Last Day of the Year

It’s the last day of the year and I’m sitting in my office. Not my home office in which I have to pick my way through all the “boy stuff” to get to the computer. But the real office where they pay me money to show up and do actual work.

This is not where I want to be today. I’m not sure where exactly I want to be today. Perhaps the zoo. Yea, the zoo. The zoo is really nice in the winter in Florida.

Since it’s the last day of the year, I feel somehow obligated to post about something. Once again, I’m not exactly sure about what. I’m not really one for retrospectives or resolutions. In my opinion, they’re right up there with holiday letters. Yes, 2009 was a year chockfull of momentous occasions and transitions for me. Just as I’m sure 2010 will be. (Hey, I made a rhyme.)

As I sit here, I do have one feeling. Disappointment. Really, I am feeling better. However, I’m a little disappointed for two reasons.

I’m disappointed in myself for letting my communications with some friends (near and far) drop. Yes, the past couple of months have been a tad bit stressful and I’ve been a little overwhelmed with family matters. My family always comes first. But is that an excuse? After reading Suzicate’s postings the past two days on friendship, I’ve realized that I need to take a more active role in my friendships. I could have given up five minutes of sleep to send a friend a note, an email, or even a text just to say hello. I have the stationery and the technology. I plan to use it.

I’m also disappointed at work. Since work is one of my “no-no” topics for my blog, I won’t go into details. I love my job and where I work. But I’ve noticed that some negativity has slipped in through the chinking. Perhaps it got through my defenses because I was overwhelmed with family matters. Whatever the reason, I plan to greet the New Year at work with a big, shiny smile and positive attitude.

Well, now you know what I did for part of my lunch break on the last day of the year. Exciting stuff, eh? Now time to eat some food and get back at it.

Happy New Year!

OK, I Feel Better Now

Amazing what rum… er… xanax… um… a good cry… I mean professional help… ah… a fresh outlook… yes, that’s it… what a fresh outlook can do for a person.

Seriously, I do feel better and I’m looking forward to spending the last few days of my vacation with my guys.

The last week hasn’t been all down-in-the-dumps. Here are a few highlights and some things I’ve learned:

• My guys each received LED headlamps in their stockings. S will probably use his for practical uses like working on the truck. The boys (collectively known as the doofi) will probably use their headlamps for nocturnal Nerf dart gun assaults.
  
  
• I received my very first gift ever in a little blue box. You know, the little blue box that EVERY girl loves. Sweetie, if you’re reading this, you can give me something from the little blue box store any time!
  
  
• I also received not the Cadillac but the Bentley of slow-cookers. As I unwrapped my Kitchen-Aid slow-cooker, I instantly received requests for pulled pork sandwiches for New Year’s Eve. Pulled pork along with pecan pie should make for a real Southern evening. Y’all come!
  
  
• Our Canadian neighbors have returned for the season and this year they brought a dog. So far it’s not going so well.

• I forgot to buy batteries for G-Man’s RC helicopter. So the day after Christmas we were at Target buying rechargeable batteries and dish soap while everyone else was stockpiling wrapping paper and gift tags. (I ran out of dish soap on Christmas Eve. It must have been on the same shopping list as the batteries.)
  
  
• While sitting at a stoplight, G-Man and I reached an agreement. I agreed to be more patient in the future and he promised to try to listen better.
  
  
• Somehow the den has devolved into a “man cave” and I didn’t even realize that it was happening. More on that later… it’s worthy of its own blog post.
  
  
• When I was in bed for two days with a low-grade fever and a sinus infection Molly stuck to me like rubber cement. When I wanted to crawl in bed and mope Molly woofed at me and tried to pull me out of bed. Ever been pulled out of bed by a Great Dane?
  
  
• I discovered that having a discussion with G-Man about school work is like listening to someone talk their way out of a traffic ticket.
  
  
• Jeri Ryan plays Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager. Her character’s bodysuit is… remarkable. After a four-night marathon of watching Star Trek, I couldn’t keep my eyes off Seven’s breasts. I don’t even want to know what my teenage sons were thinking.
  
  
• I met my father’s cousin from Slidell, Louisiana. She’s a sweet lady. However, it was reaffirmation that I’m thankful that I no longer live in THAT state. Two years was long enough.
  
