Year Ends……

This is it for 2008 the crazy year that is was. I consider it the year that Oscar winners decided politics was fun! So much has changed, when I look back, even in these 229 blog pages I’ve notice it.
I’ve been talking to friends and catching up on things going on in their lives, sometimes I ask too many questions -- well, that is what I've been told. Maybe it’s because we get caught up in the “Have to dos” we forget to slow down and smell the roses and count the clouds. Not that I plan on slowing down or anything, I like a fast pace.
My sister grew up a little bit more this year, Jacks moved out and off to school. Luke has a new one; ok two… yes twins on the way. My Pops and I have come to an agreement that we will never see eye to eye. My Mom is graceful as ever but I see a change. Trace is married, working on a family of his own. Amy is working left and right. I feel like being in a bubble and everyone is blowing around and I’m trying to reach out to grab someone just missing them ---I feel I need to babble.
I’m doing my best to not watch those Year in Review shows, not that I don’t want to look back but now they all seem so depressing to me. The majority is Who Dity Who dies and we all must morn. Can’t we have a happy, jolly review show?
There wasn’t any memorable music to speak of, nothing that really clicked with me. Movies were all humdrum and bland. Nothing was a “must see” when I did go I fell asleep during them. I just realized about not going to one concert this year…do I sound depressed? It’s hard not to find the last 365 days as bittersweet.
For the next coming year I don’t plan on making any promises, no goals, and no chores; just living this one out seeing how it goes.
I thank you all for my well wishes and comments here and e-mails Here is to you and hoping you have a safe and happy night and beginning of a happy new year. Tonight, I plan on going out and partying like the year cost me 19.99.

Ahhh this one is over!

I like Christmas as any small minded person would – ha ha. With all the weeks of shopping and bustling about and then wrapping, for it to end in a few minutes is astounding. Afterwards you have to take all the Christmas items down and put the new away. That usually takes a few days; I manage to not put something up after running across some orphaned ornament or decoration.
On the eve we spent the most of the night at my grandparents, with so many people there, it was hard to count. The majority of the food cooked during that day was devoured in no time at all. One of my aunts broke out a couple bottles of wine and I waited for the action to happen – nothing to report. Luke called to wish everyone a happy holidays and let the kids say “ho ho”. I got a kick out of that.
One aunt had some friends to visit, which was interesting. Ever the match maker, she was trying to set them up with Jacks, myself or one of my other single cousins.
My Pops hung out with some of my uncles on the back deck, I was waiting for them to bang up on him but that never happened. I used to like to hang out with my uncles when they visited; you got all the good gossip and funny stories. I chose not to partake in the gossip drink fest this year and played flag football instead.
Christmas morning we all woke up to eat breakfast then go to unwrap and “ohh and ahh” over presents. I was pleased with everything and very thankful.
Later on that afternoon Jacks and a few cousins dropped over to see the new café or the start of the café. I was proud to show them how the greenhouse looked and would look after the new addition. Jacks and a cousin had to get behind the counter and pretend to be taking orders. Naturally if that were to happen we would have fire extinguishers on hand.
That evening I was so tired I decided to load everything in the truck and unload it at the house and then nap -- that didn’t come about until a little later. I had to set up my new monitor on the computer and naturally sign on where I found friends to chat with.
Jacks rolled in and I became very sleepy so I unloaded a few of his items and drifted off to sleep.
The next few days were spent running around with friends and organizing the house again. This week will be particularly busy for me since some of the contractors want to come in a do a few odds and ends in the café.
Thanks again for all the e-mail wishes and I do sincerely hope you all had a merry one.

All most time.

