2008 in review December 29, 2008
What a whirlwind year! As it comes to a close, I can’t help but think of all that happened this year. My first thought was “Whew! Glad it’s over. Let’s move on to the next.” Then I realized that that’s not fair. It’s not like 2008 was incredibly terrible. I have a lot to be thankful for, a lot of good things going on. But as always, the bad stuff sneaks right in there. So I’ll start with the bad, end with the good, and hope that the good stuff continues and multiplies in the upcoming year. So, in no particular order:
The bad:
4. Losing Giz
6. Sickness–mono, 2 bouts of stomach flu, The Great Cold of January thru February, various other colds, earaches, and ailments. I haven’t been this sick in one year since I was a wee little one. Mike also had a gout flare-up.
The good:
1. Going to Vegas over the Fourth of July with Mike
2. Vegas in August with the girls
3. Vegas over Thanksgiving with Mike (can anyone guess where my favorite vacation spot is?)
4. Forrest. There’s nothing like having a kitten in the house. He’s now healthy and growing, and YES! declawed. He’s a constant source of entertainment, amusement, and frustration.
5. Making headway on home improvement projects.
6. Our benefit for the American Cancer Society
7. Good times with friends and family–near and far. A spa trip with Michele and the girls in January in Phoenix; Becky’s bachelorette party in Pittsburgh and wedding in New York City; trips to The Sticks; visit from Lori and Paul and their kids; going to see Amy and Jeff and their baby; book club every month; 3 trips to Vegas (oh, I already mentioned those?); trip to Indianapolis for the Indy Mini; vists to and from Mike’s brother, our sister-in-law, and my adorable niece and nephew; and more that I can’t think of off the top of my head . . .
9. JLo’s and ACT’s engagement
10. Connecting with so many cool people on Goodreads and through blogging. I never thought that I would have so many friends that I never met.
11. My brother’s engagement to Abby
12. Making progress on the baby-making front. Support from our family and friends, a great doctor, and DRUGS–gimme the drugs!
May all your days be merry and bright December 24, 2008
So whatever, wherever, and however you’re celebrating this holiday season, be safe and have a good one!
We’re celebrating with Mike’s family tonight and then heading back to The Sticks to hang with my family on Christmas Day. If I remember to take our camera, maybe I’ll even have a picture or two to show you upon our return. We have NO PLANS this coming weekend (other than to clean the house and clear out the bedroom we’ve been using as a storage facility in anticipation of Mike’s brother and his brood arriving next week). I am looking forward to sleeping in until at least 8:00 and lounging around with a book or two. Although I’m trying to talk Mike into a quick trip to the casino in Wheeling . . . .
The Valentine’s Day Grinch February 13, 2008
I can’t stand Valentine’s Day. I’m actually debating on whether I should leave it capitalized, or change it to all lower-case letters just to get my point across.
Sure, it was fun in grade school when we got to trade cheap-ass Cabbage Patch Kids valentines. It was even fun in high school when we paid a buck a piece to send a limp carnation with a cheesy note to friends, boyfriends, etc.
But as I got older, I lost interest. I’ve heard it referred to as a Hallmark holiday and I can’t help but to agree. I don’t need a specific day each year to remind me to give Mike a card that tells him that I love him–I can do that just fine on my own any old day of the year that I want to. And Mike doesn’t need to consult a calendar to be reminded to take me out to a fancy dinner to show his love for me (because he has ME to remind him to do it and I remind him a hell of a lot more than just once a year!).
When our relationship was “new”, Valentine’s Day was an excuse to do something special as a couple. My senior year of college, I bought us a Valentine’s Day package at a hotel that included champagne and chocolates, and of course a bedroom time all to ourselves without my roommates hanging around. (I’m 33 years old and still blushing severely at the thought of my somewhat computer-illiterate father stumbling across this website and reading that sentence. I promise you, dad, I wasn’t a tramp. I married the guy eventually for goodness snakes!)
Ah, but I digress. My point is that even then, I was only interested in the “romance package” because the room rate was lower than normal PLUS we got the champagne and chocolates thrown in for free. It was all about the value we received for the money spent. It wasn’t about throwing money around just to have an answer to the question “so what are you guys doing for Valentine’s Day?” We didn’t buy into the romance package idea for the DAY, we did it for US.
Two years after that, we spent our Valentine’s Day at the funeral home. This time of year took on a different meaning for both of us, and we agreed then that Valentine’s Day is nonexistent for us. We haven’t “celebrated” it, and have barely acknowledged it since. No fancy dinners, no over-priced flowers, no cards, no chocolate, nothing (well, maybe SOME chocolate, but that’s an almost daily addiction, not as a result of a holiday). And neither of us have an issue with it. And just because we don’t “celebrate” it with each other doesn’t mean we deny the little ones in our lives–we still give valentines to our niece and nephew, and I’ll probably get a card and some chocolate for my brother’s girlfriend’s little boy.
On Sunday morning, I got a call that my aunt had passed away. She was only 58 and was just diagnosed with leukemia 2 months ago. The leukemia was in it’s early stages and was under control as a result of rigorous chemo treatments. She would have gotten out of the hospital as soon as she gained a little more strength. But early Sunday morning she had a heart attack.
