January 1, 2009
Well Then, Happy New Year!
An Apple a Day
New Year’s Day at Grandma’s House
We started the first day of the New Year by going to church. It’s a holy day of obligation honoring Mary, Mother of God.
Listening to the readings and the Gospel during Mass, I felt great peace fall upon me. I’ve been going to weekly Mass for as long as I can remember — my parents raised me Catholic and made certain I was reared in the teachings of our faith — but never do I remember feeling so calm. It’s as though all my worries and troubles have been washed away, not only because it’s a new year, but perhaps because I’m making an effort to start 2009 on the right foot.
After church we went to my parents’ house to visit with my family and watch college football. Dawson had a blast because Poppa turned into a horse and gave him rides around the living room. Seeing my father and my son playing and acting silly always puts a smile on my face because I still remember my dad doing the same things with me and my siblings when we were kids.
My mom and I talked about this and that, and I showed her some of the pictures I had taken during the holidays. Mom asked if I had made any New Year’s resolutions this year (obviously she doesn’t read this blog) and I told her I did not. She laughed and said she didn’t think she was going to make any, because she can never keep them either.
We left shortly after the Michigan vs. Georgia (Capital One Bowl) game because we had plans for dinner. At the grocery store last week I picked up some shrimp, a pork tenderloin and some baby red potatoes, and Doug was going to make a delicious meal. My sister-in-law gave us a great bottle of Cabernet for Christmas and we cracked it open with dinner. Oooh man, it was some strong vino. I felt a little tipsy after my first half glass. It is a delicious wine, though. I’m hoping it weakens just a little so I can have another glass this weekend.
Tomorrow I go back to the gym. My doctor has given me the green light to start exercising again (under the condition that I wear the knee brace while working out) and I’m anxious to get back on the treadmill and the elliptical. I haven’t been to the gym in over two weeks and I miss it. The swelling in my knee is finally gone and I can fully extend my leg now. Bending the knee past a 90 degree angle is still tricky, but the doc says yoga and stretching should help. If it doesn’t, I may need a round of physical therapy. I signed up for a yoga class this session at the YMCA so cross your fingers I can limber up and avoid PT.
On Saturday night, Doug and I are attending a holiday party and I’m so excited. I’ve procured a babysitter (thank goodness I have a younger brother who likes to make money) and we intend to have a good time. The party is at a local restaurant that we love, too. Since we didn’t go out for New Year’s Eve (we were in bed right after we watched the ball drop at 11:00 our time) we’ve decided to consider Saturday as our NYE celebration.
I still haven’t taken our Christmas tree down. I’m hoping I’ll find time to do that on Sunday. Doug asked me when I planned to take it down, and honestly, if I had it my way I’d keep it up a little longer since I put it up so late. I always feel kind of sad when it’s time to put the tree away, but I suppose that’s because it really is beautiful when it’s lit up and decorated.
Dawson loves to lay down under the tree while he’s watching television. When I told him the tree was coming down soon he said, “No, no, Mumma! Wait until the New Year!”
“Dawson, today is the first day of the new year!” I replied.
“Well then, Happy New Year!” Dawson exclaimed.
Yes, Happy New Year indeed!
December 26, 2008
All Christmas’d Out
I intended to write a post either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, wishing everyone the happiest of holidays, but time got away from me. I had last minute shopping to do, more presents to wrap and other miscellaneous tasks to complete before the Christmas festivities began so blogging was the last thing on my mind.
We went to Doug’s parents’ house on Christmas Eve, and his sister, brother and their spouses were in attendance, as well as his aunt and uncle and his niece. Dawson was thrilled to see his cousin Brittney.
We only see Brittney a few times a year, and honestly, the last time we saw her was last Christmas. She’s gotten taller and even more beautiful. She’s going to be nine years old in January and I keep wondering where the time has gone. It seems like only yesterday she was a chubby-cheeked baby. (I’d love to post a photo, but I want to respect her privacy.)
Dawson received some wonderful gifts, too. Grandma T. bought him a set of Lincoln logs, and Dawson was so happy when Uncle Chris helped him build a log cabin.
Aunt Gail and Uncle Rick bought him the most obnoxious guitar on Earth. She instructed Dawson to play it at top volume and I laughed when we discovered the loudest volume was actually tolerable.
“Ha ha! Joke’s on you! That’s as loud as it goes!” I exclaimed happily.
And then Dawson opened the Fisher-Price NASCAR racetrack from Uncle Chris and Aunt Kelly, a battery-operated toy that is so annoying I’m already thinking about hiding it in the basement. The thing is just….obnoxious. Aunt Gail was more than happy to put together that noisy toy and I think she had fun playing with Dawson, too.
