I'm still alive!

I survived skiing, even though this one girl in pink snow pants and a green jacket on a snowboard was all but asking me to punch her in the face when she turned and stopped in front of me not once, but on TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, making me have to bail. Those were the only times I fell (on the slope -- I'm still not really great getting off the chair lift or toe rope...)

The slopes.

And since today is the last day I can legitimately say this to you as it is the last day of the season - MERRY CHRISTMAS my reader-friends! I hope your holiday season was happy and holy. I am so excited that we got to sing "Of the Father's Love Begotten" today at Mass. It's probably my favorite Christmas song.

Contemplative.

I've been feeling very contemplative as of late. I'm sure it has something to do with Christmas and the New Year but here I sit. Thinking.

Sometimes I think about funny things. And when I do, a huge smile spreads across my face. Which makes me wonder, if passersby notice - I wonder what THEY think I'm thinking.

Smiling like a J@ck@$$ chewin' briars...

Which makes me think - if people could REALLY hear my thoughts and know what goes on inside my head half of the time...Oh. wow. I don't think the world would be ready for Prudence Thorne.

Someone made a really profound statement in an off-the-cuff / in-passing kind of way to me yesterday, and it really hit home. We were talking about bad habits, and I said something along the lines of them hearing my voice in their head, like the WWJD saying, but instead it would be "What would Prudence say?" and they responded, "No no, it would be what would you think. You think way more than you speak. And it means more." ...I was at a loss. They were right. I do think alot. WAAAAAY more than I speak.

Sometimes I wonder if that's a problem - thinking and internalizing things more than voicing my opinion. I've always had two rules in my not-so-grown-up life:

1. Don't say anything unless you really mean it. Meaning, don't just talk to waste air or to fill space. Really think about what you're going to say.
   
   and
   
2. If people aren't listening or talk over you, don't waste your time talking because if they can't respect that you're trying to speak then they probably don't really care about what you have to say.

I live by these, and sometimes that makes me very quiet in conversations where people tend to run the show. Other times, people think I'm stuck up and rather itchy with a b at the beginning. But it's not that really. I just internalize and thing a whole heck of alot more than I talk.

Tehe. I kid. I'm not unstable.
Photo Cred: The Smoking Jacket

I also write more than I talk too.

Speed Update of what I promised previously..

A week ago I posted this. And sadly, I only got to one of those things on the list. Christmas was a busy time for Prudence! In a quick micro-update to atone for the lack of updating about things promised, I give you:

The list:

My flight experience to Another Smalltown on Tuesday (this should be up by Thursday PM): See this post. 


More on Prudence's Dad and his craziness (based on a conversation about Justin Bieber and what promises to be an adventure in last minute Christmas shopping over the next 2 days): My dad is one of the funniest people I know. While I was in Another Smalltown for Christmas, we watched a few Christmas specials, including re-watching the one by this beautiful man: 

Photo Cred: FAMEmagazine

But before Mr. Buble serenaded me on his very first Christmas special for the second time this holiday season, we watched the adoption special "A Home for the Holidays" (in which Mary J. Blige was wearing what can only be described as a red adult onesie.) 

Mary J. Blige's Fancy Red Onesie. Photo Cred: CBS

And like in the Buble special, one Justin Bieber makes an appearance to sing his one-hit Christmas wonder, Under the Mistletoe. 

Now... don't ask me how, but my dad somehow understands/gets/whatever's Lady Gaga. But he couldn't seem to grasp the idea of the term "shawty." Example (from Under the Mistletoe):

I should be playing in the winter snow / But Ima be under the mistletoe. / With you, shawty with you, / With you, shawty with you, / With you, under the Mistletoe, yeah.

After explaining that a "shawty" is a term for an attractive girl or girlfriend or whatever (according to Urban Dictionary), I did like the Spelling Bee, and used it in a sentence (or... in other song lyrics, actually):

 Go shawty, it's your birthday, you're gonna party like it's your birthday.

I think he got it after that. ANYWAY. Mr. Bieber gave us another round of his "Under the Mistletoe" in the Buble special. But this time, Dad wasn't as concerned with the term shawty but more about that level at which young Justin decided to wear his britches. My dad exclaimed, and I quote:

"Oh my goodness! Look at him. He's wearing them below his A$$!" 

