2008

My intention is for 2008 to be great.

Happy New Year.

Saturday

This is a very unusual day for me. My son is with his grandmother this week while he is on holiday from school. I am alone and cannot remember the last time I was. When I got home last night I realized how much I miss him. His laughter and chats are remarkable. I can't wait to get him home.

Today I saw the movie Charlie Wilson's War. It was eye opening. Then I went to Bath and Body Works. That store is becoming a favorite of mine. I love to smell everything in there. I got a gift card for Christmas so I used it on a few items I needed. Now I am at the library. Afterward I will go to the grocery then home. I am not sure what I will do when I get home but I hope to find something, as I have the rest of the evening.

Tomorrow I am taking a drive to a funeral about 200 miles from here. I don't like death. I know that life is preparing us for it, but that doesn't make me like it. It brings to mind the people I miss and the emptiness that is there when they leave.

When I get back to work and "regular life" after the first things will be fast-paced until the NOVA conference at the end of the month.

Enjoying and questioning the silence.

Happy New Year!

I am back from my Christmas travels. What an eventful time that was.

When we left on the 22ND we were on an interstate that had an earlier accident. It took us 9 hours to travel what usually only takes 4. We took a pit stop at a McDonald's and witnessed two kids who had been shoplifting next door being held at gun point inside. Whew.

We attended mass as we usually do on Christmas eve. I am so proud of all that my son has learned in his school. He can do the entire mass. He is even saying some of the Hail Mary prayer in Spanish now.

Christmas eve was at my brother and sister-in-law's house. My sister-in-law is a version of Martha Stewart and can whip up an outstanding party in a minute with a kernel of corn and a grain of rice. We had a great time there.

Santa came and brought my son everything he could have wanted.

Christmas day was with my dad's family at my mom's house. It is always too short but a lot of fun to see everyone. I made it back home without my son. He is staying a week with Grandmother. He is having fun.

Looking forward to my sister visiting tomorrow before she heads back to L.A. We will probably do a lot of "girl stuff"! That will be fun.

I look forward to 2008 being a great year. I am making plans for it to be.

Plan for great things.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!

I have one appointment left at work and then the holiday celebrations can begin. As I have said so many times before, I LOVE THIS TIME OF THE YEAR!

Today is my son's class Christmas party (and yes, we can say Christmas...he is in a Catholic school)! I can't wait to go to that. I love helping in his classroom.

We are going to pick up a few things at the $200.00 store afterward (that is what we call the mega-super-dooper-stores) to stuff in the stockings he is giving his friends in his class tomorrow. I am going to make a quick grocery store run so we can have a nice home cooked meal tonight after we stuff the stockings.

Saturday we are going to a Six Flags Holiday in the Park event. I can't imagine how cold it will be riding a roller coaster this time of the year. But, hey, I did it when I went to Disneyland Paris in February 2000!

Then the family fun begins. Christmas Eve is always at my brother's house with mom's family. Christmas Day is at mom's house with dad's family. I love tradition.

I am off to finish my shopping right now. I hope I have time before the class party to get it all done.

Have a very merry Christmas and hopefully I will get to say hello again before the new year.

Blessings.

Winter Wonderland

It is Christmastime!

Last week the weather changed to just below brr. My son and I wrapped up on Friday after he got out of school and went to the grand opening of a movie theatre in our area. We saw Alvin and the Chipmunks. Since it was the grand opening all the Chipmunks were there. I got some great photos of him with them. The entire town square was all decked out. Santa, a drummer girl, a winter princess, horse and carriage rides and even someone singing carols. It was a great night. When we got home we finished his nativity scene for school and snuggled under the covers with warm socks on!

On Saturday he went to his favorite play center while I finished up the shopping. I don't know why I thought Saturday was a good shopping day. When I got home and he gave up looking for the presents I bought him we wrapped a few and went to bed.

On Sunday the backyard was covered with frost. We baked brownies and had a lazy morning. In the afternoon we went to the big Opryland hotel near our house and spent four hours looking at the beautiful sights. We visited Santa (the third this year!), Mrs. Claus and the reindeer, a gingerbread house and all kinds of other holiday things. Last night we watched a Christmas cartoon before bed.

A great weekend.

Training

I just got back from Laredo. I did two days of training for a company there. It was great. I wasn't sure what to expect but I loved it. The company was great. It was a wonderful group of people and Laredo was much bigger than I thought. I even went across the boarder to Mexico and bought the little guy a sombrero.

Adios.

Go Spurs Go!

I just have to say...all my Mavs fan friends. This message is for you...and don't pretend you don't deserve it.

Okay, so, some of the things I heard PRE GAME yesterday were that the Mavs were going to "walk all over the Spurs"....that Tim Duncan being out was going to be a major set back. I think mention was even made that with Manu having a hurt hand we were in trouble. Hmmm....let's see. Who won? Was it a down to the buzzer, nail bitting game? HA. You see? Three time champions vs. Never been champions. Makes a difference.

And the bet my co-worker and I made this time is so much better than the last. Our bet this time was to put up a Christmas tree in the office decorated in the colors of the winning team. Oh, black and silver will be BEAUTIFUL.

There you have it.

Busy Days

Today I have a work related audit at the office. Although, they never seem as painful as my mind can make them, I don't look forward to them. I am ready today.

After work I am going to swing by the mall and see if I can pick the Christmas cheer up again. And perhaps, a few gifts, as well.

Friday will be devoted to doing the work I have not done while preparing for this audit.

