I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

As I get older, I find myself embracing parts of who I am, that never had a place to land previously. This Christmas season, I've really discovered how festive I am and how much I love to get in the Christmas spirit.  So, for all my blog followers out there, I've decided to write a how to guide on how to get in (and stay in) the Christmas spirit this holiday season.

First things first, you must wet your appetite  for all the festive treats you are going to experience.
My personal favorite way to start: A Grande Starbucks Peppermint White Mocha, Non-fat, No Foam, Extra hot :)

What's your favorite Christmas drink?

Once you have driven to your local Starbucks and picked up this delicacy, it's time to move on to the next treat of the season. Christmas music! Here in San Jose, KOIT radio (96.5) has round the clock Christmas music----some good, some.... not so good. (Why did Madonna ever think she should sing Santa Baby? ... just sayin.) This year, I've found a few favorites that will surely put a jingle in your ear:

Michael Buble's Christmas Album

seriously... if this guy doesn't put you in the mood, no one will.
















The next special treasure I found today actually at the local Salvation Army.

I'm currently listening to Christmas Sing-Along with Mitch, and it's a true gem. The best part is, it comes complete with a booklet of lyrics for all the songs. Cannot wait to sit around the fire and sing with my kids someday :).... with Mitch.






What would Christmas season be without Christmas cookies? Every single year, my Dad and I would spend at least one full day making cookies. We worked laboriously for hours to make hundreds and hundreds of cookies to share with everyone. This year, I decided to continue the tradition and find a sugar cookies recipe of my own. They didn't turn out too shabby  :)

Step 1: Make dough, let it chill for 1 hour, then cut cookies and bake!

We all know the best part is frosting and decorating! I chose a delicious cream cheese frosting, for my sugar cookies this year.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cream-cheese-frosting-ii-2/







The next part, which REALLY cannot be skipped or messed with, is decorating the house. You can do this before making cookies, but definitely not before the peppermint mocha. This step MUST be combined with listening to good Christmas tunes.This has been one of my favorite things this year. Ideally, you are going to go to the tree lot to get a real tree, like I did... Check it out.

 

This is our centerpiece for our dining room table, very proud of it if I do say so myself. I collected and glittered those pinecones myself. Much better than paying ten buck each!

 I know there are many other traditions for people get in the spirit for the holiday season. You honestly need to watch at least a few good Christmas movies. My personal favorites would be: Elf, Little Women, Gremlins, and White Christmas. So make sure that you are spending time with those you love this year and taking the time to treat yourself to a peppermint mocha or two....hundred. I wanted this post to be longer, but I'm actually in Disneyland with my dad right now, so I know another good one will be coming soon. Merry Christmas everyone. I miss you all. Wish you were with us here!

Just a little teaser of what's to come...

California Girls We're Undeniable....

Greetings loved ones, Let's take a journey! 

 I woke up today feeling inspired to post a new blog! The weather today in San Jose is 57 degrees and sunny. I am really starting to fall in love with California...hence, this blog post.

Things I love about California, A List:    
(That's for you Elizabeth)

1. Trees--------

There are so many different assortments of trees here and I absolutely love it. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my Oregon trees, but it's astonishing to me that I can walk down the street and see trees with changing red and orange leaves on the same street as a palm tree. 

You see that crazy little palm tree stickin' it's head above the rest? I took this pic during my first week down here on a lunch date with some of my coworkers... They were not as fascinated by the trees as I was. 

  Look at this whomping willow-esque tree! 

Gotta love it! 

And lastly *for now* I took this pic going into San Fran (don't know what nickname I like for the city yet, cast your votes!) So, this is a BEAUTIFUL tree along the bay as you take the 101 into Frisco.

2. Just Wait till you see this.....

That's right, all you Harry's and Hermione's out there! These are the washrooms at my work! What's not to love about this? Enough said.

3. In-N-Out. 

Plain and simple..... I can go to In-N-Out on my lunch break..... just not too often or I won't be able to wear my daisy dukes with a bikini on top ;)

4. Exciting things to do!

I love roller coasters! My roommates and I got a season pass to Great America, which is actually minutes away from my work. You can see Drop Zone from my work (by the way, I rode drop zone when we went the first weekend..... I've never been so terrified in my life. Look it up. The thought alone will make you queasy.) 

This second pic was taken at the 49ers game. I have no idea who won or anything that really happened at this game, but I had a great time. I ate delicious food, hung out with funny drunk people, and took some cool pictures. Don't tell anyone, but I spend a good portion of the game on wikipedia on my phone reading about the logistics of football.

5. Bridges and Wharfs 
(sounds like a cool board game!)

I've recently discovered a new passion of mine for architecture that extends over the water. I love bridges and wharfs! I used to be terrified of heights and standing near the edge of bridges, but I have realized as of late that I love it now! I'm going to try to discover more while I'm down here.

  On the wharf at Santa Cruz.  

Do you think these prints match our feathered friend?

Last weekend, I went to The Golden Gate Bridge and walked all the way to the north end and back. It was amazing. This was the second time in my life that I have walked that walk, but what I took away from it this time, was something totally different. I would love to tell you about it sometime. But anyway, here are a few pics from that adventure.

I was really loving the way the sun was casting a shadow on the rails, so here you can see me holding my coffee cup (another thing I love.)

I've really enjoyed going around and taking pictures, but it's even better to be able to share them. I hope that you will keep up with me on this adventure. I'm so grateful to have amazing family and friends to share this with. Thank you.

PS: There MUST be something in the water. ;)

A New Life

Where to begin? 

Let's be polite and start off with introductions! My name is McKenzie Brock. This is my blogspot :) This space is dedicated to keeping my family and friends up to date with all the changes in my life, and trust me, there are MANY.  If you have stumbled upon by blog by chance and do not know me, Welcome! Hopefully, if you are not creepy, we can become friends!

Where this began:

My Grandma and I went to lunch one day before I moved to California (this was about a month ago,) and she said to me, "McKenzie, you are not very good at keeping in touch when you move, and this needs to change." You cannot disagree with Grandma, so this is the promise I made and that I intend to keep: I will create a blog, and keep up to date postings on my life and activities and whatever other mayhem I come up with. Hence, this blog is a promise to my Grandmother and my attempt at staying in touch with all my loved ones. I hope that you enjoy, laugh, smile, and stay in touch with me as well.

Let's talk about me:

I'm a young woman who lives in California and works for a pretty cool *unnamed* company. They relocated me down here about a month ago to work on some global expansion projects. I am an adventuress (I think I just made up that word.) I love doing new things and exploring new places, which will probably be a large portion of my postings. I love cats and kittens and my roommates' dog Joei, I will include pictures of her later. I have traveled all over the US and hope to continue traveling internationally. I have a passion for theatre and music. I studied at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York city. I love people, especially those with good communication skills. I collect records, books, and movies. 

Let's talk about this blog:

The name Kenzie's Broken Records, is kind of a hodge podge name that I created with the help of my roommate Kaitlin Freese,  my mom, and a lot of my friends on facebook. Basically, I will be posting stories and tales of my adventures, potentially some songs that I have written, and sharing my love for music. You will also notice that most of my postings will be based around a  song title or lyric. I promise I will try to be clever and keep you on your toes.




PS: After a little research, I realized I did not make up the word adventuress. Oh well :)
If you are curious, it is defined in the dictionary as a woman who schemes to win social position by questionable means or a woman who likes adventure. We'll stick with the latter.