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Last night went down in true French kid fashion. Lorae, Cam and I all attempted to sleep in my full-sized bed. Key word: attempted. We were obnoxiously loud until around 2am, and GET THIS – we didn’t even get yelled at!! (A little part of me thinks my parents actually enjoy hearing us laugh hysterically into the wee hours of the morning.) Needless to say, we eventually got sick of each other and went our separate ways to our separate rooms.

So without further ado, here are some highlights of my morning:

(1) Just about EVERY Christmas, after all the unwrapping madness ceases, my parents all of a sudden remember out loud, “Oh yeah! We forgot about another one of Cam’s presents in the closet!” Lorae and I have learned to never get excited when we hear this “Oh yeah!” Because it’s ALWAYS for Cam. Why is this a highlight, you ask? Well, the highlight is the fact that this didn’t happen this year! :)

(2) This Christmas, I got my dad 12oz. of cherry pipe tobacco, and a legit pipe. And the thing is, he won’t actually smoke it. He just loves the smell of burning it. (Funny story – when I was about 8, I was snooping around in my dad’s office and found a stash of cherry flavored cigars. I FLIPPED out on him, feeling betrayed that he never told anyone he smoked. Turns out, he’s always just loved the scent. When he was a young kid, his father used to smoke the same flavor. So it’s really a nostalgia thing.) So my dad unwraps his gift this morning, and is so excited about it! But he can’t smell it at all, because he has a cold. :( Mind you, I’ve had it double-bagged, boxed and put in a drawer upstairs because it is so, soo smelly. Good timing Dad, good timing…

(3) Showit Web and BlogStomp baby!! I make no qualms about getting new bloggy goodies for Christmas. Showit Web is something I’ve been coveting for a while, but just haven’t gotten around to. But now, it’s ALL mine. Mwahahaha. (Seriously Alyse, get real..) Anyway, it’s downloadable software that allows you to create beyond-awesome slideshows. One of the best parts is that it automatically resizes images and generates Flash .swf files in minutes! You can also customize music, text, colors, zoom, focal points, and include your own logo. Lurve it!! And BlogStomp is equally AMAZING. It’s a one-click Photoshop action to make your photos blog-ready in a matter of seconds. Definitely speeds up the workflow, which is always a good thing! Just a click, and it resizes, borders, sharpens, and saves as a new file. All while being completely customizable with your logo. Pretty stinking sweet, I tell you. In fact, get ready for another watermark change ya’ll. I promise I’ll stick with this one for a while. :)

(4) Best highlight, hands down. “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.” Isaiah 9:7. Hallelujah.

And I will leave you with some Christmas photo highlights! Here is just one of the cute little snowmen on our tree.

Dad’s reaction to my present for him. :)

Lorae got my parents an album full of all the pictures they took in Italy last May. ‘Twas a hit.

She also got them tickets to a James Taylor concert. But first, they had to figure out this puzzle. Hint: “Fire and Rain” ;)

Merry Christmas blog readers! :)

Aww, my cute little blog is growing up! Tidbit Tuesday number SIX is here!

For starters, have you noticed how many shows are now on TV about midgets/dwarfs? Love them all… But I’m just sayin’. There’s The Little Couple, Little People, Big World, Little Parents, First Baby, and now.. Get this: Little Chocolatiers – a show about dwarves who run a chocolate factory! Umm.. awesome?!

My “w” key has had a hard time  orking lately. So if I scre  up my typing, oh  ell.

Oh, how about some fun blog reader involvement? Here’s the thing.. I want a dog! Well, I mean. Not right now. (Well, yes right now.) But really, for after Dylan and I get married. And since Dylan refuses to have a son named Sullivan, I will be naming this dog, well.. Sullivan. But I don’t know what dog to get! Anybody have a favorite breed?

There are two things Dylan likes to make fun of me for pretty consistently. (1) The way I meticulously clean my plate when eating as if I’ve never seen food before in my life. (Hey.. What if I just like food??) And (2) the way I get obnoxious(ly loud) hiccups multiple times per day. But I’ve done my research, and have connected the two! You see, not only do I clean my plate, but I scarf down food like you wouldn’t believe. And apparently, eating fast pretty much makes hiccups inevitable. Interesting, no? I thought so.

So, I’m starting to really, really, reeeally understand why people pay other people to design and build websites for them. I’m just finishing up my last few projects for my web design class, and I am SO ready to free my mind of all things html, css, and javascript-related. <p>Ugh.</p>

OH. So, we got our wedding venue booked! Finally.. We’ve been running a tad bit behind! But it feels soo good. :) The Beekman Mansion, located literally a 1/4-mile from my house, is right on Rt. 10, and is a NYS historical landmark, as it was once part of the underground railroad. Totally awesome, right?! My uncle’s contracting company renovated the entire building about a decade back, and since first seeing it, I’ve always wanted my wedding there! Can you say nailed it?! Visit: Beekman1802.com to check it out!!

And you know what I’m finally starting to realize? This will be my last Christmas at home. Craaazy. No more sleeping in the same full-sized bed with my brother and sister on Christmas Eve. (More like causing a ruckus laughing and singing and being plain ridiculous until mom and dad yell at us from their room to shut up or they’ll separate us… Yes I know how old I am..) No more singing along with The Muppet’s Christmas Carol. No more of a lot of things. But there’re also so many new, awesome, fun things to look forward to! Like waking up next Christmas morning as Mrs. Alyse Morrissey. :)

So yesterday, my best friend and I went to our old high school for a little visit. We hadn’t been back in two whole years, so it was about time. We were glad to be able to spend some time with a few of our old teachers. But first, we had to sneak past a very old man on a power trip who told us visiting during classes wasn’t allowed although we’ve done it seven times before. That was an adventure. We also pretended to be student teachers to a group of 7th graders and gave them a pop quiz on a book we haven’t read. Meaning.. questions that didn’t apply whatsoever to the book. They were freaking out until we told them the bonus question was, “How do you spell G-U-L-L-I-B-L-E. Oh, and p.s., the legit teacher put us up to this, I swear. That’s how awesome my old school is.

Sometimes I feel like I’m a very lame story-teller. Last story = Case. in. point.

Alright, I should get cracking on my web design, and maybe make some sugar spritz cookies!! We’ll see which comes first..

Until next time, I will leave you with some goodies from this past weekend. Hold onto your seats folks, this picture is going to rock your world! My brother Cameron made this banana dog the other day. Yup, that’s right, always focus on the eye, even if it’s a banana.. With eyes..

This past Sunday, my extended family got together for our annual Christmas party. Among other, cooler things, I decorated this cookie!!

My mom jokingly decorated this cookie for my dad. But then, when he didn’t want it, she was forced to eat it herself. Hahaha. :)

And I’d like to top it off with some similar deliciousness. This is my momma and my baby cousin Logan. Those cheeeeeks!

Happy Tuesday, ya’ll!!