Author: Kyllan

The Oscar nominations were released today and “No Country for Old Men” and “There will be Blood” came out with the most. I have not seen either movie as usually is the case with the Oscar nominees. “Juno” was one of the nominations for best picture and as William mentioned, we did see that over the holidays. It will be interesting to see if there will be an awards ceremony this year due to the writer’s strike. I am really starting to wonder how long it will last and what type of programming will remain beyond the strike.

So… b/c it is so cold in Denver, I doubt William and I have many outdoor activities planned. A few movies may be planned. Any recommendations for movies either on video or theaters? Anyone have a favorite movie that they feel EVERYONE should see?

Work has been busy with month end and year end reports and gearing up for 2008.  Combined with trying to fit in my Turbo Kickboxing classes again, I am not getting a chance to sit down and relax until at least 9pm.  So that means all I really want to do at that point is veg out in front of the tv.  While doing that a couple days ago, I watched the pilot episode and then a few days later, the second episode of the new ABC show, Cashmere Mafia.   This show is from the same producers as Sex and the City and is somewhat reminiscent of the show, but with a different spin.  It is about four best friends who went to business school together and now live and work in NYC as high female execs.  It tries to answer the question, “can women have it all” and shows them on their journey to do that (with the obvious embellishments for mass audience appeal).  One of my favorite scenes was when the “stay at home mom” takes one of the main characters kids on a playdate to a Build-a-Bear and create surprise her with a “working mommy bear”.  The bear was even equipped with a cell phone and blue tooth headset and when you pushed her hand, the bear said “I can’t talk right now.  I’m on a conference call”.  The “working mom” thought it was a horrible gift, but I actually liked it.  I am sure William would say my bear would have two cell phones and would say “I’m on-call again”.  I sometimes wonder whether having a demanding career will affect my ability to be the mother I hope to be, but William reassures me that our kids will think that whatever happens in our house is “normal”.  I know that we will do everything possible to make sure our kids know that they are our priority.  Since we each come from households with working mothers and turning out as wonderfully as we did, I think we both realize that we will be just fine.

I picked William up from the airport yesterday, so Christmas came a few days early for me. We have enjoyed being together again and look forward to spending time with each other and with our parents later this week. We don’t really have any specific plans the next couple days besides going to my sister’s house on Christmas day. We went to church this morning and they had the annual Christmas production. It was very nicely done with falling snow, live animals, and more. Pastor Evans also gave a short sermon on reminding us to keep Christ in Christmas this year and every year. He talked about how we get caught up in the gifts, but frequently forget about the Giver of the gifts. It was a good message, right to the point, and several people accepted Christ, which is the ultimate gift.

I decorated the house this year and I really think it looks nice. I am sure we will post pictures at some point. With a few new pieces of furniture and other gifts from the wedding, it is really starting to feel more like a “home”. We are thinking of inviting a few people over tomorrow night to hang out and play Nintendo Wii, so we’ll see what happens. I suggested we see The Great Debaters (a movie that comes out Christmas day starring Denzel Washington and Forrest Whitaker). I have seen previews on tv and on Oprah and it looks good.

In terms of Christmas traditions, William and I hope to start some, but haven’t figured them all out yet. We did decide that each year we would buy a new ornament for the tree and gradually build up. His mom has a story behind just about every ornament on her tree, so I think he wants to do the same. My family didn’t really have any traditions per se besides the usual family gathering and the Chinese Christmas Eve dinner that we have to celebrate my aunt’s Chinese heritage. I will miss fighting for those egg rolls this year! One year we had karoake and that was a lot of fun. Sometimes we even break out in Christmas carols (sounds cheesy, but it really is fun when you get everyone involved). I am sure once kids are in the picture our list of family traditions will grow.

Anyone else have a Christmas tradition they would like to share ?

p.s. the title for this post was b/c I have that song in my head. Toni Braxton has a version on her 2001 Snowflakes album that is so nice.  Click here to enjoy it!

William and I are settling down from what was a very busy work week for both of us, especially for William who called me this morning when I was making breakfast at 7am (the first time I think I have ever made a hot breakfast before work) and reported he was just then going to bed . We need something to blog about. Any suggestions?  Any suggestions for Christmas gifts?  I have no idea what I want this year.  I doubt William will buy me clothes or stuff for the house, which is about all I think I want at the moment, so I am stuck.  William has already begun compiling his list (as usual).