Santa at this writing is in the Marshall Islands, I don’t even know anything about the Marshall Islands. I guess I can Google today!
I have all the presents wrapped and packed ready to go in the back of my truck (SUV) if you are thinking “Oh man, they are going to get wet”.
Mom and G and another aunt have been cooking since early yesterday afternoon. I dropped off at Gs house to just get a good whiff of the smells. They had ham and turkey and some roast like creature with many legs all going. Mutli colored potatoes, beans and other vegetables, also breads and cookies and cakes and pies were being prepared.
Why so much? Well we do have an army of people coming to the house. G and PG and all of their kids and their kids and some of them have kids as well. It will be an easy 35 to 40 people packed and ready to roll today and tonight.
Since we of course don’t have snow here, we always try something new for fun. The guys always seem to like fireworks battles so I plan on partaking in that event.
There will be church services and then off to see the lights down town. I like doing that, you always run into someone you know; they are always amazed we have 52 billion family members with us.
Luke won’t be here this time; he’s spending this holiday with Julie’s side of the family, so I don’t get to pick on those the little ones. Jacks is on his way home, promising to stay until Saturday, I think he was scolded for coming home early over Thanks Giving.
Trace and his wife and little sister might drop in and from what I understand my aunt is bringing some friends of hers to meet us; actually I don’t know what she means by that so this will be interesting.
Not sure what Pops plans on doing; he is home and has been doing things with Lori for the last two weeks. Like shopping and decorating the house, helping her wrap gifts – I wondered how she had all hers wrapped and under the tree so fast.
I did purchase him something so I won’t feel awkward, I always like to be prepared.


Hoping all of you and yours has a very safe and happy holiday.

Awesomeness

Well, Saturday I forced myself to wrap and wrap I did for nearly 4 hours. I clipped paper and tape and then signed the little cards and ruffled bows. One I had finished wrapping and forgot who it was for and so I opened to peek, that was near the end of my task.
After all that fun I chose to run out to the mall and shop! No really I met some friends and we sat down, exchanged gifts and ate a huge dinner. I like doing things like this on holidays, going out and visiting people and eating at new places. The eating part is the best to me, the gifts are nice but the food is great!
That’s what I like about my friends and having such a diverse set of them helps in planning my weekends. I can go chill out with the married/serious dater group and do nothing but watch movies and cook out. Of course there’s the hard core drinking gang if I’m in a rowdy mood. The beach bunch and mall folk are nice as well. Most times since I’m around so many people during the week, I like to spend time alone. Letting my brain rest for the next week of craziness that’s sure to come
Right now in the office is a huge debate about keeping your children from bad things that naturally goes on in life. Diane says let the kids get out there and see the world, its going to happen -- let them be prepared. Cari says no, she’s going to keep her children from it; this comes from someone that has both her 5 and 11 year olds sleeping in the bed with her at night. I tend to agree with Diane, let them know there are idiots out in the world; just show them how to deal. Keep them under a rock they are going to act like they came from under a rock.

Being lazy

Yesterday was a slow day for me, I decided to hit Sams Club for a few last minute purchases and top myself off in groceries.
It rained the majority of the day so that kept the office at a slow pace. You just want to curl up on the couch in a big fleece blanket and doze to the ramblings of the TV. I didn’t but it sounds really inviting especially if you can spoon with that certain someone.
After unpacking everything the phone rang, it was Jacks. He’s tired and weary still from his wreck and can seem to knock it. He was having a problem with a roof line and it wouldn’t work the way he wanted so we chatted a while. I’d pace and think about the presents in my closet; maybe I can start a trend of brown boxes under the tree?
By the time we hung up he figured his roofline and it was time for me to go back to the office and lock the shop down, as I finished some of the gang wanted to go see a movie, Twilight. If anything it’s a Romeo and Juliet of Vampires but I give it two thumbs up because the girl in the movie is hot.
After that I ran home to jump in the bed and snooze a while, everyone else stopped for drinks and munchies, wasn’t really in the mood to socialize that much but I did enjoy the flick.
This morning I came into Cari being a babbler and a loud one at that. She’s all hyped up spewing out everything that comes to her mind. Now I really want to go home, I’d even go out and work in the rain to get away from that chatter.
Where did this mood come from?

