Good Fortune

Last night I was all set to prepare dinner before realizing I wasn't. Am I the only one who does this? Let's back up to Monday night when I had originally planned to serve a yummy pasta dish made with shrimp, asparagus and pancetta...the girls and I had stopped at a supermarket out near the mall on Monday since it was convenient. I didn't like the look of the produce in that store so I went with Plan B for dinner Monday night and figured I'd make the pasta dish on Tuesday. Yesterday we popped into our usual market to pick up the last minute items we'd need but as I was pulling everything out to actually cook I realized we'd forgotten something essential.

And I guess the 'we' here would technically be me.

Note to self: A list. Never leave home without one. Your brain isn't 20 anymore. In fact your brain isn't even 30 anymore. And I could go on but I think I've made my point.

So it was on to Plan C...we went out for Chinese food. I love that my husband is always happy to eat out and we all love Chinese food. We had such a nice time talking and laughing...just one of those family dinners that was relaxed and happy and fun. Oh, and the icing on the cake? My husband's fortune...

I think this one's a keeper.

A To Do List

I've decided to do a better job at making lists each week so life doesn't just happen. I mean life does just happen but I want to be intentional about accomplishing something each day and I do better with a list.

Today-

1. Get rid of the Christmas Chex Mix-and by get rid of I don't mean eat what's left. I mean toss it. The combination of sweet and salty is perfection but enough is enough. If you've never made this version click here for the recipe. You may not want it this week but there will come a day...trust me. I use red and green m & ms for the Christmas version but you could use pastels and call it Easter Chex Mix. Not that I'll be doing that of course.

2. Along these same lines-empty the frig already. Seriously. Before someone gets hurt. Trying to find the mustard is like playing a game of Eye Spy. There is just way too much in there.

2. Sticking with my theme here-get reacquainted with Jillian today. She might not even remember my name its been so long. I remember her though. 'nuff said.

3. There's more-wake daughter2 who has promised to work out with me at the very hotly debated and intensely negotiated time of 9 am. Why so early mom? Why so late daughter2?

4. And speaking of daughters-take the ornaments off the Christmas trees and put away the decorations around the house while I have elves here to help me. Why is putting it away so much less fun than setting it all up? And why doesn't it all go back into the containers and boxes the same way it came out? Am I the only one who ends up with miscellaneous items that seemingly have no storage container? I mean it all came out of these boxes didn't it?

5. Take daughters to lunch at French cafe in town. While at lunch discuss important stuff like

'you're graduating and there are a milliontrillion things to do this term to be ready to face the world in May'

and...

'eat right, talk to God every day, study hard, get enough sleep'

and...

'why oh why did Jake keep Michelle on The Bachelor...didn't he see Fatal Attraction'?

And while we're on the subject of The Bachelor dear daughters, do I need to remind you that you cannot possibly know in the span of one obviously alcohol enhanced hour spent with millions viewing that you have met the love of your life? I thought not. But I might say it anyway because I'm a mother and that's just how I roll. And dear daughters will roll their eyes and say, M-ooooo-m!, in that way only a nearly grown up child can because that's just how they roll.

6. Finally, remember that my children are not back in the nest to stay...they're home for a break that is rapidly coming to a close. Think about that.

Wait...scratch that last one. Definitely don't think about that. Which may be even harder than an hour spent with Jillian.

Happy 101

Sometime around Christmas Rebecca over at The Reluctant Homefront gave me a blog award. Course it was crazy on the blog here in December (not to mention real life) so I thought I'd save it to post in the New Year.

The Happy 101 award is given to someone who brightens your day...how nice! Thanks Rebecca! If you haven't visited her blog be sure to stop by...she's a very talented writer. As you know blog awards are all about sharing the love so I'm to post 10 things that make me happy and try to make at least one of them part of my day today. Then I'm to pass the award on to 10 bloggers who brighten my day. Let's start with 10 things that brighten my day and make me happy...

1. Daughters-

Seriously these girls are into my heart so deep...they are the sweetest.

2. the beauty of creation-

I love the changing seasons...

the vastness of the ocean, the beauty of the mountains,

a big blue sky...being outdoors makes me happy.

