(There's No Place) Like Home for the Holidays

December brought a slew of non-stop busy-ness.  It's been party, party, party... sort of.  I can't remember the last time Hubs and I were invited to a grown up party together until this year.  After Las Vegas, we had four holiday parties last week, plus our wedding anniversary of 29 years on December 11th.  This week was a little calmer but busy with baking and trying to remember what we did with certain Christmas decorations.  I went old school this year and used most of the Christmas decorations from the years when my kids were in grade school.   We also put up the tree in the living room this year. 

The dining room where the tree usually goes is, uh, having issues...  

Like last year, the Kiddo was my decorating buddy and helped me with the majority of the decorating.  Hubs put one ornament on, and and my son put a few up high were I couldn't reach, and my daughter was oblivious to other life around her while busy with studying for finals.  

Living room fireplace.  

I would so love to have a warm fire, but this fireplace needs to be repaired or torn down and rebuilt.  I put candles in it but there's no damper, and the air coming in through the top blows out my candles. *sigh*    The kiddo pointed out that since we can't burn anything in this fireplace that Santa won't get burned when he comes down our chimney.

The Kiddo

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas because I got this surprise delivered today:

Nothing says Merry Christmas more than socks, holiday peppermint Gu's, and Stingers from  blogger Tara - Colorado Runner!   Yay! 

The packages were shipped from REI.  When UPS delivered the boxes I was wracking my head trying to remember what I had ordered from REI.  Then it clicked that these were from my Secret Santa from the Bloggie Gift Exchange.  One box contained the great pair of Smartwool running socks, and the other box contained the Gu's and Stingers.  The timing is perfect because I'm out of any type of gel/goo electrolyte and I just might have to save a couple for the Carlsbad half marathon next month.  The socks are on my feet right now:

Warm and cushy!  I can't wait to run in these! Thanks so much, Tara!

On the running front, not a lot of running has been happening.  Somewhere between the parties and work, I caught a cold.  It's not a bad cold, but just enough to mess up the flow of day-to-day life.   I know I had the cold before I had to deal with the bratty snot-nosed kid patient and his clueless mother.* Gross. I hope to do a slow, longish run this Saturday morning, which happens to be Christmas Eve.

In other news, for the first time in YEARS (2000?) I received a cash bonus at work.  I honestly wasn't expecting much of anything, maybe a box of candy, but since I'm part-time right now I felt the bonus was rather generous.  I had plans for new Ugg boots and have change left over for an outfit, BUT one of my cats became rather ill yesterday and my bonus went towards paying the vet bill. Merry Christmas to my vet. Oh well.   At least I had that cash to help lessen the blow of that hefty vet bill, and for that I am grateful.    FYI, it was my little girl cat, Luna, the little bitty 8 pound cat who can beat up our 75 pound dog.  The vet thinks it's a thyroid issue.  She's doing much better now and will be on meds for a week.  Good times.

This year we didn't send out Christmas cards.  I suppose we could have, we just didn't.  I'm thinking of New Year's cards.   Just in case, consider this picture of the Kiddo and me your Christmas card from me:

Wishing you all lots of Christmas cheer!

Song from Thursday, December 8, 2011:  

Good Intentions - Toad the Wet Sprocket

 PEACE

*On the scale of one to ten in snotty-nosed grossness, this kid was a 10, plus he sneezed all over everything.  It was so gross that I felt the need to wipe everything down with rubbing alcohol when he and his mother left the building.  I'm not a germophobe, but felt gross dealing with this obnoxious kid.  I just don't understand parents who let their kids run a muck in a medical office, or any professional office.  Sheesh.

Christmastime Is Here

Got the tree up! 

 2010

I went for the more traditional tree this year, (meaning: Evan helped me decorate and I pretty much left everything where he put it -- all on one branch and lopsided) with multi-colored lights and old ornaments from years past, not the mostly blue and white glam tree with pearl garlands I put up for the past four years. (meaning: I decorated it by myself.)  Having Evan help me decorate is a bajillion times more fun.

2008

2008

There has been no running since the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll half marathon .  I'm taking a self imposed hiatus from running, at least until after Christmas.  My shins, especially the left shin, were not too happy with me and are pretty sore.   Even though  I'm not running right now, I have been in motion, non- stop, since returning from Las Vegas.  Work has been extremely busy, not just with the work load, but with the physicality of it.  On the surface it looks like I would be at the computer all day, but we spend plenty of time trekking up and down the long hall at the office.  I also try to get out and walk for about 15 minutes at lunch, just to get some air.  I'm also putting in over time hours, which is amazing to me.  I can't ever remember the office being as busy as it is. I still have my Wednesday morning sessions at Rehab United, where there is no rest for the weary, and the assisted stretches (that seem so unnatural and I need to find my happy place) are still part of the protocol.  Needless to say, I'm exhausted.

