Small and colorful blessings...

Yesterday was a slightly craptastic morning. I had to run one of those lousy errands...a trip to the tire store for new tires for my car. **Poof** to $500+; don't we all hate it when that happens even when we know it's coming? Of course by the time I was done at the tire shop I was rather late for work. Working for the University means parking is at a premium, so arriving much past 9 am can be parking problematic. Even if you've purchased a $200+/year staff parking pass a parking spot can be elusive.

After cruising my two, first choice, late arrival lots and finding nada I realized I was screwed and headed out and around campus to the far north end where I've heard rumors that there are always spaces in the engineering lot. And, thankfully, there were. Nothing like adding at least a half an hour to the morning commute, but at least I got to park, even if it was in Zimbabwe... **sigh**

Along with the inconvenience and expensive came a few nice additions to my day. I got to take a nice walk through a 'foreign' neighborhood while my car was being worked on, and I came across some lovely morning glories rambling over someone's fence. Later, while walking to Zimbabwe for my car after work I passed the most delightfully colored roses in a campus garden I never would have otherwise walked by. Flowers always make my day, and the lighting was nice... So here is the reason why I always like to carry my camera!

Ticket to Paradise

Did a little adventuring in Cache Valley over the weekend. We'd hoped to drive from Cache valley over the dirt roads down into Ogden Valley, but alas, we found the winter gate still closed. We did get to take in some beautiful country side, find Porcupine Reservoir, meet a cow a cow on the road, and even, believe it or not, find Paradise. A lovely day!

End of an Era...

Ok I admit it, I am not exactly heartbroken about this, but it's a little neighborhood trivia my faraway kids might find interesting. They are demolishing and rebuilding the McDonalds 2 blocks from my house. I'm not a big Mcdonalds fan, or fast food fan in general, but regardless, I have been in the local McD's on more than one occasion. What parent didn't induldge their kids desire for a "Happy Meal" and toy now and then?

If kids desire for McNuggets and toys was not enough, when my kids were preschoolers they added one of those huge playplaces to "our" McDonalds. Talk about having an attractive nuisance in the neighborhood. Our first trip there, for the grand opening, was a disaster. One of the playthings was a computer game. A CRT and computer equipment in a box, kids excitedly hovering around, checking out the game. 18 or so years ago computer games were still pretty new and excinting. Next thing you know my son is crying. The door hiding the computer equipment was not locked, and some kid fidgiting with the door slammed Matts finger in it. Bad enough that I had to take him to the doctor, because I thought he needed stitches. Which he did, but they didn't do because it would have required them pulling off his fingernail. Eek. Of course I was livid, and from the doctors office went straight back to McDonalds, toting my boy with hugely bandaged mitten of hand, so I could speak the manager. I demanded that they lock up that box, as I did not any other child to get hurt. The box was locked, and Matt got an ice cream cone. I suppose most people would have sued McDonalds, or at least gotten the doctor bill paid for, but I'm not that kind of person, and all these year later I still joke about how I'd be rich if I'd only sued McDonalds when I had the chance.

Unfortunately, that small misfortune did not deter my kids desire to visit the McDonalds playplace. Judging from the size of the box of Happy Meal toys that still takes up space in my storage room, my kids may have been overindulged. This all ended with an incident a few years later. Matt came out of the ball pit with a question - "Mommy, what is this brown stuff on my leg?" Well, it didn't take rocket science to figure out what that brown stuff was... and he, as well as the rest of the family, was pretty disgusted. In some ways that was the best day of my life, because after that the kids never asked to go back the play place again.

I wish that totally ended my McDonald patronage, but I have to admit that there were quite a few "bad mother moments" where a schoolday breakfast for the kids was quick trip thought the drive through for a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. That was also forever ago, as I don't think I've set foot in McDonalds in 8 or 10 years. I doubt the kids have either, because despite the fast food indulgences of their childhood, both became young adults who only want healthy, organic, and in Sarah's case, vegetarian food. I do wonder though if they will be a bit nostalgic about the destruction of the McDonalds of their childhood.

Why I like where I live...