Oh and for the record that is NOT me on the side of Mt. Blanc...I am actually inside a precariously hanging cable car going up the side of Mt. Blanc...almost as scary as what they're doing but slightly warmer.

3. books-I love books... love reading them, owning them, libraries, bookstores...words make me happy. I think you probably guessed that.

4. travel-if there is one thing living abroad taught me it is this....I will never see all there is to see in this big wide world. I'd like to try though.

5. photographs-I enjoy taking pictures. I'm not very good at it but I love photographs and I especially love the way a photo brings the memory of a person or event right back to now.

6. music-I love the way music creates emotion...the way a particular song takes me back to a place and time in my head...sometimes I smile, sometimes I cry...I love that music can make that happen.

7. cooking-I know there are women who hate cooking but I'm not one of them. I love to cook. I love trying new recipes and I like tasting new foods and hosting dinner parties for friends and family and making traditional tried and true dishes for holiday gatherings. I enjoy being in my kitchen and spend a lot of time there.

8. a good haircut-oh I know this sounds completely shallow but getting a great haircut and some perfectly perfect sun kissed highlights can make even the best day better. I'm overdue for this one so hopefully this week.

9. shoes- There...I said it. I love shoes and a great pair of shoes can definitely make me happy. I realize we're not talking eternal happiness here but my list of happies is more about the everyday stuff in life that makes me smile.

10. marriage-I like being married and having someone to share my life with...I can't imagine my life without this guy who after 25 years can still make me laugh. He can also make me crazy.

Mostly though he makes me laugh.

Now I'm to pass this award on to 10 bloggers who brighten my day...I know people don't always want to play along so no pressure...just know that visiting your blog brightens my day so thanks for that!

1. Sincerely Shannon-okay, this is my daughter's brand new blog which she only just started a couple of days ago but I know I'm going to enjoy reading here. I'm passing this along to her because she definitely brightens my day plus when you're new to blogging it's nice to have some posts like these to get you started...stop in and say hello...she's a sweetie!

2. The Lumberjack's Wife- I love this blog...she is funny and adorable. When I read it I always think we'd be friends and then I remember I'm old enough (almost) to be her mother. But I still think we'd be friends and I love reading here...it's one of my favorites. Oh and I'm way more technically savvy than her parents : )

3. Carpool Queen's Blog-okay I know we'd be friends in real life. We share a love of pottery and creme brulee for starters..what more do you need?

4. Joy in the Journey-Carol and I have totally bonded thru our ex pat experiences and I'm so hoping we meet in real life once she's back in the states.

5. Psalm 145:4-of course I'd include Valerie in this list...she is one of my first blog friends and sometimes I forget we've never met in person. Hoping 2010 is the year!

6. Odom Party of Five-as I'm writing this list I'm realizing there are lots of bloggers I'd love to meet in real life and Lisa is one of them. She's not too far from my girls so maybe one of these days on a trip south. Or when she comes to NYC : )

7. It Only Gets Better-Rebekah takes beautiful pictures and has adorable children and does crafty stuff that's lovely. Oh and we're facebook friends-that's real life isn't it?

8. Tempo and Speed-speaking of taking beautiful photographs...this is my sister in law's blog so of course I love to visit here. And I do know her in real life. Honest.

9. Jill Boyd's Place- we 'met' thru the Random Dozen hosted by Second Cup of Coffee...that counts right?

10. Tales from my Empty Nest-Melinda is a sweetie...she was also one of my first blog friends and we mostly communicate by email now. We'll definitely meet one of these days...I need a road trip to NC this year!

A Wise Resolution

So it's the second day of a new year...how many of us are already feeling let down by our resolution to do or be or act differently than in years past? I like to set goals for myself for a new year and as I've gotten older I've learned not to be quite as hard on myself as I might have been a few years ago. Like most people I want to make changes in my life. But I also tend to be a perfectionist of sorts and can develop an attitude that if I've messed up I might as well give up. Forget about the resolution altogether. If I can't meet the expectation perfectly then I might as well not even try. I've reached a point in life though where I've learned to give myself permission to start over again, to re-resolve if you will. Is that cheating? I don't think so...I mean my goal is to make a change in some area of my life and if it takes 380 days as opposed to 365 well, the ultimate goal has still been met...I've eliminated a bad habit, established a good habit, grown in some area, learned something.

