25 Days of Blogging - Christmas Challenge {Day10 - Day 11}

Day 10: Favorite holiday scent

This is a tricky one. I know that you could take this as far as saying "Grandma's famous honey ham". But I'm thinking more along the lines of home scents. To me holiday scents, are supposed to be warm and inviting. I'm particularly fond of amber, latte, cashmere, vanilla, spice, caramel, eggnog, brown sugar, marshmallow, coffee, etc. BUT this year, while Christmas shopping, I stumbled across a holiday body scent that I love, which also works wonders for my migraines. I plan on picking up a few of the lotions to put in my desk drawer at work!

Bath & Body Works - Twisted Peppermint

Day 11: Favorite Christmas tradition

I can't really say that I have a favorite. I love it all. But I really love the family time and the memories that we make together during the holiday season. 

Christmas Eve Dinner and Gifts at my Grandma Wood's House

• Traditional tree
• Antique decorations
• Traditional dinner
• Envelopes on the tree with our names on them. Card and cash. 

Christmas Morning Breakfast and Gifts at my Daddy's House

• Biscuits and crock pot sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, and ham & cheese croissants
• Spiked Eggnog and Bloody Marys
• Opening gifts
• Some sort of Christmas movie

Christmas Evening Dinner and Gifts at Aunt Renee's House

• Finger foods
• Traditional dinner
• Dirty Santa

Even though my dad has breakfast, we still have Christmas morning here. We all open gifts and take pictures.

Here are our family's traditions:

• A gift that Ian can open on Christmas eve
• Bake cookies for Santa
• Christmas pajamas
• Picture with Santa at the mall
• Lights of the Delta
• Gingerbread house

Next year, we are bringing out the Elf on a Shelf. 

Ian was just a little too young for it this year. 

25 Days of Blogging - Christmas Challenge {Day 9}

Day 9. Easiest person to buy for?

I would say that the easiest person to buy for is my step-mom, Connie. We ALWAYS get her Bath&Body Works stuff. She LOVES it. We get her a different signature scent every year. This year, we went with Country Chic. She is a straight up country girl. Small farm town. Agriculture business father. The whole works. Her dad used to plant tons of sunflowers, and now that he's gone, they really mean a lot to her. So this gift is PERFECT!

25 Days of Blogging - Christmas Challenge {Day 8}

Day 8: Post a picture of Christmas decor.

Click HERE, for more! (:

25 Days of Blogging - Christmas Challenge {Day 7}

Day 7. Most memorable Christmas

This is an easy one. It was the Christmas of 2000. The year my mother died. My grandma was getting her house remodeled. New kitchen, new bathroom, new carpet, removal of windows, new paint and appliances, etc. Basically, it had been going on for months, and it was a huge mess. She always did a huge Christmas meal- turkey, ham, dressing, gravy... the works. All sided with a hundred desserts. But without a functioning kitchen, she wasn't able to prepare her normal meal. We had sandwiches made from a deli tray. She even brought the microwave into the cluttered living room so that I would have melted cheese. We all sit around a small table with our folding chair and shared stories about Momma. It was a sad time. My grandmother was an emotional wreck, to say the least. She felt bad that we didn't have a good meal or a Christmas tree out up. She had so many gifts for us, but didn't have most of them wrapped. She still, to this day, regrets that Christmas. But to me, it was the most at home I had felt since Momma had passed. No, it wasn't traditional, but that didn't mean that it wasn't special. I'll always remember it. 

NEATS

I left the hospital that I was working at about eight months ago to find my true calling as a nurse. Don't get me wrong, I loved the hospital, and who's to say that I won't end up back there at some point before retirement. But at this point in my career, I want to do something that sits close to my heart.

After job hunting for a month, I stumbled across an ad on Craigslist. The ad was searching for several nurses and medical assistants to work at a new clinic that is designed to treat people with opiate addictions.

I know, I know. Craigslist. It has a bad rep. Everyone has seen the Lifetime movie about the "Craigslist Killer." I could have been drawn in, raped, killed, and then feed to a group of motorcycle riding cannibalists. But, being the strong minded individual that I am, I responded to the ad.

I waited about two weeks and thought that it must have been a scam, and that I would never hear from these people. The next day, I got a phone call from the man who owns the clinic. He asked me if I had time to chat about who they are and what they do. I said yes, and learned later on in the conversation that I'm being asked to interview for this job.

I felt that my interview went great, but I didn't receive a phone call for about a week.

I was getting my hair cut and highlighted when I got the call asking me to join their team. I was stoked! My husband even took me out for sushi to celebrate.

I have been to several meetings, training events, and have even taken two trips to their other clinic in Texarkana, Arkansas for training and observation. I love the people that I am going to be working with. We are going to make a great team!

It has been a long wait for this job to start up, but we're just days away from opening!

The company that I work for is Northeast Arkansas Treatment Services! (NEATS)

We provide outpatient treatment services in Jonesboro, Arkansas for persons addicted to the opioid class of drugs, including prescription pain medications and heroin.

If you have read some of my other posts, you may remember that my mother died from an opiate overdose in 2000. I believe that a clinic, such as this one, could have helped her a great deal. This is another reason that this job means so much to me. My heart is in this job, and I cannot wait to see the way that we change and impact these people’s lives.

