#65

Last year I wrote 65 blog posts. I just noticed as I was looking at my blog list that I've written 64 posts this year. And it's only December 2nd!

So here is #65. I don't have anything earth-shattering to write about at the moment. I'm actually really tired and need to go to bed. We had a very full, very wonderful day today - one of those days I probably won't remember years from now.

Actually, some very significant things happened today. If I had to say what I did today, I'd probably say "Oh, not much - just family stuff." But that's the important stuff.

Since I'm here, thinking and writing and getting a bit philosophical about life (again) - here's what we did and what happened . . .

Jack's Hockey Game
Nothing out of the ordinary here. We went to watch Jack play hockey, just like we do every weekend for the entire fall and winter season. Ella did not complain one bit during the hockey game, which was unusual. Usually she whines that she's bored, she's cold, she's hungry. Instead she snuggled up next to me under a warm blanket as we watched Jack score a goal and cheered as his team won by one point. I even shrugged off my antisocial self and made conversation with two mothers sitting behind me.

Christmas Trees are Cheaper at Lowes
After the hockey game we went Christmas tree shopping. We usually go to a nursery near us and spend $60 or more on a tree. Yesterday my husband came home from work and told me that one of his co-workers suggested going to Home Depot where trees cost FORTY DOLLARS! Holy s*%t!! Why have we been shelling out all this money for all these years?

We ended up at Lowes because that was what crossed our path first. We got a beautiful Frasier fir for around $40 - full branches, straight as a pin, pretty much the best tree we've ever had. Kicking ourselves for all the overpriced trees we've bought for the past 14 years, but that's life. Live, learn, move on.

A Sad Goodbye
Today my son had to say goodbye to our next door neighbor who rode off in a U-Haul this afternoon to move to Georgia. This was a big deal - the boys have been friends since they were five years old. I have a feeling that it'll hit him later, once he realizes that his buddy who throws the football with him every day after school is no longer here. Sure, they'll email, Skype, see each other when his friend returns to visit his family - but it won't be the same.

Jack and Haven at age 5

Jack and Haven at age 11

Something big DID happen today. It took me writing this blog to realize it.

Surprise Visit
We were about to sit down to dinner when there was a knock at the door. Who could it be? I looked through the peephole and saw a Q-tip. Realizing it was my mother's white head, I opened the door. She was en route from her watercolor exhibit (at which she won an award!) to an art exhibit opening at the Watergate for an artist friend of hers.

Her timing was perfect - she got a quick dinner out of the visit and regaled us with her adventures in the art world. It made me happy to see her so invigorated - she seemed relaxed, excited, content. Sometimes the best visits are the unplanned ones.

Christmas Vacation
We watched this incredibly ridiculous movie "on demand" today. We remembered watching it last year so we decided to go ahead and watch it again with the kids, only last year we must have watched an edited version of it - because today's version had a lot more profanity in it than I remember. Oops. Still had a great time watching it though. Our kids know what the bad words are and that they shouldn't say them. I still laugh uncontrollably when Uncle Louis points to his mouth and shouts "THE BLESSING!"

So there you have it. Blog Post #65 for the year. I guess I had more to say this year or maybe I just feel more compelled to write it all down. Who knows. Now I REALLY need to go to bed.