Saturday I have to begin getting my things together for travel. Saturday afternoon I pick my California sister up at the airport and we head to watch our nephew play football. He is a senior in high school and his team in undefeated. They are playing the last game before the state game!

Since all the family will be there (both sisters, brother, nephews, mom, son, etc.) we are going to stay in the same hotel. On Sunday we will have breakfast together then make a run for it.

Sunday I will drive my sister back to the airport. I will drop her off and head for the other airport here to catch a flight myself. I am going to South Texas to do some training. I leave Sunday and will return Wednesday. I love training. That is something exciting to look forward to.

Adios.

Party Is Over

Party was fun. I made all the food myself. I am proud of that....but I am not signing up to replace Martha Stewart. The weather was so nice we sat around the pool. I am glad because on Sunday it got cold again and now we are having winter.

There are many changes coming in my life. I am sure I will write about them soon. Today I am just going to think a little more and pray a lot.

Enter Winter.

Friday

It is Friday. Yesterday is over.

I have heard that my cousins surgery went well. We will continue to pray for her.

Tomorrow is the holiday party I am hosting. I bought all the goodies last night. I look forward to pretending to be Martha Stewart; although, I had to call my sister just to ask where I could find something in the grocery store. Her comment was, "do you not ever go to the grocery store?". So, the secret is out. I don't go very often. But, I think I can pull it off. I am only making two things I haven't made in the past so it should work out.

We shall see.

A Day

Stress and feelings. They make me write. I am experiencing both today.

Being November 29. It is a day I would like to keep off the calendar. It produces memories that I can keep tucked away the rest of the year. The pain of death is difficult. Simply, I miss my dad.

A family member is in surgery right now. It is a long and serious surgery. It came out of the blue. I fear those situations.

Another family member is at a funeral of someone who took their own life. I question the way of the world. I question my own decisions.

The end of the day will soon come and I will rest.

I feel sad. Not hopeless.

November 29

My dad died on November 29, 1994. I guess that was the worst November 29, but they all bring back the memory.He was only 61.

He and mom just bought a house in the country and were re-doing it before they moved in. They waited their whole lives to move to the country. The last time I saw him I spent the weekend there with all my other siblings helping them work in the yard and get things done.

Then he was gone. He was at his deer lease that day. He loved it there.It was the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. I had already bought his Christmas present. I still have it. That was 13 years ago and sometimes it feels like yesterday.

I miss so many things but I think the thing I miss the most is that he never knew my son. He loved being granddad and I know my son would have loved him so much. My son actually reminds me a lot him. He has the same sense of humor. It is almost like he channels my dad. Maybe he does. Maybe that is one of God's gifts to me.

My Memories on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving

It is my favorite time of the year. Thanksgiving is the gateway to the Christmas holiday in my world! Thanksgiving was uneventful yet eventful at the same time.

We stayed in town. On Thanksgiving day we went shopping and to a restaurant. Don't be sad for us. That is typical. I didn't really buy anything, just loved looking at everything. We even did yard work. My son enjoyed raking the leaves (really, he did)! We put up the Christmas lights. I did some in the backyard this year. I decided I wanted to look outside and enjoy them, too.

Friday was more window shopping and then I got to work on doing the errands around the house. I am planning a holiday party for some colleagues Saturday. My motivation to get things together is there but the follow through is difficult. I just kept wanting to sit down and eat pumpkin pie.

I even changed my car this weekend. I stayed in the Toyota family but changed the kind. I like this one better and it has better gas mileage. It feels safer and it is white, too...jut like I like. My son refers to it as the "new, new car". I told him not to get used to it because I might change my mind again and get another one next week. :)

My son and I finally got all the decorations put up last night. I enjoy that part the most. We turn on holiday music and take photos and remember where each ornament came from and things we did in the years before. We were missing a snowman that held a lot of memories for us. We decided to put him in some charity items this summer when we were cleaning. I regret that decision. We got him the first year we were in the house we built when we moved back from Germany. My son was learning to talk so he called him "go-man" instead of "snowman". The snowman was taller than him back then so he would wrestle around with him on the floor. We donated him because the house we are in now doesn't have as much space for decorations.

My son is sick today. The weather change got him! He didn't sleep all night. That means his mom didn't, either. Poor boy. He has to miss a day of school (and he doesn't want to) to go to the doctor.

Long eventful, uneventful weekend over.

Off Road

I looked up this morning and realized I had driven off the road. I wonder how long I have been off the road? Somewhere, a while back, I made a turn and didn't realize it. Sure there have been some bumps along the way and I have even had some major hits but I don't exactly when it happened. The path I have been on isn't exactly what I had planned. I have learned a lot from it. However, I am ready to put some of that knowledge into action instead of just missing the trees and the bigger bumps.

Ho, Ho, Ho!

I love the holiday season. I know it isn't even Thanksgiving, but I am already mesmerized by the Christmas decorations I am seeing in stores. I spent hours this weekend walking around in stores just looking at everything. There is something incredible and magical about this time of the year for me.

I find joy in giving, maybe that is part of it. I am also a Christian and love the traditions I have practiced all my life. I usually put up my Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and don't take it down until the week of the New Year. Yep, I am "one of those people"....and I love it.

I even like to bake this time of the year. I love to get magazines and recipes and make things I have never made just to see if I can. Everyone arounds me gains weight this time of year because I take things I make everywhere I go. And I am usually the microwave person or queen of eating away from the house the rest of the year.

I think I am going to just go with this and enjoy it.

Ho, Ho, Ho....not Ho Hum.