Growing up at the speed of light

I just talked to my 9 1/2 year old about pu *berty after noticing his upper lip area is darker than the rest of his face. Holy sh*t. When I throw things in as a conversational bit and don't make a big deal about it they accept it as part of life that just is. While I walk away reeling.

What the cold does

Delicious breakfast with blueberry pancakes, maple sausage, bacon, eggs, coffee, and strawberry peach smoothies that the boys made. Being so excited for breakfast I could hardly eat.

Trail of Lights in the freezing cold. Scarves, hats, gloves and socks when there aren't enough gloves to go around. Standing close to the giant bonfire. Spinning around under the Zilker Christmas tree. Drinking hot cocoa and eating kettle corn. Walking at a steady pace along the lit up displays is almost worth the cold. Pictures in the tunnel of lights and next to the huge blue and white lit up tree are priceless. More kettle corn. Warming up our hands on the heater when we get to the car.

Last minute Christmas shopping with my neighbor and new friend, JenH, while three of our boys do chores together and play the Wii at home. Bringing Shawner's Nintendo DS so he'll stay distracted while we hit up World Market for stocking stuffers. Picking up KT while she waits for her cars oil to get changed. Going to Walmart for socks, gloves, and an airsoft gun for her oldest. Dropping off KT, then JenH, and having leftover yummy breakfast for lunch. 

KT picking the boys and I up after lunch for my first four hour mall shopping excursion I've had in a looooong time. Parking them with their Nintendo DS's in a corner of each store to keep them entertained. Hitting up almost every store in the mall and having so much fun remembering all a mall has to offer. Eating mini chocolate chip cookies from the cookie store. Perusing for our men. Getting a small item for Brando, but finding nothing else for them. Wondering why guys are so hard to buy for. 

Watching the boys give K the gifts I bought her. Girls night in with Christmas presents from and for Li, M, and Ambr. Finale of the Hills and warm fuzzies (I won't say anymore since I just realized blog readers might not be so yellow text friendly if I were to make it blend into my background). Warm tortilla soup with avocados, lime juice, cheese and tortilla strips. White wine that doesn't keep me up at night.

Friends

Friends have always been a big issue for me, whether near or far. I have never felt close to anyone I can't connect with. Yet I hesitate to call ANYbody a best friend. Every friend of mine meets a different need in my life, fulfills a different purpose, and lets me meet a different need in their life. There are a few friends I have today who are so like me that calling them my best friend is always on the tip of my tongue. I can say anything, do anything around them and they won't judge me. They'll think of me as they always have. There are a few others where I am so very grateful for the need they fill in my life, the need that even the ones who feel like best friends don't or can't meet. The need that challenges me to look at who I am and make sure I am on the right track. The ones who make sure I really am aware of what is going on in my life and not just sailing through life as if it's a ride on a pleasure boat (which I sure enjoy sometimes). Today was an example of that. This afternoon I met Brando for his Christmas party at my favorite restaurant ever. His co-workers are so fun and goofy that I am so grateful for him that he gets that opportunity to work with guys and a girl who are his age and a blast to work with. I wish I had that opportunity. At the same time I have surrounded myself with girls who give me that environment. I left Brando with the boys and the Christmas party not long after I got there, well after two mimosas with maraschino cherries at the bottom any way, and met my girl Genie for her tattoo appointment. I was at her first one in Texas and so glad I was there for her second. Poor girl was breathing hard on this one. Afterwards we picked up our traditional sangria Saturday and headed down to another friend of mine for a cookie bake off. Genie is so versatile she fit right in with these girls and had a blast, consequently making it a blast for me. After she left, my girl Christi asked me, so how are you REALLY doing with Brando? as if I hadn't been telling her the truth with Genie there. Even though I had, because I can with Genie, I did tell her more about how confused I feel sometimes, and it made me grateful that she pushed that question. She knew how Brando and I were last year and being married herself knows it's not such an easy fix, and pushed for the answer she was really looking for. While I shared the same amount that I did with Genie, it was nice to see her care so much and really want to know how things were going. She also shared some more personal things about her and her hubby after Genie took off and it reminded me of why her and I get along so well. We have so many similar views on life and issues in marriage, yet are different enough that it makes it interesting to share our views with each other. Genie is my let it all go and be who I really am and no matter what I am girl, and Christi is my infrequent but when she is make me look at who I really am girl. They are both more than I could have ever asked for in a friendship.

I am so grateful for friends today.

Then Meets Now

Oh my gosh I met Samira!!! Remember the girl with her blog dedicated to coffee? You know if she was still blogging you would read her by that sentence alone. She was going to school in Gren*da and chronicling her adventures until one day she needed to be done blogging for the moment : ) .  Girl From Florida was around, Tall Poppy (who blogs no more but is still out there and doing wonderful) was around, even Cecilia, and Amanda.

I was in shock going to meet her and could hardly believe that I was. I didn't allow myself to let the excitement out until I actually saw her. When I did it all came bubbling out and we had one of those girlie moments you see on TV, like say on the Hills ; ) . We had presidente margaritas at Chili's and their new Chocolate Chip molten lava dessert. Oh yum. We yakked way too long, had way too much to talk about and we still didn't get to talk about it all. I hope she got enough sleep last night! The best news is she may end up living here! I'm not sure how much more I should say, but OH MY WORD I am beyond excited! Can't wait to see you again Sam! I'm excited you'll be around in SA until February!

