I did some quick editing on my blog picture today. Hope you all like it!

As everyone begins asking me what I want for Christmas, I figure I'll just post it officially. So, without further ado, here is my Santa List:

• Socks. Yes, I actually want socks, I'm not joking. I need a couple different kinds. I need some nice color argyle socks to go with my khaki pants. I also could use some good quality regular everyday socks to go with my tennis shoes. I have been buying a pack from Wal-Mart a couple times a year and wearing those out pretty quick, so some slightly higher quality ones would be a great gift. I wear the no-show style and black or white would be fine. 
  
  To give you an idea of my style, here are some pictures of what I had in mind:
  

  Argyle dress socks http://www.amazon.com/Assorted-Yelete-Brand-Argyle-Socks/dp/B004BP0YNS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323632413&sr=8-2

  No show socks http://www.amazon.com/adidas-Climalite-2-Pack-Graphite-University/dp/B002GWWFG2/ref=sr_1_10?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1323667830&sr=1-10

A new comforter set or bed in a bag. I do not necessarily need a new comforter, but my sheets are getting pretty worn and I figure if I'm going to replace the sheets, I might as well replace the entire bedding set to make it match. I would need a full size set, though my pillow is a king size. 

For bedding, I love blue and I'm fond of stripes. This set gives you a good idea of what I like:

Whew! It has been a long, albeit exciting week at work. Lots of hours, lots of fun, but probably not as much sleep as I should get to go with it. Still plenty more work to go this week, then a brief respite Sunday, and then right back to it Monday. Just the way I like it.

Today, Ross Dress for Less got me again. I have an interesting relationship with that store. I dislike, and sometimes even detest, about 90% of their merchandise. Some of the clothing is good stuff, but the electronics, domestic things and such are usually low quality junk you could get in better quality at DI or a garage sale...well, maybe that is an unfair assessment, but the point is that it is not the kind of store I go to actually shop for things. It is the store I go to because I know that hidden somewhere on a rack or shelf, there is one item, and usually only one item, that I will absolutely love. For that reason, I absolutely love Ross Dress for Less. I like the adventure of going in and looking for that one item that is waiting for me. Today, it was a full zip, heather gray fleece sweater from Calvin Klein and I found it by accident. I went to Ross Dress for Less (if you haven't noticed, I never call it just Ross, it's always Ross Dress for Less) looking for a pair of jeans. I have 2 pairs of work jeans and 1 pair of jeans for casual wear and I determined that another pair of jeans for casual wear would be useful. Anyway, so I went in and got distracted looking at scarves and gloves. Then I made my traditional perusal of the kitchen and home decor area, where I found a great mug for myself for only $3. Then, I went back to the scarves and gloves and decided to get a pair of nice, thinner driving gloves to replace the super thick ones I have that are annoying to drive with. Because the coolest pair of shoes I have ever bought came from a trip to Ross Dress for Less last year, I looked at the shoes and then decided to call it good. On my way to the front, I glanced at the jacket section and saw a very nice looking sweater in my size. I noticed it was much thicker than most fleece, which would be a huge benefit in the frigid Utah winters. Thoroughly interested by that point, I tried it on. I knew immediately I had found my treasure, so I threw the gloves out and got the sweater and mug. I never even made it to look at the jeans, but there was a nice brown jacket I want to take a second look at anyway, so I'll have to make a return trip soon.

I think that story is all the blog needs today. I'm going to throw another dedication out there for our Song of the Day. This one goes to the biggest, and indubitably the most hilarious Christmas Scrooge on the planet: Jeff Woolley, my boss at work. He goes mad when you play Christmas tunes, so we often put them on and see how long it takes for him to freak out. It's usually about 2 seconds. I told him I knew just the song for him, and this is it. The Song of the Day is "Mr. Scrooge" sung by the Muppets in the always hilarious movie A Muppet Christmas Carol.

Well, it was a good St. Nicholas Day from my perspective. As far as I can tell, no one else within 127 miles south (the distance to Mike's place) and 180 miles north (the distance to Camilla's place) celebrates, or really even knows about, St. Nicholas Day. I did, however, educate as many people as I could, both through my blog post about it and talking to people. I also did a little giving of my own this year. One was done in secret for a family I recently met, and while it's not really a big deal if they find out who did it, I will not give away any more than that. The other was for a good friend.

The big news on Facebook today is that BYU-Idaho banned skinny jeans. I have not read the full story on it and it sounds like it may be just a partial ban, but still, I have to have my say nonetheless. First: BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Second: TEEHEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! Third: Good. I never understood skinny jeans anyway. For girls, maybe, but guys, seriously...tight is not right. The only exception is Peter Pan, but he's always played by a woman anyway, so really there is no exception. Period. End of Story. The End.

Today, I am also pleased to announce the addition of a new follower, Taylor Smith, or Tay Smith for short. At least, I think she's an official follower. In the past 2 days since she started following, sometimes it shows her on there, sometimes it don't. Regardless, today we officially welcome her to the blog and dedicate our Song of the Day to her. The song is "Keep Your Head Up" by: Andy Grammer.

That's about all I have time to post today. Our song of the day is a classic funny Christmas tune, it's "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" sung by : Elmo and Patsy.

Sundays used to be a lot quieter than they are today. In the past, people would attend church, worshiping the God that gave them everything, then participate in restful, wholesome activities, such as family meals, reflective walks through the neighborhood, or visiting the elderly, sick, or poor. Now, Sundays are used as a day off from work turned into a day of running errands, a day of watching sports, a day of going out and playing, and practically everything but what they were intended for.

Today, on the Sabbath, I regret to admit that I found myself planning a quick trip to the store because I have been out of face wash for a few days and with over 70 hours scheduled in a Saturday to Saturday week, I figured I had a whole day to not work that I could use to get some errands done. Thankfully, I had a small slap me in the face moment that changed my mind and inspired this post.

If you, as I did, find yourself thinking you need to run out and do some shopping or run other errands today, I hope you will pause for a moment, rethink your plans, and honor this day of rest that has been given and not use it to get things done, but rather to reflect, to improve, and to worship.

To help set that tone both for myself and anyone else who may need it, I put together a playlist of uplifting songs to usher in an appropriate Sabbath spirit.