Sick Days

Sick days come once in a blue moon for me. But when they do, I guess I need to take advantage of them. Today marks the first sick day in an entire year. I couldn't believe that it had been that long since I had been ill in the last year. This got me thinking about the many things that we have a tendency to forget about. With so much happening in our world that is negative and has a tendency to distract us from the positives, it makes it hard to remember to be grateful for the things we do have...like only having to take one sick day out of an entire year. So, out of a desire to focus on the little things that I rarely do, here is a few things I'm grateful for on my sick day.

1. Honey and tea...nothing else feels so good on a soar throat.
2. Technology...not only can I blog, but I can also email, video chat, play games, and watch my dad preach on Sundays.
3. Substitute teachers...without them I would have had to go in to school today.
4. Ramen...need I say more.
5. Silence...I guess I should suck up as much of this as possible before baby Porter arrives.
6. And last...tissues, because my nose seems to be running a freaking marathon today.
   

The Man and his Maiden

A couple of weeks ago, I had a little ditty in my head that turned out to be a catchy tune. Although it wasn't something that I would typically write as a songwriter, I though I might as well write it. Flash forward to last weekend. Hesitantly, I sung the tune to a friend and asked him if he thought it was good enough to record. His answer was an immediate yes. So my friend Travis and I began to organize the music so that it would be a complete song. We recorded the guitars, which sounded great, but only made it half way through the vocals. We literally couldn't do more because I hadn't finished the song. Honestly, I wasn't even planning on recording it that day because it was just an idea when I showed it to Travis. Luckily all it took was one week of writing and another session of recording and we have a rough cut.

The song is entitled "The Man and his Maiden." It's about a man who has it all, but needs a lady. I know that this is a far stretch from my typical Serus Victoria style songs, but I hope you all like it. To listen to it just go to the Porter Music link on the side of the page or just click here. Also, I have posted a few old songs, some new acoustic demos of past songs, and a new cut of "Little Eyes", which was also finished today. Enjoy!

Holiday Cheer Wrap-Up

It's always funny to look at the holiday season and look at all of the ways we entertain ourselves. Many of us have our traditions that we do, have particular movies that we "have to watch", or music that you have to listen to. For my family, we used to sit around and listen to Dr. Demento's Christmas Album and laugh at all of the funny songs about Christmas, drink eggnog and decorate cookies. As for Alli and I, we have some traditions of our own.

First, we literally cut our first Christmas tree down. Alli watched while I sawed. (I highly doubt this will change over the years.) This is definitely something that we'll continue over the years. The tree was still slightly fresh even when I was taking it down.

Secondly, for the fifth year in a row, we decorated the tree with white lights and silver ornaments. Ali loves it. I finally got up the nerve to explain to her that it just doesn't feel like Christmas without colored twinkly lights. Hopefully, having a kid in the house will sway the vote my way.

Third, Alli and I have things we love to watch. This year we watch...

1. The Mr. Bean Holiday Special (A Ben Tradition)
   
2. The Jeff Dunham Christmas Special (Too Funny!)
3. The Family Stone (An Alli Tradition)
4. Love Actually (An Us Tradition)
5. White Christmas (Us)
   
6. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Us again)
7. A Muppet's Christmas Carol (Another Ben Tradition)

I know, I know. No "It's a Wonderful Life". (Honestly, I can't stand that movie. Bleh.)

And lastly, we made our traditional turkey. (Actually they were cornish game hens) Rosemary, Italian Seasoning, Garlic Salt, Onion powder, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil all mixed up and used to cover the birds inside and out.

All in all, we had a great Christmas and New Years.

Got any of your own traditions that you just have to do during the Christmas season?