12.06.2007

Happy Saint Nick's Day





Celebration in the United States:
While feasts of Saint Nicholas are not observed nationally, cities with strong German influences like Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and St. Louis celebrate St. Nick's Day on a scale similar to the German custom. On the previous night, children put empty shoes (or socks) outside (or just out), and, on the following morning of December 6th, the children awake to find that St. Nick has filled their previously empty footwear with candy and small presents (if the children have been "good") or ostensibly, coal (if not). For these children, the relationship between St. Nick and Santa Claus is not clearly defined, although St. Nick is usually explained to be a helper of Santa. The tradition of St. Nick's Day is firmly established in the Milwaukee community, with parents often continuing to observe the day with even their adult children.


So, happy St. Nick's Day...I hope you were 'good'.


Turning in and presenting my project today! Can't wait to be done with it...now just 1 other smaller project and 2 exams left!


Today, I am grateful for: life, last day of classes, a soon to be break (so close!-Dec 11th), friends, family and God!


But, boy, I wish this cold/sickness/whatever would go away...no fun!


Love,
Rachel

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Rachel,
I am working with VOICE (an imprint of Hyperion publishers) on marketing a memoir by Kelly Corrigan, a thirty-six-year-old woman whose life was changed forever when she discovered a lump in her breast. Kelly’s breast cancer diagnosis was quickly followed by her father’s own late-stage cancer. After reading your blog, I thought this book might be of interest to you, and I would love to send you a copy for review or discussion on your website. Please feel free to contact me at anna@authorsontheweb.com for more information.
Best wishes,
Anna Jarzab

Jessica said...

Hi Rachel! This is Jessica, from
http://lifeloveandlymphoma.blogspot.com/. I'm just now checking into your blog, and going back a few months to learn your story. Gosh, the morning you woke up without feeling must have been terrifying! I have plenty more to read during my breaks from motion writing (I'm a lawyer). I have no idea what St. Nick's day is, but today is my second day guest blogging on Erin's glamour blog, so it's a fun day for me. Stay strong!

Jessica

Obsessedwithlife said...

Anna, thanks so much. I'd definitely be interested! I will email you..

Rachel

Obsessedwithlife said...

Jessica-Thanks SO much for stopping by! That means a lot, I know you are busy!

So cool that you are guest blogging again...on my way to read it!

Rach

Anonymous said...

Rachel- I just read the essay you left me. Your story is so inspiring- I can't imagine being that strong or that brave, ever in my life. I'm so glad that you overcame Askins three times and that you are able to write so eloquently about it. Thank you for sharing your essay with me.

Love,
Jessica

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, as I was reading this and looking at the picture, all I could think of was International Shoe Day! I am actually crying it is so funny! tears. streaming. down. nose. ha ha ha Are you really getting married on ISD? That is just TOO much. If you see a spider, you know what is happening.

Anonymous said...

Feel better. Happy St. Nick's day.

Carol

lifeisagrandslam said...

Hey, Rachel! It's Laura, from the CSC blog & Jessica's. Thanks for the comment on my Castlemans blog - I'm glad to see *someone's* reading it! LOL I actually set it up trying to find other Castleman's Disease patients, since it's such a rare disease. I actually keep a blog of my hubby's & my cancers on carepages.com (carepage name: LauraKukucka). I work in a political arena, so I prefer to keep our "real" blog a little less public.

I love the design of your blog, especially the dragonflies pic. I have a thing for butterflies lately, although I hate that they're such a cliche. I just really love the idea of something ordinary undergoing a transformation & evolving into something beautiful.

You said you had Askins, isn't that a form of sarcoma, or am I thinking of something else? GIST (GastroIntestinal Stromal Tumor) - my form of cancer - is a sarcoma.

You also mentioned inspriational speaking, how did you get into that?? I'm intrigued!

I look forward to reading more of your blog soon...take care & thanks again for the comment!

Anonymous said...

Okay, I have a question. If I come for your wedding, do you think we will actually get some time together??? Weddings are such a blur, and the bride is so busy, which is understandable. :-) Let me know what you think? I really want to come, but it is a pretty big trip (I have to take summer classes too! Haha), and if I come I want to see more than the back of your wedding gown. LOL Yes, I admit it, I am a demanding guest! :-) I really want to come, so if you encourage me at all...you know what will happen.

Jason should have known I would keep doing things like this when he married me!!! I tried to warn him! Have you warned Gabe that you REALLY ARE as nuts as he thinks you are? Have you warned him that you guys HAVE to come to see me? Tit for tat, baby. If I come in July, you better get your butt up here soon.

Yes, this St. Nick's Day post...I don't remember the last time I was so tickled that tears STREAMED down my face. It was quite the site. Did you consider International Shoe Day when you were choosing your date? It must be fate!

Hey, could you make it so that I can sign using my name and weblog address like I used to? Now I only have three choices: Google account, nickname (with no place to put my weblog address) and anonymous. I haven't done enough bad things to be anonymous just yet, but I'll get there, I'm sure.

Obsessedwithlife said...

Jessica-Thanks again. You are quite brave yourself!

Mary-I thought you would like it and I just called you ;).

Laura-Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! Yes, Askin's is currently classified in the family of Ewing's Sarcoma tumors. As far as speaking, I started out locally with charity stuff and just kept my eyes and ears open and I am always open to talking to people and meeting new people and one thing led to another to where I have spoken some nationally. I have a big local one coming up in April. It's a lot of fun!

Carol-Thanks!!! See you tomorrow!

Rachel