  
• I also learned that expecting my sister to act responsible is like ordering a filet mignon at McDonald’s and expecting to get one.

Tonight the guys and I are going out for sushi and Sherlock Holmes. Most women my age seem to have a thing for Robert Downey Jr. Nope, not me. I'm going to see Jude Law.

18 Months

Last week at the office I was working on a long-range project. I wrote down a date and then I stared at it.

June 30, 2011.

Mr. A will graduate from high school in 2011. In fact, by June 30th of that year he will already have graduated. If all goes according to his plans, he will have left for the US Naval Academy by June 30th.

June 30, 2011 is only 18 months away.

Eighteen months isn't a very long time but a lot can happen. I've been pregnant for a total of 18 months of my life. An infant goes from conception to sitting up, crawling, and eating food in 18 months. That same child can go from birth to walking and talking in 18 months. Eighteen months ago I was preparing for my spinal fusion surgery.

In 18 months my son will either be preparing for college or be a Plebe at the Academy and therefore technically a legal adult in the Naval Reserves at the age of 17.

My son that I have loved every single minute of every single day since the moment he was born. Every. Precious. Minute. I knew motherhood was a life-long job before I took it. But I didn't know that parts of it go by in a flash.

Mr. A at 18 months of age

Therapy, Thy Name is Knitting

Let's face it. This holiday season kicked my butt. It kicked my butt and didn't even bother to ask my name.

During a stressful time I usually turn to a hobby to distract myself and help pull myself out of my funk. Normally, I would either cook or quilt. But this time I was too far gone for either of those activities. They require too much thought. Heck, quilting requires geometry!

So for the past few weeks I've turned to knitting. I am by no means a good knitter. I'm a lefty and I taught myself using a book for a right-handed person. What I do is some form of bastard knitting but it seems to hold together. I'm not that experienced either. My repertoire consists of scarves, chemo caps, and one lone baby blanket.

Lately, I've cranked out scarves while watching Christmas movies and a Star Trek Borg marathon with my guys. Knitting is repetitive. It's almost a form of meditation. My mind can go blank and before I know it I've knitted six inches without a single mistake. I knit until I go to bed with my old piano injury aching.

I'm not out of my funk yet and I see a lot of knitting in my future. Does anyone need a scarf?

Free Taco for Boxing Day

The true origins of Boxing Day aren't clear. I used to think that it meant you had to figure out where to store all the leftover boxes from Christmas until next year.

Boxing Day is a public holiday on December 26th in the UK and her Commonwealths. One theory is that it was the day that the poor boxes in the churches were opened and the coins distributed to the needy. All the other theories are variations on the theme of charity.

In Florida there is a large homeless/indigent/transient population mostly because of the mild winter weather. Do you ever see these people at intersections? Do you roll down your window and hand them a buck? Do you hand them one of the granola bars that you keep stashed in the car for when the kids get hungry and unruly? Or do you look straight ahead and pretend not to see them?

I admit that I do the latter. I do it because I'm afraid. I'm afraid because I think any money I hand out will go to drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes. I'm afraid that if I hand them food in lieu of money they might get mad. I'm afraid that their perfectly hand-lettered signs are a lie and they're not really homeless vets. I don't want to dishonor our true veterans in that manner.

But then my co-worker inadvertently sent me a solution. Taco Bell is giving away one million free tacos. All you have to do is print out the coupon and the offer is good until the first million are redeemed.

The next time you're sitting at a traffic light and you see someone with their hand out, hand them a coupon for a free taco. It's not money that can be spent on something other than food. It's not food directly. If they don't want it, they can toss it. No harm, no foul.

Just Call Me Sparky

Have you ever felt like Clark Griswald from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation? All he wanted was a good old-fashioned family Christmas. He wanted everything to be perfect. Nothing goes right for him. No matter how hard he tries.

About three-quarters of the way through the movie Clark has a meltdown. I can totally feel for Clark. Now I haven't gotten to the point where I've taken a chainsaw to the neighbor's tree or even the newel post. Nor have I offered to drive a relative out to the middle of nowhere and leave them for dead. But I have stressed myself out needlessly.

Each year I think "This is the year." I can't tell you how many years I've tried to please EVERYONE and as a result I've only made myself miserable.