Mike and I are leaving tomorrow morning to drive to southcentral PA for the service and then on to Maryland for the burial before trekking back to Pittsburgh. We’re spending our Valentine’s Day in the car, at the church, in a cemetery, crying, thankful to be with family and at the same time upset that it’s death that’s uniting us.
So forgive me for being a grinch, but Valentine’s Day? . . .well, sometimes it just sucks.
Catching up January 4, 2008
Hold on to your hats, folks. This one here’s gonna be a long one.
I’m back from my blog-vacation (blogcation?). Although I intended to at least throw out one post over the holidays, well, it just didn’t happen.
The weekend before Christmas, we trekked 3 hours through the fog and spent a whirlwind 36 hours with my family. We usually stay with my Dad, but my brother and his girlfriend and her little boy moved in with him recently (temporarily), so there was no room at the inn. Instead we stayed with my grandparents. Although I love them to pieces, I can’t stand staying overnight in their house. It’s about 2 degrees shy of a sauna. Mike and I laid side-by-side in a tiny bed in shorts and t-shirts with no covers on and sweated the night away, praying for morning to come quickly. At one point, I got up and went into the bathroom, opened the window, and stuck my head out to cool off. Maybe they were doing me a favor, though. I think I lost 5 pounds that night. Sunday afternoon we celebrated Christmas after a huge dinner. Grandma is the best cook and makes everything from scratch, including bread. The 5 pounds I lost the night before found its way back to me in no time at all! Here’s a couple of pictures of my brother David and I with Grandma and Pappy:
There were two different cameras going at once, so off course we’re not all looking at the same one at the same time.
We also made a stop at my other grandmother’s house and visited with her for awhile. She has a lot of health problems, but thanks to a new doctor making some changes in her medication, she looks better than she has in a long time and seems to have a lot more energy.
We got home Sunday night after a long drive in the rain. Monday we both had off work, so Mike slept in while I finished painting one of the spare bedrooms. We had some errands to run, and then headed over to the Keppie’s house for Christmas Eve dinner. Mike and his family used to live next door to the Keppies and they would always have dinner together on Christmas Eve. Even when Mike’s family moved two streets away from the Keppies when he was in his early teens the tradition continued, and is still going strong today.
Between Mike’s family and the Keppies, there were 6 kids, and when they were little they would line up on the steps in order of age and get their picture taken. Although it’s been a few years since all 6 “kids” were able to be there on Christmas Eve, sometimes Mr. Keppie still remembers to take the picture. The last one of all 6 together is from 2002:
Although Christmas Eve at the Keppie’s is always a good time, this year there’s documentation of the shenanigans. The “adults” invaded the basement where we “kids” hang out after dinner. Usually the adults just check up on us to make sure we’re not doing anything bad and then go back upstairs, but this year they joined in on the “bad-ness”.
Shots–a choice of Skyy vodka or Wild Turkey. I went with the vodka.
Posing with the fax machine:
And posing with the puffer fish. We’re not sure it was a puffer fish, but that’s what we all called it.
A good time was had by all. And we still managed to do the traditional picture, although there were 2 missing kids this time:
We also did one with the parents and spouses–maybe we’ll start a new tradition!
Did you see how long my father-in-law’s thumb is? Unnatural, I tell you.
On Christmas Day, Mike and I were hosting dinner for his family, so a lot of time was spent in the kitchen and cleaning the house. Mike’s brother, our sister-in-law, and our niece and nephew got there around 4, and chaos ensued in the form of toys, wrapping paper, and noise. But we loved every minute of it.
Although there were a few quiet moments:
I had to work the rest of the week, so I didn’t get to spend as much time with the kids as I would have liked. They left on Friday, and all of a sudden the house seemed empty.
Next up is the crazy bachelorette party I went to on Saturday–for the youngest Keppie daughter, who’s getting married in NYC in a few weeks. I think I’ve regressed. Shots and bachelorette parties–when I started this blog I never thought that this is what I’d be writing about!
Waiting for Santa December 15, 2007
I left the house at 8:00 this morning to take care of the few remaining Christmas gifts and some miscellaneous errands. Note to self: steer clear of the grocery store when the weather forecast calls for a snow storm. Even if you actually NEED milk and bread and aren’t just in a state of snow-panic.
Mike went to the Pitt basketball game (Pitt’s up by 14 at the beginning of the second BTW) with a friend, so I have the house to myself. I made cookies for our neighborhood cookie exchange tomorrow (which is during the Steelers game–I should have checked the schedule before I agreed to do it).
I have instrumental Celtic Christmas music blaring on the stereo and have been cleaning and just enjoying the time alone. I have all of our shopping finished, just a few gifts to wrap, I’m ready to travel to see my family next weekend, and looking forward to Christmas day. We’re having dinner at our house for Mike’s family and our niece and nephew are staying with us from Christmas day through the following Saturday. And I’m ready. I’m not stressed. There are things that aren’t done yet and I’m not tearing my hair out trying to figure out how I’m going to get everything done in addition to putting in extra time at work (gotta meet those year-end numbers!).
The past few years I’ve dreaded Christmas. The shopping, the crowds, the wrapping, the last minute-ness of EVERYTHING. This year I’m ready. I’m relaxed, I’m happy, and I’m looking forward to spending time with all of our family. Which is what Christmas is really about anyhow.
And Giz? She’s ready too. Ready for Santa to come.
Ignore the mess on the floor–this picture was taken pre-cleaning spree!
