What a White Christmas

Well, once again the restful holiday break is a misnomer. That isn't stated to imply that it is bad, just not necessarily restful.

Christmas Eve was negotiated to be spent here at the house, since it is most likely the last time that Christian will wake up in a house with both his mom and dad present. That is a little sad, huh? Well, we were up in Castle Rock spending time with my parents and sister when snow began to fall...again. Not a terrible fall, but enough to make the roads a little slippery for night driving. We ended up staying in CR. Since no one in my immediate family had finished wrapping presents ( good to know where my procrastination tendencies originate), everyone over 7 was up until at least midnight wrapping gifts. Mom and Dad were quite tired since they had just arrived in CO earlier that day.

Christmas morning came and everyone watched as Christian opened his gizillion gifts. If you've ever seen "The Christmas Story", the present opening scene was relieved in my sister's living room. Once the loot had been revealed, it was time to prepare to go to Christian's "other" grandparent's for a traditional Italian Christmas meal ( which means like 12 courses of food in a 5-6 hour window... slightly exaggerated)

What could have been a highly awkward time turned out to be fairly enjoyable. By the time the gathering was at full swing there were about 12 folks present. Again, Christian received far too many presents for a child hoping to be well adjusted. We ate, and ate and , ate. My parents occassionally snuck out of the "in-laws" house as big gatherings aren't there speed. That and they needed their nicotine fix. But there were no terrible awkward moments of silence or sideways glances. Just a bunch of people with sorted pasts and presents in a house eating together. Could have been much worse.

That day was followed by taking the folks out to sight see. Being a late rising crew by nature, we actually didn't get out to do anything until about 2:30. Then the activities roared with excitement as we stopped at Kohl's for a Pyrex set that was on sale that I needed to get, a pass through Michael's ( Dad's idea) and a gourmet meal at Subway.... with Starbuck's coffee. It's nice to have my parents here. Other's might simply think us strange.... or cheap:-). In all honesty though, I was hoping to eat at a restaurant, but Mom was hungry for a veggie sub. That, and once the idea Subway was uttered, Christian couldn't be persuaded from a ham sandwich.... unless someone had mentioned pizza. It was a good choice.

After all that, we headed to the zoo to see the lighted spectacular thing that they do there every year. I have heard of it, but never been. Although rather cold, it was a fun time. The greater part of the zoo is done up with lights and some of the animals were able to be seen. We even got to feed the giraffes. If you ever want to witness the art of tongue motion, check out a giraffe. But be warned, they have a minor saliva issue. I know there's a great perverted joke waiting to be told.... unfortuately I'm not thinking of it correctly. Something to the affect of dating and french kissing, but perhaps I should just leave it alone.

Wednesday, I picked up my folks so that they could go to little "C's" swim lesson. Ryan, if you read this, I read your present, or at least part of it during this time. Eh, it's ok. I'll get around to mailing it sometime before 2010. We then headed to the grocery store to prepared for the next deluge of snow. Note: when you have the option, "do not" do large shopping orders with your parents....... or at least your mothers. I love my mom, but she can drive me bonkers. Her attention span can get so fragmented it's like a person with short term memory loss. A conversation can go like, " Do you need milk?" "No" "Sure?" "Yes" "Look, paper towels are on sale" "Neat" "I need some bacon" "Do you want me to get it for you?" "Sure, and I'll pick up your milk" "I don't need any milk""Ok, well did you finish your laundry?" Ugh !!!!! My future is bleak if daughters truly become their mothers. Maybe it's just the price of over multi-tasking?

Then comes today. More freaking snow. I think the latest tally is 20+ inches. Great. So I drive into my neighborhood as the snowfall commences and slide right past my street. Wheee!!! I got home and then decide I should try to get a shovel before I can no longer get out of the neighborhood. I get to Home Depot to be told every darn Home Depot around here sold out of shovels by 5pm yesterday. Bastards !!! So I ended up buying some of that de-icer for driveways and sidewalks stuff. We'll see how it works.

I decided not to wait until the driveway is recoated with almost 2 feet of snow before I shovel, so I attacked it every 2-3 hours until about 9pm. My mom called and asked why my husband wasn't doing that. Some explanations aren't worth dwelling on, so I just said he had some important things to do..... like watch TV. Besides, it was my idea anyway. I just want to be able to get out of the driveway sometime this weekend. With him, he'll do it when the snow stops, get 1/2 way down and say he'll do the rest later ( which may or may not happen within a 2 day window). They way I see it, hopefully I saved myself a little work, although with the wind, it may have been in vain.

Right now, I 'm not dreaming of a white Christmas. A white sanded beach maybe, but nothing snow.... unless there's a log cabin, fire place, and maybe a hot tub involved. If that's the case, I 'll renegotiate.

This entry's a little random, but I'm going to blame that on the lateness of the hour and heredity :-)

What gives

Let me preface by saying I am so grateful for the generosity of others.