This year, at the last minute, we decided to scale back... tremendously.

Tonight when my Sweetie and the boys get home from visiting with some of his relatives we will enjoy a quiet relaxing evening that will include big bowls of chili. Maybe later we'll have mulled wine and the boys can have mulled cider. Tomorrow will bring a big family breakfast of pain perdu and a day spent in pjs. On Boxing Day (whatever that is) we'll visit some of my family.

Below are some photos of our simplified decorations. I even made paper chains this year. Says the girl who covets paper. I haven't made paper chains since the 5th grade because they're such a hassle to hold together while the glue dries. Then I realized double-stick tape. Duh!

Last week a dear friend of mine gave me a jade charm of a peace dove. I guess I didn't realize how much peace I need in my life right now. I plan to enjoy the peace of the next few days. May peace be with you also.

Merry Christmas!

A Stationery Addict

The Christmas cards I bought (on sale) this year are colorful and fun. They are designed by Kate Spade and made by Crane. They are 100% cotton fiber. They are smooth and lovely to write on. They come with lined envelopes.

They are still in the box.

Maybe next yext year.

A DQ Restaurant and I don’t mean Dairy

To wrap up our wholesome family outing to view Victorian Christmas decorations we decided to stop for lunch. We went to Ybor City looking for a pub that served beers from around the world. Alas, the pub is no longer in business so we had to find an alternative. My Sweetie spied a restaurant called Hamburger Mary’s and we decided to give it a try. Here’s a tip… When in Ybor City be prepared for anything when you walk into an unknown establishment.

When I saw the sign below, I tried to convince my guys to go to the sports bar next door. But the aroma of hamburgers was too alluring.



The restaurant was decorated with style. In addition to the creative mosaic tile floors and modern light fixtures there were mannequin legs wearing fishnets and pumps, feather boas, and velour covered bar stools. The prints on the bar stools included hot pink zebra and purple leopard. There were TVs around the restaurant playing music videos. The channel must have been set on Pop Diva because we saw Madonna, Britney, Beyonce, Mariah, Pink, Lady Gaga, and a few others I didn’t know.

Most of the customers were male couples leaned in close for conversation in spite of or because of the TVs. There were a few straight couples sitting outside. But we were by far the only family of four in the restaurant.

I don’t know who had a harder time keeping a straight face when we ordered our lunch – the waiter or me. Mr. A and I ordered the Blue Boy Burger, S ordered the Mary Burger, and G-Man ordered the Macho Nachos complete with Rainbow Chips. If anyone had ordered the Queen Burger I would have lost it because I had an SNL skit going through my head that included the phrase, “the Prince of Wales was reared by a Queen.”

The food was excellent! We all greatly enjoyed our burgers. However, G-Man wasn’t too thrilled with his nachos despite their colorfulness.

Throughout our flamboyant dining experience I had to shush G-Man a few times. For example, when our server kissed some friends good-bye. After I finally dispelled a few common misconceptions, he relaxed a little bit.

I did have to clamp my hand over my own mouth when our server tried to entice us with dessert. Their signature dessert is a deep fried Twinkie. Justin, our cute server, described it as a “carnival in your mouth.” My Sweetie reminded me that Justin was on the other side of the fence and I replied that I didn’t care because he was still cute.

I finally laughed out loud when the check arrived in a patent red pump, size 6 and Justin referred to S as “Big Man.”

Once outside the restaurant, we all burst into laughter. I giggled all the way to the car. We had a great time. The food and service were excellent. Hamburger Mary’s is a franchise and the only national franchise that openly markets to the gay community. If you want a fabulous burger, go to Mary’s.

Note: Mary is a name that drag queens often call each other.

Victorian Christmas Stroll

Every year the Henry B. Plant Museum decorates for Christmas and hosts a Victorian Christmas Stroll. This year my Sweetie took the boys and I to see the museum and the decorations. The museum is located in one wing of the the old Tampa Bay Hotel which is now the main building for The University of Tampa.

Henry Plant was a railroad tycoon during the Gilded Age in America. He built the Tampa Bay Hotel to attract visitors to Florida. Opened in 1891, the hotel is a striking brick building with moorish-style windows, stainless steel minerets, and ornate gingerbread. Teddy Roosevelt even used the hotel as a base of operations in Tampa for his Rough Riders before setting out for Cuba to fight in the Spanish-American War.