I'm joining in a 31 Day Challenge over at Pete Wilson's blog and I encourage you to check it out. He is inviting anyone who is interested to read thru the book of Proverbs during the month of January and since there are 31 chapters in Proverbs and 31 days in January the two are made for each other. I'm reading the ESV version of the Bible and the notes at the start of the book say the purpose of Proverbs is to instill wisdom in her readers, '...practical wisdom-instruction in wise dealing, intellectual wisdom-increase learning, moral wisdom-righteousness, justice and equity, and probing-to understand a proverb' ..it is for all people-the naive and the experienced, young and old alike.

And I'm a day late getting started and maybe a few years ago I would have said to myself that if I couldn't begin on day 1 then I wouldn't begin at all. But not today. Today I read two chapters and caught up and hope to stay caught up. What better way to begin a new year? A new decade? A new day?

Bright Lights Big City

We drove into the city Wednesday afternoon and guess what? We weren't the only ones. We inched our way thru the Lincoln Tunnel and were only nearly squashed between two very large trucks once or five times as we made our way over to Rockefeller Plaza. Whew...it was good to be parked. Really really good.

We have friends from the UK who relocated back to the US about the same time we did and they have access to some lovely apartments right in Rockefeller Plaza which they kindly allowed us to use for a couple of days. Oh the view y'all.

Why yes that is the steeple to St. Patrick's Cathedral right outside our living room window. And here's the cute little kitchen...not that I was cooking.

Wait, I did make coffee every morning.

And this is what we saw every time we walked out the front door of our building...

We were on the 24th floor and from our bedroom window we could see the crowds standing outside the Today Show. I've decided I need an apartment in Manhattan and I especially like this one across the sky(?) from us...

This apartment has it's own sweet little pool on the rooftop opposite St. Patricks. My daughter pointed out that everyone who lives above you would be watching you swim but I'm pretty sure I could live with that.

Once we were settled into our apartment (I know it isn't technically ours but let's pretend okay) we walked over to the Museum of Modern Art. I love meandering thru art museums and I love all sorts of art. And sometimes when I'm in a museum of modern art I find myself asking 'what is art'? I mean we did see Van Gogh's Starry Night...it's beautiful and haunting and also annoying to my kids that I must sing Don McClean's Starry Starry Night for the remainder of the afternoon. We saw Monet's Water Lilies which makes me long for the French countryside...sigh.

We also saw this...

My daughter the 'artiste' patiently explained to me that this type of work was a reaction to the period prior and is a statement of sorts...okay. Hey, I taught kindergarten and I can appreciate a well painted block of color or three as much as the next person.

Wednesday evening our friends arrived and they were staying in the apt. across the hall. Neighbors...how fun! When you opened the door to their apt you were greeted with a spectacular view of the Empire State Building all lit up in its Christmas colors...

Our friends pup wasn't too impressed.

We ventured out amongst the masses Wednesday evening. Actually it's pretty hard to avoid the masses if you're in NYC over the New Year holiday unless of course you're in a lovely apt. 24 floors above them but I digress. We window shopped and people watched and had a wonderful Italian dinner in a fantastic little spot. Oh and we may have taken more pictures of the tree. I mean how can you not?

Thursday we woke up early and by we I of course mean hubs and I...the kids had to be rousted out of bed at 11. We sipped our coffee with the city all around and we agreed that we could live in an apt. like this one without too much difficulty.

It was really chilly on Thursday and it was also snowing/raining a little bit so we headed over to the Expo Center to see the Titanic exhibit. It happens to sit right beside a Da Vinci exhibit so we saw that too. We made our way s-low-ly thru Times Square because really you couldn't hurry...there were people ya know. We went back to our apt and looked out the windows some more because did I mention it was on the 24th floor over Rockefeller Plaza? Plus we needed a little rest since I'm a wimp and wouldn't make it til midnight if I didn't have a cat nap.

