Christmas spirit

I miss my mom.
Don't get me wrong. I love being "the mom". I love my kids with all my heart. But, tonight, as I laid in bed with Abbie, snuggling her, kissing her sweet little face, I thought about how much I, even at my age, would love to snuggle up with my mom. I would love to call her and make plans for tomorrow and Christmas day.

This year is going to be different for us. I'm dreading it in some ways, and in other ways, I'm very excited. We did Christmas with my dad and Jean on Sunday, and we will see Tony's parents on Saturday. I will see my sister tomorrow, and maybe late on Christmas day. But, Christmas morning, it will just be the four of us. Creme brulee french toast, Christmas music, mimosas for us and OJ for the kiddos. Presents, and just hunkering in for the day. It sounds wonderful, and I know it will be. I'm going non-traditional and making a huge pot of chili since we just finished up our T-giving leftovers and we had Christmas dinner on Sunday.
I know the kids are going to love everything Santa brings, and I can't wait to just hang out with them.

I just wish I didn't have to try so hard to get excited about Christmas. I know that morning it will come really easily, but right now, I'm having to work at it. :-( And I don't like feeling that way.....

life is good

I made it!!!!!!
Life is good.
We are home. The kids are making a Snoopy gingerbread house, which is very, very cute.
I'm making cookies.
Dinner is in the oven.
They don't go back to school for two full weeks.
I don't go back to work for three full weeks.
Could life be better??

Finally, an update....

It's been a crazy couple of weeks!
First off.... been kind of stressful. A good friend of mine was dating another good friend of mine. No! I did NOT set them up! Can you believe it?? Anyway.... it didn't work out, and I'm so sad. I know I need to let it go. I guess what makes it even harder was that they'd really make an awesome couple. One of them reallllly wants to make it work, and the odd thing is, they broke things off because of a COMPLETE misunderstanding. One of them is just being ridiculously stubborn.... grrr..... I'm still holding out hope, but it's looking doubtful.

Mason got a part in the SJMS play! I'm so excited for him. They are doing "ANNIE", one of my childhood favorites. He got the part of Drake, Daddy Warbuck's assistant. They start working on it in January. I'm so proud of my little actor!

We are all booked for Hawaii, and I'm working really hard on booking the second leg in Disney. I got the hotel booked. Tony and the kids can't come for the whole time, so we are trying to work that out- what part of the trip are they coming for, etc. I think I'm going to fly down alone (YIKES) and they'll come mid-trip and we'll all fly home together. We'll see. I feel guilty about going and leaving them here. I know I shouldn't- it's work stuff- and Tony does work stuff all the time. But I still feel badly.

What else is going on......
Well, we worked all weekend decorating the house. We had a great time and spent some well-needed and wanted family time together. I'm in the process of working on Christmas cards- trying to get one ordered- but I may not get to it. So, if you don't get one, don't take it personally. Just know that I didn't get my act together in time. :-)

gotta get moving- choir, school board meeting, and lots of work to do!

Thankful

Me- Have you made a list for Santa?
Abbie- No, not yet. I guess I will.
Me- What do you mean you "guess you will".
Abbie- I don't know. I really don't need anything.

I had the same conversation shortly after with Mason. I thought this was huge. Who has ever heard a kid say they don't need anything from Santa?!?!? I was impressed.
However, makes gift buying a little difficult.

Update

Sorry for no update. Honestly, sometimes I forget that anyone reads this!

Lots of exciting stuff going on!

First, I found the gift card. WHEW! Thank goodness! I am hopefully going to try to run out to Macy's today and use a little of it on the kids. Mason, poor child, has 2 pairs of jeans and about 4 shirts. Literally. He is growing so much I can't keep him in clothes. And he hates to shop. And he is starting to get picky. Put all of those factors together, and he doesn't get much. Ever. Add to that, I had to get him new shoes last weekend, and for the first time,he actually cared and wanted to participate in the process! No Target. We ended up at Foot Locker which I hadn't set foot in since..... maybe never..... and walked out with $94 tennis shoes! AAARRRGHHH!

Secondly, I won the REB award. I was completely shocked. Seriously. I was so nervous that night. I thought they were going to call us in alphabetical order, and I was the 2nd one called. I won the full amount. (They had said they may scale some of them back, and had asked me specifically about scaling mine back to about half.) I ended up winning enough money to do 9 nights in Honululu for the International Conference on Education, and almost 2 weeks in Disney World in July for the Kagan Summer Academy. We leave Dec 31 for Hawaii, and when we get back, I will start working on the other trip. The only "situation" we had was that I really wanted to take the kids to Hawaii with us, and Tony really didn't. He didn't think they are old enough to really appreciate it, and didn't think they should miss that much school. (They'd miss a week.) So, after much discussion, and a promise from him that we can go back and take them another time, we are going alone. A second honeymoon he calls it. I laughed- a second honeymoon? We've only been married not even 4 months- not sure we need that yet. But, regardless, we're excited. I have to go to the conference, which looks amazing, and he wants to golf. We are going to Pearl Harbor for sure, and the rest of the "free" time, we may just wander around.

