Christmas Pictures

Um...okay. Here are some pics. Please still talk to me after you see them. Thanks!






I think I should take off the last pic because I am cracking up and you can see a second chin. Cripes! But, oh well. I'll be brave. It's not the best pic of me, but it shows the fun we had.

It's a Merry Christmas

I had a really fun Christmas this year.

Last year was a bit...strained. It's water under the bridge now, so I will refrain from rehashing all the unpleasant details.

This year we went down to the in-laws house on Christmas Eve and stayed the night. I only slept between 4 am and 6 am because the dogs were so wound up, they wouldn't lay down and be still and I am a light sleeper. I woke up thinking the lack of sleep could spell trouble because when I get tired, I am often cranky. Surprisingly, I think I might be growing out of that trait. Jeremy's dad made me oatmeal and coffee for breakfast. The dogs got banned to the backyard. Jeremy, me and his parents all hung out until about 9 am when Jeremy took the karoke machine, put in a Mexican polka CD, cranked it as loud as possible, opened the door to the room where his sisters were sleeping and pressed PLAY.

You may think that is really mean, but it was simply a pay back for 2 years ago when Jeremy got the same wake-up treatment, just with a different song. Jeremy donned a Mexican blanket and sombrero and danced in the hallway until the girls came out.

We didn't start opening presents until 10:30 or so because the girls wanted to get dressed to the nines for a picture of the family that mom wanted for about a year. Being in the festive Christmas mood, everyone decided to give her what she wanted. So now we have a family picture for my husband's family.

I shall post some of these pictures later.

Present opening took two and a half hours. For one, Jeremy is the king of slow unrapping. When it was pointed out to him, he felt the need to go even slower. Plus, there were gobs of gifts. Everyone had about 20 gifts. The mom had 28. So it took a while. We all are required to ooh and ahhh over the gift that has been opened before proceeding to the next unwrapping. I got lots of stuff: a candle, picture frames, belts, earrings, Friends DVDs, coffee accessories, a creme brulee set (the torch in it is very cool), video editing software, and more.

It was so nice out (about 65 degrees) that I gave the dogs a bath because they smelled like poop and the ride down was not pleasant. So the dogs got a Christmas bath. We went to Walgreens and had some of the pictures developed.

It was probably the first Christmas that I really felt like a family member with my husband's family. I had fun, I felt relaxed, I was myself. It was a good time!

On Friday night, Jeremy and I opened presents together. He got me a telescope that is so advanced that I can't even figure out how to use it. Hahaha. I also got jewelry, chocolate, elephant sculpture (I kinda collect them) and some other stuff from him. I gave him a whole bunch of stuff, including a book "Karma Sutra". It's actually funny if you read the book. Gentlemen should wake up, take a bath, clean their armpits and spend the morning watching fowl, cocks or bulls fight then have lunch, take a nap and then party with their friends into the night. LOL.

Blog Awards

I was reading Sex's site where she applauds people who write blogs just to write blogs. So I thought it was interesting to think of the people I read and see how they have changed over the past year or so. It's been fun to get to know people. So I thought I would share some thoughts and spotlight my regular reads.

The first person who pops into my head is That Girl. Over the last year, I think she has changed the most. I see her leaving a lot of the past behind and with Krypto, having something she thought might very well not exist in the universe.

Greg is probably my favorite read. Don't throw tomatoes for not being my favorite read. I just never know what to expect from him. He manages to insult everyone and deny everything but I appreciate people who are just themselves. Because he is so diverse in what he writes: humor, theology (or lack thereof), drunken satire, etc, it is always fun to click on his link and hope he has written something new.

Martinilove is great for a lightheartedness. It's kind of like Sex in the City meets Friends meets Wonder Years.

My first blog love is Jake. His perspective on everyday life of a 20 year old is hillarious! Plus he gets deep and tells lies so you just never know where he might be coming from. The best blogs he does are when he has his attention fixed on the opposite sex. Or when he is fleeing bees.

The funniest man out there is hands down Bugsbutt. If you aren't reading his blog, you are doing yourself a serious injustice. Agree with his opinions or not, you will laugh. YOU WILL LAUGH!!

Dan is the mellow man of my blog read group. He has opinions, especially where music is concerned, but he rarely gets ruffled.

The most sensitive award goes to VegasGustan who tries to figure out his place in a town he doesn't really like, in a job he doesn't care for and in a fairly new marriage. It's good times at his place. He likes to talk about music, poetry and the injustices of life.

Eric gives the best perspective on life from a dad seeing life from the perspective of his kid. He's also funny and original. His funny is usually family jokes funny. His orginality is in a innocence of life because he gets to revisit a lot of things with his son.

Jasmine makes me feel sophisticated just for reading her blog. She is New York in a way you think exists only on the TV. In fact, I think her version of NY would give TV shows that try to glam up NY a run for their money. Oh, and I love her bluntness.

I used to love Luke, but he stopped commenting on my site. So he officially gets the "You suck" award. The only problem is that Luke is too nice of a guy and too well rounded to give the "You suck" award to. We couldn't even give Luke the "I Suck" award because he might blush.

When I think of Pete I think: roughneck construction lovin, big truck driving, testosterony guy who hates fat girls, gay men and doesn't mind cheap beer.

Blue probably is the bluest guy out there. He works on computers and is puzzling out love and life, but in a nice guy way which makes it sad.

