This year was a challenge, as all other years before it but in a lot of ways it was a success! Many new things were tried, many new experiences were um, experienced and many things done were deemed doable again! Other things not so much, but that's for another day :)
So let's break down the thankfulness by category for organizational purposes because we cannot organize enough around here!
1. I am thankful I can 'hang' with the 13 year old crowd and understand pop-culture references chatted about in their tongue. There is nothing like a an hour-plus long car ride with Lexxy listening to talk to her friends on her cell about how ambidextrous they are, what kind of hair straightener they have and when it was last used, who is selling the dress Bella wears in New Moon and who looks more like Bella, in New Moon of course. I am thankful I know who Bella is and am thankful it started Lexxy reading. I am however not so thankful for the sex scenes that we will need to discuss when the third and fourth books are cinematized in the next two years... gulp!
2. I am thankful for State Farm. I don't care what Allstate says, you are in good hands with State Farm. After my accident in February they were capital-A Awesome! From our agent to customer no-service, who actually provided service, they rocked it out, putting me in a new vehicle in no-time. RIP my cute little Jaguar XJ8... you will be missed. (insert moment of silence followed by bagpipes here)
3. I am, as I am every year, thankful for seasonal beverages! This year it was Starbucks Peppermint Mocha and Silk's Soy-Nog. The PM was a great addition to my every, single, working morning and it will be missed when it goes away. The Soy-Nog was a nice addition to Christmas and wasn't as heavy and thick as regular eggnog, plus it was like getting a serving of veggies so twice the perks! Health benefits and a good drink, minus the rum brought back from Grand Cayman... yum-o!
4. I am oh ever so thankful for new music to fill my commute and weekends! As many of you know I am an avid listener and music has always been a huge part of my life. I have my old standards in Jazz and classic 80's that I love but new recommendations are always welcome. Here are some I tried and loved this year:
The Rescues
Gloriana
Lady Antebellum
Mary Fahl - former lead singer of October Project
Cat Power
Company of Thieves
The Distants
Johnny Klimek & Reinhold Heil - one song from a soundtrack that is killer
Kate Miller-Heidke
LaRoux - total 80's vibe!
Landon Pigg - Rufus Wainwright vibe
The Lovemakers - just love them!
Lucy Kaplansky
Madeleine Peyroux - Beautiful jazz
Paramore - Good for a rock out in the car
Tal & Acacia
Toby Lightman
30 Seconds To Mars - many albums out and much diverse music to love!
5. I am thankful that I know how to read, translate and adapt recipes to fit the needs of a changing family. With gluten and corn free being the new monicker in the Roberts family, each meal is customized to fit the medical needs of the Monkeygirl. Simple things from a bagel at breakfast to breading on chicken for dinner and what's in the soy sauce we are using. Each takes a second though, which leads me to number 6...
6. I am thankful to The App Store, which introduced me to The Gluten Free App! This makes shopping a breeze! I Cynthia also introduced me to the Gluten Free Alcohol webpage which is nice should I ever want to pry her with liquor on a girls night! ;)
7. I am thankful for specialty food shops such as Harry's, Fresh Market and Whole Foods, oh and can't forget Trader Joe's re: gluten free as well. I also like their meat free sections, but that's just the former vegetarian in me coming back out.
8. I am thankful for my family. It's been a year and a half, almost, since I lost my Dad and the family has gone through a really dramatic shift. I have a new Stepfather, nice guy, I mean he loves my Mom who now lives all the way over in Oregon so, I can't really say anything bad about him... but he's not my Dad. The closest to fit the bill and to come to my rescue when I needed a Dad figure this year was my Father in Law. He stepped up and was just there for me so he wins Jenn's New Dad of The Year Award for 2009! There will be no award issued for 2010 as the 2009 award is an automatic carryover indefinitely or until he resigns from post.
9. I am thankful for my friends old and new, near and far. Some of you have been here for the long haul and some of us have just met. I have a good track record and tend to keep my friends around for some time so hold on baby, this will be a long flight :)
10. I am thankful to QVC for making my holiday shopping a little easier this year. Ok. There. I said it. Yes, I flex-pay! When I got a job after being out of work for a few months money was tight and it was the best way to get my family a little something by paying a little something. I do admit I have a problem in that I consider the In the Kitchen with David segment an actual Show on Sundays that I watch from noon to 2pm Eastern. Yeah, I have issues. Now if I can figure out a way to fanagle that KitchenAid 6.0Qt Pro Stand Mixer... I covet it with passion... in Caviar or Willow Blue please.
My oath to my readers: I promise in 2010 to be better at blogging. I admit in 2009 I floundered with not being sure what to write and it seemed in some ways to be somewhat self serving. This year I will share more of me and ask that you do the same! Let me know what you like and what you don't and the blog will be dynamic in nature! Some of you know you can call me on my cell, the ones who don't now do, heck my cell is listed on Facebook. So feel free to share, sharing is good!
Happy New Year to All~ I will be spending it at the Georgia Dome watching the University of Tennessee Volunteers fight the Virginia Tech Hokies (WTF??) in the Chic-Fil-A (former Peach) Bowl.
10...9...8...7...6...5...
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Merry Christmas Dad...
So many people this time of year send newsletters out to their family and friends and I thought I would write one to just one person, my Dad.
Dear Dad,
This is your second year away from us and we miss you each and every day, especially at the holidays. It seems like every since you went away the family has kind of gone its separate ways, with Mom in one corner of the country and me in another. We still talk all the time and visit when we can but there is always an empty spot where you should be. A lot has happened over the last year and in case you missed any of it watching down on us I figured I would give you the cliff notes version.