A small hint of the architecture. I have gads more photos!

Wreaths hung on the lobby windows overlooking the front veranda.

Detail of fireplace mantle deocrations.

One of the fireplaces in the gentlemen's Writing & Reading Room. The decorations are embellished with such manly things as cigar boxes, cigars, and chess pieces.

These ornate mirrors lined the hallways. I wonder if they are the originals that used to hang in the guest rooms.



The Plant Railroad logo turned into a Christmas ornament.

Giant Victorian Christmas tree at the end of the hall. Notice the "Teddy" bear sitting in the rocker.

No More Cookies, Please!

Wow, those are words I never thought I would say since cookies are my second favorite food group. But if you walked through my office building, you would understand. I believe that almost every employee and volunteer has made some sort of baked good and brought it to work. We also have more volunteers than employees and they seem to have a lot of time on their hands and a keen interest in baking.

If Bacchus served sweets and pastries, my office could rival one of his blow outs.

So far I haven't over indulged. A plateful of assorted, homemade cookies from someone I don't know is enough of a deterrent for me. But there are some treats that co-workers make that I look forward to each year.

Plus the aromas can be awfully distracting. Yesterday afternoon I knew that I smelled cinnamon and sugar from somewhere. It was driving me nuts. I finally discovered the coffee cake one cubicle over. I was able to pass because it already looked like it had been set upon by a pack of wolves.

That makes me wonder how much weight my co-workers will collectively gain this holiday season.

Are Holiday Letters Necessary?

Technology keeps us connected more than ever before. With email, cell phones, unlimited texting, blogging, FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube, and Skype, we don’t have to go more than a few minutes without an update from friends and family all over the world. This makes me wonder if holiday letters are on the road to extinction.

Personally, I don’t care for the holiday letter (sans signature) stuffed into a Christmas card as if processed by a mail house. I attempted the holiday letter one year but I felt as if I was trying to write an annual report for work. I quickly ditched the project.

I don’t come from a large, extended family so the tradition of the holiday letter isn’t ingrained in me. My husband, on the other hand, has 28 first cousins. It would take an entire gymnasium floor to map out his family tree.

But for me I don’t feel the letter is necessary. All of the people that I would send Christmas cards to, I already communicate with them on a regular basis throughout the year. Why would I send a card to my friend from high school that I haven’t seen since Christmas break freshman year in college when we’re not even friends on FaceBook?

I’ve discovered that holiday letters fall into two categories… the good and the bad. School teachers and folks who travel a lot tend to write the most interesting letters. The rest aren’t so good. Within the bad category there are two subsets:

· The family with children who brag about their perfect children. Funny how we never hear about the C on the report card, the temper tantrums in the middle of the store, the refusal to go to bed, the trips to the principal’s office, etc...

· The older family friends and relatives that tell you all about their gall stones, kidney stones, pacemakers, colonoscopies, etc…

Then there’s the letter written in the third person. Ugh! This one grates on my nerves the most because it is the most impersonal. The author often thinks that he/she is writing it in the narrative style. But it often falls short and comes across sounding like a sports announcer reciting baseball statistics.

This year if I get around to sending out the Christmas cards that I bought on Veterans Day, they will have a personal hand-written note, an actual signature, and be hand addressed. They will not be cheap drugstore photo cards with our names already printed on them or include a two-page PLRH family annual report. You can just go back through the blog archives instead.

In the meantime, I need to finish signing the 400 holiday cards for work. Which will NOT be hand addressed.

Well, butter me with jelly and call me a biscuit!

That's my elementary attempt at a Southern exclamation.

A situation at work yesterday had me swearing like a sailor (under my breath). Trust me, I can. But I don't make it part of my everyday speech.

Over the years, I've tried to find more creative ways of to express my frustration. The phrase "fudge monkeys" has become a favorite of mine. Unfortunately, fudge monkeys didn't adequately represent my level of frustration yesterday.

Since I've recently resolved to embrace my Southerness, I decided to try my hand at the seemingly, nonsensical Southern exclamation. Is there any formula to follow? Are there hidden meanings? Symbolism? Or am suppose to shout whatever comes to mind first?