What do you like about where you live?, or a similar topic, has been brought up a few times in recent months on my lampwork forum... I have to say that I am lucky in that I live in a place I like really well, so there are always many things I can answer in such a thread. Things like the skiing and hiking in nearby mountains, wonderful neighbors, great weather, my great location with nearby shopping an easy access to anywhere in the valley, and wonderful neighborhood parks. I could go on and on about what I like about living here.

Tonight I can add another.. all sorts of great, fun, free, entertainment. There are lots of free events in the summer; concerts, movies, street fairs and festivals. This is a hard place to by bored, even on a budget. Last week I got to see a free Utah symphony and Opera Concert at the Gallivan Center, tonight I went to a Sundance Film screening at Red Butte Gardens, tomorrow I may take in the Decemberists at the Twilight Concert Series downtown in Pioneer Park. We really have a lot of entertainment options here.

Tonight's movie was "The Music Never Stopped" I would give it a thumbs up if you have a chance to see it. Not only was the movie good, but the setting spectacular. My picture does not do it justice. Sitting in the grass, watching the movie, the sun setting over the valley and mountains to the west, turning the sky pretty shades of pinks and blues. And we get such lovely blue skies here, due to the lack of humidity. It is rare to have the muggy, gray hazy summer days like I grew up with in the midwest. And then there is the temperature. Red Butte Garden is up the mountainside, next to a canyon. Canyon winds blow most every night, making the venue breezy and cool. Even in the heat of the summer, it's jacket weather as the sun goes down and the breeze picks up. Cool weather, fresh mountain, air a lovely sunset and a good movie. What a nice way to spend an evening. I'm definitely spoiled... just a little.

Flashback....

Flashback to the early '80s...Oxford, Ohio, the Miami University Botany Department. Graduate school. Classes to take, classes to teach, research to do, oral exams to pass, theses to write and defend. There's nothing like struggling through a graduate degree to make you bond with your fellow classmates. And bond we did. Those were some of the best years of my life. All these years later we are still friends and despite being spread across the nation we manage to gather now and then for a reunion. This time in Milwaukee, where Heather, our resident over-achiever with a PhD directs the electron microscopy lab at the university. The crew... Heather, me from Utah, Dean from California, Riley form Tennessee, Lola from Maine, Kathy from upstate New York. Along with my school friends came a few wonderful spouses, Heather's husband Tom and Riley's wife Sue. I am so happy that my friends all married well, and that despite their spouses not being "one of us" (I think Sue used those words), they have all really become "one of us".

Upon descending at Heather's we discussed when were last all together. We think it was 2003, entirely too long ago. But you know, we the minute we got together it was as if we had all been all together yesterday! Let the fun begin.

Heather lives just a few blocks from Lake Michigan... We stopped at a consignment store as we strolled over the lake. Riley found a great Native American family that he wanted to adopt.




And Dean found a great new potential addition to his wardrobe...


And at the lake, why not crash a wedding party?


We also had an afternoon at the beach... there was talk of swimming, but the water was COLD, and the bath house closed, so we just had a beach party instead. Chips!! Yum!







After the beach we went and grabbed lunch... talking and eating... some of the things we do best! Isn't this how we got through grad school? Eating, drinking and talking... Friday night pizza parties, dinner parties, crazy theme parties. It is a wonder we all graduated!

And the universe must have been watching us. As we ate lunch, what showed up in the parking lot? The Joy Farm bus!!! We were all for a ride to the "Joy Farm"!!!

Heather, our entertainment director, all decked out in the beachware she provided for us all.

Grocery shopping...Paris style

One of the things I looked forward to about this trip was that my son has actually been living on Paris, so he would be able to to show us real living in Paris, rather than just tourist Paris. This morning we went out shopping for food for Christmas dinner. First stop was the butcher shop... Yes, I said butcher shop, something that is virtually non existent in the U.S.. The case was full of meats that all appeared to be high quality as well as interesting looking sausages and things you never see in the U.S., like fois gras, and tiny pressed meat ducks. I sure can't think of the last time I saw a real butcher, the guy's in our grocery store hardly count. But here in France apparently they are common place, and the butcher was happy to recommend the proper ham for Christmas dinner. We also left with one tiny duck, because I couldn't resist, and a laugh, because even at the fancy French butcher, you could find breaded chicken nuggets that looked like the icky things my kids loved when they were little. Who knows, maybe they are better in France, but I'll never find out. I suppose they are the testament to kids being the same everywhere.