We had lots of great food and drink and everyone had a wonderful time.
Christmas Day was held at my parents’ house. We drove over there a few hours after church, and we had a wonderful ham dinner with my family.
My brother Nathan was there with his girlfriend Becky, and my mom’s brother Paul came over, too. My mom’s sister Judy stayed home this year because she wasn’t feeling well.
I sent some presents with Uncle Paul, one for him and one for Aunt Judy. I’m sad she didn’t make it this year. I think it has a lot to do with her sadness about Grandma Alice’s death. She died December 6, 2005 and I don’t think Christmas will ever be the same with out her.
After dinner, my family ended up watching some movies on Dad’s big screen TV. We watched The Temptations mini-series on VH1 which turned out to be a four hour show. (It was a good movie, despite how long it was. I love Motown artists and I’ve always been intrigued about Berry Gordy’s legacy and the musical acts he cultivated — like The Supremes, The Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Temptations and so many more.) The show ended at 10 p.m., and when Doug went outside to start the car it was snowing heavily. Had we known about the mini-blizzard, we’d have left hours before.
The meteorologists predicted a “light dusting” but by the time we were ready to leave we’d already gotten 3 inches of snow and Mother Nature showed no signs of letting up.
My brother Nathan was leaving at the same time we were and the roads were so slippery and full of fluffy white crap that he got sucked into the ditch just past my parents driveway.
Thankfully, we were behind him and stopped to help, and Doug ran to the house to get my brother Frankie, my sister Rachel and my Dad to come help us shovel and push Nathan’s car out of the ditch.
I wasn’t very much help with my bum knee, however. I couldn’t push because I couldn’t find any solid footing, so finally I decided to use a shovel to clear some snow away from the tires.
Unfortunately, after nearly twenty minutes of shoveling, pushing and maneuvering we weren’t able to budge the SUV very much, and we were covered in snow (and my hair was frozen to my head because I didn’t wear a hat that day), so Dad ran back to get his 4-Wheeler and a chain.
Nathan crawled under the car, hooked the chain around the axel, and the rest of us pushed (I steered) while Dad tried to pull the car out. Sweet Lord, it worked! After a few minutes of the push/pull combo, Nate was out of the ditch.
It was Christmas chaos. But the drive home was worse. We got about 4 inches of snow that just came down all at once and caused our windshield wipers to freeze up constantly. Nathan followed behind us (since my parents live in the country) and we kept stopping to clean off the wipers on our cars.
Once we got into town and had the help of street lights, driving conditions were better, but we were still only driving at 20 mph, and that was almost too fast. It really was a miracle that we all made it to our homes safely.
This morning I was so tired from all the insanity and I awoke with a pounding headache. I spent the day lounging around the house and reading blogs. It was actually very relaxing.
Overall I’d say this Christmas was a mix of fun and crazy.
Check out some of my favorite photos from the two days of family togetherness:
I hope your Christmas was as exciting and wonderful as ours! Even though I enjoyed the holiday, I’m ready for 2009. What are your plans for the New Year?
December 22, 2008
Bracing Myself
The knee is still swollen, and I’m still in pain. I’m doing my best not to walk, which makes trips to the bathroom complicated. I find myself hobbling and grabbing walls and it sucks. It’s very difficult to sit still. The fact that Christmas is less than three days away is making me crazy. Presents need to be wrapped, things need to be done, and my husband’s carefree approach to it all is, quite frankly, pissing me off.
A lot of grumbling has been done on my part and I feel guilty about it. However, I think I’ve figured out God’s lesson. He’s forced me to relinquish control and I believe I’m supposed to learn that I can’t do it all, and that it’s okay to ask for help — it doesn’t mean I’m a failure if I admit that I’m not Super Mom.
Honestly, God, couldn’t you have sent me a letter? Was a painful fall down the stairs really necessary?
It’s been a rough weekend. My husband has banned me from doing anything that requires moving. I did my work while propped up on pillows, leg elevated, and it was miserable. I just want to run…RUN I SAY! Actually, I’d give anything just to bend my knee.
Today I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon. He’d like to scan my knee and make sure the tear hasn’t gotten any bigger. Apparently, hobbling to the bathroom could have caused more damage. Ugh. Crutches may be in my future if I’m not more careful. I’m trying to be careful. I really am.
The other lesson I’ve learned? I should have finished my Christmas shopping weeks ago. I waited until the last minute, and now I’m injured. Sending Doug shopping is like swimming in a hurricane. He can’t handle that. So it looks like the family may be getting fistfuls of cash this year. Merry Christmas!
Send me your good vibes. Maybe a miracle will happen and I’ll be cured by tomorrow!
