing of a color?

25 Days of Christmas: My Favorite Holiday Movie!

Holy Toledo, where did November go?!?! Seriously. I swear, I was just bitching about how Mr. Wookie is missing the last remains of college football (though good thing he did with Oregon State's 6-6 season this year.....harrrumpph!), and here it is....DECEMBER!! Well, I guess there's only way to greet it.

With a 25 Days of Christmas BLOGGING Challenge. Yes, there'll be multiple challenges in this month:

1.) I have to blog every day.

2.) I have to clean my house to prepare for a fingers-crossed eventual homecoming.

3.) I have to Christmas shop 900+ miles from family.

4.) I have to recover from this sore-left-side-of-my-throat business.

5.) I have to convince my cat I still love her after ditching her at a friend's for the Thanksgiving holiday in frigid Oregon (it was a morning temperature of 33. Brrrrrr!!).

So won't you join me?? I'll help you with the first five:

1.) What's your favorite Christmas movie?

2.) What's on your Christmas list?

3.) When/How did you learn that Santa wasn't real?

4.) Favorite Christmas song?

5.) Best gift you've ever received?

My Favorite Holiday Movie. Boom.

Muuuuuuch to Mr. Wookie's distaste, I can't get enough of the TBS 24-hour marathon of A CHRISTMAS STORY. I loooooove the fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra, I love the "C+......ahahahaahahahahah! C+! Ahahahahahaha!," and I especially loooove the bunny suit. Seriously. Best. outfit. ever.

Mr. Wookie typically hides away in his cave, but I try to drag him out whenever possible. And when he's joined me in a pilgrimage with Christmas with my family, he has no choice but to deal with it since it's happily a family favorite. Sorry babe.

If Mr. Wookie were answering this question, he'd answer Charlie Brown. What a nice guy.