Your favorite dog Milo is now into high fashion and wears sweaters. He was always cold and ever since Christy came to visit a year ago October and we got him a sweater he has been addicted to them! He now has a collection and even Mom is sending him new ones, including snazzy ones for the holidays! Even hoodies! Although he doesn't like the hoodies very much and gets really pissy when his ears are covered. It's really funny. He spends most of his spare time when he's not bossing the bigger dogs around sitting on me or Adam or Lexxy and sleeping. We still call him Stinky and he still sleeps on my head at night.
It was a hard year this year Dad where I was unemployed for a while but we got through it. I learned what I need to live by and what's truly important. I feel lucky to have found a new job so quickly while others in the country are still looking after being unemployed for months and even years at this point. I will make it through, I always do :)
We didn't really travel anywhere or have any good stories to tell of adventure but I do have wonderful stories to tell of reconnections with old friends near and far with whom I am blessed to have back in my life after many years absense. You know the old saying about new friends being silver and old friends being gold, well these friends are definitely 100% pure and remind me of what true friendships and acceptance are all about.
This year I turn the big 4-0 Dad... ugh! The clock is ticking and I feel under pressure to finish things I have on my list of ambitions. Things I should have completed in my twenties. I guess we always have time, but as we all know, you never know when your chances will suddenly run out and I don't want to leave anything unfinished in this lifetime when I leave it so many years from now, G-d willing.
Mom is happy and healthy and living a quiet life out in Oregon. She and Tom seem to love being retired together and do a heck of a lot of gardening. He is teaching her how to play golf and occasionally she cuts his hair. She hopes to get to Atlanta for a visit in January, depending on the weather and such. Tom is a nice man. He loves her and that's what's important. Personally, he's not you and he never will be but I am learning to accept him as her spouse, slowly but surely. You will always be my Dad though, that will never change.
For Christmas my one wish would be to have a great dream where you and I would have a good sit down conversation face to face. I could live off of that for months :)
I miss you Dad and wish I could just ring you up. Merry Christmas Dad. I love you
Dear Dad,
This is your second year away from us and we miss you each and every day, especially at the holidays. It seems like every since you went away the family has kind of gone its separate ways, with Mom in one corner of the country and me in another. We still talk all the time and visit when we can but there is always an empty spot where you should be. A lot has happened over the last year and in case you missed any of it watching down on us I figured I would give you the cliff notes version.
Your favorite dog Milo is now into high fashion and wears sweaters. He was always cold and ever since Christy came to visit a year ago October and we got him a sweater he has been addicted to them! He now has a collection and even Mom is sending him new ones, including snazzy ones for the holidays! Even hoodies! Although he doesn't like the hoodies very much and gets really pissy when his ears are covered. It's really funny. He spends most of his spare time when he's not bossing the bigger dogs around sitting on me or Adam or Lexxy and sleeping. We still call him Stinky and he still sleeps on my head at night.
It was a hard year this year Dad where I was unemployed for a while but we got through it. I learned what I need to live by and what's truly important. I feel lucky to have found a new job so quickly while others in the country are still looking after being unemployed for months and even years at this point. I will make it through, I always do :)
We didn't really travel anywhere or have any good stories to tell of adventure but I do have wonderful stories to tell of reconnections with old friends near and far with whom I am blessed to have back in my life after many years absense. You know the old saying about new friends being silver and old friends being gold, well these friends are definitely 100% pure and remind me of what true friendships and acceptance are all about.
This year I turn the big 4-0 Dad... ugh! The clock is ticking and I feel under pressure to finish things I have on my list of ambitions. Things I should have completed in my twenties. I guess we always have time, but as we all know, you never know when your chances will suddenly run out and I don't want to leave anything unfinished in this lifetime when I leave it so many years from now, G-d willing.
Mom is happy and healthy and living a quiet life out in Oregon. She and Tom seem to love being retired together and do a heck of a lot of gardening. He is teaching her how to play golf and occasionally she cuts his hair. She hopes to get to Atlanta for a visit in January, depending on the weather and such. Tom is a nice man. He loves her and that's what's important. Personally, he's not you and he never will be but I am learning to accept him as her spouse, slowly but surely. You will always be my Dad though, that will never change.
For Christmas my one wish would be to have a great dream where you and I would have a good sit down conversation face to face. I could live off of that for months :)
I miss you Dad and wish I could just ring you up. Merry Christmas Dad. I love you
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thankful...
Twas the night before Thanksgiving and I am prepping food for tomorrow's gathering of our little family. In a year that was as hard as this last year, one could potentially ask themselves what there is to be thankful for. Each of us has shining stars in our lives and at the darkest of times these things shine brighter. Whether it be family, friends, safety, health. Sometimes we take for granted that we have been blessed and look towards belongings and money as the things that truly bless us. Being unemployed in an unforgiving economy and losing what savings was saved puts things in perspective once solid ground is once again gained.
I often think back, when I am having a bad day, to more care free times and cherish that I experienced them. When a job was 5 hours a night at a community movie theatre and between selling tickets time was shared in conversation with friends who were co-workers. When minimum wage increasing to $4 an hour was something to get really excited about, a credit card with a $500 limit was huge and dinner was a small chicken fried rice from the take-away chinese restaurant two doors down in the same plaza. When you went home at the end of the day and saw your parents, who you still lived with. Back then you never think to the time when they will be gone and once that time comes and you find yourself a little more alone in the world you wish you could go back and appreciate those moments more. Parents who may have been strict to some degree but always seemed to cut you slack when you needed it. Parents who were right there and not across the country, so far away. When people in your life lived for you to get out of work so your evening could begin at the coffee house at 11pm. When you slept only a few hours a night in order to fit it all in.
