Sunday, December 28, 2008

The holidays...

It seems I've taken yet another blogging break, which is silly because the holidays are always rife with interesting goings on that I could be blogging about. Matt came home from college the Sunday before Christmas. His finals were over at the end of the week, but he stayed in Durango for a few days, partially to do some skiing and hang out with friends, but mostly because all the passes leaving Durango were closed due to snow. I'm always relieved when I know he's made that winter drive safe and sound.

On Monday we went in search of tree... there aren't many left two days before Christmas. We where lucky to find one and happy that the $70 tree was half off. We decorated that night assisted by Sarah's Persian friend who's family doesn't do a tree. Once again the kids claimed we have too many ornaments, and lobbied not to hang them all. Once again I insisted on hanging every last one, after all, how do you choose, when there are memories attached to all of them? Actually, every year I suggest that we skip the pink and white Power Ranger ornaments (or at least hang them in the back), and every year they get hung front and center, along side my most treasured ornament, a shredded wheat wreath that encircles pictures of my kids that was made at day care many years ago.

Despite that my kids are 16 and 19 years old or perhaps because of it, Christmas morning was still magical. First the magic of everyone getting to sleep in until 9:30. Then the magic of my waking up to the giggles of Matt and Sarah opening all the trinkets in their Christmas stockings, from their laughter I could tell they were just as happy as they were when they were 6 and 9. Then there was the magic around the tree. An especially magic moment for me, as the kids priority was to first give me my gift, and then give each other their gifts, before even looking at what lay under the tree. What better gift than to see my kids relishing in the giving, rather than the receiving aspect of the moment! I think I'm truly blessed.




Sunday, December 07, 2008

Shopping...


Sarah likes looking for treasures at consignment shops, so on Saturdays we often do a little thrift store shopping. On Saturday we headed down 33rd South to a little place called the Consignment Closet. I was browsing a rack of fancy vintage dresses when I spied this treasure. It looked to me like a 1970's hostess dress, and I really liked the pattern on the skirt. I think it might make some great bead inspiration. Upon closer inspection I realized that there was something weird about this dress... Chickens! The waist and neckline of the dress were adorned with chickens... so much for it being a pretty dress!

We also stopped at Thrifttown, which is located in a little shopping center that also houses a Dollar Store, Dollar General, Big Lots and a couple of other shops... I call it my favorite "slum shopping" spot. I guess it's a sign of Christmas mixed with a huge dose of the bad economy, but I have never in my life seen the parking lot there so crowded. It was like Christmas shopping at the mall the weekend before Christmas, you could hardly find a parking spot. I guess people really have changed their shopping habits this year.

Monday, December 01, 2008

Music and Horoscopes..

Sarah's and my favorite hiphop artist, Grieves, was in town over the weekend. She went to his concert at Kilby Court on Saturday night. I was forbidden to go go because she didn't want to be embarrassed again. She bought his new CD, 88 Keys & Counting, and made a copy for me to listen to in the car. So this morning, rather than listening to my normal NPR, I listened to his new CD. When I got to work I decided to pop the CD out and take it to my lab so I could listen some more. As I would expect from Grieves, it is an excellent CD. Later in the day I was playing it once again when a couple of the 20 something year old guys in my lab asked me who it was that was playing. They were laughing, because they thought it was so funny that someone like me... an old person... was actually listening to a hip hop CD.

Imagine my amusement when I checked out my horoscope today:

Music will bring you a lot of joy today, so put one of your favorite CDs in the stereo and give it a listen while you are getting ready in the morning. Take it with you during your day if you can and groove to the tunes while you're running errands, cooking, cleaning, or doing some other type of semi-mindless activity. And singing at the top of you lungs is not only advised, it might just be required to keep a smile on your face -- and on the faces of onlookers!

Hmmm... maybe there is something to horoscopes after all!!! It sure seemed to predict my day today!