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A Long December

December 6, 2011 By

Not really that long – we’re less than a week in and it feels like Christmas is the day after tomorrow. But there’s a lot going on and a lot to do before then.

First, I should tell you about my Thanksgiving.

Mister and I spent the holiday at home, together. We had plans to go see the in-laws, but with everything going on with our house (I need to update you on that whole sordid story someday), we didn’t feel comfortable leaving for the weekend. So it was just the three of us – Mister, Greta and me.

I started the day by waking up to a text message from my BFF, then called my mom’s house to talk to everyone there, and my aunt’s house to talk to my Dad’s side of the family. Some news was shared, and I finished the conversations missing my family very much.

Then I got to cooking. Mister and I have been trying to eat cave(wo)man style, so we decided that with the exception of one dish that is impossible to make paleo, we’d try to do everything else in a paleo style. But the turkey, through no fault of my own, was chewy, I didn’t like one of the paleo breads that Mister made for the stuffing (not his fault, just the recipe), so dinner just wasn’t cutting it for me. I wanted gluten, I wanted my stuffing sticky, and I wanted to watch the big production my family makes out of carving the turkey.

Don’t get me wrong – I did have a very nice Thanksgiving. I got to spend it with my wonderful husband, and we cuddled the evening away while watching the first of many Christmas movies.

So today. Still missing my family and the warmth and familiarity of holidays with them. I always say that fall is the worst season to not be in New England, but really it just starts with fall and goes straight on through the entire holiday season.

In the meantime, I’m keeping myself busy by Christmas shopping, crafting, and hiding behind the internet. Mister and I have big plans for the next few months, which will keep us pretty busy, but I’ll certainly try to blog a bit too.

Filed Under: Family, Holidays, Talking About Myself

The Florida Report

November 16, 2011 By

As you probably know, I went to Florida to visit my sister and celebrate Mia’s 5th birthday. Here’s how my trip went:

Mia

Mia is adorable. Even though she hasn’t seen me in nearly 4 years, she had no issues accepting that I’m her Aunty. She was in bed when I got there, but her Dad handed me a card that she made me, and I got to hug her when I got up.

Mia’s in preschool now (since she turned 5 after the kindergarten cutoff) and doing really well. She loves school, but even at her young age would prefer to do anything but homework.

She enjoyed hanging out with me, and let me braid her hair one morning. She would randomly say, “I love you, Aunty” which is awesome. She does that to her parents and siblings too.

Mia’s birthday party was a typical 5-year-old’s party. Family and a few friends were there, and Mia tore through the presents so fast that I don’t even think she saw what they were.

Spike

My sister has a little Chihuahua with a huge ego. Spike acts like a big dog – so much so that after he launched himself at the sliding glass door while Sis and I were in the living room, I took to calling him Cujo. But once you get to know him and get him to calm down, he’s just a little cuddlebug.

Find Spike:

Where's Spike?

I had a hard time finding him too, until I went towards this corner and saw his tail start wagging.

Greta would not be happy to know that I held another dog while I was away. Despite all the fur, she was so excited at my return that she failed to notice another dog’s scent on me.

My Sister

Remember when my sister confronted her Senator about the job situation? She’s been out of work for well over 2 years.

Not anymore.

When I arrived on Thursday evening, Sis told me that I’d be hanging out at the house alone for a while on Friday because she had to go in to her new job orientation. Hooray! I didn’t mind being left alone, except I didn’t have a car so I was kinda stuck at the house. I picked up a rental car on Saturday for the rest of the trip, but also ended up leaving Monday morning instead of Tuesday afternoon as originally planned. After all, I did go out there to see the family, and since everyone would be working and my sister would be really stressed out after her first day, there was no reason for me to stay longer.

Also… I’m trying to be nice about this so I don’t start any family feuds, but I was a bit irritated at my sister’s habit of negativity. She complains a lot and I didn’t feel like she put enough energy into gratitude or positivity, so it was hard to be around her because of that. This isn’t anything new for her, but I have a tendency to forget how much it affects me when I haven’t seen her for some time. Cutting my trip short helped me keep my peace of mind, and I did stay long enough to be at Mia’s birthday party, so mission accomplished.

