yogurt parfait

we hopped in the car right after work on friday night.  most people my age were heading for south padre the easy way.  the way college kids go.  with their friends.  on a plane.  a smallish suitcase holding very important spring break items like a bikini, sunglasses and a change of clothes.  we began to drive south.  no real destination in mind.  we just knew that when we got to las cruces we would have to make a choice.  right or left?  california or texas?  most people in my shoes would have taken the right.  spring break on the beach.  but we were not most people.  and we'd never seen texas.  we spent spring break together.  it was one of our weeks after the divorce.  we drove all night and reached san antonio sometime in the am.   he drove all night long to get us there.  he napped and then rallied just like he was in his twenties again.  we did all the tourist type things.  we enjoyed the river walk.  we had margaritas and mexican food.  we shopped at the alamo.  and all the while he listened to me on repeat, "there's no basement at the alamo" (circa: pee wee's big adventure).  why we couldn't leave well enough alone i will never know.  san antonio is pretty amazing.  but the ocean was calling.  so we continued to drive until we reached the gulf coast and found ourselves smack dab in corpus christi.  oh yeah!  oil refineries, jellyfish, and some crazy sea gulls waiting to take your head off.  fun times.  we talked a couple of times about heading over to south padre.  just like all the other spring breakers.  but he was a little funny with bridges, toll roads and paying to get in anywhere.  and although we travelled for a million hours to a place we'd never seen.  a place we will never see again.  we chose not to be like the other spring breakers.  we bunked at an interesting little hole in the wall with a fancy restaurant.  i guess he felt like we could splurge on the food since the accommodations were so sketch.  we sat down to breakfast and i was be-dazzled like only one could be in texas.  i ordered the yogurt parfait.  as it called out to me from the menu, i imagined that it was the perfect blend of all those things that mostly alluded me.  yogurt, granola, and fruit.

this morning i sat down to breakfast with my family.  i spent the better part of an hour making granola.  we were scheduled to eat yogurt parfait.  that's what i had written out on the menu schedule.  do not mess with my menu schedule.  i let the boys make their own.  they mostly stayed away from the granola.  and rightly so.  it was burnt.  i dipped my spoon in my special glass and was whisked right back to that fancy restaurant on the coast.  our memories do show up at the most unexpected times.  i hadn't thought of yogurt parfait ever.  not since that morning in corpus christi.  it still alludes me.  both corpus christi and mixtures of fruit and yogurt.  but the memory of my dad wasn't half bad.

Christmas Vacation

my biggish child avoids pictures at all costs.  however, because he was watching a movie {and i was holding him down} he paused for one photo from the paparazzi.

i have a simple question.  does anyone lose their upper lip when smiling?  i often wonder how i can be so long in the gum.  it reminds me of that fireman (jim carrey) on in living color (from back in the day).

 oh yeah.  my husband is that cute.  and he's holding a puppy.  he's quite a catch.

my baby really is a tortured soul.  tonight he cried himself to sleep praying about his horse situation.  i kid you not.  he told me later that God told him to "give up the dream."  this boy kind of scares me sometimes.  he said he only had one chance to believe in horses and that is all gone now.  it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.  i have a feeling the dream won't die so easily.

mack

hopefully i'm on a plane to chicago.  and i'm missing an important birthday.  happy birthday mack-a-doo.  please feel free to sit on my couch and talk to yourself if necessary.  i'm sorry i won't be there to help you down from the ledge make sense of it all.  but i wanted you to know the most important reasons you are special to me, just in case you've forgotten {they say the memory is the first to go}.

1)  now that you are 30 you can stop referring to people in their 30's as old.
2)  seriously.
3)  i adore your fashion sense.
4)  further, i wonder how many purses you own.  each of them are cute.
5)  and so are your shoes.
6)  you have amazing loyalty to your friends.
7)  and great fortune to have such a close knit family.
8)  who love you so much.
9)  you have a sister.
10)  and you are a middle{ish} child.
11)  you love your nieces and nephews in that fun aunt way.
12)  brad says you're nice.
13)  and you inspired him to participate in team in training.
14)  which helped him to become super healthy.
15)  you are mack-a-doo, mack and kenz.
16)  kenz pronounced with a special accent.
17)  your birthday brings sushi.
18)  you persist through difficult situations.
19)  you make the best of...
20)  you don't give up.
21)  and you're a good listener.
22)  with good advice.
23)  you have a witty sense of humor.
24)  and you make me laugh every single day.
25)  you have a massive knowledge of movie trivia.
26)  you love the jim halperin type.
27)  you believe in "happy endings".
28)  you know all of those crazy wisconsin, hand clapping, cheers.
29)  sweet pea and beans love to call you a stinkin' badger.
30)  you have faith in the badgers even though you live in pioneer country!

i hope you have a fabulous {snow} day!  o'doyle rules!  xoxo

fare thee well, october.