DJ Shane writes a good blog. I like that he always ends everything with a question so you have a reason to comment.

And the genesis of this all, over at Sex's site: I like that she is so deep I comment on less than half of her blogs because I have no idea what to say without sounding trite or stupid.

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

Silent Night? Yeah Right.

Just writing today to let off steam and let my brain settle down. It has been a crazy couple of days. Business was supposed to have tapered off long ago. Instead, I am busy as ever, writing multiple contracts a day, meeting with client after client, hopping from meeting to meeting, faxing, answering the incessant ring of my cell phone, balancing deals, keeping 'em together, making 'em happen.

I love it.

It's like Boiler Room or Wall Street. Only I don't use that much gel or swearing. Plus, I get all I want by actually just being good at what I do and not a crook. But I love movies like that. They get me all wound up. I don't think I will ever have a chauffer though. That's just stupid. A maid, a cook and a nanny? Sure thing! Maybe rolled into one. I could name her Consuela or Heidi.

Due to the lack of time in my schedule, it appears my husband and I will have no Christmas tree this year. We have too many nights out due to work parties and other holiday parties along with the usual rounds to have a night after work to pick up a tree and decorate it. I have 18 pretty Christmas cards on my countertop that might not go out until next year.

I bought a hundred Happy New Year's card for 2005. I sent out about 20. I am always way more ambitious to be Martha Stewart-like in my mind than I am in practice. Although I am quite the Christmas present wrapper. I have one sister in law left to shop for. My mom's present is on the way. I ordered a lamp for her. She likes the one that she gave me for my birthday last year. Every time she comes over, she comments that she should have kept if for herself. They don't make that particular lamp anymore, so I ordered the same one but it doesn't have an elephant on it.

And that is my life for now.

How is your holiday season shaping up? Do I dare ask?

A Poem

Yes.

I'm so mad I could write a poem.
But I won't.
Because that would suck.

Sunny

I walked into my parents house and I was crying within 30 seconds. There has been an unexpected death in the family. My mom's parrot died.

Don't laugh. The parrot gave me kisses, called my mom "mom", laughed when the rest of us did (and sometimes he seemed to get jokes before the rest of us and laugh first), made a long list of noises and words. He had his own personalities, likes and dislikes and was much more personable than a dog or cat. Parrots are said to have the emotional and mental capabilities of a 3 year old. So the little animal that acted like a three year old died.

Parrots are supposed to live to be like 90 or something. He got a virus and died at 4. I loved him. The only bird ever that I wasn't terrified of. I was still wary of his beak, but the little goober loved me so he was always nice and only nipped me once. I was the only one he would give kisses to.

So I cried because there are no more noises and words and fun quirky things that only Sunny did. He's dead. I don't think I will ever like another bird because I am pretty sure no other bird will like me. I'm too scared of them. The funny thing about Sunny is that he pretty much only like me, my mom and my husband. Oh, and kids. He liked to laugh when kids were romping about.

When Did I Become Responsible?

Part of who I am bugs me. I wish I could just cut it out and leave it somewhere.

I feel responsible for my surroundings. It usually works in my favor. I think it is a driving force that enables me to work with teens. I don't enter into a situation thinking that there is nothing that can be done. I don't walk away from seemingly hopeless circumstances without doing my best to help. I try to always keep a sense of balance and not get controlling.

This sense of responsibility comes out even during this time when we have a cast of almost 300 people and at the end of the night there is trash everywhere. I picked up a lot of the trash, cleaned off tables, put stuff away. And none of it was mine, not even a sugar wrapper. But I felt responsible that the whole room was a raging mess. I feel responsible when people aren't where they are supposed to be. I feel responsible when people are being loud and they shouldn't be. I feel responsible when people say mean things they shouldn't say.

I don't feel like I should do something to make them stop or to force people to change their habits or force decisions upon them. However, I do get tense, I try to help, I try to make things be as they should. I have this idealistic outlook on life.

So I am really frustrated because I wish I couldn't not care if people are being jackasses but I do. I have a scene at the end of the production with about 8 other adults and 2 of them will not be quiet when they are supposed to and they look at me like I am crazy or funny when I ask them to be quiet. I am so frustrated right now. I wish I could just not care, but that doesn't seem to work. I still care. We have worked hard and they just don't respect that for 60 seconds they are supposed to not say anything while we are waiting backstage and someone has a solo. I don't know. Long rant for something so stupid, but do adults have to behave like they are three? Why do they have to be obnoxious the only time they are really required to be still? AaaaAAAaaaaaa

Does anyone else have personality quirks they wished they could get rid of? What are they?

Tis the Season

I didn't want to go Christmas shopping this year. Just not in the mood. Usually, I am mostly done with all my Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving. I am not sure if I didn't want to because we haven't had much money this year anyway or if it was due to the fact that I have been so busy.

Yesterday I sat at home until 1 pm. I got bored. I ordered sweaters, PJs and lotions for the females in my life from the Victoria Secret catalogue. Apparently, spending $200 was motivation enough to finish. I am now done with everyone except my husband, my dad, his dad and my oldest brother. Even my cousins are all taken care of!

Tonight is opening night for the 3 hour Christmas Production Spectacular! We have six shows. Quite exciting! I play the drunk English woman. I am having a blast! I have a lot of friends and family coming to watch over the next few days. I am really excited. Yes, the Christmas caroles get stuck in my head and prevent any normal sleeping but it's worth it.