Put-off-ski

That’s what I have been the last 3 weeks on wrapping my Christmas presents this year. I’m not the only one, Jacks was just saying “I swear I will pay someone a crisp 50 dollar bill just to wrap these things and I will even supply the paper and tape.” He hates it as much as I. Luke is no better but Julie usually is weaseled into doing all his wrapping. I don’t mind the shopping, or the idea of thinking of buying the presents, it’s the wrapping that kills me.
It’s the idea of cutting the paper and then figuring out what way to wrap it. I usually make the pointy ends and box it up, never do I get the paper patterns to meet and match. The bows won’t stick and I always seem to place them in the wrong spot so they get crushed.
I met with the contractor on Saturday about the café. It looks very promising and Bee is all in a thither to get started. She has color schemes and ideas flowing with all the kinds of foods she wants to try. Wonders if she likes wrapping?
Mom and G and I did last minute shopping, Christmas Eve G wants to have a big family party. I don’t mind it so much, I’m sure there will be turmoil for some of them that spend time with the “other side” of their families on that night. Luke won’t be able to make it since they live so far away but promises to come home soon to see everyone. I remember when I was little and we would have these parties away, I was scared Santa would come to my house and I was not there and awake. Then I aged a bit and liked them because it made the night go by much faster which means Christmas morning would be there soon.
Lori has her shopping down to a fine art, and the wrapping as well. Maybe it’s something in the female gene that likes to do this? Her presents are all under the tree with bows and huge cards attached. Everyday she looks under there for something from me to her and doesn’t find them. They are still in my closet not wrapped; I guess purchasing things early doesn’t help much if you don’t wrap them as well. Next year I plan on doing just that.
So for now I will just avoid my closet for another day or so and then break down and begin wrapping. Jacks you have too as well!

Santa

When you were growing up were you afraid of Santa? I don’t remember being afraid of him but sort of shy towards him. Luke was full on scared of the fat jolly dude, he would squirm and whine and stand behind me waiting on the candy cane and then run. I wasn’t particularly fond of him, he was loud and furry and his clothes were extra bright, something you don’t see every day. I knew he gave out toys and candy if you sat on his lap but I didn’t care for the idea. Jacks loved him; he would sit there a beam out a huge smile and yank on his beard per our PGs orders – something about good luck. Lori wanted no part of the freaky guy. We would walk in the mall and her eyes grew huge in terror knowing he was in the building. She would hold our hands and tuck her head down so she didn’t have to see him.
Luke and I talked about it a while back on one of those “remember when” conversations. He would dread going to the mall during the holidays, for fear of being asked if he wanted to see Santa. He said he hated the idea of some stranger coming in the house dropping off presents in the middle of the night, however all those fears left him when he got that bike or GI Joe.
Last year, PG and I sat in the mall one Saturday while Mom and G shopped; we chose the area where Santa was stationed. There was sure to be some sort of action going on in that area of the mall. I watched all sorts of kids clamber up on his lap. The screamers, the kids with fingers in their mouths and other holes, heads bent down refusing to look up, the ones with utter look of shock on their faces, happy kids and the shy ones. There was even a few they had to actually remove from his lap, they enjoyed the stay there so much.
Luke called me Sunday to let me in on the scoop with his crew and Santa. He said Kyle didn’t like him much. Luke said they stood in line for 20minutes waiting to get that picture. The whole time coaching him what he wanted for Christmas, he stood there with a smile on his face but with each step it slowly was fading away. By the time it was his turn his whole view of getting on that mans lap had changed. In the passing off to Santa, Kyle had decided to cling onto Luke for dear life. Luke figured if they plopped Camen on the other side he might like the idea but he hated it more, reaching for his sister but holding on to Luke screaming “sissy!!” Camen sat there but was confused the whole time; needless to say they have an action shot with Santa this year.
Looking at it now Santa is a mass of confusion, we teach our kids not to talk to strangers but we insist they tell this guy our secrets and to sit in his lap and take his candy. He is bright and furry and loud and huge, our parents pass us off to him as they stand there and laugh and try and coax us to smile.
I don’t know if I will force my kids to see him, maybe if we are in the mall and the jolly dude is there I might ask them if they would like to sit on his lap and tell what they want that year. Our church does a program that the kids can see Santa, seems to be a little easier on the parents and the kids and probably Santa as well.