Today we all tend to get so caught up in the 'I need to do's' and the 'I really wish's' and the 'wouldn't it be easier's' that we lose perspective of what needs really are. You need your family, some sort of roof over your head and food on the table. The next improved iPod or sweetest looking handbag or new-fangled camera aren't things that will end our existence if we live without them. Yeah, they are great and when I was at my job that ended a year ago, of which I was employed for almost ten years I never thought twice about dropping some coin and I admit that I lived more on 'wants' than 'needs', taking for granted that the needs would always be taken care of and that the wants would always be satisfied. Why wouldn't they? It has always been this way... until this year.
It's been a hard year, hell it's been a hard year and a half since losing Dad. But jobs come and they go. It's the people in your lives and the places you have seen and the things you have experienced that make you the strongest you will be and give you hope. Sure, I would give my right arm to go to Burberry tomorrow and get a new bag... it's the 'handbag whore' in me, but it's not what defines me. It's not what I am thankful for.
This year I am thankful not only for all of the wonderful friends and family and co-workers in my life, but I am also extremely thankful that I can pay my house note on time every month and that we are still in the utility companies good graces after my job loss. I am thankful a small international company took a chance on me, my (finally finished) education and experience in my new career in a totally new industry for me.
I am thankful for the beautiful 13 year old in my life who still tells me she loves me in public and who Facebook's me when she is online. I am thankful for the woman she is becoming and am thankful that she and I can spend all day hanging out without her being bored. I am thankful she always knows what she will be ordering at Starbucks and that she appreciates a mani/pedi once in a while when we want to go out and feel all girly. I am also SO very thankful she has learned to love to read. Something we often do together while waiting for Adam to come home from work on Saturday afternoons. I am thankful she is loving and strong and has faith and confidence in herself. I am especially thankful and grateful that I have gotten to spend the past 10 years of her life with her.
I am thankful for all the paws that run across my floors all day and for the snuggly noses at night. Who needs blankets with 6 dogs on the bed I ask??
I am thankful for my husband who is strong when I am not and that we balance each other out. We promised each other long ago to never have the crazies at the same time and so far, 12 years later, it's worked. I am thankful that he is dedicated to his family and will move mountains for them, that he is a fantastic Father and that he says he loves me more with each passing day.
I am thankful for having grown up with my Dad, whom I miss every day. I am also thankful he painted a lot and that his works are in my home, which in its own way is like visiting with him each day.
I am thankful for my Mom, even though she lives in Oregon now and I am not allowed to call her before noon Atlanta time.
I am, like Topol, thankful the sun always rises after it has set, albeit hours later. I am also lately very thankful for Swedish Fish and my Gluten Free iPhone app, but that's probably another story.
So it is with this that I give thanks for the year while remembering that Thanksgiving should be every day throughout the year. For I am thankful then as I am now. Happy Thanksgiving friends!
I often think back, when I am having a bad day, to more care free times and cherish that I experienced them. When a job was 5 hours a night at a community movie theatre and between selling tickets time was shared in conversation with friends who were co-workers. When minimum wage increasing to $4 an hour was something to get really excited about, a credit card with a $500 limit was huge and dinner was a small chicken fried rice from the take-away chinese restaurant two doors down in the same plaza. When you went home at the end of the day and saw your parents, who you still lived with. Back then you never think to the time when they will be gone and once that time comes and you find yourself a little more alone in the world you wish you could go back and appreciate those moments more. Parents who may have been strict to some degree but always seemed to cut you slack when you needed it. Parents who were right there and not across the country, so far away. When people in your life lived for you to get out of work so your evening could begin at the coffee house at 11pm. When you slept only a few hours a night in order to fit it all in.
Today we all tend to get so caught up in the 'I need to do's' and the 'I really wish's' and the 'wouldn't it be easier's' that we lose perspective of what needs really are. You need your family, some sort of roof over your head and food on the table. The next improved iPod or sweetest looking handbag or new-fangled camera aren't things that will end our existence if we live without them. Yeah, they are great and when I was at my job that ended a year ago, of which I was employed for almost ten years I never thought twice about dropping some coin and I admit that I lived more on 'wants' than 'needs', taking for granted that the needs would always be taken care of and that the wants would always be satisfied. Why wouldn't they? It has always been this way... until this year.
It's been a hard year, hell it's been a hard year and a half since losing Dad. But jobs come and they go. It's the people in your lives and the places you have seen and the things you have experienced that make you the strongest you will be and give you hope. Sure, I would give my right arm to go to Burberry tomorrow and get a new bag... it's the 'handbag whore' in me, but it's not what defines me. It's not what I am thankful for.
This year I am thankful not only for all of the wonderful friends and family and co-workers in my life, but I am also extremely thankful that I can pay my house note on time every month and that we are still in the utility companies good graces after my job loss. I am thankful a small international company took a chance on me, my (finally finished) education and experience in my new career in a totally new industry for me.
I am thankful for the beautiful 13 year old in my life who still tells me she loves me in public and who Facebook's me when she is online. I am thankful for the woman she is becoming and am thankful that she and I can spend all day hanging out without her being bored. I am thankful she always knows what she will be ordering at Starbucks and that she appreciates a mani/pedi once in a while when we want to go out and feel all girly. I am also SO very thankful she has learned to love to read. Something we often do together while waiting for Adam to come home from work on Saturday afternoons. I am thankful she is loving and strong and has faith and confidence in herself. I am especially thankful and grateful that I have gotten to spend the past 10 years of her life with her.
I am thankful for all the paws that run across my floors all day and for the snuggly noses at night. Who needs blankets with 6 dogs on the bed I ask??
I am thankful for my husband who is strong when I am not and that we balance each other out. We promised each other long ago to never have the crazies at the same time and so far, 12 years later, it's worked. I am thankful that he is dedicated to his family and will move mountains for them, that he is a fantastic Father and that he says he loves me more with each passing day.
I am thankful for having grown up with my Dad, whom I miss every day. I am also thankful he painted a lot and that his works are in my home, which in its own way is like visiting with him each day.