So here we sit in the house still slightly barricaded by about 2.5 feet of snow extending from the base of the driveway out past the middle of the street, not to mention the 5 foot walls that I created on either side of the driveway from shoveling.

Father in law offers to come and help shovel. I gratefully accept knowing that the snow will be heavier today after the sunshine.

Co worker who lives in town offers to help hearing that Ken is out of town. He says there was no snow downtown and the highway is pretty freaking clear. Ok, so here we have downtown barely touched by the snow and drivable main roads, yet I live on the road that you either need a bobcat or a Hummer to travel. Ok, that's slightly exaggerated but all the same. I can't get anywhere by my own means.

Christian's grandad and great-grandad help shovel out the remaining part of the driveway so that perhaps Saturday I might be able to emerge from my neighborhood using my own vehicle. Grandad also volunteered to take us to the grocery store so that we might get out of the house for a bit. Boy, that was exciting!!! And I'm not joking.

Upon re-entering the development, we saw 2 snow plows go by. Oh my, we might actually get plowed out. Yeah - no. The plows are only used on the larger development roads that surround us. None of the interior ones got touched. Guess our
taxes don't cover such perks. Not even a drop of sand has touched our street. Those SOB's !!!!!

But, on the cheerier side, we saw people, got help shoveling, and also now have syrup for pancakes. Perhaps I 'll make them tonight. I only pray that I can get out of here for a small trip to the mall and/or Wal-Mart tomorrow..... or Santa might be looking pretty cheap this year ;-).

Let it snow...

Here in Colorado we have been bombarded with snow. Even living here, I don't know what the total snowfall level was, but I know that there was... and is at least 3 feet of snow from the garage door to and into the road. Traffic here has been minimal at best. Although, watching the handfuls of 4 wheel drive Jeeps and 4 wheelers go by, I'm really wishing I had purchased the 4x4 version of my car. Note to self - when purchasing your next home either find one with a homeowners association OR save a couple dollars and purchase a snow blower. If this happens again next year, I may go ahead and turn in my leased car and go for the 4x4 variety.

My son and I spent a little over 2 hours outside attempting to clear the driveway. Well, I shoveled and he made his valiant efforts between throwing snow and jumping into the 3+ foot snow drifts. The other male of the house is currently in Chicago. What a bum.

Due to this weather excitement, my parents, who were scheduled to arrive here yesterday, are forced to remain on the east coast until the morning of the 24th. It took many various phone calls of patience, understanding, persuasion and manipulation to accomplish the feats of getting them to maintain their will to come out and to get the airlines to make the necessary changes to allow them to. All in all, what needed to get done got done and the plans that once stood have all been rearranged. Joy. But I am thinking it was worth the aggravation as it will probably be the best present my son and possibly my parents could get (delays withstanding)

Since there really isn't a great deal to do here in the house and no chance of going out anywhere else, Christian and I are forced to find various means of entertainment. Christian has discovered the Disney and Orbitz website games and has been enjoying them greatly. For a six year old, I am amazed at how eptly he navigates a computer. Yeah, he whines when something doesn't work, but say refresh and he knows where to go. He knows how to type in an address in the top line and of course he can use Google to find a website he doesn't know the address for. My own little computer geek. The irony of that is choking.(But I guess Ken has an inclination in that direction as he majored in comp sci for a few years in college.) I practically have to ration his time or pull him off the computer. I guess coloring a coloring book or a board game doesn't always compete. Guess I better figure out how to use these PS3 or XBox thingys just to maintain the ability to relate.

I have been cleaning and packing odds and ends for my inevitable relocation. I'm actually getting pretty excited about all that. I've also been forced to cook. Eh, it's not so bad. Besides, I can make a mean fish stick meal with mac and cheese and peas. Delectable. The beef tenderloin will have to wait.

Breakfast is my preference, but we are out of syrup. Pisser. No pancakes or French toast until I can get to the store. Christian enjoys raisin toast and bacon so all is not lost. Can sometimes sneak in some eggs. Besides, when all else fails, there is always the boxed miracle known as cereal.

We have also taken to watching a Christmas movie every night. We have seen "A Christmas Story" at least 3 times. A personal favorite of my own, it's pretty cool that my son likes it too. I too ingested a good amount of soap as a child. We have also seen "A Charlie Brown Christmas", " A Muppet Christmas Movie" and " Santa Claus". It's actually been kind of fun. I think I may make it a tradition starting the week Christmas break starts. And we'll have hot chocolate and cookies or some sort of snack with the movies. I hope Christian could withstand such an activity for a few years before it becomes totally "lame".

Tonight, we are watching the movie with the house lit by candlelight. I personally adore candlelight. Can't explain it totally, it just feels warm and peaceful with candlelight. Romantic stuffs aside, even Christmas decorations look better with candlelight and not to mention the house smells pretty great.... the candles being Yankee Candles :-).