Women….

Yeah, I’ve seen a few….that is from a line in a movie but I have been noticing them lately and the phone message from Amy yesterday made me think.
Amy has an allotted time she can call me each day, this way I’m sure not to miss her phone call, it insures that I get my lunch in and breaks up my day. Sometimes she doesn’t quiet make the time frame and I miss out, like yesterday she must have called early, so she left a message to tell me she’s getting her hair done and then about 3 hours later she calls me back to say she’s finished!
3 hours! What did they do, clip each hair individually? Really, I don’t know what they actually had done, we haven’t spoken as of yet, but three hours sitting in a chair to have someone work on your head is remarkable in patience.
Cari sits at her desk quietly then pungent aroma waifs across the room it’s her fingernail polish. How on earth she can stand the smell, let alone taking that tiny brush and painting her nails is a feat in its self. Some days I know she chips her nails on purpose to get that stink flowing in the air.
Diane has this gadget that looks like it would clean a mini toilet; she pokes it into a tube and dares to stroke along her eyelashes. I have to say that’s a disaster in the making.
Bee was telling me of her twice monthly rituals -- waxing. Now I knew that plucking eyebrows was painful and high heeled shoes are dangerous but come on, waxing? Letting some one, a stranger at that drips hot wax on your tender parts, then letting it cool to rip it off removing hair at the roots. Who would ever think to do this and why! The places they put the wax scares me.
Not to mention the more major procedures like breast augmentation and liposuction and botox, now there’s a good one, letting someone jab a needle in tight skinned places and inject you with a bacteria!
You ladies need to be congratulated and honored and praised for the heroic efforts you put into your beautification routines. However, I’m not stupid, you don’t do it for us guys!! You do it for the other ladies, I hear the “Did you see what so and so had on, that has to be after a week of clown college” or the “Oh my God, her hairline is so obvious it looks like Moses has parted the colors” –nods and whispers- I’ve been privy to your secrets ladies and its OUT.

Epp!

So last night I’m talking to Lori on the phone, she’s all a flutter over her little boy friend Todd. “What can I buy him for Christmas and it won’t be stupid?” I suggested another girlfriend that she was too young to want to do this now. She gasped at my answer and told me to get real and give her some ideas.
I guess they are doing this at a younger age, I tell you, when I was 10, girls still had cooties they were something during dodge ball you could throw extra hard at. Never would I have thought about buying them a Christmas present.
The guy she likes is almost 12 now, nearly a teen. He plays football and I swear he shaves. She’s just a baby still not even into the double digits but she likes a boy way older than her. Mom says to get used to it that she was just the same when she was younger.
Well, for the record I don’t have to get used to it, I plan on being the mean older brother and scare the bejeebers out of all her men. Todd is going to be in for a big surprise when he drops in and I’m around. He will get the 52 questions plus some from me, which will probably make Lori throw household appliances in my direction. Just for meanness I want to pretend to measure her windows for lock bars. Actually she’s moved up to Jacks old room on the third floor. This is a huge mistake on my parents’ part; Jacks would have “visitors” for the weekend there and slip out undetected late at night or slip in if the case may be.
I know, I know, be nice and let her have her boyfriends but why cant she just play cheerleader and do that “Color Clique Day” deal still? I liked her when she would be afraid of the jellyfish in the water and the waves were too high for her. Now she runs out in some string thing and hits the waves like a pro. She talks online or on her cell phone all hours of the night. No telling what she does on her little chat sites. Her notebooks are covered with hearts and smilies and boys names.
She and Julie both have posters of the current boy bands on their walls and giggle and dream about them. Once I walked in on them one day setting up for a mock wedding.
Oh man, my head spins.
In a good 3 or 4 years she will be dating and seeing guys in other ways, I know right now she just likes the idea of having a boyfriend, she’s had one since she’s been five. I still think back on the poor boy she made sandwiches for and they were really made of sand.
Has anyone invented a way to turn back time?