Third.... I'm starting my internship hours, officially. I love it. I love looking at teaching "tasks" from a different angle. I'm not sure what, if anything, will come of this degree, but I'm excited about at least having another option.

I think that's about it. We are heading to DC today to see his parents, and go to a function at their church. We got a really cool hotel for the night, with an indoor pool, and the kids are super excited. Tomorrow we are going to some museums, and I want to pick up some Barack memorbilia while I'm up there. It's not looking too promising that we will be able to get tickets for the Inauguration, so we are going to take the kids to where it will be at least so they'll recognize it on tv.

Off to shower and start the day.....

It's a Wonderful Life

We went to see Mason's play again last night. (3rd time for me) I enjoyed it just as much last night as the first time I saw it. I love the part at the end when George is surrounded by friends as he kneels to pray about ending his life. He has gotten a glimpse of how life would have been different had he not been around. It was interesting to think about.

I know how much I personally would have missed out on- my kids, my husband, my friends, etc. But it's interesting to think how other people 's lives would be different. What if my mom had only had 3 kids instead of 4? Would the lives of my friends be any different? Interesting to think about.
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On a completely different, and must lighter note, I seem to have misplaced a gift card. Not just any gift card mind you, but a really large one. I can't find it anywhere. It's completely stressing me out. Please send "I hope you find it" vibes my way.

Election 2008

Before you read (if anyone is reading)-
I have to warn you that this is about Barack Obama. If you don't like him, I'm sorry. You may not want to read any further. I certainly don't want to offend anyone. My hope is that we, as a country, can move on TOGETHER. I have certainly not always liked our presidents, but I have always respected them and tried my best to move on in a positive light. But, honestly, this campaign and election have changed me and changed my life, so I want to document how I feel.

This election was so amazing for me. I was literally so excited Monday night that I couldn't sleep. I wasn't feeling well, so I really needed to sleep, but everytime I did, I woke up wondering if it was time to go vote yet. I was so excited that after waiting for a few minutes in line to vote, they handed me my little card and I walked up to the booth. All I had to do was color in 3 bubbles. I picked up the pen and got ready to color in the bubble for Barack Obama, and I didn't want to do it! I just wanted to stand there and look at it on the card for awhile. I wish I could have whipped out my cell phone and taken a picture, and I almost did, but then I thought I may get kicked out of there without voting, and that would have destroyed me. I showed the card to Abbie and talked to her about what a huge deal this vote was. I'm sure the people behind me were thinking "HURRY UP" but it was important to me that she remember this moment for the rest of her life!

So, I casted my vote and we left. We had a little get together that night, and I have to say there were both McCain and Obama fans there, and the energy was so exciting. Everyone there was watching and cheering and talking about the future, and as dorky as it sounds, I felt hopeful for the first time in so long, since before 9/11.

I am so overwhelmed that we have such a well-educated, respected, Christian man and family going into the White House. He's no movie star, he's not cheating on his wife (that we know of), he's not just plain stupid.... he and his wife and children remind me of people that could live right here in my neighborhood and send their kiddos to my school and fit in just fine.

I am so excited about his views on education, NCLB, early intervention, health care, Iraq, taxes, our relationships with other countries, and our future in general. It was so cool to me to see people all over the world celebrating with and for us.

I watched his speech and sat there and cried. I'll admit it. My favorite parts:


It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.
We are, and always will be, the United States of America.


And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years... ... the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady...

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

I am so happy that people didn't just vote for him because of the color of his skin. I know there are people out there that did vote for him because of his skin, and there are people out there that voted for McCain simply because they couldn't vote for a black man. But the fact that he got more of the white vote, more of the asian vote, more of the hispanic vote, more of the young vote, more of the black vote.....speaks volumes. I am full of respect for John McCain, and 8 years ago, I would have voted for him, instead of voting for GWB like I did.... but now, the timing was wrong and it was time for a new chapter. I would be thrilled if McCain was offered a cabinet position.... we shall see I guess.


We are going to try and take the kids to the Inauguration. We really want them to write this down in their memory bank as a great time in their lives. I know going up there will make it more real. I just hope we can do it.