 {the bounty of pumpkins and squash from our garden}

 {sweet pea...aka teen wolf}

{i am...batman}

hello, hello.

thanks to everyone who hosted us, played with us, visited, ate, laughed and made this holiday really special.  

Merry Christmas!

safe travels, much love, and best wishes for Christmas and the new year.

the ghosts of Christmas past

 

after we went to see the lighting of main street in down town littleton, i forced everyone to take a detour and visit one of my all time favorite "griswold" houses.

we've been stopping by this house since high school.  it's my dirty little secret.  my very own tradition.  that one day my kids will love as much as i do.  they will.  but don't tell anyone.  it's obnoxious and over the top.  it's the kind of display you see on the news from a helicopter aerial view.  each of the neighbors has a protective coating on their windows to avoid the intense lights.  that you can see from a mile away.

there are a number of animated features.  and music playing over a stereo system. 

we introduced some friends to "our" special tradition this year.  it was like seeing the entire thing through new eyes. 

and i'm not going to lie.  i'm kind of freaked out about it.  brad might get his Christmas wish this year if i agree to forego this particular "family" tradition in favor of something a little less CARRIE ish.  i might have to oblige.  Merry Christmas early, Brad!  (but i reserve the right to secretly drive by this place in the future).

fairy tale

once upon a time....

i came to work at the holiday season and mailed my Christmas cards, celebrated with colleagues, wrote numerous blog posts, and took some time off to enjoy family and friends.  also it snowed.

then i was inundated with work, which prevented me from participating in my normal holiday routine.  and there was no snow.

the end.

the moral of the story:   i am thankful to have family and friends to think about and love this holiday season {and able to let go of the fact that i didn't order enough Christmas cards to send out}.  i am thankful to have a job and coworkers to scramble with during one of the most stressful year ends ever.  i am looking forward to blogging my way across wyoming and idaho while listening to a million kid's books on cd.  and reading harry potter to the boys.  and although i will miss my own family dearly, i cannot wait to spend some quality time with brad's folks.  in the snow.

the Christmas story

it's fun to see how everyone makes their homes festive at the holidays.  our little town is putting on a magical light show as families get ready for the annual firehouse hayride and cider festivities this weekend.  i was actually shocked, as i drove into town last night, to notice that my house was visible from miles away.  yikes.  but cool.  stay classy, i always say.

i have special memories of decorating the Christmas tree when i was little.  the tinsel phase.  bubble lights.  the favorite ornament.  a childhood steeped in tradition.  as a young adult i worked painstakingly to create a tree that was a showpiece.  not that there was anyone to show, but i felt like it was the thing to do.  fancy.  the old ornaments were boxed and each year the tree was adorned in some new kind of "special."  then there were babies.  and all that fancy just seemed ridiculous (a collective eye roll and sigh from the family peanut gallery).

needed:  perspective.  

welcome the green m&m.  we picked this one up from the mall.  literally.  because when sp was 2 he wanted it for the tree and mommy said, "no way jose."  it didn't fit the "theme."  so he chucked it across the tile floor and the injuries sustained resulted in a total amputation of the right leg.  and $10, please.  i was so angry at the time.  because it was a tacky, $10, green m&m (not that there's anything wrong with that, lover of green m&m ornaments).  now when i lay eyes on it, funny memories surface.  no longer laced with misplaced bitter.  just one smile for my back pocket.  and the m&m hangs prominently in the front of the tree.  sans "theme."  reminding me that a family is built on memory and tradition.  however simple.  and green.

thanksgiving at the farm

it was such a fun thanksgiving week, home with the boys.  it took about one whole week for us to get used to being home together 24/7 and then it was back to work and school.  tonight we all melted on the sofa for story time.  and by melted i mean melt down.  we were exhausted after a long day of working and learning.  so, cutie pies.  this is all you get today.  i snuck out for a few minutes to walk around my aunt and uncle's farm on thanksgiving.  i'm telling you...i was so full i could hardly move.  but i needed fresh air.  i needed to walk off that stuffing.  it was a beautifully sunshiny colorado day.  full of things to be thankful for.



thanksgiving

this week, especially, i like to think about all of the things i'm particulary thankful for.  to really bask in the glory of what is.  i am really thankful to have this space to write and share.  i'm thankful if any one person reads my words.  i hope everyone has a blessed and wonderful holiday.  see you back here next monday.