Brrrr

Gosh it's been freezing lately! Yesterday it barely hit 36F and today it's 50F but it still feels freezing because of the humidity hanging in the air. Did I mention it SNOWed last week? And stuck around in the eaves of our building until 2:30pm? Totally hot chocolate and curled up on the couch with a book evenings.

Days Running Into Nights

Where have I been lately? Everywhere really. I've only been home two weekends from Thanksgiving but it feels like so much has gone on. Last weekend we had our fourth annual Christmas party for our Sunday School group. My favorite part is the pictures and the ornament exchange. I'm such a dork but I love getting an ornament somebody else picked out. The white elephant party is always a blast as well. The best gift was a box with three rolls of toilet paper, febreeze, hand soap, and two magazines. Awesomeness.

The rest of the weekend and week was filled with work, home-school, coffee with friends, catching up on appointments I completely skipped out on the week after vacation, girl nights, and decluttering the house for our holiday wine tasting party.

This weekend was our party which went off without a hitch. Twenty people in our TEENY house!! We set everything up so wonderfully it wasn't even a squeeze. There was dove chocolate, brownies, ham and swiss, salami and mozzarella pinwheels, seafood salad in fillo pastries, and spicy meatballs to go with the wine pairings, and s'mores for the after party. We were up til' 2am and spent half of the next day sleeping before we had friends over for dinner, games, and the Dark Knight.

Today Brando did a photo shoot for the same friends. The rest of the day was spent watching a Christmas cantata at church which Jen was in, and eating at P. Terry's of course.

Now it's time to start the week again. Happy Monday!

PS Oh, and I had my Texas Martinis at Trudy's with Kels last Friday night. Way too many, then we went to Sixth Street and downed some beers on top of that. We had fun people watching a group crash a bar with Goth Christmas though!

More Shawnisms

Upon seeing the snow melt off the roof of our apartment building into a puddle he says, "It's like a dog dancing, with his feet going really quick."

Oh and his candy "storage" is the entire middle portion in between his chest and stomach, illustrated with the use of his hands.

Thanksgiving Week

Arriving in San Jose, picking up a Sa*ab to drive in for the week, eating at In N Out, driving straight to Ol*vehurst/Plum*s Lake. Turkey dinner on Sunday with my brother's ex-wife and three kids, my sister, her hubby, and their five kids, my parents, and us. Seeing her new 2600 sq.ft. that had more than enough room for all of us, and more than enough room for six cooks in the kitchen. Watching the kids play, play, play their hearts out and spend every night with my mom and dad in their RV they brought up from Santa Cr*z. Playing games with my sister and her hubby every night and with my ex SIL and niece before they went home. Liars dice, skipbo, Uno. Driving to Placerv*lle to meet Brando's family I've never met in eight years. Going from flat land valley Cali to mid size mountains and tall pine trees. Being EXTREMELY bored with people I've hardly met before. Getting over it and playing golf cards with Justinbustin. Shawners joining in, then Oma, then a cousin. Thanksgiving dinner with two cousins and an aunt of Brando's I'd never met before. Pictionary with Justinbustin and Oma on my team. Waking up early in the morning. Going to Apple Hill with Brando's family and discovering the quaintest experience I've ever experienced. Taking gorgeous mountainous pictures. Buying fudge, apple pies, apple cider, and Christmas ornaments. Watching the rest of the family take off to see a veteran's memorial. Going to our first. ever. wine tasting with Brando. Taking kissy pictures in the vineyard. Watching my sons collect pine cones outside the window while we wine tasted. Meeting the family-owned estate owner's son. Having birthday cake for Shawners birthday with Oma. Driving home in order to have a full day in Santa Cr*z. Playing more games with my sis and her hubby. Going out downtown with my good friend, Jef. Waking up early and taking boudoir pictures at U*SC campus. Laughing at the guy biking by on the bike trail nearby biking by and asking if that's a n*ked lady in the grass. Thinking in my head, "No! You're imaging things!!" Finding out I need to get linger*e for Brando at Hot Top*c instead of Vici's. Going to my dad's financial class. Seeing how cute he is with all the little things he does for his clients. Payday bars, lucky pennies, cash drawings, cute analogies, tear-jerking stories. Going on a sailboat with Jef, his girl, Brando, the boys, and my parents. Spending two hours on the Monterey Bay with wine, beer, pizza, and good company. Drinking way too much wine. Going to the Boardwalk any way after we get off. Riding the sky rider with Brando. Taking pictures to ease my fear of hanging 200 ft. about the ground with no way to get down. my Dad and the boys there. Watching them have a good time without being involved or them knowing I was there. Stalking them and taking pictures.  Riding the pirate ship with Brando and laughing at the guy giving me evil looks for standing up. Going home and taking a nap. Oversleeping our dinner date with good friends. Picking up Jef and his girl again to go to dinner with us and other friends. Eating dinner with Cris & Kris and their sweet baby boy. Shopping downtown. More games with my sis and her hubby, this time with Jef and his girl, too. Hanging out with his new girl, the longest girl he's had, that I absolutely love and adore and hope he marries the heck out of her one day. Going over to a friend of Brando's afterwards. Playing the Wii until the wee hours of the morning. Waking up. Hanging out with my sister at Trader Joe's. Going to breakfast at my favorite restaurant ever, Peachwoods. My dad attempting to take me shopping. Giving hugs. Oma's tears. Going home.