Jill hosted a bloggers Secret Santa gift exchange.  After a crazy/busy day at work it made my day to receive mail that wasn't a bill!  I was super excited to receive a pair of Dry Max running socks from Ginny at Happy Feet 26-2. I put running socks on my wish list every year at home and at work, but never receive them. I guess non-runners probably think socks aren't that exciting, but I love me some running socks!  I was planning on taking a picture of the socks, but I've already worn them with my work shoes (which ARE running shoes, just black and grey) and they're now in the laundry. :)  Thanks, Ginny! 

In the midst of all the busy-ness, we had to put down one of our cats this past week.  We adopted Cruiser as a kitten from the ASPCA when my son was 4 years old .  My son is now 23.  Yes, 18 to 19 years is super old for a cat.  He was a gentle kitty, but would defend his "family" if need be.  In his later years he gave up being hissy at the dog and they would often just hang out together.

R.I.P. Cruiser  -- 1992-2010

Good bye, ol' man.

Since my crazy week pretty much wiped me out, I attempted to get in the holiday mood by watching Christmas movies while wrapping gifts.  I watched Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and Polar Express.  Elf is one of those movies you don't need to think much about, it's just silly with a touch of warm and fuzzy.  National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is sort of a must see for our family every year, just because we experienced "Jelly of the Month Club" ("the gift that keeps giving all year" instead of a bonus)  and having the eldest person say the blessing ("I pledge allegiance to the flag...")   Polar Express was my grandson's choice and I actually stopped what I was doing to relax, sit close with the kiddo, snuggle with a big blanket and watch the movie.  Next on the agenda is (maybe) baking some sort of Christmasy cookies.  We made Rice Krispy treats last week, but that really doesn't count.  (PS: Chopped up crispy bacon pieces mixed in the Rice Krispy treats is actually pretty good. - My son's idea.)  

Oh, hold on a second... My new Dry Max socks from Ginny are out of the dryer!

I'm still in my warm Christmas  PJ's, and I'll probably be this way ALL DAY...  HOWEVER, check out my new socks!!!!  Sweet!

Last Friday's Song (December 10, 2010):

Nothin' But a Good Time - Poison - Run-DMZ

PEACE

Another Christmas Song

It just wouldn't be the holiday season at my house without something needing repair. *SIGH*

We had every intention of joining the track club for the last run of the year. The route looked like a lot of fun, as the route ventured through Christmas Card Lane, and it was only a 5 miler -- very doable, and I think my calf could of handled a very slow run.

It was not to be.

We spent our entire morning figuring out what was wrong with the washing machine. The washing machine wasn't cycling through the spin cycle or draining. Michael thought it might be clogged, but when he took the pump out, the culprit was a quarter lodge inside the pump, and it thrashed the pump. We found a parts place in town, but the part won't be here for three weeks.



This means we'll either be lugging our laundry to our in-law's house or finding a near by laundromat. Of course, this is happening right before Michael and I leave for our two week trip to Mexico.

We're looking ahead. That's all we can do.

There is a warm and fuzzy Christmas edge this post.

On Wednesday we took Evan to the annual Rotarian Christmas party. Santa happened to make a guest appearance with gifts.


Evan was about to burst with excitement. Santa happened to know that Evan is 6 years old and loves cars. Evan was amazed that Santa knew so much about him.

Santa even knew exactly what Evan wanted.

A remote control monster truck!

Sweet!

Last Friday's song:
Continuum - Jaco Pastorius

PEACE

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

CHRISTMAS EVE

We had Christmas Eve festivities at my sister in law's house. We were missing a few people this year, as seems to be the case every year now that the kids are all grown up and living elsewhere. A few highlights included my father in law being released from the hospital/hospice, my son made creme brulee, 12 individual servings, for dessert -- he's never made it before, and my grandson gave out all the gifts to everyone BEFORE opening his own gifts.


Here are a few pictures:

Daria (the one-eyed cat) making herself at home in a gift box.

This is a big deal. Michael's dad had been in the hospital and hospice for several weeks with a fracture. He was able to come home on Christmas Eve. Evan kept his Great Grandpa entertained all evening long, and watching Evan make his great grandpa laugh was priceless.

