Corey’s Favorite Things: Day 1: AMAZON!

Summer is always a bittersweet time for me.  I love summer, don’t get me wrong – the sun, the smells, the cicadas singing – I love it all.  However in the midst of all things summery lies a bit of sadness as this time of year is when I miss my family the most.  Summer is full of birthdays of those that are gone (today would be my brother’s 39th birthday), death anniversaries for when they left and wedding anniversaries of those that are widowed.  It’s full of memories of my family when everyone was alive and we’d spend weeks at the beach, weekends camping and having fun at local festivals.  While Christmas will probably always be the hardest day of the year for me (my Mom died on Christmas, my Grandmother the day after and the memories of family filled holidays are always bittersweet) it’s easily followed up by the long days of summer as the hardest time.   I’ve never been one to brood but if there was a time for a brood to come on, today would be the start of a full-fledged brooding for the next two weeks when the most anniversaries hit all at once.  Thankfully, one thing my Dad did leave me with the outlook on life that it’s too short to brood and when life hands you a batch of lemons, you make lemonade of course!!

I’ve always felt the best about myself, and life in general, when I give things away.  I also feel better when I do a little shopping therapy.  Who doesn’t??!?  So today I’m going to start a series of giveaways for my awesome clients/readers!

Today’s giveaway is to my favorite store… AMAZON!  If you know me, you will know that I’m a huge huge huge fan.  HUGE.   If I could order all my groceries through Amazon, I’d never leave the house to shop.  You should see my house at Christmas.  It’s insane.  I think I single handedly keep my UPS man employed!  To a random commenter I will give a $50 giftcard to shop away to their hearts content!   Since I hate contests, I’ll be using random.org to choose the commenter #.

To enter, comment before tomorrow’s post goes up and tell me how you cope with stress and/or sadness?  If you shop, is there a specific thing you buy???

Contest Closed!!!  Today’s winner is Melissa!!!

Screen shot 2010-07-22 at 11.49.15 AM

30 comments
Add a comment...

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

  • MelissaJuly 21, 2010 - 2:00 PM

    Great giveaway- I LOVE Amazon and just purchased some stuff from their yesterday!
    When I’m stressed or sad, I work out. As cliche as it may be, there’s nothing that makes me feel better than a good, hard run or a fast paced spinning class!ReplyCancel

    • Corey AnnJuly 21, 2010 - 3:17 PM

      Oh how I envy you, I wish that I had the workouts make me feel better gene!!!ReplyCancel

  • KristenJuly 21, 2010 - 2:15 PM

    I don’t just shop when stressed, I spend money in general on things I don’t really *need* – going out, buying coffee, buying clothes, books, or dvds, etc. But even more than shopping, if I’m sad, I escape into a book or movie, often both and sometimes for more than a day or two. It’s all about escaping into someone else’s life (and often the genre is sci-fi/fantasy, so it’s especially not based in reality!)ReplyCancel

    • Corey AnnJuly 21, 2010 - 3:18 PM

      I do escape into books… but I think you knew that. And concerts. And travel. LOLReplyCancel

  • Sara LynJuly 21, 2010 - 2:51 PM

    I really cannot remember how I stumbled across your photography blog, but I’m glad I did! I’m a part time wedding planner, so I probably came across the link through another photographer. At any rate, I just had to post because I too, LOVE AMAZON! 🙂 Mostly I’ve been buying things for my 22 month old as of late.

    Oh and the way I deal with stress or sadness? Drink. Hah, j/k. Actually, I find it helps to keep active. That way, it keeps you busy and not thinking as much about it, and the exercise keeps those endorphins up! 🙂ReplyCancel

    • Corey AnnJuly 21, 2010 - 3:19 PM

      Oh yay! New reader!!! 🙂 I’m glad I’m not alone in my Amazon obsession. I need to get on this exercise train but the thought of DOING it makes me tired. LOLReplyCancel

  • SarahJuly 21, 2010 - 3:06 PM

    Taking my dog for a long walk or a nice glass (read bottle) of wine usually do the trick when I need to de-stress.ReplyCancel

  • heidzillasJuly 21, 2010 - 3:40 PM

    it probably comes as no surprise that i cope by working. and when i shop… i splurge on a new outfit or purse that will me me feel like $100 bucks!ReplyCancel

  • KalynJuly 21, 2010 - 4:24 PM

    Awesome giveaway Corey 🙂 I do generally cope by shopping – I ususally splurge on something from Sephora or Anthropologie, anything that will make me feel gorgeous and wonderful! If not shopping, I take a long walk with my dogs, snap some photos and get lost in my surroundings.ReplyCancel

