Happy New Year

Like many people around here today I'm pretty bummed about the whole Mike Leach thing. So much so, I have nothing nice to say about it. So let's just get on with our lives.
Can you believe it's almost 2010? Can you believe how wrong the movie was? Can you remember what the movie was about?
Ive been thinking about new years resolutions and if I should set myself up for failure again this year. Maybe I should go a little easier on myself and set attainable goals. Like, I resolve to watch more TV in 2010. Or I resolve to drink a glass of red wine everyday, you know, for my heart. Also I will take more bubble baths and eat more chocolate. I'm going to read books just for fun and listen to more music.
I am going to watch more baseball and I will go to at least one Rangers game this year. I'm going to see one new movie every month and watch some old favorites in between. I will enjoy my husbands company and find more reasons to laugh with him. I'll see my kids as often as I can and never end a conversation without "I love you".
I hope you all have more of everything you love this year. Have a happy 2010!

Merry Christmas Babies!

I made it. I finished everything I needed to do before Christmas. Well, actually, I ran out of time and I'm just making do with what I have gotten done.

It snowed yesterday and it is beautiful. It kind of messed up our plans, but that's OK, because I really wanted a White Christmas. I didn't want it to take my son and his girlfriend 14 hours to drive from Austin, but they are here and that's what matters. Now if we can just get Sarah and Jonathon here safely. They are flying in this morning. Maybe we can be snowed in together for a while.

I will post pictures as soon as I can.

Anyway Merry Christmas to all, and Jesus, thank you for being born.

More Christmas Distractions

Are you ready for Christmas? This question is getting old. For me these days it rates right up there with, how old are you and how much do you weigh. I have never been less ready than I am this year.

I don't know what's wrong with me. I haven't had fun at any of the Christmas parties so far. They weren't terrible. I just felt sort of blah. I think I miss my kids.

Shopping has been harder this year than ever before. I don't know what to buy for anyone. I'm getting more and more behind.

I was looking at board games at Barnes and Nobel. (Don't worry, kids, no one's getting a board game.) I noticed there are trivia games for every subject or interest you can imagine. There appears to be a great need for useless information. And the Monopoly games are getting out of hand. There is Star Wars Monopoly, Seinfeld Monopoly, Peanuts, and my favorite Grateful Deadopoly. That's going too far.

I like the Grateful Dead. I own several Cd's and once owned them on vinyl. I have driven hundreds of miles to see the Dead in concert, but I am merely a fan, not a Dead Head. How do I know? Because I like other music, also. To a Dead Head, the worse thing you can ever say is, "Can we listen to something else?"

I don't think I have ever finished a game of Monopoly before someone got mad and quit. When we were kids we hated that game but played it all the time. I think it started something like this. It was Christmas break and the weather was bad so we couldn't play outside. Mom would yell at us to quit fighting or turn off the TV or whatever we were doing to get on her nerves. Steve would pull out Monopoly and say "Ya wanna play this stupid game?" We would say no as we raced to the table to fight over who was the dog or the race car, who got to be the banker and so on. And then it began, sometimes lasting for hours. But we never finished a game. It would be years before I realized there was a way to end it without game pieces flying and someone getting in trouble with Mom.

By the way, Isn't it fitting that Monopoly is made by only one company? hmmm..........

Random Christmas

I watched Gone With the Wind last night and I don't know if you can tell but I am writing this with a deep southern drawl. Isn't it funny how a movie can affect your speech for days. And I don't know why, but if a book is set in the south I read it with a southern accent.

I am from Texas, and in case you are wondering, I do not speak with a drawl. I speak with a twang.

As you can see I have nothing of any interest or importance to say tonight.

We had our Christmas open house today, and I heard the same songs sung by every school in town. There were a few variations. Some classes were more unruly than others and some were very well behaved. One little boy danced like he had the Holy Ghost. I don't think his teacher appreciated it.

Well you probably can tell by now that I am posting Christmas picture this week. The ones tonight are very special. One was taken in 1975 when My brother, Danny and his family came home for Christmas. They had been living in Hawaii for some time. It was the first time our family, all the brothers and sisters, had been together on Christmas in ten years and we had a White Christmas. The other pictures I bar owed from Jamie's facebook page. It's Jamie, Amy and my sweet Lauren. Aren't they gorgeous?

Life On The Naughty List

I kinda had a bad day. I cant really say much about it because of privacy laws. But this was the kind of day that could have ended on the evening news with the words "before turning the gun on herself". But it didn't. I kept my cool and didn't kill anyone or kick any puppies or yell at any old ladies. I am learning, these days do end, this too shall pass.

After work I went to the dollar store to finish up my Secret Santa shopping. No I am not that cheap. The dollar store was agreed on by everyone. Anyway it took me ten minutes to find what I wanted and another thirty to stand in line and pay for it. The place was crazy and people were angry. All except the young lady in front of me. She was having a lovely time showing me what all she picked out and even complementing the cashier on the nice tall bags they had for her wrapping paper. She was a joy to stand in line with.