My niece and her significant other

CHRISTMAS DAY

We spent Christmas day at home, most of the time in our PJ's, watching the rain from our living room window with a nice hot cup of coffee. The highlights of Christmas day included my daughter surprising us by making breakfast, Christmas music all day long, watching Evan open up his gifts and was very thankful for all of his gifts -- even the underwear, friends stopping by for some holiday cheer, and my son volunteering to spend the night with his grandpa so that my mother in law could sleep.

Back at home, Santa had arrived. All is calm. All is bright.

Do something funny!

After the whirlwind of gift opening

Evan and his mommy playing with his new set of Speed Racer Hothweels.

Logan trying to blend in amongst the mayhem

Erik barely waking up with a cup of coffee.

After the clean-up is done, Luna the cat is looking very proper in the dining room. (She only does this if the dog is outside.)

Other stuff:
We're still working on the bathroom, but it's looking beautiful. It just occurred to me that I did not take before pictures of the bathroom, or I just can't find one if I did. It was 1940's pink and lime green. I suppose it could have looked retro, but the tile was aluminum and falling off. It was pretty gross. Now we have limestone tiles in the tub area and on the floor. Michael is doing the grout work himself. We should be back being to a two bathroom household in a few days. Yay.

Yesterday's song:
Slower Than Christmas - The Boxmasters

Wednesday's song:
Santa Claus Is Comming To Town - The Jackson 5, Bruce Springsteen, Faith Hill, Mariah Carey, Burl Ives, Ray Charles, etc...

PEACE

Slower Than Christmas

Yesterday's Song:
Santa Claus is Coming to Town

PEACE

Go Tell It On The Mountain

Activity: Walk
Date: 12/23/08 10:44 AM
Distance: 1.51 miles
Time: 0:42:28
Speed: 2.1 mph
Pace: 28' 34 min/mile
Calories: 147

I haven't really run, walked, worked out, or whatever in several days. It was time I did something. I decided the kid had too much TV time and needed to get out, so I took him with me. As we were walking through our rather hilly neighborhood, I realized that he never complains about going for walks. He did say he was thirsty once, but we were almost home by then. I'm hoping that, at some point, he'll want to run. Wouldn't that be something?

Here's a couple of pictures from the walk:

Looking towards Mission Bay Park

The kid all bundled up!

Back at home, the kid was satisfied with a cup of juice to quench his thirst, and I finished up decorating a batch of Christmas cookies. It's amazing what you can do with powdered sugar, water, food coloring and some Ziplock bags.



Yesterday's song:
Baby, It's Cold Outside - Vanessa Williams, Dean Martin, Lady Antebellum, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan, James Taylor, etc... - Katiefeldmom, Run-DMZ, Barbie2be, Heffer Blog

PEACE

Christmas In America

I've been busy with life. My mind has been so full that I'd sit down to blog and I just can't find it within myself to write ANYTHING. Not even filler. (This reminds me of the college years and having to pull creativity out of the air for graphic arts class. This time it was a writer's block.) I suppose busy can be a good thing, but I also came down with a cold. It's nothing bad, just a regular cold, complete with sneezing, sniffles, and having to walk around with a box of tissue all of the time. On top of that, my dog has an ear infection and requires ear drops. Other than the cold and my dog, everything is actually great. Also, the kid's bathroom should be complete AFTER Christmas. Oh what fun it is for the five of us to share one bathroom. Party mode is in full swing and we have one more party to attend tonight. Christmas shopping is just about finished. I just need to figure out what to give my father, since he has everything he needs and more. He loved the wool felt Indiana Jones type hat I gave him last year.

I haven't been running or exercising, but I've been in constant motion. I was in shock to see my weight drop about 5 pounds this week without even trying. It's also not a healthy weight loss, though. The Zyrtec I've been taking really suppresses my appetite. There's no muscle gain and I still can't get back into my skinny jeans. I'm hoping I can maintain just that five pound weight loss until I begin some weight lifting again, mixed in with some high intensity interval cardio. I need to turn that unhealthy weight loss into a good thing.

Yesterday, right before school, I took some pictures of my grandson for our annual Christmas card. I thought about doing the family picture, but we pretty much look the same as we did the last time we took a group picture two years ago. The grandson is the one who is growing and changing, and there's also the cute factor. The kid has the cute factor down... Well, at least I think so.

I really liked this shot, but it needs to be edited in the space between my grandson and the tree, and I don't have a compatible version of Photoshop for my computer.

I took about 15 photos in all, but one this was the winner:

Monday's song:
All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Cary, Vince Vance and the Valiants, etc, - Barbie2be, Katiefeldmom, Tenderfoot Diaries

PEACE

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Shopping. Ugh. I did find a nice special occasion dress for $20. Yep. A whole whopping $20. It's even lined and has sparkly embellishments. I just happened to be at the store after the dress had been marked down several times. Score.

