Adios, 2015 Hodgepodge!

It's time to say Adios to 2015!  Thank, goodness! Joyce is helping us ring in the New Year with one more round of Hodgepodge Q&A.
1. Share a favorite memory/moment from the week of Christmas.
We had our traditional Christmas Day Brunch. All 3 boys were here, plus my dad, and one of my sisters & BIL. This was the first year my sister came, and it was great fun! I hope we can do it again next year.

2.  If someone wrote a book about your life based on the past year, what genre would it fall under? What would the title be?
Drama. I have no idea what the title would be.

3. What made you feel patriotic this year?
Going to Texas A&M and taking a self-guided tour of campus. That is such an amazing place that honors veterans and traditions like no place I've ever seen.

4. What experience from this past year would you like to do all over again?
A Texas A&M Game. OMG, it was just so amazing! I'd do it again in a heartbeat! It was definitely the best weekend of the year.

5. What song lyric sums up or is a reflection of your 2015?


6. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate 2015?  (10=stellar) Why?
5. It was just so-so. At first I was going to rate it a "2", but then I thought about the good things that happened this year; they brought it up to a "5".

7. What part of the upcoming year are you most excited about?
Not knowing what's in store for us. Hopefully it will be a good year; much better than last. CH & I will be planning a summer trip soon...time for me to check out Trip Advisor to see what I need to make sure I don't miss!

8. Insert your own random thought here.
It's really sad to see pictures of people taking down their decorations already. You spend all of that time putting the decorations up, why be in such a rush to take them down? Leave them up until Epiphany (or at least until the New Year) and enjoy them a little longer!  I was sitting on the couch yesterday and the sun started shining through the kitchen window, hitting the Christmas Tree in 1 spot. I grabbed my camera (of course!) and got this shot:
I'm going to cheat and sneak in another random thought. The other day, I saw that a radio personality from The Catholic Channel (Sirius Radio) has a Saint's Generator on her website. You click on a button and a saint for the year is randomly selected for you. I got Saint Peregrine, who is the patron saint for cancer patients. My first thought was that I hoped it wasn't an omen, followed by maybe I got him for Thanksgiving for a few family members who were diagnosed in 2015 (and are all doing great). Then, the next day, I got an email from a blogging friend to let me know of her diagnosis. So, my friend, this year is dedicated to you! May St. Peregrine intercede in your behalf to receive healing!
You can find the Saint's Name Generator here.

23 comments:

  1. I agree with your thoughts about people rushing to take down Christmas decorations! I'm going to enjoy mine for a while longer.
    I'm sorry to hear of your friend's diagnosis, but will pray the outcome will be a good one.
    Happy New Year!
    Kathy (from Reflections by Kathy)

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  2. Planning a summer trip is good medicine for any kind of year one has had. :-) I always think that planning is half the fun. I agree about leaving up the decorations longer. I have been known to leave our front porch tree up til the end of February. After all, it's so cold that the needles don't have a chance to die. Unfortunately, I didn't get a porch tree up this year.

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  3. I love that song too. Very positive! And I agree about people taking down their trees and decorations so early. As I wrote, I try and keep the Christmas season going all 12 days. This morning I just noticed that another section of my "pre-lit tree" is out. So now the top is out & a row 2/3's down. I think this tree is going to the dump at the end of the season! Happy new year!

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  4. Really love your choice of song!!!!

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  5. Hoping 2016 is a 10 for you! The guy across the street put up his decorations two weeks before Thanksgiving; we were gone for this past weekend, but when we got home mid afternoon on Sunday, I noticed his decorations were already down. I used to keep my up to December 28th when I decorated; I liked to start the new year with a clean slate, LOL :) Planning vacations are always fun; hope you guys arrive soon on a destination!

    betty

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  6. Well...we took our real tree down the day after Christmas--it was starting to look like a Charlie Brown tree, sad to say. My son asked why do we still have the lights up outside and then go goes, "Hey, leave them up all year."

    ANYWAYS---thanks for visiting--I am going to add you to my reading list... Many Happy New Year Blessings to you.