So, even though we are essentially trapped by the elements, it's not so terrible. I am sorry all the complications it has caused for my family and friends, not to mention countless others. My preference would have been that it could have happened during the school year, but at least it might be a white Christmas. Besides, in my case, sometimes things need to keep you home so that you can actually enjoy home... and a six year old who likes fart jokes. The six year old's ok. The fart jokes wear a little thin though. ;-)

Sorry to complain

Ugh. Things are crazy, but were going alright until my considerate, tactful, soon to be ex-husband opens his mouth.

For an understanding of the week, I have been working usual school hours 7-4:30 and then playing rehearsals in the evenings from 6:30- 9:30 or 10 pm. "He" had to go on tour with his work, from Sunday through Wednesday. So we've both had taxing weeks. He, however, had a much needed 2 day break by having OFF WORK Thursday and Friday. We both had a performances on Thursday and Friday nights from 7-10pm.

I had to head to a rehearsal this morning at 11. We both played a performance at 3. I then had to head to a different performance at 7 while he also had one at 7.

Craziness, but this is a musicians time of year to earn some money.

In all this, I have had no time to do laundry. Ok. So, in passing I said that I would try and wake up so that I could do it this morning. And he said he would do his on Sunday. Yes, we do our laundry separate, but that explanation would be another post. No big deal. I tried, but couldn't manage to get myself out of bed at 7:30 to do 2 loads of laundry and then proceed to get ready for the rehearsal. Feeling a little under the weather didn't help that, but it was my wanting to sleep that kept me in bed.

I leave at 10:20 telling him that I didn't wake up in time to start any laundry,so he could use the machines if he wanted. ( At this point, I must mention that he had OFF Thursday and Friday)

I arrive home from my last gig at 9:20ish and say hello. He is sitting in the Lazy Boy watching TV. During my break, I had managed to visit with my son ( whom I haven't seen very much of this past week. He's staying w/ his grandparents) and do some Christmas shopping. I tell my husband what I had gotten and we recapped out performances. As I am heading up to my room to get changed he asks me if I got my laundry done. Uh, yeah, I did it while my ass was seated in various performance halls. No, I wasn't home. He says that I said I was going to do it today. Yup, that's what I said, but that didn't happen. He says that he MUST use the machines tomorrow for his stuff. I say fine, yet he presses the point that he is inconvenienced at the fact the my laundry isn't done. Uh, I do my son's and my own stuff. He does his. I said he could use the machines. WHAT'S THE FREAKING INCONVENIENCE!!!! It would seem the inconvenience is mine. So, in order to have concert black to wear for tomorrow's 7:30 am performance, I am washing darks NOW at 11:30 pm. He is going to wear his stinky clothing from today. Good thing I don't sit next to him. So as I prepare to move the darks to the dryer he is sleeping Aw, poor baby. He's had a tough day. Me? I obviously didn't do jack.

This is the shit that reminds me why divorce can be a good thing.

This man can NEVER put someone else first. EVER. Yet he insists on all acknowledging his great feats in living life of, oh, working and breathing. I wanted so bad to ask why he chose not to do some laundry on Thursday or Friday when he had the machines, and the whole freaking house to himself, but what would that prove. I think he just wanted to rub in my face that I didn't do something I said I would, even though I myself had addressed it this morning saying I preferred and maybe even needed to sleep. Doesn't matter. I have inconvenienced him. How? I have no clue. More than likely, he won't even do his laundry tomorrow, which may get under my skin even more.

The thing that pisses me off the most is that a quarrel over laundry can make me so mad. A new low.

When laughing hurts

My sister came for a visit this weekend. Always a good thing to have family around, sure, but sometimes, we just have a way of cracking each other up. It typically begins with one of us cracking ourself up first and then it goes from there. We went shopping at a Safeway and the parking lot was a little snow and ice covered in some places... especially the route I had chosen to walk. She cracked a smart ass comment ( which is the way we communicate in our family) which was then followed by the comment, "Ooooh, I feel an insurance claim coming on". Probably not that funny to most people, but that line carried through the rest of the night. It later was followed by, "Here's my card" referring to an insurance card.

It's terrible that as I type this, I have totally forgotten what had us laughing so hard in the car that my stomach hurt and my cheeks ache. I do remember a reference to it being so cold "in" the car, that our bodies could cough up ice cubes. It was made more humorous that we were laughing so hard, it got us both coughing so that we sounded like people with emphysema.

But, I guess the greatest thing is when there are people who can make you laugh so hard, you hurt. It's even better when that person, on occasion is yourself.

I share a saying jokingly with some folks that goes, "We're the funniest people we know" talking about ourselves. I guess that's not always a real impressive feat when one is easily amused.

All the same, I defer to this little poster I have that says, " Blessed are we who can laugh at ourselves for we shall never cease to be amused." I guess some just offer more material than others ;-).