Storm

We got hit by a windstorm in our little town yesterday. 120+ winds ripped through causing power outages (ours was out about 20 hours) and hundreds of trees, ripped, roots and all, right out of the ground. Many fell on powerlines and houses, like in these photos. These weren't little trees, we're talkin' 60'+ pinetrees and huge Maples, which looked like the Whompin' Willow from Harry Potter with their limbs whipping around, snapping lines and windows.

All is calm right now, weather-wise, but people scurrying about, starting the clean-up. We were fairly lucky - we only lost part of a fence and some house siding, maybe a few roof tiles, and have quite an assortment of big limbs scattered about the yard. We did watch through the night as a huge pinetree on the edge of our property leaned so violently that the ground around lifted up several feet around it. We're not out of the woods though, as we are supposed to get another night (Tuesday) of 60 mph winds, about 1/2 the strength of yesterday's, but with lots of stuff being weakened, it might be bad then too. The temperature, luckily, was warmish, about 50, but our HIGH by Thursday is supposed to be -5.

The upside was after the last of the Nintendo DS's and laptop's charge ran out, we got to watch the girls be inventive. Yes, Indy chimed "I'm bored " and "this is the worst day of my life" over and over, but we did get to play some silly games of Telephone and Charades. Everyone slept in the living room, like camping, to keep warm.

Hush

Ali Edwards has issued a sort of challenge to choose a word, one little word, that will define your year. I hadn't really set out to do this challenge, but as I uploaded this layout it occured to me that I am stressed. Signs of stress include seeing the birds flying in the air and hearing a voice in your head say "oh, how I wish that was me". Or chanting "I wish everyone would just leave me alone" as you drive to work. I couldn't tell you any particular thing that has me stressed, but I am certain it is a compilation of things, like the 1,000 times in a day I hear a sentence that begins with "Mom..." or "You need to fix..." or "Will you..." or "I need you to...", etc.

I know a vacation would surely help, but as that isn't possible (for quite some time), I have decided to adopt hush. I'm claiming it as my buzz word for 2007, or, rather, my hush word. So although this layout was initially about the "pretty picture", it has taken on a new meaning that had not occured to me until this very post. I need some hush.

Lylas, Brenda

I recieved a Christmas card yesterday from my very first friend! I met Brenda when I moved to Colorado Springs, CO in 4th grade. My family moved alot and I was always joining classes in the middle of the year. I was assigned Mr. Malfeld's class and remember sitting down at an empty desk, so self-conscious to be joining in the middle of the year, the day and the class! A few minutes later, a tall girl with long blonde hair made a little hidden waving motion at me and we were friends from then on. I lived in Colorado Springs for 3 years before moving to Denver in the 7th grade. Despite the 1 1/2 hour distance, our parents still made sure we got together for a weekend every month or so, and thus Brenda and I stayed friends. When I went away to college and my adult life, we lost track of each other. Years later my mom mentioned that she and dad still saw Brenda's parents occasionally for camping trips and I was thrilled to get Brenda's address. But as often happens in adulthood, another year went by. This year I included Brenda on my Christmas letter mailing and yesterday I heard back! A simple little card saying she was thrilled to have gotten my letter, see my family and that she would call as soon as the holidays were over. Two things I had "forgotten" came flooding back to me, bringing INSTANT tears to my eyes. Brenda was my pretty friend who 1) could not spell to save her sweet life and 2) always signed her notes to me "Lylas" (Love you like a sis). Well, in those few wonderful sentences (in which the handwriting was instantly familiar) she misspelled a word and she signed it "Lylas, Brenda". I sat like a blubbering idiot, bawling, smiling, unable to speak and I'm sure leaving my family thinking I had read something awful, when instead it was a misspelled "bussy" (busy). Love when you get a flood of memories that are so special that its like a little gift just for you.

Christmas list

I was tagged at the office!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate with Peppermint Schnapps

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Wraps and leaves under the tree.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
We haven't had lights on our house since moving into a house that is too tall to safely decorate. DJ on a ladder 3 stories up is not a good idea. The tree has all white lights, but I go back and forth on this.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Nope.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
The last couple of years it has been the week before Christmas. This year we STILL haven't even got the tree out of storage yet and it's Dec. 21! We usually end up keeping it up for a long time though - one year till April and last year till February.

6. What is your favorite Christmas dish (excluding dessert)?
No real favorite but I always like that there are rolls to eat at Christmas dinner - with either Turkey or Ham.

7. Favorite Christmas memory as a child?
I liked the magic feeling of going to bed on Christmas Eve and then coming out Christmas morning to see all the new packages that had appeared under the tree.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I don't remember when I learned the truth.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
We let the kids open one gift that we know won't be a main one.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
With all the ornaments we have collected over the years. I used to make a lot of them, so I like to see them and read the dates on the back. I need to make some more!

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
I think it's necessary to feel like Christmas, but in general, I could do without.

12. Can you ice skate?
I will say yes because I understand the process, and am a good rollerskater, but really, not so much. Too hard on the ankles.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
No, but one year I got my first telephone and makeup and thought I was really cool.

14. What's the most important thing about Christmas for you?
Time off from work (so I can just hang out with my family.)

15. What is your favorite Christmas Dessert?
The assortment of homemade cookies that our neighboors bring over!

16. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
Letting the kids eat whatever they want all Christmas day. Candy and oranges? OK. Cookies and Candy Canes? OK. They've learned that too much of that and they eventually need some "real food."

17. What tops your tree?
As big a star as I can find. I love stars.

18. Giving or receiving?
Giving. I love to see that I got just the right thing for each person and they love it. But I also love getting gifts that are a complete surprise that showed someone has been paying attention all year :)

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Children, Go Where I Send Thee

20. Candy Canes! Yuk or yum?
Yum! I love them!

What a great Christmas mini-album this would make!

Your turn!

Down and out

Attention: "Woe is me" post ahead.
DJ is out of town for the next 9 days, which always makes life a lot more hectic and complicated, as any single parent can attest (they have my utmost respect, I don't know how they do it!) But to add to this, I woke up Saturday morning with a case of Sciatica that has rapidly progressed so I have no feeling (other than the sparkly tingly feeling of your foot being asleep) in my right leg from the knee down. Also the pain in the lower back and hip that you normally feel with a pinched nerve. So that is one bad thing that, frankly, has me feeling panicky. I had it once before, about 5 years ago, and was finally only relieved by acupuncture. The soonest I can get into the acupuncturist is a week from now.

The second bad thing, the one that is really in my head right now, is tonight I found a mole on my left thigh that is really bothersome for several reasons (all on the "if you have this, get it checked immediately" list): 1) sudden appearance - I've never seen it before tonight 2) color - it's pitch black 3) borders - irregular 4) texture - it's slightly raised and scratchy. All of these raise a big ole red flag in my head so tomorrow I will be getting in somewhere, anywhere, to have it looked at. I will let you know the outcome (please let it be nothing!)
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