Wrap up and move on

Happy New Year!

I look to this new year with hope and happiness. I wish all of you (the three or four that keep up with me...) all the happiness and love that you desire and deserve.

Now to the task of wrapping up the end of 2008 . . . if only it were as easy as wrapping a gift with a lovely bow and calling it done. I will take the easy way out and have lots of pictures with words.

Thanksgiving was one of the most relaxing I had had in a long time. There was no rush to get food on the table and everyone helped and the kids were even little angels. We ended up having two Turkey Days with everyone coming and going. Thanksgiving day was just my little family and mom and dad having a very relaxing and filling lunch and of course we made enough food to feed a small army. Dad makes the best mashed potatoes - I had never let him help in the kitchen before - my days of playing kitchen martyr are OVER!

Turkey Day Light

Thanksgiving Saturday we made enough food to feed 3 small armies. . . Mom, Dad, Keri, Eric, Kim, Ryan, Jay and Ruth were all in Saturday to enjoy lunch. Junie and her beautiful son Casey popped in for a hello and I wish I could have kept them here for a few more hours! As usual we ate too much, but Wii Sports got us all off our lazy rears. I think I was 86 in the fitness challenge on Saturday. . . I have redeemed my age and and down to a flattering 28. If only my waist were so lucky!

Mom brought over three quilts that grandma Ruby had made for us. My most cherished possessions are the handmade quilts that my gifted family members have entrusted me with over the years. Every quilt tells a story and a gift of love and time that I hold dear. Grandma knows us so well and made each of us a quilt in our favorite color with patterns that are from memories of our childhood. Patterns that I remember from quilts that great Grandma Ida made. I still see them in my mind and can feel the softness from the years of love and use that they had. Those are some of my favorite memories from Grandma Ruby's house, getting to stay with her and snuggle up under a quilt. To fall asleep and know how safe and loved I was. Amazing what a quilt can do for me when I am having a bad day. . .

Ruby's Beauties . . . and her three cute grand-girls!

To say the time between Thanksgiving and now is a blur would be an understatement. Work has been relatively easy. I have been searching for a new office for about 10 - 15 hours a week and then just making sure my boss has everything in order for his travels. Time has flown! I took Christmas Eve through Jan 2nd off work. I am not certain I could NOT work for a living. Oh, I am sure I would figure it out, but I do miss being at work and being busy.

Matthew's piano recital day. Aren't we festive?

I have been to a few Mavericks basketball games with my friend Matt. I miss live sports, is it baseball season yet? It is fun to hang out and his seats are great - platinum level half court - they have a dinner that is to die for and it has proven to be some of the best sports venue food I have ever had. We saw Sir Charles Barkley the first time we went to a game together. Well, I saw him pretty close up because I almost ran in to him as the traffic pattern where he was entering was screwy and I wasn't really watching where I was going. Go figure...

12-15 Mavs game with Matt.
Icy night in DFW made for an interesting drive.

Christmas snuck up on me. I generally have 90% of my shopping done by Thanksgiving and then just a few little things to get before the holiday. THIS year I saved 90% of my shopping for the 23rd. I am not sure I thrive on that type of experience, but it all worked out in the end. We didn't plan a shopping day, but Matt and I were both in the same boat so we met after work at Starbucks and relaxed over coffee while we hammered out a game plan to get all of our shopping done. We got everything done in about 3 hours. It was almost 9 by the time we were done shopping. We decided to grab dinner at Cheesecake Factory which was an excellent idea. Best service I have ever received anywhere. So much so that I wrote a letter when I got home. Of course- the company and food was just as great.

Finally got the tree up December 20th!

Christmas Eve was fondue-mania. How can anything so simple taste so damn good? Lauren and I decided that we are going to do a quarterly fondue event. At first we thought weekly, but that is too indulgent . . . I guess we will see how it goes.

Christmas was quiet and relaxing. I love having my family here with me and it was nice to have Keri & Eric, Kim, Ryan and Jay stay over instead of having them run in and out on a holiday. Matthew would like Kim here every morning - she made him eggs for breakfast the morning after Christmas. She has a follower for life! The amazing Jay hand washed all the dishes that didn't fit in the dishwasher. . . for that I am eternally grateful. I would still be cleaning up the kitchen if not for him!

Keri's gift to Matthew was her extensive collection of Life on Mars Legos. I know it was difficult to part with her impressive collection, but they are in very caring and appreciative hands.
You can visit them anytime Keri!

Opening presents!

Nap time gone awry!

Matthew and Eric ham it up at lunch the day after Christmas.

New Years Eve was a quiet evening at home with the kids. We celebrated with New York at 11:00 - Matthew passed out at 11:05. I guess there is a little more in sparkling cider than I thought! Lauren and I played Mexican Train and celebrated midnight with a toast and a kiss. She was asleep by 12:15. I stayed up and read for a couple of hours. One of our presents from the Christmas Bunny was the Twilight series of books. I read all 4 of them in 8 days, I love to read!

Party like it's 2009!!

New Years Day was a bit of an adventure. Lauren and I had been watching the Travel Channel marathon of Man vs. Food and saw a show on "Austin" - one of the places was a BBQ place. L said she wanted some Lockhart BBQ and I figured we didn't have anything planned for the 1st - so we would go have some BBQ, tied in with a trip to see Keri & Eric and Mario! We ended up at the Salt Lick in Driftwood, TX after discovering that not all BBQ places are open on New Years Day. YUM! It was the BBQ place from the show we had seen the day before. I would rank this in my top 2 for BBQ joints. The food (we got it to go as the 1 1/2 hour wait to be seated was unbearable) was excellent. I would like to go again to experience the sit down relaxed atmosphere. It was an absolutely beautiful almost Spring-like Texas afternoon and perfect for sitting outside enjoying BBQ. Next time my loves. . . we will make a day of it. I would say my New Year has started on a very good foot and I am looking forward to more days like that. More spontaneous fun and amazing food with my beloved family and friends.

Relaxing at Keri & Eric's

Salt Lick BBQ - YUMMY!!

Here is to a year that I am sure will be full of surprises and fun. A year of less tears than 2008 and more laughs than ever before. Even more blog updates as I am finally settling in to my single mom life. No promises though. . . life changes so fast now that I am almost older than dirt....

Love and Joy to you all.