Friday, December 14, 2012

What to say . ..

I wanted to type something profound about how I felt today hearing about the deaths in Connecticut, but I can't seem to find words. I heard them re air the president's speech on the radio as I drove home from getting my haircut.

And cried all the way home.

I wish we could undo such a tragedy, but that won't happen. 

I just wish that we could respond with kindness and caring. Maybe we could be less interested in figuring out who or what is to blame, and just worry about caring for other people.

Could we be a little less concerned with complaints, criticisms, and celebrity gossip and try to have the top story of the day be about acts of kindness and events that leave us motivated and uplifted?

I wish the news cared less about the negative quotes, statistics, and motivations behind tragic events and more on the facts of what we can band together to do to heal families, homes, and communities impacted by the event.

I wish that we could all listen more to each other and try to understand what others are saying, even if we don't agree with them. We are never going to all shared the same belief, lifestyle choices and physical characteristics, learn to tolerate and celebrate what makes us different.

However, the news isn't going to change unless we stop listening to it, people are always going to try to blame something for every tragedy, and we aren't going to tolerate differences as long as we think there is one right way.

So for now I'll keep wishing those wishes, and hugging my girls a little tighter.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

The Holidays

Why can't Thanksgiving be a little more separate from the Christmas holiday season? The only was I can think of how to do this is to get all the women together and start big build-ups to Thanksgiving that keep the focus on Turkey day.

Unfortunately it would have to be a retail re-inforced movement, and who wants to spend more money before Christmas . . . I'll have to ponder it.

Thanksgiving went off without a hitch with Mimi and Papa. They arrived MUCH earlier than planned on account of them driving through the night . . . you crazy peoples, you!

We went out to eat at a great German restaurant, Ye Ol Heidelbergs, and then I took Mimi to an urgent care clinic to get her some more medicine for her caugh that wouldn't go away. We waited several hours, and by the time we were done there it was supper time.

We treated ourselves by going to The Melting Pot. All I can say is YUM! I didn't think you could get full eating fondu, but we were stuffed by the time we left.


 
This year I was Thankful to have Mimi and Papa with me to walk me through prepping my own thanksgiving feast. The turkey came out of the oven that beautiful as-seen-on-tv golden color.
and the table was set with my fine china.
The only little hickup was that we thought we burnt the stuffing, but the Commander and I agreed that having the tips of the bread browned made it even more delicious!

We did the traditional turkey nap, and then took a driving tour of the city. And then home for Smores at the fireplace! I always loved smores growing up with a stove at Mimi and Papa's, but I was nervous about building my own fire to I was thankful to have Papa there to walk me through it.
And what is a trip to the Rocket City without visiting The Air and Space Center?


Mimi and Papa decided afte about 3 hours that they were all "spaced-out" so we headed home. After a quick drive through the Galaxy of Lights display, we headed home again.

It was a wonderful visit with Mimi and Papa, I had the most fun watching Mimi shop with my girls for fancy clothes, chatting with Mimi and Papa in the kitchen about memories of Thanksgivings past, and catching bits of the parade with Papa on TV.

But Thanksgiving is of course short lived in the prep for Christmas.

So on this Friday, the girls and I put up the tree.

And I found our fun holiday specs! They are really fancy firework glasses. If you have kids you have GOT to get these to go see lights around town. We have Snowflakes and Snowmen.


Aren't they cool?! And now back to trying to clean up the mess we made getting the decorations out. . . .