    • Corey AnnJuly 21, 2010 - 4:38 PM

      Anthropologie is a definite shopping downfall for me, thankfully though I USUALLY have enough restraint to wait for sale stuff!ReplyCancel

  • jacquiJuly 21, 2010 - 4:35 PM

    what an awesome contest!!! erik and i are like best friends with our UPS guy too! haha…we LOVE amazon!
    anyway! when i am stressed or sad, i always tell myself, “everything happens for a reason. it might not make sense right now, but this is happening so something else can happen” and that helps me a LOT. even if it’s just to make me feel better in that moment, it truly works and i feel it’s a great motto to have in life when things are bad or getting worse! 🙂ReplyCancel

    • Corey AnnJuly 21, 2010 - 4:39 PM

      LOL glad I’m not alone with the Amazon love!!! That’s usually my motto too, along with all you can do is get through it… no sense worrying about it 🙂ReplyCancel

  • DeanneJuly 21, 2010 - 4:41 PM

    When I’m really sad I usually escape into a book. Sometimes getting out of my head for awhile helps.ReplyCancel

    • Corey AnnJuly 21, 2010 - 4:53 PM

      Books are up there in my escapism list. Then again, I just love reading. Far better than TV for me!ReplyCancel

  • shellyJuly 21, 2010 - 6:01 PM

    Mmmm…contests…

    Anyway, usually if I’m sad or stressed out I take some time alone to recharge. Sometimes I take a nap.ReplyCancel

  • Gianina LindseyJuly 21, 2010 - 6:07 PM

    I wish I had a better answer, but I often find myself indulging in one of my favourite foods… ice cream! I do enjoy a spot of shopping as well and find that I get more enjoyment from buying things for my kids these days… or my house! 🙂 Finally another option is losing myself in my growing family tree I’m researching! I could spend hours just extending the branches and learning a little about who I came from!!!ReplyCancel

    • Corey AnnJuly 21, 2010 - 6:24 PM

      I need to get back into Ancestry.com when I get time… I bought some B&J today and thought of you. Hopefully this fall we can make some dates work together!ReplyCancel

  • ChristenJuly 21, 2010 - 7:36 PM

    I wish I could say I do lots of yoga, but I shop online when I am stressed. I’m a teacher, so I tend to buy school supplies (and convince myself that it’s a necessary and professional purchase). With my wedding just a couple of days away, the UPS man has been very busy!ReplyCancel

    • Corey AnnJuly 21, 2010 - 7:45 PM

      Mine was too the closer I got to the wedding!!! See you Saturday!!ReplyCancel

  • Scott E. JonesJuly 21, 2010 - 9:50 PM

    My stress melts away when I’m able to hit the lake (Chippewa Lake) with my family. Just being at the lake on the beach or doing a little boating makes all my worries disappear. In a sad but true side note, I lost my grandmother on Christmas morning (1996). I miss her dearly. Christmas is always a tough one for me too. I’ll be thinking of you come December 25th. – Best Wishes. – Great contest. Thanks.ReplyCancel

    • Corey AnnJuly 21, 2010 - 11:01 PM

      Being near any sort of body of water always instantly relaxes me. 🙂

      Sorry to hear that you share the Christmas death anniversary thing… it’s a hard day to ‘celebrate’ no matter what after that. ReplyCancel

  • Shannon RiverJuly 21, 2010 - 10:24 PM

    Very cool giveaway!

    To cope with stress or sadness I’ll watch a “Comfort TV” and by that I mean, I’ll watch some DVDs of a TV show that makes me feel better. 🙂ReplyCancel

    • Corey AnnJuly 21, 2010 - 11:01 PM

      I heart comfort tv when a book isn’t drawing me in!ReplyCancel

  • DaveJuly 22, 2010 - 10:44 AM

    I deal with stress by going for a walk!ReplyCancel

    • Corey AnnJuly 22, 2010 - 10:57 AM

      I need to get walking more, I miss having a dog to walk!ReplyCancel

  • Trisha JohnsonJuly 22, 2010 - 11:23 AM

    When I’m stressed, I do a number of things. First of all, I pray to God for guidance. Taking moments to pray in solitude and reflect on my blessings helps me tremendously. You think things are bad, but when you begin counting your blessings and see what others go through, it really puts things into perspective. My faith empowers me because I know there is One who is in control and helps me through anything (especially my first husband’s suicide). Also, I talk to my husband and hug my little boy. Both love me unconditionally, and it is comforting to know that my two guys are there to support me and love me no matter what.

    Regarding shopping, I’m a music freak. I love purchasing CDs, MP3s, etc. primarily through Amazon, lol. Music soothes the soul and touches my heart.

    Great giveaway and know that I’m thinking about you during this time of remembrance. *hugs*ReplyCancel