Our friends had booked dinner for all of us at a wonderful Brazilian restaurant which was technically only about four blocks from our hotel but oops, we needed to cross Times Square and that is a whole lot easier said than done after 3 PM on New Year's Eve. Unless of course you have NY City's finest give you a personal escort right thru the middle of the million people in Times Square.

Oh yes we did. This picture isn't the best but we were walking and I didn't want to get left behind the barricade. And let me just state for the record...the NYC police were some of the nicest, most helpful, friendliest people we've ever run across. This whole Times Square thing is one gigantic headache I'm sure but they did not lose their sense of humor and really they just made our night. We essentially needed to cross one block and then walk a bit to get to the restaurant but the road was blocked and nobody was getting thru. A wonderful policeman said he'd be happy to help us and he essentially escorted us thru the barricade and right thru the middle of the Times Square crowd before handing us off to another officer who walked us the rest of the way to the restaurant. The people in Times Square are actually systematically penned...kinda like sheep...each pen holds 2000 people and when one is full they close it up using police barricades and open the next pen and on and on down the street. It is highly highly organized...there were over 15,000 NYC policemen on the square and that is not counting the federal officers mixed in with the crowd. Every sewer is searched and sealed, there were helicopters and metal detectors...it's absolutely amazing and impressive and you just have to appreciate the NYC police department. They are awesome.

And if you've never been to one of these Brazilian steak houses you really must. Unless of course you're a vegetarian because that wouldn't be good at all...these Brazilian steak houses are seriously all about the meat. There was an incredible salad bar which you could totally fill up on but the maitre d warned us to save room for the meat. They put a coaster at each place that's red on one side and green on the other and will just keep on bringing you meat until you flip that coaster to red.

And they bring it all tableside and carve it right on to your plate...prime rib, sirloin, sausages, chicken, pork tenderloin, turkey wrapped in bacon, bbq ribs, and on and on and on....thank goodness I've got the detox book and my new juicer waiting for me at home!

We were able to get a taxi after dinner and had to take the long way round to get back to our apt. but we managed. We watched the ball drop and then had a champagne toast to the new year and good friends and the NY City Police force.

We woke up in our apartment on the first day of the new year (okay so it's not really our apt.) and we sipped coffee and loved the views and packed up to head home. Back to the countryside where we really live.

We may not be 24 stories above an amazing city but it's pretty nice here too.

Happy 2010!

One more random before the calendar rolls

Here's the final random dozen of 2009...they've been fun-thanks for hosting every Wednesday Linda!

If you're reading this then you are invited to play along... answer the questions on your blog and link your answers here.

1. Do you find it gross to share drinks with family? Friends?

Well, I never used to but in these days of swine flu and other nastiness I definitely think twice and mostly avoid it.

2. What have you learned this year? (You didn't see a question of that weight coming, did you? At least not for #2.)

A lot. This has been a year of enormous change for me…transitioning back to life in the US has been a little bit bumpy and I’m really just now starting to feel like myself again. It’s also the first move I’ve made without children living at home so I’ve had to figure out other ways to make connections with people. I guess the biggest lesson I've been reminded of this year is this..God is always with me. Wherever I am there He is. And He is in control. Thankfully.

3. When do you dismantle the Christmas decorations?

Not before New Years Day weekend…I may even wait until the week after New Years this year.

4. Something you wish to accomplish before the end of 2009 is:

Well it is December 30^th so if there is something I better get busy! I can’t really think of anything that can’t wait til January 1.

5. How do you feel about winter (after Christmas)?

I love it in the beginning but I tire of it and always feel so ready for spring. And spring is a big tease…we’ll get a few beautiful mild days in early March and think yay! Spring! and then it turns arctic again. I hate those late snows that we are bound to get here, say like in April…ugh.

6. Have you participated in after-Christmas sales?

Not for myself but I’m looking for nice boots for my girls

7. Do you have plans for New Year's Eve?

Yes we do…New York City baby…we have friends with an apt. in Rockefeller Plaza and we’re joining them…we will not be getting into the madness right on the street but we’ll have a great view of it all from the warmth and safety of the apartment…we’re going to do some fun stuff in the city too…maybe some museums plus my girls want to go skating in Central Park so it will be fun.