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  7. Great song! I am still enjoying waking early and sitting in the quiet with the tree lights on. We never take ours down before New Years Day. Have fun planning your trip. I love having something on the calendar to look forward to. Happy new year!

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  8. What a beautiful picture of your tree. I sat alone on Christmas morning early and enjoyed our tree. It was so quiet and beautiful then. I'll probably take ours down sometime this weekend.

    Happy New Year!

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  9. Very pretty picture of your tree. I'm going to enjoy ours a few more days, but the decorations will come down before I have to return to work next Monday.

    I think I'd enjoy seeing the campus at Texas A&M. I love patriotic displays.

    Happy New Year to you and yours!

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  10. Yeah, I had my year rated low but brought it up due to the positive things that happened. Like you, I am planning a trip. Where are you going? We are thinking Pacific NW.

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  11. Of course I had to go try the Saint finder. I got Saint Maria Goretti, and she's perfect! Patronage: Against Poverty; Against the Death of Parents; Children; Girls; Martyrs; Poor People; Rape Victims; Young People. Wow. My little tree is still up. I only put up a little one since we went to the mountains for Christmas. I don't like taking the tree down early. But I also don't like taking it down on the Day of Epiphany. Because that's my birthday. :) Happy New Year!

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  12. Love your song choice. Hope 2016 is good for you. My decorations will be up until Epiphany.

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  13. Nothing better than tradition and the more the merrier! So glad that your experience was so awesome at Texas A&M. Glad you got up to a 5. I started at 5 and went up to a 7. I agree with you 100%, tree's need to stay up longer. I put too much effort in to just tear it down. Mine will stay up for maybe two more weeks. I am not Catholic but am very familiar with St. Peregrine. At the Mission in San Juan Capistrano. http://www.missionsjc.com/religion-spirituality/churches/st-peregrine-chapel/ I have gone there to light candles for many family member when they were diagnosed and they are all survivors.

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  14. I'm still enjoying my Christmas decorations too. Last night I bought a Christmas tablecloth for 50% off and just put it on today :) Your tree looks great. Happy New Year!

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  15. Hi we actually get to watch the NYE celebration at 9! :) I like getting up early to watch the Rose parade. Anyway my tree is still up too although we have taken down a few decorations. Just the ones that get in the way.

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  16. Yes, Texas AM is quite the place for sure. Our daughter use to date a guy that went to college there. I took my tree down Christmas Day this year. It was over here and I was more than ready to get it down and get things back to normal. Shame on me! :o))) Wishing you a wonderful 2016!

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  17. I agree with you that it is sad to see the decorations go too early. I leave mine up until after New Year's Might even be sometime in January! And I still turn the lights on every single day!!

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  18. Hey, my nephew will be going to Texas A&M in the fall. Glad to hear they treat vets so respectfully there. As for the Christmas decorations, I usually leave ours up till January 1st, but this year my hubby is having surgery on the 5th and I want everything down and packed away by tomorrow night.

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  19. Lovely to meet you, Mary and thanks for stopping by my blog. Our Christmas trees and decorations will go down January 6th as always - they go up in the week before Christmas Day so everything lasts pretty well. I had a go on the saint chooser - just because I'm nosey - and got St John Rigby - an English Saint of torture victims so as I'm from England I think this might show me the direction of a possible good works for 2016 as I had already thought about the many refugees fleeing torture in their own countries. I wish you a very Happy New Year.Special Teaching at Pempi’s Palace

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  20. Hi Mary. The only reason that I took down my decorations is that my daughter offered to help me with my least favorite task. Love that idea about the randomly selected saints. I do have my faves though. St. Anthony, St. Jude, and St. Joseph have all gotten me through the toughest times. Have a wonderful healthy new year, Mary.

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  21. We didn't decorate much this year, but when we do decorate we don't take them down until after New Years day. Thank you for stopping by my blog page and for your kind comments. Happy New Year!

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  22. Hi Mary,
    I am with you, we keep our decorations up until the second week of January. I leave my Christmas village up until March. Our Winter nights are long and dark, so it helps to have twinkle lights. :-)
    Carla

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  23. Loved your post. Fight Song was my song choice too.

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