This has always been one of my most favorite times of the year. When I was a kid this time of year always felt so magical. Now, that I’m older, the magic has died a bit, but I’m determined to still make it a special time of year. One of the best ways to do that, in my opinion, is to decorate!!
Here is my house this year, and if I do say so myself, it looks magical!
Welcome in!
Of course I have a giant blow up, do you know me at all?
Candy canes lining the walk way!
I love changing my flags for the seasons.
A real wreath this year.
You might notice a theme, JOY! Joy is my middle name, so I have to!
My little Santa figurines were a gift from my Grammy years ago!
A flamingo with a Santa hat was a no-brainer!
This one lights up!
I saw this on Tik Tok and thought it was so cute!
A little touch to brighten up the stairs!
I painted this one.
My chocolate fix every day!
Another wreath welcoming me in from the garage.
My gorgeous tree! Do you see Jackson?
Anyways, it’s not much, but this time of year can be awfully depressing, the sun sets so early, it’s cold out. This brings me Joy and it brings me happiness to turn all the lights on and enjoy them. I’m wishing you all so much love this time of year.
It’s hard to believe that 2022 is almost over! I have been thinking a lot lately how fast this year went by, and how crazy it is that it’s almost a new year!
I’ve never really been a fan of New Year’s. I hate staying up late, and I often feel sad, because I think of all the things I wanted to do that year and didn’t.
But, what I’ve learned lately is that life just keeps going, and most of life is the mundane, the boring, the day to day things, but when you look back that is sometimes the most memorable.
Here is a recap of my 2022!
January started with my two best friends! I miss them so much!
Then we celebrated Jackson’s birthday! I don’t actually know if this is his birthday since I adopted him, but let’s be real, he doesn’t know either!
February I had the best time skiing at Sun Valley. I had a day off in the middle of the week and decided to ski by myself! I felt so free!
In March, my favorite Bruce’s came to visit and we also went skiing at Sun Valley!! I love my two favorite Bruce’s!
I also turned 25 in March! We took this picture on my birthday!
In April, my mom came to visit and we had a great time shopping and doing all the things we love to do together! I love my Mom so much!
In May, I spent a lot of time outside with Jackson!! We went on lots of walks, read lots of books, and enjoyed the beautiful weather before it got too hot!
In June, I found out I was going to be competing at International Junior Miss as Miss Idaho! This was a goal I set for myself back in 2019! Just goes to show that sometimes your goals take a while to accomplish, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on it!
July was super fun! I started my new role at KMVT as the morning show co-anchor!
My grandfather also passed away in July, I miss you Papa!
In August, Trevor and I went to DisneyLand and California Adventure! I am sharing this picture because I was so proud of myself for not letting my fears stop me and I went on the Incredicoaster!
In September we celebrated Trevor’s birthday with these great friends!! I’m lucky to have so many great friends!
October was exciting! We bought a house! I love this house and it’s finally starting to feel like home!
November was so busy! I flew back to MA for one weekend to surprise my mom for her birthday!! We pulled off the surprise!!
Then, it was time for Internationals in Florida! What an amazing week with new friends and my family!
December was full of Christmas cheer!!
Now, these are just some highlights of the year. Most of my days were just full of work, taking care of my dog, cooking, cleaning, food shopping, and just doing daily things.
There were also a lot of sad days, and a lot of happy days. And right now as I’m ending this year, I am very sick.
But, I choose to look on the positive side and hope that 2023 will be a year full of accomplishing goals, growing, and happiness.
Hello Blog World! I must first apologize, I am terribly sorry I haven’t written a post in a while. I was sick, and then I went back to school and suddenly every professor realized finals was almost here and assigned lots of work. But, on the train this morning, I had an idea for a story, so I knew I had to make time for it.
I took this on the It’s A Small World Ride in Disney Land last year!
Christmas is coming, and personally, I absolutely LOVE Christmas season, and I’ll tell you why. It’s not because of the presents, I actually like giving presents more than getting them. I love to see the look on people’s faces as I give them something I knew they’d love. I love the magic of the season, and I’m not talking about Santa Claus, I’m talking about people realizing that they can make a difference in a person’s life.
One of my faves!
I believed in Santa for a long time, probably because I just loved the magic of it, I believed so hard that I even thought I heard him on the roof one year.
Bruce and I on Christmas Eve!
But, I remember when I stopped believing in Santa, I was so upset. Christmas was ruined. I didn’t believe in the magic anymore, and I hated it.
Santa Santa I know him!
But then, I found a newspaper in the street that same year that I stopped believing and right on the front page, an article called “Is There Really A Santa,” and I knew I had to read it.
My Truest Form
And what I realized from reading an article in a newspaper that wasn’t even ours, was that, maybe Santa isn’t real. The man that we like to call Santa. But the Santa that is about hope, joy, magic, he’s real. The spirit of him lies within all of us. No matter your religion, your race, or your gender. Santa is about giving, it’s about lifting other people up when they need it the most. It’s about hope, knowing that each year on December 25th, Santa will arrive. It’s about believing in things you can’t see, can’t touch, can’t feel.
We can all be Santa. We can all go out off our way to give to people who can never repay us. We can all go to the Food Bank and volunteer for a day, knowing that they’ll never be able to do that for us. We can all spread joy, love, happiness, even if it’s just for a day. And why does that day have to fall on December 25th? We can all be Santa, all year long.
There is so much goodness in this world, every day people do things that surprise us and make us realize how amazing this world truly is. So, when I stopped believing in the magic of Santa, I started believing in the magic of the world, the magic that lies within every single one of us, to make this world better.
I believe in goodness, and magic and I believe that somewhere deep inside every single one of us lies the potential to be Santa. To make somebody so excited, so happy, and so joyful, without ever expecting anything in return.
Elizabeth Joy Hadley 