I am thankful for my Mom, even though she lives in Oregon now and I am not allowed to call her before noon Atlanta time.
I am, like Topol, thankful the sun always rises after it has set, albeit hours later. I am also lately very thankful for Swedish Fish and my Gluten Free iPhone app, but that's probably another story.
So it is with this that I give thanks for the year while remembering that Thanksgiving should be every day throughout the year. For I am thankful then as I am now. Happy Thanksgiving friends!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Banner
Journey through these eyes of mine
While sipping on a cup of time
Once a girl I now grow old
So now my story must be told
A warrior of days gone past
I knew those days weren’t meant to last
A waged war of thoughts and words
A lifetime to look forward towards
I held that banner oh so high
From morning light
Through midnight sky
Relishing freedom still challenged by some
I feel my battle is yet to be won
This strength and passion will never die
So I pass to you this cup of mine
Saturday, October 17, 2009
White Horse Run
Sitting upon a desolate shell
Within the spiral all life does dwell
Slumbering naked on the white horse shore
Reliving night passions there forever more
Running in the waves in circles round
Sand dunes shifting onto broken ground
Sun beating down as it conquers new heights
Moon dancing on waves in the deep still of night
Arise sweet breath through the mist and the wave
Putting sand in a bottle for this moment to save
No surf matching grace as no thrill is the same
As catching and holding onto the white horses mane
White Horse Run
Within the spiral all life does dwell
Slumbering naked on the white horse shore
Reliving night passions there forever more
Running in the waves in circles round
Sand dunes shifting onto broken ground
Sun beating down as it conquers new heights
Moon dancing on waves in the deep still of night
Arise sweet breath through the mist and the wave
Putting sand in a bottle for this moment to save
No surf matching grace as no thrill is the same
As catching and holding onto the white horses mane
White Horse Run
Family...
Last weekend Adam's family, my Mom and Tom, Lexxy, Cynthia, Leah, Carter and Adrienne all converged on our home for Adam's 40th birthday party. It was the first time everyone had gotten together here in Atlanta since our wedding 11 years ago.
Brothers and Sisters, Mothers and Fathers, Nieces, Nephews and Grand Nieces and Grand Nephews all gathered for dinner Friday night at Maggianos where we ate family style and enjoyed good company. Saturday followed with the University of Tennessee game at 12:30 at our house followed by the cookout which started around 6pm. I spent most of the day in the kitchen and visting and now this weekend is bookmarked for relaxing in a quiet house with the dogs while Adam works.
My husband is the baby in his family, the youngest of five. He spent his childhood with his brothers and sister spending weekends camping and fishing and just spending quality time together. I am an only child and see what a gift he was given having been born into a large family. From day #1 they made me feel at home and welcome into their homes. The sweetest people you will ever meet have the last name of Roberts and are from Memphis, TN, originally. Now the family is spread around the South/East and Mid West. A brother and his family in St Louis, Sister and her family in Nashville, and in Memphis, his other brother and his family, his parents and countless other relatives.
The weekend was bittersweet however as it marked the 2 years anniversary of the death of Adam's brother Richie from cancer. His oldest son, his wife and kids came to Atlanta to share in Adam's day. We had great fun together watching the game and watching and listening to his kids. Such a sweet little family. Richie and Adam were very close and it was over a year and a half since Richie's death that Adam could bring himself to go home to Memphis. We spent so much of our time there over Richie's house just hanging out and eating dinner with him and his wife Esther and the boys as they were growing up. I guess at some point you have to face your demons and gather your strength to go where you can't bring yourself to go for the sake of others.
We are truly blessed to be part of such a good family. Next year for my 40th we are going away ;)
Brothers and Sisters, Mothers and Fathers, Nieces, Nephews and Grand Nieces and Grand Nephews all gathered for dinner Friday night at Maggianos where we ate family style and enjoyed good company. Saturday followed with the University of Tennessee game at 12:30 at our house followed by the cookout which started around 6pm. I spent most of the day in the kitchen and visting and now this weekend is bookmarked for relaxing in a quiet house with the dogs while Adam works.
My husband is the baby in his family, the youngest of five. He spent his childhood with his brothers and sister spending weekends camping and fishing and just spending quality time together. I am an only child and see what a gift he was given having been born into a large family. From day #1 they made me feel at home and welcome into their homes. The sweetest people you will ever meet have the last name of Roberts and are from Memphis, TN, originally. Now the family is spread around the South/East and Mid West. A brother and his family in St Louis, Sister and her family in Nashville, and in Memphis, his other brother and his family, his parents and countless other relatives.
The weekend was bittersweet however as it marked the 2 years anniversary of the death of Adam's brother Richie from cancer. His oldest son, his wife and kids came to Atlanta to share in Adam's day. We had great fun together watching the game and watching and listening to his kids. Such a sweet little family. Richie and Adam were very close and it was over a year and a half since Richie's death that Adam could bring himself to go home to Memphis. We spent so much of our time there over Richie's house just hanging out and eating dinner with him and his wife Esther and the boys as they were growing up. I guess at some point you have to face your demons and gather your strength to go where you can't bring yourself to go for the sake of others.
We are truly blessed to be part of such a good family. Next year for my 40th we are going away ;)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Insomnia... chapter 1
It's 4:30 on a Thursday morning and I am awake... not half asleep. Totally and utterly awake. The dogs are now up and the coffee is on. The house is quiet. I think I woke up Adam. No idea why I am up this early, just am. It's interesting being awake before everyone else I know, especially this weekend. This is the most quiet I will get until Tuesday night.
