I’m in Atlanta for my company end of the year event - I had a 2 hour work break so I headed here -
Out of sight! I was transported to 1874 Paris France! Got to mingle with the impressionists at the Salon. The tech isn’t 100% yet, but wow! Really.
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A holiday ramble. This morning, as I walked the dogs across the field before the sun came up, I was thinking of the best Christmases I could remember. The ones that popped into my mind weren’t the ones I shared with my husband and children. They were the ones from long ago, when I didn’t feel the pressures of gift giving, holiday food, parties, church responsibilities, and placing flowers on graves. They were when my grandparents’ visit to our home was preceded by the huge boxes delivered by our mailman that were full of the cookies and candy my diabetic grandmother made for everyone else. When we went up to the Greyhound bus station to meet my great-grandparents who rode the bus from Pennsylvania, bearing huge shopping bags from Isaly’s, full of the chipped ham and swiss cheese Dad loved. Everyone visited at our house for at least two weeks (my poor mother!). I played the piano, with everyone picking a favorite song, hymn or carol; we had snacks every night (including the best fruitcake ever) and Christmas followed a routine. You knew what was happening, what to expect, and when things would happen. Christmas Eve, early dinner, then to church so I could sing in the choir; home to hang the stockings; Christmas morning, when Dad was always so delighted to see the happiness on everyone’s face. A full house. I guess nostalgia brings out my rose colored glasses.
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Praying safe travels for a son and his family to Tokyo. Man that’s a long haul. I hope my grandson will be okay. He’s 8 but he can be persnickety.
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I am so frustrated with you. I always ask your opinion before buying furniture since it’s your home, too. You rarely say anything anything other than “whatever you want.” We had the same style in a different color over five years ago. You had no complaints and agreed that the look would work well here. After the first order arrived, we found more pieces were needed so I ordered after letting you know. You still had no complaints. Only after it was too late to return anything, even with a restocking fee, you tell me they aren’t comfortable. I suggested a solution, you agreed and I eventually found something that looks nice, too. Today you tell me that the solution doesn’t really work for you.
You want me to get rid of this furniture and replace it. It’s a huge waste of money and time which you just shrugged off. I’d tell you to find it yourself, but you’d buy something totally impractical.
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You are not listening to what I am saying, like the actual words coming out of my mouth. 
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Shoe shopping with Mr. B.
Me: Oh, look! Oofos slides on sale! Your size. Will be great for the upcoming beach trip!
Mr. B: I have the old plastic Nike ones.
Me: You complained the old ones were rubbing your feet and giving you blisters!
Mr. B: That’s Ok. I really don’t need new beach shoes! Please put them back.
Me - grabs the slides and pays for them.
A couple of months later…
Me: Are you going to walk to the restaurant in your Oofos? It is more than a mile! You sure you don’t want to wear sturdier shoes?
Mr. B: These are my favorite shoes. I can walk way more than a mile in them!
Me - shakes her head…
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It’s nice to see 2 former club soccer teammates of my son headed to the D1 National Championship with UVM.
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Us get Pampered Chef cookie press to make spritz cookies is always tricky, but this year it was disaster. Had to punt, make hand shaped cookies. The annual Christmas letter is not our best (though hubby’s photos on page 2 are grand)… but unlike the reject cookies, tis good enough to share.
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Go Army! Beat Navy!
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I would have never guessed one room would take over 4 hours to carpet! The only furniture left they had to move was one regular sized couch and one recliner.
I am so ready for them to be done. They were supposed to be here on Wednesday. Van broke down. Then they said 8-11 today, but that we would be first on their list. Got up and hurried through my workout so I’d be home at 7:58 since H is working. And waited and waited. 10:12 they called and said 25 mins. Great. They showed up at 10:56, so not technically late but geez. If I was first, could you not have told me you’d be later?
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Once again, no, we do not use Zelle. Or Venmo. You are in your early 70’s. I know for a fact that you have checks, and you know how to write them. Your H knows how to send checks through your bank, if you prefer not to write a check. We aren’t going to add technology we don’t use just so you don’t have to write a check to us every once in awhile.
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Sure, we can not see you because you plan to convalesce throughout January. Sure. Just so you know, we are aware that Bil and his wife, in addition to random family, have been and do intend to visit then. Don’t think I don’t know how badly you blow off your oldest child for no reason at all.No reason. You have such small, small hearts.
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A random thought - a portion of the plastics in our body actually come not from the sea but from the spouses who refuse to use the box cutters and instead grab the ever so handy steak knife from the closest drawer to slice open the plastic tape holding shipping boxes together (as I remove the knife from my dishwasher and it still has little tape pieces stuck to the serated edges!!!)
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I am dog sitting my daughter’s 2 dogs (goldens) and my brother’s 2 dogs (two enormous labs) this weekend at my brother’s house (across the street). Her dogs eat small meals twice a day and his only once a day. I fed hers at my house this morning, took them over, gave them all water and a chew bone treat. Her boy didn’t like it and I got a different treat out of a new box and set the rest on the counter. Did some other things, left. Went back this afternoon and ‘someone’ had pulled the box off the counter and they ate them all! 21 treats all gone. Ripped the box, opened the plastic bags, all over the house. When I went to the trash to throw out the evidence, found a TV remote outside too.
Bad dogs! The Goldens don’t eat that much. EVER. One probably didn’t eat many of the treats as he’s not a treat dog. His sister? She’ll eat anything and I bet ate 10 of the box. My daughter will have a fit that she ate all that.
BAD DOGS!
(my other daughter’s dog died this week after eating a sock and the surgery didn’t work to save him, so now I’m petrified these dogs will get sick from eating all those bones).
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I’ve come to realize that conspiracy theories are so popular because they allow people to justify their selfish actions that are otherwise unjustifiable.
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Just sending good thoughts out into the universe that my S22 rocks his internship interview this morning. It started a little rocky as the interviewer told him the interview would be at 10:00 eastern time (the company is located in a central time zone) but then the teams invite came this morning for 11:00 eastern time. Which, he can do, but as soon as the interview is over he basically will need to run to the train station to get the train to head out of MA to get to VA for winter break. Again, all doable, but it threw him for a little bit of a loop this morning…
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I love my husband. I worked all weekend. I didn’t get everything done, but my client understands. DH just “made” me drink two whisky sours. We leave for the airport in 20 minutes so I guess I should finish packing. 
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And another school shooting with multiple people killed. Nothing changes. I hate that more and more join this club every year. Those students, teachers, parents, and community will have trauma for years and will forever be a victim of this.
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Breaking news. A stopped clock is right twice a day".
Ok, back to your regularly scheduled programming. Don’t get too excited.
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One of many reasons I’m glad that my kids don’t want to be Wall Street bankers.
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