From the butcher we headed to the supermarket. Matt said this was the "rich person" store, as opposed to the tiny market nearer his apartment were we stopped the other night. The piles of fresh foods were pretty impressive, especially the sea food! I am also amazed at all the french cheeses, and how positively inexpensive they were. A round of Camembert, that would easily cost $6 at Smiths marketplace back home is only about $3 here in Paris. Same for the wedge of brie. No wonder my son is living on baguettes and cheese! The salami selection was pretty impressive too. Many different types, unlike anything in standard grocery back home. Of course besides the fresh and (by American standards at least)artisan food, there were plenty of canned goods and even Uncle Bens rice, so I suppose this means not everyone here is a fancy fresh chef.

This store was also a super store (although not nearly the size of stores back home) so we were able to get Sarah a warmer pair of socks to wear with her rain boots, and we could have even bought a Christmas tree.

After all these years.

My first Christmas in Utah was spent in Ogden, about an hour north of where I live now. I really enjoyed the downtown Christmas display, a Christmas village of tiny cottages with windows exposing the cute Christmas scenes within; busy elves and jolly Santa's, sugar plums and teddy bears. I'm such a sap for the cute Christmas things that remind me of my childhood, like the ice skating animated puppets at the Oakbrook mall in Chicago, and the fabulous Santa's workshop in the downtown Shillitos department store in Cincinnati, so Ogden's Christmas village was just my thing, a perfect but of Christmas magic.

Well, 25 Christmas have come and gone since then, and I often expressed interest in seeing the Ogden display again. I'd suggest that heading up there would be a perfect birthday present for me, or that it would be fun for the kids, but somehow in all these years it never happened. We were always too busy or the weather was bad, or nobody wanted to take the hour drive.

When my sister(a fellow sap) said she was coming out for my birthday I knew I had the perfect partner in crime for such an excursion. So finally after 25 years, I experienced those magical lights and displays again, and they were as goodg or better than I remembered. It kind of made me sad that I never took my kids there when they were young, as they would sure have liked it! This big kid sure did!

The Princess Diaries

December is a month of festivities, and I get an extra one, as it is my birthday month. A big one this year, turning the big 5-0.
The Saturday prior to my big day was the December birthday celebration with my singles group, two of us turned 50 and the other gal arranged a party prior to dancing with the group during which we were both gifted with tiaras. I'm not at all bothered by turning 50, to be honest, my 40 sucked. (Marital hell and a divorce) So I was happy to don my tiara and dance my way into my 50's!

I had actually planned to let the event slide by unnoticed but a few weeks before my big day my sister called and asked "What are you doing for your birthday", and I answered "it's Wednesday, so pottery class", and she said "How about I come and spend it with you? You should't have to spend you 50th alone,"... so wow, my birthday quickly went from non-event to "Princess Week".

On my birthday I wore my tiara to the coffee shop, where I was gifted my morning beverage, and also to work for a short time before heading to the airport to pick up Donna.. I wore it to the credit union and up to and into the hot springs, and to dinner at Roosters and wandering the Ogden Christmas village. I was digging the princess gig!

My princess day turned to princess week...When I found my sis was coming I wanted to do something special and arranged a spa night for us on Thursday. We had massages and facials and a lovely dinner out. And if those princess activities weren't enough, my sister came with a surprise. When my cousins heard she was flying out here, they decided to do something nice for us and arranged a Friday night stay for us at a swanky Deer Valley hotel(in-room fireplace and all), where we had a lovely dinner and played in the outdoor hot tub and pool in falling snow. Saturday we checked out the galleries and shops on Park City's main street, and then had a dinner party and merriment with my friends. Sunday, after running Donna to the airport, I went skiing with two girlfriends, one who actually had free passes for us that day.

So I really had a week fit for a princess and I feel so blessed by my family and friends. Special thanks to Carolyn for gifting me the tiara!!! I think my 50's are off to a really good start!!!
Picking up Donna at the airport.
Soaking at Crystal Hot Springs
Dinner at Roosters Brewpub
Ogden Utah's Christmas Village
The Chateaux at Silver Lake
Donna, soaking at the Chateaux
A little winter swim!
Wandering Park City