Tonight the flood of family starts coming in for Adam's 40th birthday party this Saturday. First my Mom & Tom, followed by Adam's folks. Brothers and sisters and their children will follow shortly thereafter and Saturday is scheduled for a cookout at our house. It should be a lot of fun! The Univ of TN game starts at 12:30 Saturday afternoon and good friends are coming to watch it before the BBQ. Can you really call a cookout a BBQ if there are no ribs being cooked and nothing being smoked? Burgers and gluten free dogs are on the menu along with my famous (not really) potato salad, beer, drinks and birthday cake slated to celebrate Adam's 40th and my new Step-Dad's 70th.
It's always great to have family in town and this will be the first time everyone has come in together since our wedding 11 years ago. We are even boarding three of our craziest dogs so the house is a bit less hectic. The only family we have in GA is Cynthia, Lexxy's Mom and her Mom Adrienne, Carter (Lexxy's Step-Dad) and Leah her little Sister. We all have so much fun when we get together! It's great when out of town guests come to visit and it's great when they go so our home can return to normal. I am already cherishing next weekend when I will be able to lounge on the love seat and take naps as necessary.
The cleaners are coming today and I have organized my tupperware drawer in the hopes that my Mom won't feel the need to reorganize my cabinets. However I have neglected my pot & pan cabinet so I am assuming by Saturday afternoon it will be organized and everything will be in its place gratis of Mom. I guess I am not the only one looking for things to do when family arrives... Adam is now up (5am) and is doing laundry to free the bed in the guest room for Lexxy this weekend.
Part of what I like about getting up early is drinking my coffee, smoking a cig and watching the Today Show, however it's not on this early and in fact I see no other lights on in the subdivision, except ours. The traffic reporters are already reporting Atlanta commute traffic on TV and the dogs have all congregated in the living room for some reason... I hope our getting up this early doesn't perpetuate a cycle of them getting up at 4 tomorrow morning... Good Lord I need to sleep decently one of these days!
Tonight the flood of family starts coming in for Adam's 40th birthday party this Saturday. First my Mom & Tom, followed by Adam's folks. Brothers and sisters and their children will follow shortly thereafter and Saturday is scheduled for a cookout at our house. It should be a lot of fun! The Univ of TN game starts at 12:30 Saturday afternoon and good friends are coming to watch it before the BBQ. Can you really call a cookout a BBQ if there are no ribs being cooked and nothing being smoked? Burgers and gluten free dogs are on the menu along with my famous (not really) potato salad, beer, drinks and birthday cake slated to celebrate Adam's 40th and my new Step-Dad's 70th.
It's always great to have family in town and this will be the first time everyone has come in together since our wedding 11 years ago. We are even boarding three of our craziest dogs so the house is a bit less hectic. The only family we have in GA is Cynthia, Lexxy's Mom and her Mom Adrienne, Carter (Lexxy's Step-Dad) and Leah her little Sister. We all have so much fun when we get together! It's great when out of town guests come to visit and it's great when they go so our home can return to normal. I am already cherishing next weekend when I will be able to lounge on the love seat and take naps as necessary.
The cleaners are coming today and I have organized my tupperware drawer in the hopes that my Mom won't feel the need to reorganize my cabinets. However I have neglected my pot & pan cabinet so I am assuming by Saturday afternoon it will be organized and everything will be in its place gratis of Mom. I guess I am not the only one looking for things to do when family arrives... Adam is now up (5am) and is doing laundry to free the bed in the guest room for Lexxy this weekend.
Part of what I like about getting up early is drinking my coffee, smoking a cig and watching the Today Show, however it's not on this early and in fact I see no other lights on in the subdivision, except ours. The traffic reporters are already reporting Atlanta commute traffic on TV and the dogs have all congregated in the living room for some reason... I hope our getting up this early doesn't perpetuate a cycle of them getting up at 4 tomorrow morning... Good Lord I need to sleep decently one of these days!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Three coffees in...
Three coffees into my day on a Friday at 7:30. Been in my new job for 7 days and it rocks! My enthusiasm has nothing to do with my caffeine high, albeit I feel mighty energetic and Super Man invincible right about now. Cliff at the office told me I should crash hard around 9pm... I will be sure to be on the loveseat all stretched out so I can pensively wait for my downfall.
The office I work at is FABULOUS! Everyone is lovely and nice and so welcoming. One girl told me when we met today that she has heard a lot about me and that someone else told her it was like I had been there forever. So far this is a temp to permanent gig but the VP of Sales told me at dinner the other night that he hopes to have the discussion soon about my being brought on full time. WOOHOO!
I have learned a lot over the last 7 work days - about a new industry, new software platforms, rules and regulations. I have also learned that on Sundays my stomach isn't turning over from stress thinking about going to work Monday morning as it was with my last position. Yeah, if they don't bring me on permanent I will be all sorts of broken hearted. The people and the atmosphere make up for the drop in salary but the perks outweigh that in a big way.
I feel like cleaning the house naked! It's been a great week, minus the fact that Patrick Swayze died. The things/myths Dirty Dancing taught me were as follows:
1. Your first time will make you glow and smile the next morning like the act lasted more than 20 minutes.
2. The more dance lessons you have the skimpier your outfits get.
3. Not everyone falls for the Cheetah.
4. Even the odd looking girls with a good heart can get the guy in the end.
5. Older sisters with complexes can drain you. If they are tone deaf it makes things worse but more laughable.
6. Kellerman's was a sun friendly environment but Lord help you if you needed an activity on a rainy day, thus, sex with Johnny Castle.
7. It's never a good idea to hide things from your parents.
8. The good guys should always come out on top and the scumbags should always have their charity donations to Yale torn up in front of their faces.
Dirty Dancing was an interesting movie for me - Our Senior High School Ball theme was 'I had the time of my life', the abortion Dr in the movie was stopping in New Paltz - where I grew up, and my maiden name was Gray, Jennifer Gray. I caught a lot of shit for that in the years after the movie came out and when people asked me on the phone at the office if I was the same Jennifer Grey I said yes but that I was told to keep my day job.