Services We Provide:

• Prescribing, administering and dispensing methadone, buprenorphine and other medications
• Individual and/or group counseling sessions
• Psycho-educational sessions
• Family sessions
• Targeted medical evaluation and assessment
• Referrals
• Case management and other support services

Our Mission:

The mission of Northeast Arkansas Treatment Services is to provide the highest quality medication-assisted treatment to persons who are addicted to opiates and to do so in a supportive environment that always respects the dignity and self-worth of those people we serve.

Our vision is to be recognized as a premier provider of ethical and effective treatment services that result in optimal outcomes for those people we serve.

Our treatment philosophy is based on the understanding that opiate addiction is a primary disorder that can be treated successfully with medication, counseling, and supportive services and that quality treatment can help people resume productive and meaningful lifestyles.

For more information, ways to contact, and eligibility criteria, please visit our WEBSITE!

25 Days of Blogging - Christmas Challenge {Day 1 - Day 6}

Before I begin, let me just say I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I love the whole aspect of it. The decor, the movies, the shopping, the family gatherings, the smells, the food, the weather, etc. That is why I chose to do this challenge. Normally, I find these things weird and annoying. But here we go! Here is the list! And of course, I'm several days behind. I'll play catch up on this post, and then I'll try and stick it out day by day. It is a challenge, you know?

Day 1. Your favorite Christmas movie 

Day 2. Your 2013 Christmas wish list

Day 3. When/how did you learn that Santa wasn't real?

Day 4. Favorite Christmas song

Day 5: Best gift you've ever received

Day 6: Your favorite tree ornament

Day 7: Most memorable Christmas

Day 8: Post a picture of Christmas decor

Day 9: Easiest person to buy for?

Day 10: Favorite holiday scent

Day 11: Favorite Christmas tradition

Day 12: Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Day 13: Favorite Christmas book

Day 14: Real or artificial tree?

Day 15: The best gift you've given

Day 16: Hardest person to buy for?

Day 17: Post a picture of an old Christmas card

Day 18: When do you open gifts?

Day 19: Favorite stocking stuffer

Day 20: Favorite Christmas meal

Day 21: Do you travel on the holidays?

Day 22: Eggnog or hot chocolate?

Day 23: Your plans for Christmas 2013

Day 24: Favorite Christmas Eve tradition

Day 25: Christmas day blog and pictures

Day 1. Your favorite Christmas movie 

My favorite Christmas movies is How the Grinch Stole Christmas! I'm talking about the 1966 animated short film, which you can watch HERE! I loved the 2000 version with Jim Carrey, but I'm still a sucker for the classics! This movie, while still silly and kid friendly, has a great moral story behind it!

Day 2. Your 2013 Christmas wish list

To me, my wish list, is more of a NEED list. Haha. The last one, I've been wishing and hoping for!

• Nikon camera
• Viva La Juicy perfume
• Sephora Moonshadow baked eyeshadow palettes
• Urban Decay Naked Flushed palette
• Urban Decay Naked 3 eyeshadow palette
• MAC Haute & Naughty Lash mascara
• Jeans
• Piko tops
• Leggings
• Riding boots
• Eyelash extensions
• BFP

Day 3. When/how did you learn that Santa wasn't real?

My mother was so good at keeping Santa alive. But when she passed, I noticed that things weren't quite right around Christmas time. The year she died, we woke up to no gifts under the tree, and then the Sears truck delivered everything that we had circled in the Christmas WishBook shortly after. The next year, I opened a gift from "Santa" and then another from "Daddy". Both were in the same handwriting. I knew then, but I tried to keep it a secret as long as I could for my little sister.

Day 4. Favorite Christmas song

I'm a music person anyway. I can analyze and make sense out of any song I hear. My favorite Christmas song would have to be "Winter Wonderland". I love most all Christmas songs, but this one just sticks out to me. It talks about the look, feel, and sounds of Christmastime. I feel like I'm in the middle of town, bundled up, spinning around in the snow on Christmas morning when I hear it. It makes me feel warm and at home.

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,

In the lane, snow is glistening

A beautiful sight,

We're happy tonight.

Walking in a winter wonderland.

Gone away is the bluebird,

Here to stay is a new bird

He sings a love song,

As we go along,

Walking in a winter wonderland.

In the meadow we can build a snowman,

Then pretend that he is Parson Brown

He'll say: Are you married?

We'll say: No man, 

But you can do the job

When you're in town.

Later on, we'll conspire,

As we dream by the fire

To face unafraid, 

The plans that we've made,

Walking in a winter wonderland.

In the meadow we can build a snowman,

And pretend that he's a circus clown

We'll have lots of fun with mister snowman,

Until the other kids knock him down.

When it snows, ain't it thrilling,

Though your nose gets a chilling

We'll frolic and play, the Eskimo way,

Walking in a winter wonderland.

Day 5: Best gift you've ever received

The best gift I've ever received was my engagement ring. It was given to me in early December 2009, by my dear husband. 

Day 6: Your favorite tree ornament

This is a hard one. We've changed ornaments and decor every year. And we don't have any with any sentimental value that we reuse every year. So, I'm gonna say that my favorite are the ones that Ian's godmother's parents get him every year for Christmas. They are always the pretty Hallmark glass ones, and we don't put them on any tree because of Ian and the dog.