I'll be away from the internet or blogging for the next few days, celebrating a special occasion. See you soon!

Yesterday's song:
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? - Elvis Costello - Run-DMZ

PEACE

That Spirit of Christmas

Again, thanks to Smartypantz for this one:

Your Christmas Sprit Level: 95%

Your Christmas spirit is almost as big as Christmas itself. Christmas is definitely your thing. You celebrate Christmas with enthusiasm. You love every minute of the holidays. Your Christmas spirit is inspiring to everyone who runs into you during the holidays. You make everyone's day just a little bit brighter. And that's what the holidays are all about!

Do You Have the Christmas Spirit?

In reality, the number is probably a little lower. I think I would have more Christmas spirit if my kids and husband were really into it, but as I've said before, their favorite holiday is Halloween. My grandson is probably more into Christmas than my own kids were/are. He was excited to help decorate the Christmas trees and put out other household Christmas decor. He found the nativity scene and was exited to arrange the figurines. He found his mommy's school-made ornaments from when she was in grade school and placed those on the tree. He was so excited and every old ornament seemed new to him. He's quite fascinated with my Christmas snow globe collection and always asks if he can play the music on certain ones. He shares my warped affection for silly holiday movies and music. (Yay!) Yesterday he went to the mall just to visit Santa. He was so excited to tell me all about it, and that he received a piece of red and white candy that looked like the letter J. He's trying so hard to be on his best behavior so that Santa will bring him what he wants.

I must give a shout out to two of my running friends, Anne and Leslie. Anne is proof that you can't win anything if you don't participate - so major kudos to Anne for placing first in her age group at a 10K yesterday. Then there's Leslie, who had a great year of running, ran her FIRST marathon and qualified for Boston! Those two things that Anne and Leslie did are a part of what runner's dreams are made of. Congratulations, ladies!

Yesterday's song:

PEACE

Take The L

"...out of lover and it's over."



The holiday season is is officially over. Eveyone at home has returned to work, intersession classes at school, or cleaning up. I really enjoy the holidays and I really don't like to see them go so quickly. We have a faux pine Christmas tree so there's no real rush to take it down, but I suppose it's time to take it down. I do know people who leave up their Christmas decor until the end of January. Then there's collectors who leave Christmas decor up year 'round. I think it would lose it's charm if I left Christmas decor up all year. All the Chrismtas decor in and on my house came down today. By the way, the above ornament, the cute little toaster with the toast that actually pops up, was gift to me from my husband.

I'm itchy to get out and run but I'm waiting for an appliance repair person to show up. Our washing machine isn't working. It's not a matter of opening the back and tinkering with it any more, as with our prior machine. It's all computerized and needs an expert to check it out. They didn't give me an ETA of when the person should show up, they just said sometimes today.


Here's the list o' winners from guess that artits, singer, band, etc... I was supposed to post this yesterday. Oops. It's the very last full list I'll be doing. From now on (or at least for 2008) I'll list the answers and winners daily. Thanks for playing along!

12/31/07 Same Old Lang Syne - John Fogelberg - Simply Pink

12/29/07 Do You See What I See? - Brian Irwin, Krysna, etc...

12/27/07 Run, Run Rudolph - Chuck Berry, Bryan Adams, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc... - Run-DMZ

12/22/07 12 Days Of Christmas - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters, Relinant K, Burl Ives, etc...

12/21/07 Christmas Cookies - George Strait, The Oak Ridge Boys

12/19/07 Silent Night - Nat King Cole, Jewel, Charlotte Church, Enya, etc... - Barbie2be

12/17/07 Feliz Navidad - Jose' Feliciano - Not Soccer Mom

12/16/07 I Saw Three Ships - Sting, Bing Crosby, Barenaked Ladies, etc... - Not Soccer Mom

12/07/07 Without Your Love - Roger Daultry - Barabie2be

12/05/07 Super Sunny Christmas - Redd Kross

12/03/07 An Eggnog,Some Mistletoe, And You - Dave McKenna - Barbie2be

12/01/07 Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms & The Anita Kerr Singers, Gary Hoey, Brenda Lee, etc...

Yesterday's Song
I Could Write A Book - Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Connick Jr, etc. - Barbie2be

Do You See What I See?

Would you believe Fisher Price actually makes a kid's digital camera?

These are just a few pictures taken by my 4 year old grandson. Yes, the camera was a Christmas present. These shots have not been edited. I think he has a knack for photography, but I'm somewhat biased.

Peace