the Wednesday hodgepodge

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm here with Joyce again today for the weekly hodgepodge...this is a post that I dearly love; thank you, Joyce, for your inspiring and thought provoking questions each and every week! I'll jump right in.

1. What's one thing on your to-do list that you need to get done, want to get done, or must get done before the year ends? I have a lot of things I want to get done while I'm on winter break from work. The thing I need to get done is the last of my Christmas shopping and the wrapping of all the things. Aside from that, I'd like to get some cleaning/organizing/purging/donating done. There are lots of trouble spots in my home that need to be sorted through. I'm on a mission to simplify! 

On that list of things to go through are the things in Dad's hutch and I want to go through all of my books. 

2. December 17th is National Maple Syrup day...are you a fan? Do you like maple in other food items such as candy, cookies, donuts, oatmeal, hot toddies, coffee? I like maple syrup, but I don't think I'm a fanatic about it or anything crazy. We have a local candy store that's been around Memphis for generations called Dinstuhl's; one thing I used to love getting from there were their maple creams. I think it sounds like it would be delicious in coffee! 

3. Time Magazine names a person of the year every year. The tradition started back in 1927 with a man of the year but has since changed not only to an individual, but also to consider the impact of a group, movement, or idea that influenced the year. The selection is not always someone or something good (think Hitler in 1938 and Stalin twice). This year, they've named the AI architects as their "person" of the year. Is this a good choice, a logical choice, an obvious choice? Who do you think should have been named person of the year? I can see how naming the AI architects the "person(s) of the year" would be a logical choice; even though we don't think of AI as human, someone had to start it up at some point, and the mastermind behind it is pretty brilliant. That's just my humble opinion. While AI is pretty scary, it's also something that is making life easier for a lot of people. I don't think it's good in the sense that it will eliminate jobs for people, but it's something that is around and not going anywhere for a long time. Like everything in life, there are pros and cons to this newer form of technology.

I'm still all for letting the big wigs at Chick Fil A running the country; why not let them be the people of the year? 

4. What's a city, state, or country that you've visited that you never care to visit again? Tell us why. I'm about to say something super controversial here, so I hope we can still be friends after today. I think Disney is overrated. I get the magic of it for young kids, but I've been there several times and don't really care to ever go back. I'd go back to Epcot, but even that seems far fetched. I realize that this isn't a city, state or country, but it's all I could think of. 

5. Next Sunday (December 21st) marks the first day of winter. What's one thing you love about this new season? I kind of love winter, friends. I love the early nights, the season of embracing all of the cozy vibes, the snow, the promise of an impending new year, and that magical week between Christmas and New Year's day. I love the thought of snow days and time spent snuggled up at home with nowhere to be. I don't necessarily dislike January, either, like most people. I'm told that February is the longest month at school, because it's the only month with no breaks. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. Thanks for being here for me this week, friends. I had a rough ending to my birthday/start of the new week. I received some shocking news and it literally almost took me down. I called Marilyn, because what else would I do? She was here within ten minutes, and came right upstairs to my bedroom and laid on top of it with me. She hugged me, encouraged me, let me cry, let me sit in silence, and just locked eyes with me while we talked. I will never ever take this kind of friendship for granted! I'm so thankful for her, and that she is so close to me these days. 

I'm also thankful for you and your kind words to help get me through a tough start to the week. I'm not sure if I'll be back here tomorrow, but I plan on being here Friday to celebrate the final day of school for me. I can't believe semester one is almost over! Time has flown, and I am still so grateful to have a job that I love. As I write this, I'm group texting the ladies I eat lunch with everyday. 

I spent some time at Dad's grave with my sister and mom for my birthday on Saturday. I'll share more about the weekend on Friday. Thanks for being here to read my blog today, friends. Love to all!

Jenn xoxo