I Say Merry Christmas

Personally, I feel that as a society as a whole, we've gone a little too far with the political correctness.

While at a function at the high school last week, my Sweetie and I noticed that the three decorated bulletin boards in the media center (what we used to call the library) declared: "Happy Hanukkah", "Happy Kwanza", and "Happy Holidays." I asked where was the bulletin board that said, "Merry Christmas." Both boys told me that the word "Christmas" isn't allowed in school.

Now I'm a firm believer of separation of Church and State...

BUT I don't want to open that can of worms here. I'd rather share some of the overly politically correct song lyrics that the boys and I came up with for popular Christmas Carols...

OLD VERSION: "...may all of your Christmases be white."
NEW VERSION: "...may all of your holidays be culturally diverse."

OLD VERSION: "Don we now our gay apparel..."
NEW VERSION: "Don we now our alternative-lifestyle apparel..."

OLD VERSION: "Have yourself a merry little Christmas..."
NEW VERSION: "Have yourself an over-commercialized, paid-day-off-from-work, gift-exchange..."

OLD VERSION: "Carol of the Bells"
NEW VERSION: "Carol of the Cell Phones"

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Tonsils Strike Back

Mr. A has tonsillitis... again. He missed school... again. He had to go to the doctor... again. He's on antibiotics... again.

Since Mr. A arrived at the doctor's office with a fever and a cough, the receptionist gave him the lovely fashion accessory that he's modeling above. It's the latest trend this flu season. Luckily, he doesn't have any sort of flu. But ironically, now that he's on antibiotics, he won't be able to get the H1N1 vaccine at school on Wednesday.

This is Mr. A's second case of tonsillitis in one month. He only needs two more bouts in the next five months to be eligible for a tonsillectomy. Oh yea, fun stuff.

Both our family practice doctor and I agreed that there shouldn't be any smooching between Mr. A and his girlfriend until he's finished the course of meds. In fact, we decided that G-Man will be their chaperon for the duration. Nothing douses teenage hormones like a little brother hanging around. Of course, G-Man doesn't know what he's done to deserve this sort of punishment.

Navy Football, Christmas Shopping, and Stress

True to PLRH family tradition, yesterday I went Christmas shopping in the morning with my mom and in the afternoon watched the Army/Navy football game with my guys. The Army/Navy football game is the last regular season NCAA game of the year. Navy has won it for eight years in a row. The longest run in a 100+ year rivalry. GO NAVY! (Sorry Marcia. Do you still love me?)

For some reason this year I'm extremely disorganized with my shopping, decorating, cleaning, baking, mailing, etc. Last month Uncommon Blonde posted a 12-week organization schedule for the holiday season. Well, I'm now about 13 weeks behind schedule. I don't mind the shopping and baking. But I really wish some cleaning and decorating elves would come visit my house one night this week.

Festival of Lights

A better name for a holiday doesn’t exist. Festival of Lights. It just makes me happy to say it. Light implies celebration, warmth, strength, knowledge, and safety.

When Mr. A was 6 years old and he still watched children’s TV shows, he came up to me and wished me “Happy Hanukkah.” The Disney Channel was showing their diversity by running PSAs with messages of Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanza. Mr. A thought Hanukkah was Christmas in a foreign language.

I explained to him that Hanukkah was a totally different holiday. He instantly suspected that he was missing out on something and asked why we didn’t celebrate it. I simply told him because we weren’t Jewish (that’s an entire conversation for another time).

Since he was (and still is) such an inquisitive child, he wanted to know more about the holiday. I was embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know that much about Hanukkah. I grew up in a town with a large Jewish demographic. In fact, our town didn’t have a YMCA but rather a YWHA. That’s right, a Jewish Y. By the time I graduated high school, a large portion of my friends were Jewish but I still couldn’t sufficiently explain Hanukkah.

I researched the internet and quizzed a Jewish co-worker so I could provide my son with an intelligent answer. I learned of the miracle of Hanukkah and was uplifted. Yes, I realize that Hanukkah is a lesser Jewish holiday but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful.

