Deuces

Highlights of home include playing with Lincoln Logs: And having Charmaine, Cheyanne and Charisma over for a slumber party.  Sayler insisted on sleeping with Cheyanne- kicking me to the proverbial curb. Highlights include a year-over-year photo opp to show how rapidly Charlie is growing and how my 'surprise' face remains exactly. the. same.  Aged 12- easily 5' 10" nowadays...   Christmas 2013:     Christmas, 2014 Highlights of home include playing my first iPod.  It cost me a fortune over a decade ago and houses all of my oldest and dearest albums that are only here and not in some... cloud...  Randomly hearing Depeche Mode 's greatest pop up in my playlists makes me smile while I clean, work, Facebook, dance, think, write, muse, chide.  And one of my top 5 favorite songs of all time winds up in the rotation... (tell me this song doesn't make you so happy that you just about burst...)   ...

My body hurts.   It feels like I went clubbing.   I guess I kind of did.   It was Christmas at our house- which always has an unexpected twist each year.  And this year, among several twists and dramatic moments (including ruffled feathers in the adult gift exchange) the most enlightening part of the evening is when Chris, aged 42, pulled everyone into the kitchen for a "robot dance competition".  Despite the pride I put into my 20 seconds in the circle, it was my nephew, Nathaniel, who won the prize.  We were pretty silly last night.    (There was a lot of Mark Ronson's latest played throughout the evening.)   I got all the things I needed and could want from Christmas day. I welled up reading Ariel's Christmas card and opening her 'main' gift to me- a jumpsuit I had randomly  pointed out several months ago as we were window shopping.   And she remembered and obviously splurged on it an...

Up early to start baking fresh breads for our evening fete.   Up by 7 a.m. to sit by the fire sola, beaming as I concoct the "Thank You" letter from Santa to Sayler.   Sitting idly, warmly, as I think of Sayler, Ariel and my Husband sleeping soundly.   Smiling widely as I remember last night watching Into the Storm with those same 3 and my mom who quipped "this isn't very Christmassy..."   Feeling excited as I picture my mom's face at the surprise gift for her- a hand-crafted table with a careful paint and stain that Lloyd labored over for many days and nights.  Today he and I will deliver it and place the carefully measured table to perfectly fit her kitchen.   Feeling so thankful for all the presents under the tree-a sign that we can afford them for each other-that we are employed and earn and are giving with ourselves and others because we can be.   And though I haven't at all peeked, by my husband's...

Maria reprimanded me for lack of blogs... and it isn't because I don't have much to say...it is, perhaps, because I have too much to say.   Too many things in a year gone by too quickly... too slowly... too painfully in the growing department, too full in the raising of a daughter department.  Too many things I once wanted to share that I now hold too close.... privately, quietly, with great uncertainty.  But I had, for certain, one of the best days of the year last Friday. That... I want to share.   Each December my brother, Corbin, along with all local fire department and police personnel get gratis entry into our favorite amusement park.   It's a time to be kids, to visit the endless craft vendors in Ghost Town, toddle through Camp Snoopy and take a ride on Montezuma's Revenge- the roller coaster I first rode with Corbin nearly 30 years ago when we went with our parents for the Halloween 'Knott's Scary Farm' adventure.     ...

2013 has been kind to us. Surrounded by family, good friends, good health, lots of laughter and lots of love.  Few regrets, lots of lessons, some losses.  Tears of joy, tears of disappointment, summer heat, winter warmth, holidays, celebrations, birthdays, memorials, memories.  Lives beginning, relationships forming, luck ending, and coming back 'round, again. Ella Joy: Reagan Kingston Cambria

'Twas 2013,  December the Twenty, When good friends, together, Were laughing a plenty, Roll call was such: Lizzy, Amber, Melissa, Lisa, Jess Plus one more hostess we'll dub the "hot mess", We drank a little too much, we did our clothing exchange, and then what happened, was something quite strange, In a moment of drunken wisdom, we decided it best, to take out the camera, and put timer to test, Here's what ensued, (judgmental, don't be) This is just how, We likes to partee.