Speaking of Jennifer Grey, I also learned the valuable lesson that your nose job can ruin your career. So love your nose, embrace the bigness that you have on your face and appreciate the DNA and genetics that added to your facial features. Even if you look like Toucan Sam, it's part of who you are and what people recognize about you... It's as plain as the nose on your face.
Nobody puts Baby in a corner....
The office I work at is FABULOUS! Everyone is lovely and nice and so welcoming. One girl told me when we met today that she has heard a lot about me and that someone else told her it was like I had been there forever. So far this is a temp to permanent gig but the VP of Sales told me at dinner the other night that he hopes to have the discussion soon about my being brought on full time. WOOHOO!
I have learned a lot over the last 7 work days - about a new industry, new software platforms, rules and regulations. I have also learned that on Sundays my stomach isn't turning over from stress thinking about going to work Monday morning as it was with my last position. Yeah, if they don't bring me on permanent I will be all sorts of broken hearted. The people and the atmosphere make up for the drop in salary but the perks outweigh that in a big way.
I feel like cleaning the house naked! It's been a great week, minus the fact that Patrick Swayze died. The things/myths Dirty Dancing taught me were as follows:
1. Your first time will make you glow and smile the next morning like the act lasted more than 20 minutes.
2. The more dance lessons you have the skimpier your outfits get.
3. Not everyone falls for the Cheetah.
4. Even the odd looking girls with a good heart can get the guy in the end.
5. Older sisters with complexes can drain you. If they are tone deaf it makes things worse but more laughable.
6. Kellerman's was a sun friendly environment but Lord help you if you needed an activity on a rainy day, thus, sex with Johnny Castle.
7. It's never a good idea to hide things from your parents.
8. The good guys should always come out on top and the scumbags should always have their charity donations to Yale torn up in front of their faces.
Dirty Dancing was an interesting movie for me - Our Senior High School Ball theme was 'I had the time of my life', the abortion Dr in the movie was stopping in New Paltz - where I grew up, and my maiden name was Gray, Jennifer Gray. I caught a lot of shit for that in the years after the movie came out and when people asked me on the phone at the office if I was the same Jennifer Grey I said yes but that I was told to keep my day job.
Speaking of Jennifer Grey, I also learned the valuable lesson that your nose job can ruin your career. So love your nose, embrace the bigness that you have on your face and appreciate the DNA and genetics that added to your facial features. Even if you look like Toucan Sam, it's part of who you are and what people recognize about you... It's as plain as the nose on your face.
Nobody puts Baby in a corner....
Monday, September 7, 2009
Labor Day weekend with a few thousand of our new best friends!
As usual with all holiday weekends, Adam had to work. This year was a bit different as he got to lead mascots around the Atlanta Motor Speedway for NASCAR weekend on Saturday. He had a great time and got some sun while I played with the dogs at home and relaxed knowing I start my new job this coming Thursday, giving myself a well deserved break from Careerbuilder.com. We had tickets to the Nationwide Series race Saturday night and at the end of his shift, the NASCAR Gods smiled upon him a shining light and handed over two tickets to the Sunday night Sprint Cup Series race! Given the choice we opted for the Sunday night race since we don't really follow the Nationwide Series.
Now, after working from home since July and being unemployed the last two weeks, joined at the hip with my MAC job hunting, the possibility of getting out of the freaking house was awesome! I watched the races on TV since joining a NASCAR pool at the office years ago, more so to make it look like I knew what I was talking about, but I had never been to a live race. Adam brought home t-shirts from his Saturday shift at the track and the golden tickets and we were excited beyond belief for Sunday night - the first night race in Atlanta.
We left the house at 3:30 pm and got stuck in track traffic. Once we got there we wandered around the midway, watched some pre-race shows, bought me a hat and ticket holders you wear around your neck, cause you never know when you will need those in the future, and then made our way to our seats. The seats were BEAUTIFUL! I swear I heard angels singing as we found our seats by the entrance to pit road up in row 40, meaning we were high enough to see the entire track.
Now, I have never been into sports like Adam is. My Mother-In-Law is a huge sports fan and Adam grew up in that household. I grew up in an artsy household where what you made, made you what you are and final projects for art class were framed and hung along side my Dads artwork in the house. Having entered the NASCAR watching frame of mind 8 years or so ago, I latched on to one specific driver and have been a fan ever since - Dale Earnhardt Junior. No specific reason, I just latched on with the force of a famished baby nursing and never let go. I even bought a Junior Nation baseball cap at the track and was wearing it proudly. Adam got jealous of my newly acquired hat so we made our way back to the midway before being seated in the stands and he got the same one in another color so we could keep them identified as our own. Good Lord, you don't want to mix up your fan hats - at my suggestion.
The race started. The stands shook from the vibration of the engines as they revved up at the starting line. They went fast, faster and even faster. It amazed me that they were going 200 mph. Hell, I go 10 miles over the speed limit and I get a ticket... the boys were flying! Junior gained spot after spot after spot and kept on coming.
Then there were hotdogs and funnel cake. What's a day out at a race or a fair without this fare I ask you? It was a fun time guessing what concessions were going to make their way up into the stands. Burgers? Chicken? Beer? Oh lots and lots of beer. People had their own stash in the coolers they let into the stands. There was every make and model of beer and the koozies to go along with them. Attire was interesting as well. from fan t-shirts and shorts to outfits you would only see on people who were trapped in the mountains for a few weeks. The woman in front of me, who I neglected to get a picture of, was wearing a shirt that said, and I quote: 'If I gave a crap, I would give it to you'. Thanks for the visual you obvious fan of Pricilla, Queen of the Desert, now go finish your PBR and your Lucky Strike smokes and sit the heck down so I can see the track :)
So after Adam enjoyed a few alcoholic beverages (hmmm Budweiser, maybe he is nursing a crush for Kasey Kahne?) I volunteered to drive us home as we made our way to the car - leaving early as to avoid a 3 hour parking lot vigil. We listened to the race on the radio as we made our way home and watched the last few laps on TV once we got home. 'You let the dogs out and I will turn on the TV' Adam said. Good plan! We settled in and watched the race end and the wrap up commentary.