Then I got to thinking. Technically, Jesus was Jewish and he would have celebrated Hanukkah. So why couldn’t my family? Unfortunately, no one in my family warmed to the idea. But that doesn’t stop me from lighting as many candles in my house as I can. The candles lit at Christmastime symbolize the light of Christ and the light still fills me with a sense of celebration, warmth, strength, knowledge, and safety.

Happy Hanukkah

Handmade Ornaments

My favorite ornaments on our Christmas tree have always been the ones handmade with love...

G-Man holding his handprint-snowmen ornament that he made 5 years ago.

Mr. A's hand-painted tree made 11 years ago.

One of the hand tatted snowflakes my Great-Aunt Alice made 26 years ago.

What are your favorite holiday decorations?

PLRH is to Pines Lake as Pops is to Oak Park

The verdict is in. This Yankee is officially a Florida Girl. I'm proud to say that in the past 15 years I've never had to shovel snow, drive in the snow, or stuff a toddler into a snowsuit. But if the tourists ever push me to the brink and I flee to Montana, I now know that flannel sheets combined with radiant floor heating rock.

The absolute, hands-down best part of my trip to Oak Park was seeing my father's hometown through his eyes. If you've never visited your parent(s)' hometown with them, I highly recommend it. All my life I've heard about Oak Park and it's always been a mystery to me but now it's real.

My father hasn't lived in Oak Park for 60 years but he can relate the most minute details... The Borders book store downtown used to be Marshall Fields. That real estate office was the corner drugstore. That coffee shop used to be the florist where Pops bought corsages for his dance dates. The student fare on the "el" used to be 3 cents. The original public library where he worked after school was torn down and replaced with a modern glass and steel structure.

Pops took my brother and I on a driving tour of Oak Park. I didn't think to bring my camera. He showed us the hospital where he was born. We saw the park when he was three he fell off the swing and the wooden seat slammed into the back of his head. His father had to pull the splinters out of his scalp. Yes, his accident-proneness started at an early age.

We saw the Lutheran church where he went to kindergarten and then the parish school where he attended grammar school. He drove past his Catholic high school that was all boys at the time. It's now quadrupled in size and is co-ed. We also saw the public high school that my aunt attended.

We drove past the apartment building where he and his family lived. We saw the post office built by the WPA where Pops got his first Social Security card. The YMCA where he learned how to swim has been converted back to residences.

At the end of our tour, we drove across the street to the neighboring village of River Forest. We stopped at the tavern that my father's aunt and uncle owned until the 1940's and all had a pint. The tavern had to be in Forest Park because Oak Park used to be a dry village. Pops worked there after school when he was in high school. During our visit he just about choked when he found out that drafts were $4.50. He told the bartender that when he worked there a draft beer was 10 cents. The bartender just looked at him with a "does not compute" look on his face.

My favorite part of the tour was when Pops pointed out the Unity Temple and he told us that he went to dances there every weekend. I told him that it looked like a Frank Lloyd Wright design (I doubled checked and it is). Pops did a double-take and replied, "Huh, really?" I found that so funny that I had to go back and take a photo.

Back to Sunny(?) Florida

As you read this, I will be somewhere in my journey between Oak Park, IL and sunny(hopefully) Florida. It's been a marathon six days with lots of fun moments and good memories but I will be glad to leave the snow and freezing temps behind me for at least another 15 years. I quickly adjusted to the northern weather however this whole winter coat thing is such a hassle. Plus if it weren't for the beautiful pashima given to me by my dear friend, LHB, my neck would have frozen days ago.

I will be elated to have hugs and kisses from my Sweetie and the boys, excessive amounts of attention from Molly, and sleep in my own bed.

Wednesday I'll be back to the daily grind. Thank goodness because I could really use some rest after this trip.

However, I plan to do some housekeeping of my own very soon. You wouldn't believe what you find out about a person when you clean out their drawers and closets!

Aw Shucks!

SuziCate over at the Water Witch's Daughter bestowed upon me some more blog bling and I'm extremely grateful. Go over and visit SuziCate. Her writings are genuine, heartfelt, and down-to-earth. I especially enjoy the stories she tells of her childhood. She also has two sons in their 20's so the posts about her children give me a head's up of what's to come with Mr. A and G-Man. PLUS she's a quilter!

Thanks again SuziCate!