Photo Cred: Aurora Record Company

 Oh Dad. Again, you get Lady Gaga, but not The Biebs. Guess he's just not a Belieber like Mr. Buble.

The Importance of Family and Traditions (because the season just begs for this): One of the last things we talked about in my 4th grade Sunday School class on the Sunday before Christmas was tradition. Catholicism is chock full of tradition, and I love every last bit of it. I had my students talk about their family traditions, and as expected, many of them revolved around being together, decorating the house for Christmas, getting a tree, and opening presents. I think these kinds of traditions are super important because it really helps to ground your family. It gives you something to look forward to time and time again.

In Prudence's family - we've ALWAYS had a Christmas Eve Drop-In at our house. I think this year marked the 25th annual - since I'm 26 and I was only 13 days old on my first Christmas - I don't think Mom entertained friends that year. But for 25 years, family, friends, and neighbors have come over to our house (yes, even when we moved about 7 miles from the old dwelling) on Christmas Eve to enjoy each other's company and enough food to feed an army. We're talking Smoked Turkey, BBQ, Rolls, Stuffed Mushrooms, Veggies, Cheese Dip, Spinach dip, and enough sweets to make you want to join Weight Watchers on Christmas morning. If we stopped having the drop-in, I don't know what some of our friends would do since they've ALWAYS come to our house on Christmas Eve. 

The Smoked Turkey from this year's Christmas Eve Drop-In

The Desserts. Mmmmm.

While putting everything together sometimes seems like a hassle, it's still a pretty great feeling to entertain friends and family and to enjoy the company of other people. On my (delayed) flight to Another Smalltown, I picked up a book called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. 

I'll do a more full-fledged post on it when I finish reading the book, but yesterday on the flight back to Smalltown, USA I read the chapter "Lighten Up" where Gretchen refers to "being a treasure house of happy memories." It's often the traditions and rituals we have with family and friends that supply us with our happiest memories. 


Christmas in Another Smalltown (because that's happening in t-minus 3 days...err, it happened 3 days ago): Christmas was grand in Another Smalltown. As I mentioned with family traditions, Prudence's family does indeed have a drop-in on Christmas Eve were upwards of 60 people come to our house for food and fellowship. Lots goes into preparations for the evening, but it's great to see family friends who've watched me grow up - especially since I've moved away from Another Smalltown and am only there about 3 or 4 times a year now.

This Christmas, we had two new additions to our family gathering: My brother got married in June, so this was Sister-in-Law's first Christmas with the Thorne family. And earlier this year, Brudder and Sister-in-Law adopted a beagle, so it was Spanky's first Christmas with us too. Food was eaten. Presents were opened. And fun was had. It was a really great Christmas - it just went by too fast!

So...there you have it. A relatively speedy update of topics I had promised previously. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, readers! Happy 4th Day of the Christmas Octave!

Flight of the Prudence.

I'm back in Another Small Town for Christmas. I flew in Tuesday but, per usual, was delayed before even leaving the first airport. I'm all for enacting rules about pilots not flying a sh!t-ton, but make sure you don't schedule said-pilots to fly a sh!t-ton and then realize that oh they can't fly this last leg because they've already met their limit. I mean right? Duh. 

Photo Cred: Music Master Oldies

After being delayed about an hour while we waited for a new captain to arrive on scene AND being rescheduled to a new flight into my final destination city because my layover was only 40 minutes in connecting city, we boarded the plane and I had the luxury of being seated next to EXTREMELY DRUNK LADY named 'B,' who, I learned, had never ever flown before. I mean, this lady was LIT. Poor thing. She lost her ticket when someone walked by and it swooped out of her hands about 4 rows back so she got up to go get it (not that it really mattered - she was already on the plane and in her correct seat. I've NEVER seen flight attendants check tickets after you're seated unless someone questions an assignment). So... that happened. And she was loud. But she was a happy drunk.