It was a really fun night with a few thousand of our new best friends, some of which I would hose down before they entered my home, but nice people nonetheless. March race anyone?
Now, after working from home since July and being unemployed the last two weeks, joined at the hip with my MAC job hunting, the possibility of getting out of the freaking house was awesome! I watched the races on TV since joining a NASCAR pool at the office years ago, more so to make it look like I knew what I was talking about, but I had never been to a live race. Adam brought home t-shirts from his Saturday shift at the track and the golden tickets and we were excited beyond belief for Sunday night - the first night race in Atlanta.
We left the house at 3:30 pm and got stuck in track traffic. Once we got there we wandered around the midway, watched some pre-race shows, bought me a hat and ticket holders you wear around your neck, cause you never know when you will need those in the future, and then made our way to our seats. The seats were BEAUTIFUL! I swear I heard angels singing as we found our seats by the entrance to pit road up in row 40, meaning we were high enough to see the entire track.
Now, I have never been into sports like Adam is. My Mother-In-Law is a huge sports fan and Adam grew up in that household. I grew up in an artsy household where what you made, made you what you are and final projects for art class were framed and hung along side my Dads artwork in the house. Having entered the NASCAR watching frame of mind 8 years or so ago, I latched on to one specific driver and have been a fan ever since - Dale Earnhardt Junior. No specific reason, I just latched on with the force of a famished baby nursing and never let go. I even bought a Junior Nation baseball cap at the track and was wearing it proudly. Adam got jealous of my newly acquired hat so we made our way back to the midway before being seated in the stands and he got the same one in another color so we could keep them identified as our own. Good Lord, you don't want to mix up your fan hats - at my suggestion.
The race started. The stands shook from the vibration of the engines as they revved up at the starting line. They went fast, faster and even faster. It amazed me that they were going 200 mph. Hell, I go 10 miles over the speed limit and I get a ticket... the boys were flying! Junior gained spot after spot after spot and kept on coming.
Then there were hotdogs and funnel cake. What's a day out at a race or a fair without this fare I ask you? It was a fun time guessing what concessions were going to make their way up into the stands. Burgers? Chicken? Beer? Oh lots and lots of beer. People had their own stash in the coolers they let into the stands. There was every make and model of beer and the koozies to go along with them. Attire was interesting as well. from fan t-shirts and shorts to outfits you would only see on people who were trapped in the mountains for a few weeks. The woman in front of me, who I neglected to get a picture of, was wearing a shirt that said, and I quote: 'If I gave a crap, I would give it to you'. Thanks for the visual you obvious fan of Pricilla, Queen of the Desert, now go finish your PBR and your Lucky Strike smokes and sit the heck down so I can see the track :)
So after Adam enjoyed a few alcoholic beverages (hmmm Budweiser, maybe he is nursing a crush for Kasey Kahne?) I volunteered to drive us home as we made our way to the car - leaving early as to avoid a 3 hour parking lot vigil. We listened to the race on the radio as we made our way home and watched the last few laps on TV once we got home. 'You let the dogs out and I will turn on the TV' Adam said. Good plan! We settled in and watched the race end and the wrap up commentary.
It was a really fun night with a few thousand of our new best friends, some of which I would hose down before they entered my home, but nice people nonetheless. March race anyone?
Friday, September 4, 2009
Benevolent Man
medium shades of winters gaze
through the rushes
through the haze
benevolent man all broken down
by all he bares
and his thorny crown
stealing time the seasons rush
birds wings trap the hidden hush
seeing it all by the seeding within
where there used to be no thoughts of him
salvation granted
and salvation lost
broken to bits by the cold and the cost
running faster than the wind does blow
covered by an ocean of snow
seeing what he can through the deepening maze
only grasping onto the moments he saves
Benevolent Man
The big clean...
Every two weeks I have cleaners come clean my house. Not that I don't have time, not that I don't know how... I do! Really! It's just that, well my sanity declares it. My husband works almost every weekend so I am alone in the house alone except for when Lexxy is over. I love those weekends and the last thing I want to do when she is over is spend an entire day cleaning dog hair off my sofa or scraping out the inside of my microwave. Not that my microwave gets all too disgusting, it just needs a proper scrape every now and again. I just hate dusting and vacuuming and everything it stands for. If there were a protest against cleaning in Washington DC I would hold the banner at the front of the parade. So for $80 every two weeks it's a good deal! We get our personal time and someone else cleans my bathroom! It's bad enough I have to pre-clean the clutter before the cleaners come so they don't know what I mess I really am!
So today was the every-other Thursday the cleaners come. Since I now work from home, strategic planning was necessary. All dogs were ushered out of the house around noon, minus Phoebe, our 9 year old Jack Russell who detests the outside like a bad case of indigestion. I called Phoebe upstairs and closed the office door, turned the tv on and resumed work. Typically when we aren't home we keep the dogs in the guest room as to not have the cleaners evacuate my home in fear of being licked to death, or at the sight of Phoebe biting the vacuum. I had my coffee and a backup beverage and my cigarettes. I was good to go. At 1:30 I heard the door open as the cleaning was about to begin. Typically they are in my house from 2-3 hours... this was not taken into consideration in my preparation activities for the following two categories: Food and pee breaks.