-Pats belly-

I am so full and happy and content, still! Thanksgiving was just perfect, everyone sitting around the house milling about talking. Luke and Julie came in a day early to settle in, since it’s more of a task to get her two monkeys in order. That night Luke and I sat on the deck drinking a beer or two and wondering where Jacks might be. He was with Jess of course and was to leave later on that night; he left around 2 am due to my coaxing him up and out the door, the earlier the better! Around 8 am he rolled in beaming his huge smile and wanting to cuddle the kids. He looked somewhat healthier than the last visit, maybe he’s gained a pound or two, and I had to go check out his new truck. Luke and he were going to have a long talk, Ha ha!
Lori was all of excitement because she decided that this year she would cook some sweet potatoes, she usually has the roll assignment but wanted to graduate. They turned out pretty good, along with an assortment of sugar cookies and multicolored sprinkles she felt like a huge help. Mom was proud she wanted to be included in the kitchen.
G and PG rolled in around 1; they have to share their time with the other kids as well.
Kyle and Camen were into everything, PG was having a grand time telling them all about how Santa goes about making toys and can see you do bad things. This means Kyle would look around before poking his finger into the cakes and licking the icing.
Around 2 it was time to eat, I was starving and ready to pile into that food, of course PG did the blessing, after that Luke stood up to make an announcement. That’s right; we have another monkey on the way. Mom cried and G teared up over the announcement, and then scolded Julie for not saying anything earlier. Lori was ever so excited because that will be another niece or nephew to dress.
The whole time, in the back of my mind, wondering where Pops might be, what he was thinking and how he might be feeling. His whole life was in that house at that very moment, celebrating and sharing food and memories. My heart was sad, knowing someone was alone that didn’t need to be, on a day like this.
After, we visited some old school friends, the three brothers wanted to go out and have a dinner and hang out at Wal-Mart like some sort of rednecks, actually I needed some oil for my truck and Jacks needed some Goop for the mural he was to be painting my dining room. We sat there and ate and laughed about old times and current happenings in our lives. After our dinner we saw three people from earlier school days that were in to see their families. One was a girl in my class and her younger sister; they were giggly as ever, I forgot how much fun it could be to talk and reminisce about the old days.
It was nearly midnight before Jacks and I arrived at my home, he was supposed to call Jess, his thinking it was late so he opted to call her the next day, I said it was a bad idea, he said I didn’t know her temper. He was still hyped up so he decided to start on the mural, I didn’t want him to paint it just yet until I had some furniture in there, only cast it out for painting later (Christmas). So he drew and we talked, I knew the fact that Pops not being there weighed on his head, in fact he was blaming himself for it. After many hours of drawing and redrawing he had his perfect cast for painting, he loaded up to go back home a day early, I knew he really wanted to be alone so I didn’t object.
Luke, Julie and Lori and I ventured out for Black Friday shopping. That was a treat in its self but I managed to get in a few good deals and home by noon.
The rest of the weekend Luke and I goofed off and did some occasional shopping, he gave me some ideas about the café and tips about the new house; we worked on the gate between PGs barn and my house, which brought me back to the old tree house days when we were growing up. Arguing what needed to be done and how, that I was right and he was wrong, just like old times.
That’s why I like the holidays so much because it gives me a since of family and caring and love, I see where I came from and the stock of people in my life, and feel blessed to have each and every one near me.
On a personal note: I have to be reminded it’s the holidays, when forgiving and understanding should be made easier. I plan on doing that and living my life without holding a grudge.