I got home and my husband, who was in such a lousy mood last night was all smiles this evening. His boss told him he has so much vacation time left he had better take off all next week. Suddenly he's Mr. Happy! It will be wonderful for him to be off, as it is Christmas week. He can do all his shopping and gift wrapping. He can bake and make Christmas candy and get the house ready for the kids to come home. Oh wait. Those are my chores. Well, at least he can rake leaves.

It would be so nice if I had that sarcasm font.

More Christmas Memories

My family has been through a lot the last couple of weeks, but I guess we have to do the Christmas thing anyway. Although, I think we would be better off hibernating for the winter. I think I may be part bear, as I have this overwhelming desire to sleep through cold weather and hard times. But seriously, it just seems wrong to carry on like nothing happened.

We tried to get some Christmas shopping done yesterday and the stores were so crowded I couldn't even think. I have a feeling I am going to be shopping on Christmas eve. I don't know what to buy for my kids. They live in a warmer climate so they don't need sweaters and scarves. They are renters and students who move a lot and don't need more things for their homes. I don't like to give cash because, well people know how much you spent. Besides it seems lazy and thoughtless. Why do I put myself through the torture of trying to find the perfect gift every year? I think it to death and then become frustrated. When my kids were growing up, I tried so hard to make every Christmas perfect and memorable. Chances are, they didn't care. Why would they? They were children, Christmas in its self was perfect.

When I was a child no one had to convince me Santa was real. I never got to see a department store Santa because Mom went to see him alone. That's what she said and I believed her. When I was around four or five we had snow and I wanted to go out and play. Afraid to be told no if I asked first, I went to the closet to get my coat. I opened the door and saw all these toys. Before what I was seeing really registered I felt someone grab my arm and pull me out. I think it was Greg. Everyone was standing around me asking what I saw. I honestly couldn't remember. My mom said Santa had to bring some toys early and I was to stay out of that closet. I believed her and of course never looked in the closet again. I knew Christmas would come and I could wait. I cant imagine it now, but I really had no anxiety about it at all. I got my little piano that year.

We never had stockings but we hung up our socks. I can remember my dad trying to get an orange out of my little anklet sock. How Santa ever got it in there I don't know. We always had fruit and nuts and ribbon candy on Christmas morning. My dad loved ribbon candy. Daddy would drink his Christmas morning coffee out of my tiny little tea set just to make me happy. I know he needed a bigger cup of coffee after being up all night helping Santa.

Another strange memory I have of Christmas in the 1960's was advertisements for gift boxed cigarettes. I wonder if anyone ever gave cigarettes for Christmas. I don't think Santa would like it.

Shirley

Last night my brother lost his wife to cancer. We had spent the day with them and their family and received the call about thirty minutes after getting home. When we left I really thought she had more time. I didn't realize I was saying goodbye for the last time, or maybe I would have said something more profound. Probably not.

My brother Danny left for the Navy when I was about seven, but I will never forget that day. My parents were taking him to the bus station and he was trying to tell me goodbye. I remember crying because I wanted to go too. I refused to hug him in my little hissie fit and some time later realized he was gone and I had missed my chance. Later that day I walked into the kitchen and saw my dad sitting at the table crying his eyes out. He was so broken hearted and believed Danny was too sweet and naive to be pushed out into this cold world, as he himself had a few years earlier. Now he is watching his son go through another trial he has also faced and can not do anything to help him.

Regrettably, I have not spent much time with my sister in law, Shirley for the past few years, but, she was a God send in my youth. While Danny was overseas she was so good to my brothers and me. She believed children should be taken bowling and fishing and whatever. She taught me how to bait a hook and play spades and other card games. I loved coffee and hot tea with milk because of her. She would talk to me and explain things to me like I mattered. Most of the time these conversations took place over a fishing hole. I hope I get to fish with her in heaven.

A Long Winter's Nap

I am missing water aerobics again tonight. It's too cold and icy out and they will probably cancel it anyway. I do enjoy water aerobics. It's the only exercise routine I have ever had fun doing. It does make me tired, though. You know how exercise is supposed to give you so much energy? Well, I sleep like a baby after water aerobics. It's a good kind of sleep too. Kind of like sleeping in a poorly ventilated room with an open flame heater after having too much cold medicine. There I go, thinking about my childhood again. (This is where I really need a sarcasm font on my computer)

I love winter sleeping. I didn't even like naps until I had children. Way up into my twenties it was like I was afraid I would miss something if I went to sleep. These days with the sun going down at 6:00, I could be in bed by 7:00. I could put on my flannel jammies after a hot shower, jump in bed, turn on a movie and settle in for a long winter's nap. With a dose of NyQuil, a little depression and self pity I could get a good 12 or 13 hours in.

It's a good thing I don't live somewhere like Alaska.