The dogs outside were quiet, much to the relief of our neighbors and it was a nice afternoon so the dogs were happy in the sunshine. For me and Phoebe it was another story altogether as I settled in to do research on companies I would be calling tomorrow. The noises of cleaning began and then it happened, as if a trigger for Pavlov's dogs, the vacuuming commenced. To this Phoebe cocked her head, got a viral twinkle in her eye and went rabid. She charged the door barking as if she had just seen the season ending cliffhanger on Grey's Anatomy and knew she would have to wait all Summer long to find out if George makes it or not. She barked. She cried. She bellowed. Then for some unknown reason, the cleaners knocked on the office door! 'They can't know I'm here!' I thought! 'Oh please don't open the door! Oh please oh please oh please!'. Now this thought pattern was not because I was afraid of Phoebe charging at and peeing on the cleaners in a fit of excitement of company, I was afraid they would see what I looked like. Today's working-from-home ensemble included yoga pants and one of my Dad's flannel shirts. No make up either. I could scare little children. All that talk about inner beauty is not going to prevent a small child from pointing and screaming at the site of me. Plus I need to shave my legs, thus I should be seen by no one.
The knocking stopped and they went back to what they were doing as Phoebe and I hunkered down as I realized I had to pee. They had only been in the house a half an hour and I felt like I had to go and now! This was not a good thing. Martha Stewart was on tv doing a show on hotdogs. Now tell me, does anyone believe Martha sits at home over a Hebrew National hotdog with sauerkraut and mustard while knitting or doing her recipes for her show? Yesterday she was making a dish that was in this huge pot with 32 lbs of sauerkraut and about a hundred pounds of meat! Martha, how many people does it take to eat all of that? There are starving children in China for God's sake! Ship some to them! I was hungry, realizing it had been since last night that I had eaten anything. So there we have it... pee breaks and food... which one would wear me down enough to make a run for it? I wondered if I could sneak out of the office and run to the kitchen for a piece of cheese, sight unseen.
Two hours later... the cleaners were still here. I had perfected the pee pee dance and sitting cross-legged in the hopes of channeling a spirit of calm to prevent me from wetting my pants. Phoebe was still hanging in but by now her tongue was hanging out and she was squeaking like a new chew toy. The other 5 dogs out back were still quiet. My husband called and I told him that they were so quiet that I figured someone let them out of the yard and that they are now free-reigning it in the neighborhood. I wonder if the cleaners heard me on the phone? Then it happened again. My boss calls me for a call we have scheduled for tomorrow. Drat! They HAVE to know I'm home now! I heard the mop, don't ask me how, and knew they were about finished. As soon as the door locked behind them, Phoebe and I covertly snuck into the guest room to check the driveway to see if they left. They were gone! We both ran downstairs like escaping prisoners of war and Phoebe ran straight for the back door while my mind was on hotdogs. Turns out she had to pee more badly than I did! In two weeks I will make sure she goes out before we play shut-in.
The Great American Dish Hunt
Saturday night in Atlanta and what do we do? We go on an international scavenger hunt for dishes. My inept ability to retain dish ware for more than a few months has been fraught with ravenous speed, the latest casualty a dinner plate which was innocently occupying space in the bottom of the sink. Poor dish never saw it coming. So, off to Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma and Macy's where we walked around the dishes section for approximately 20 minutes relegating some patterns to oblivion and giving other patterns an 'Eh' rating. Then it happened from across the crowded floor... I saw it. I promptly fell in utter lust with a set with birds on it - not hick-centric, Alabama-esque hunting birds but sparrows with a robin egg blue band around the dinner plate. Love at first site... I knew then and there that God had created these plates just for me and my personal use... then sticker shock when the sales woman told me, almost gleefully that it was $100 a place setting... Hell maybe for fine china but this was for every day, cereal eating, chinese food ordering, burgers and ribs off the grill foodstuffs. After hemming and hawing we walked out as the Macy's clerk hurried us out the door at closing time. Disgruntled we went to dinner to discuss our options and my needing to take it down a notch and realize this was a necessity purchase as opposed to an 'Ooh I HAVE to have it' purchase.
Step 2: Bargaining. As we set out early in the evening with a vision of 12 place settings, obviously to cover up my dish crashing habit, I started kicking the numbers back in order to prepare my wallet for a fiscal outlet. Now understand that having just lost my job (Grrr) and having just landed a new one which pays monthly, I have no money to speak of for leisure purchases. ' You know we could get away with 8 settings... that would cover breakfast and dinner when Lexxy is over...' Adam said nothing and continued to eat his burger while Lexxy listened on, influencing her purchasing habits forthwith. 'Then again, since it's most of the time just you and me we COULD only get 6 settings... and use our good stuff when we have company.' Now also understand company usually accompanies my husband's grilling expertise and results in a paper plate usage bonanza. Still, he said nothing and continued to finish his meal.
'You know my birthday is in 2 weeks... just saying...' Yeah nothing worked... So after Adam and Lexxy finished their burgers we went to Target where I dragged my feet as we headed to the kitchen section of the store in utter defeat, half hoping that everything they have was crap. Now I love Target. Normally I get a high off of Target, loving their anti-Walmart-ness, offering a bounty of products I actually use. Plus they sell dog food in HUGE bags and when you have a house with 6 dogs, bargain buys on Purena One are a plus. We learned the hard way that Beneful is a bad thing. Walking down the dishware isle there were solid colors, no... stripes, no... weird imprinted patterns, no. Then we saw it. It was a knockoff of the pattern I looooved at Macy's. There was one set left and it only was a set of 4 place settings. 5 minutes to spare until the doors closed we hurried to the customer service counter to see if they had others 'in the back', which mind you no one ever does. There is apparently no 'back' anywhere and everyone stocks what they have when they have it. If there is a 'back' anywhere I want to go there to take photos for proof. They offered us the option of looking for other stores with that pattern and there were a few which had two there and one there. So home we came to the graveyard that is my broken dish collection. Thank God we already ate... the rest of the unmarred dishes are dirty.
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