Allergies

Apparently I am allergic to Florida. By my 3rd full day there, my sinuses felt like they were killing me, despite taking two 12-hour decongestants and a handful of ibuprofen just a few hours apart. I didn’t sleep well Sunday night, and by Tuesday (I was home at this point) I had a full-blown chest cold. The last time I was sick was four years ago, just a couple of weeks after visiting my sister. Before that, I remember my allergies going berserk on my drive to Florida after I passed a grass-mowing operation on the highway near Ocala. I took so many decongestants to hide any evidence of sniffles so that I could get in the NICU to see Mia…

My last 3 visits to Florida have been in November, so it’s either something that’s current at that time of year, or something that lives all the time. At any rate, I’m not fond of being sick and not looking forward to visiting a suspected allergen again.

Greta

Greta was NOT happy that I was gone for so long. She knew that Mister and I left together one morning, and she knew that I didn’t return at my usual time in the evening. Mister had some luck comforting her the first day, but as my absence grew longer she wanted nothing to do with him. We think she blamed him for the fact that I wasn’t there. I don’t think it helped much when on my 2nd day gone, Mister put the phone on speaker so I could talk to Greta. He said she looked confused and a bit irritated at him that I had been reduced to a voice. For the rest of my trip, Mister couldn’t get near her for basic care like her eye drops, and she even refused to take handouts from him.

When I got home, Greta was so excited that as she was running around in circles as she usually does when I get home, she was bumping into all sorts of things, which is unusual. She also had a bigger than usual excitement piddle when we went outside for our greeting. After about an hour of me being home, all was right in her world and she even let Mister hold her. Unless I can take Greta with me, I don’t think I should leave her for more than one night. She’s obviously very attached to me and gets very depressed when I’m not around.

So that’s my trip. Not sure when I’ll get back to see my adorable niece, but on the other hand I’m glad I’m home.

Filed Under: Dog, Family, Health, Travels

Happy Birthday Mia!

November 2, 2011 By

Today is my niece Mia’s birthday! Remember when Mia was born early? She’s doing really well now – leaving me messages on my phone to show me how she can snort like a pig, starting preschool, and charming people left and right.

She’s 5 years old today and really the cutest thing I’ve never really seen. Seriously, it’s been about 3 years since I saw her and 4 years since I was down in Florida to visit my sister. But that’s about to change! Tomorrow I fly out to visit, and I’ll be there this weekend for Mia’s birthday party. I can’t wait!

My presence on the internet will be scarce for the next week, but I’ll update everyone when I get back, and hopefully with pictures.

Filed Under: Family, Happy Birthday

That’s My Sister!

October 31, 2011 By

My sister was on the news the other day.

Most people who know her would think, oh great, what’s she done now? But this was a happy accident.

Sis was at the Shell Factory with my niece, and Mia, being Mia, was all over the place. Shari was trying to keep Mia under control and was near a back entrance when she saw Senator Rubio holding a press conference after his town hall meeting. She listened to what he was saying, and didn’t like it, so she said, “No, no, no” more to herself than anyone else.

Well, the media hounds heard this so they all turned on her to ask what she thought, so she told them. She’s been looking for work for a few years now, as a medical assistant, and can’t find anything. Mia asking the Senator if he wanted to hear what she wants for Christmas was a great soundbyte too – because Shari can’t really do anything for Christmas.

I’m proud of the way my sister handled herself and how she managed to ask the Senator directly what he was doing for people like her. It’s not an opportunity that most voters get.

Filed Under: Family

Another Birthday

May 25, 2011 By

Today I’m going to step away from talking about my birthday, because it’s someone else’s birthday. I wouldn’t be having a birthday this month if it weren’t for this person, so it’s only right that I dedicate this blog post to my Dad. Happy birthday, Dad!

Filed Under: Family, Happy Birthday