8. Is there anything special awaiting you in January?

Um, a new year? I think that's pretty special. I like the feeling of a fresh start.

9. If your life this year was a movie, what category or genre would it be? (Romance, Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Suspense, Farcical, etc.)

Well, we moved back to the US after living in England for the past six years and I think it is safe to say it’s been a little bit of all of the above.

10. How much time per day do you spend blogging? Please do not lie. I will know.

About an hour…some days none and some days it might be two hours. I wake up very early and that’s generally when I get online. I check my favorites and read updates and then maybe write a post for my own blog (I usually add 3-4 posts per week to my own blog). I typically look at my dashboard again late in the day or evening to see if there are comments or updates on my faves.

11. Who runs your household?

We’re a good team. My husband is a hard worker and is very neat…if he sees something that needs doing he just does it…I never have to ask him to help. I do pretty much all the cooking/shopping/bill pay/laundry and the basic daily ‘pick up’ although he is happy to go to the store with me, throw in laundry if needed, and he manages the big picture money -retirement accounts, college tuition, 401 K stuff-I do the living expense side of the money … I also manage the calendar/appts/stuff for the kids. My husband has a pretty intense job that requires travel but he still cleans the shower, bbqs, and likes to vacuum…it works for us.

12. Share one hope/dream for 2010.

Other than contentment and good health for my family…my oldest daughter is graduating from university this spring and I’d love to see her land a job that she enjoys that would allow her to support herself.

And I’d like to see a big chunk of our elected officials booted out of office. Seriously…I’m tired of pretty much the whole lot.

That’s two things. Sorry.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Kindred Spirits

I'm reading on a whole lot of blogs about all the industrious people out there who take down their tree and put everything away in the first few days after Christmas. What is up with that? We normally put everything away New Year's weekend but we may even wait until the week after New Years Day this year. I feel like it took me most of the month to get it all perfectly in place and I'm just not ready to pack it all up yet.

We've had a relaxing few days...My husband bought himself the girls a Wii for Christmas so we're going to have the girls show us how to play that today. We've done a little shopping and on Sunday afternoon we went to see Sherlock Holmes. I'm not a huge Jude Law fan but he and Robert Downey were both really good in this and they made a great team. We all enjoyed the movie.

Last night some old friends invited us to their home for dinner. Way back in 1991 daughter1 started preschool two mornings a week. We were living in NJ then too, in a town about a half an hour away from where we live now. Daughter1 was sweet. Very very sweet. As a toddler she was not one to dive into anything...she was reserved but observant....a thoughtful little girl who always seemed wise when it came to understanding people. She is still very much that child. Adult.

Anyway, on her very first day of preschool she and another little girl, also feeling a little bit hesitant, met and in that instant a friendship was born. And their little friendship was one of the absolute sweetest things in the world to witness...C's mom and I used to say that it reminded us of something we had in college...we had never seen two young children connect like these two little cuties did at the tender age of 3 1/2. They were kindred spirits from the moment they said hello.

We moved from NJ to Maryland when daughter1 was only six years old but these two girls remained friends. Every summer they'd spend a week at each others houses and every summer they'd pick right back up where they'd left off the summer before. We moved overseas when daughter1 turned 15 years old so the visits stopped. We traded Christmas cards but fell mostly out of touch...life happens. Then in the summer of 2007 we were in the area and decided to just knock on their door and say hello. When children move thru their teens and on into their young adult selves you wonder if a friendship born at the age of three will still be there and we were a little bit nervous as we waited on their front porch. There was no need to feel anxious though...they were home, invited us in and again, it was like we'd never been apart. And they also just happened to have a trip to London planned for that Christmas so we all ended up ringing in the New Year of 2008 together at our home in England.

And so now here we are, nearly 2010... we are once again living in NJ some 15+ years after we moved away...all the girls are home from university for the Christmas holiday so we got the families together for dinner last night. And the girls still talk a mile a minute and they still share a connection that is oh so sweet. There is no awkwardness, no uncomfortable silences...just chatter and smiles and laughter.

Kindred spirits still.