Photo Cred: Car Seat Blog

Shortly after everyone appeared to have boarded the plane, a TSA official squatted down in the aisle by our row and told 'B' that she would have to get off the plane because she was intoxicated. 'B' was in disbelief, and he responded that she couldn't even put on her seat belt to which she responded "but I'm trying!" ....Long story short, 'B' got off the plan on her own, but her boyfriend and son-in-law stayed on the plane and went to connecting city without her. Poor 'B'. I suppose she still has never flown before.

So now I'm in Another Smalltown taking part in Christmas festivities with family and friends. There's lots of fun in store ahead for me... Stay tuned for a riveting account of what's in store for Prudence over the next couple of days!

Coming Soon

Here is a list of things I plan to blog about in the very near future:

• My flight experience to Another Smalltown on Tuesday (this should be up by Thursday PM)

• More on Prudence's Dad and his craziness (based on a conversation about Justin Bieber and what promises to be an adventure in last minute Christmas shopping over the next 2 days)

• The Importance of Family and Traditions (because the season just begs for this)

• Christmas in Another Smalltown (because that's happening in t-minus 3 days)

And of course I'll post about anything out of the blue that happens, because my life is crazy and that's how things tend to be. So... there IS stuff to look forward to!! I just have to get it all written in  between edits on the proposal for THE BIG PAPER.

Until then! Keep it real, readers!

Pumpkin Pie and Prevenient Grace.

Today for lunch I had some whipped cream with a side of pumpkin pie. No, seriously. It's the lunch of champions I tell you! I even ate most of the pie crust. Which I don't do. Ever. Unless it's graham cracker....

I had WAYYYY more whipped cream than that. WAY.

So, obviously... this afternoon I went to the gym because of the pumpkin pie (and yesterday's sinful St. Nicholas doughnut treat). I ran 3 miles. Go me!

^^ That's a true story. Yup, sure is. ^^

In other non-Prudence related news, how cute is Pope Benedict XVI? Love him!

According to Whispers in the Loggia, Papa Benny remotely lit the "World's Largest Christmas Tree" recently (the post at Whisper's says earlier tonight - but it was posted at 2:05 this afternoon, so... that confused me but whatevs.) And because he's COOL LIKE THAT he used a "tablet computer" which if you ask me closely resembles an iPad or maybe a Kindle Fire or something like that. Regardless - I love it when octogenarians embrace new technology! Get it Benny!

Photo Cred: Whispers in the Loggia

The Pope's Christmas wish makes him even cuter, if you ask me:

"My first wish... is that in our outlook of mind and heart, we won't stop only at the horizon of this world, of material things, but might be a little more like this tree, that always points upward, toward God. He never forgets us, but asks that we, too, don't forget him either!"

Awww. Great sentiments from our Holy Father.

Photo Cred: Mary Pages

And on this eve of the Immaculate Conception, we should be reminded that God certainly HAS NOT forgotten us. By choosing Mary, our Blessed Mother, to be without original sin from her very creation, a young girl was able to say "Yes" to God, to become the new Eve. She would bear the Savior of the World... our Redeemer. Without Mary (which, if you've read the side of my blog, you'll know that I think she's one cool Lady) we would be in pretty bad shape, salvifically speaking. (I may have just made up that word... "salvifically"...)

Just a Random Post.

I'm not feeling particularly creative at the moment (that's what happens when you sit, staring at a computer screen trying to write THE BIG PAPER for.. oh, 6 hours straight). So I'm just going to post some randomness...

Today is the feast of St. Nicholas. He's a cool 4th century saint on whom the modern conceptualization of Santa Claus is based.

In honor of the feast of St. Nicholas, Priest-Friend brought treats in the form of sinful ICED & GLAZED doughnuts to share with Church Office Ladies. And I got one too.

After eating said doughnut as my lunch and a half a bag of potato chips when I got home this evening, I have failed to get off my tukkus and go to the gym.

And so now I feel fat. That's the bad thing about the holiday season I think. Temptation. Food.  And it's cold so who wants to work out?!



However, I have a HOT DATE with this beautiful man in less than an hour:

So I guess I better go make some dinner (more food - because there's been very little nutritional value to anything I've eaten today - Sorry Organist-Friend!) and enjoy my evening with Mr. Buble.

And work on some Christmas cards. Because I do enjoy spreading the Christmas cheer!

And so does Spanky! He say's WOOF!