{unless something really big happens in the valley...like a 5 point buck in the yard or old moby catches his dream squirrel or sweet pea and beans hold hands on the couch.  unless anything big like that happens, i'm on thanksgiving break with my family}

xoxo

costumania

these pictures may go down in history as some of the worst halloween costume pictures ever taken.  thank goodness you love these boys despite the fact that their mama is camera inept.  and, good thing i took a photography lesson yesterday.  sadly, these are the best photos i took.  yikes. 

just so you know...the only criteria the boys had for their costumes this year were swords.  which were broken 15 minutes after we bought them (that was $3 well spent without having to argue against buying them).  sweet pea reported that there were no swords or guns allowed at school, anyway.  um...yeah...buddy.  learning important lessons in kindergarten...check.   

i wish you could have seen how cute beans was approaching every one in sight and saying arrggghhh.  asking if people knew who he was.  and telling everyone he was a scary pirate.  sweet pea was such a gentleman trick or treating with his lady friend from school.  taking turns being first at the door.  waiting for his brother to catch up. 

it was our first year trick or treating in the new hood.  of course that little town did not disappoint.

ode

everyone.  grab your coffee and join me for a poetry reading.  remember, i started my college experience in portland, or.  there's nothing better than sitting in a coffee shop after powell's to watch the rain and think of nature.  or poetry about nature.  ok..that lasted for 6 months.  and then we were on to other things.  but for old time's sake, shall we?

OCTOBER

Robert Frost

O HUSHED October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;

To-morrow’s wind, if it be wild,

Should waste them all.

The crows above the forest call; 

To-morrow they may form and go.

O hushed October morning mild,

Begin the hours of this day slow,

Make the day seem to us less brief.

Hearts not averse to being beguiled, 

Beguile us in the way you know;

Release one leaf at break of day;

At noon release another leaf;

One from our trees, one far away;

Retard the sun with gentle mist; 

Enchant the land with amethyst.

Slow, slow!

For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,

Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,

Whose clustered fruit must else be lost

For the grapes’ sake along the wall.

i stole this from my csa farm newsletter.  but it just felt fitting.  the temperature is dropping.  for grape's sake!  and just as an aside...when i went to lewis and clark college our floor was co-ed.  including the bathrooms and showers.  my dorm neighbor used to put up gary snyder poetry in the bathroom stall for us to read.  next to the sign that said, "flush only when necessary.  we are in a drought."  and next to the sign that said, "save the spotted owl."  just to put everything in context.  xoxo 

new traditions

our town holds an annual easter egg hunt. it was a blast. i felt completely enveloped by goodness. old timers and new folks having a good old pancake breakfast together just relishing in the joy of the kiddos. sometimes i'm amazed at my good fortune. this place has been magical for our family. xoxo

domo arigato, mr. roboto

i shan't keep you waiting any longer. the boys had a really fun birthday (month). and although i tried to keep the celebrating simple (disneyland!?!), in the end i threw caution to the wind and hosted one last soiree with our family and a couple of friends. and some neighbors. honestly, what would a party be without a few neighbors thrown in for good measure? let's get to my random stream of consciousness on this (i gotta be me). since we moved to the new/ old house (part 1, part 2, part 3), we have been in the process of a major clean up on aisle 5. we have 3 garages and one basement stuffed. stuffed, i say, to the brim with generations worth of things that have never been thrown away (lost and found part 1 and part 2). and, maybe i come from a long line of people who don't like to throw things away. i don't know. but i started thinking of recycling and re purposing and then i saw this idea for a recycled craft. it was here that sweet pea and beans robot birthday party idea was born. we started saving aluminum cans in all shapes and sizes a few months ago. and then scoured the various garages for parts. with the help of my trusty hot glue gun, i started putting the pieces together (we did actually have to buy heavy duty magnets at the store).
i found this really cute, free, clip art on the web and incorporated it into the handmade decorations and correspondence. i borrowed this idea for the invitations and then made them my own.

cupcake toppers

thank you notes

and banner.

now lets stop and talk about making a banner. i think handmade banners are really adorable. and in my over achieving mind i just whipped up a banner on the computer, printed it on leftover card stock, cut those babies out and glued away. i never even stopped to think. about gluing the opposite pieces together. (please notice the strategically placed handmade banner that not a single soul can see the backside of) get it. one side of the banner was all "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" in a festive sort of way, and the other side was "YADHTRIB YPPAH." brad couldn't stop saying YPPAH all day long. and once again...i gotta be me...so close, yet so far away.

here's where we bring all the stream of consciousness back home....are you with me? not only do i live in the house that my father grew up in, but i live across the street from the house my mother grew up in! and my gram (mom's mom) is my last living grandparent. gram doesn't live in our little town anymore (she is in her 80s and suffering from alzheimer's disease). so the best part of the robot birthday party for me, was watching my gram's face when she saw her old neighbors walk into the party. she knew them right away! from across the room. i'm not gonna lie. i cried. now that's what i call a good party.