Trip to Downtown Chicago

This morning my father, brother, and I got on the "El" and rode to downtown Chicago so I could visit the Art Institute of Chicago. I could have spent two or three days in the museum but I consider myself fortunate that my traveling companions were able to tolerate it for two hours.

Even though photography was allowed in the galleries (except for the Caravaggio special exhibition) I couldn't bring myself to take photos of the artwork. Besides that I was so busy enjoying the art that I forgot that I had my camera with me.

Riding the el.

Sears Tower shot quickly from the el.

The Modern Wing at the AIC.

Elephant deity (India)... just for G-Man

Does this photo remind anyone of a popular 80's movie?
This also happens to be my second favorite painting I saw today. I forgot to take a photo of my favorite but I did buy a postcard at the Museum Shop. I'll have to scan it when I get home.

One of the Michigan Avenue lions.

Both Michigan Avenue lions "wreathed" for the holidays.

Dressed in my layers.

Frank Lloyd Wright Walking Tour

My brother and I went a on brisk walking tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright houses in Oak Park this afternoon. When I say brisk, I mean brisk. It was only 25 degrees today. Luckily we could pick up the tour route at the end of the block. We were freezing so we didn't dawdle and kept moving in order to keep warm. I was able to snap a few quick photos...

Look at the size of that chimney above. Just image the size of the fireplace that it's attached to! No problems roasting a pig on a spit for Christmas dinner.

I think this was my least favorite house. There are a lot of details but there are too many styles. You can tell that FLW hadn't found his own unique style yet. As my grandmother used to say, "That guy who built all the ugly houses."

This is my favorite house in the area. My photo doesn't do it justice. It looks it's best at night when all of the leaded glass windows are lit up and sparkling. Amazing.

We didn't exactly walk the tour in the order suggested by the Museum. So as we came back around the block we came across his earliest houses. I didn't take photos because they seemed so unimpressive after seeing these houses.

Off Like a Prom Dress

Later today my father and I will fly to Chicago. We're going to my aunt's condo in Oak Park on the outskirts of the city. The order of business will be to clean out the condo and get it ready to sell. Sounds like fun, right? Even though I'll be sorting through drawers and closets for the next few days, I'm really looking forward to this trip for several reasons...

• My brother from NJ will meet us there. I haven't seen him since last Thanksgiving.

• I haven't seen a city decorated for Christmas since I was in college.

• I haven't been up north during the winter in 15 years.

• I haven't been out of the state of Florida in over 5 years. OK, there's one exception. When my sister still lived in NC I drove up there and back one weekend to pick up the Danish furniture. It was essentially a four-day anxiety attack so it doesn't count.

• I will FINALLY get to see where my father grew up! I've heard stories about Oak Park all my life and now I will see it for real.

• I'm hoping to spend a day in Chicago and visit the Art Institute.

• Oak Park is the home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Studio & Workshop. If the weather is clear, I want to take photos of the plethora of Prairie-style architecture.

• Oak Park is also the birthplace of Ernest Hemingway. But I really don't care too much about that after we accidentally went to Key West on Hemingway's birthday a few years ago.

And my final reason to be excited about this trip...

I wonder if all the hardware in my back will set off the metal detectors at the airport.

George Lassos the Moon

Last night S and the G-Man put the lights on our Christmas tree. To help them get in the mood I popped It’s a Wonderful Life into the DVD player. Many people believe that movie is the quintessential Christmas movie. I simply think it’s a great movie… Christmas-themed or otherwise.

It’s a Wonderful Life also happens to star one of my all-time favorite actors, Jimmy Stewart. He was a fabulous actor and an overall great guy. The enthusiasm that Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey is infectious and always makes me smile.

Below is my favorite scene from the movie (with the exception of the famous ending). It’s not Christmas related but it’s sure to warm your heart. Remember ladies, if a man offers you the moon, reply, “I’ll take it.”

Let the Decorating Begin!

Yes, I have a silly rule that we can't decorate for Christmas until the calendar reads December. But this year I had to bend the rules a little bit because Advent started in November. Advent marks the four Sundays before Christmas. Candles were used centuries ago before wall calendars were common place in kitchens to help the everyday folks countdown to Christmas. I light the candles because I remember the candles from Church and I remember watching my mother light candles at home when I was little.

We've also had a nude conifer in our family room since Friday. My Sweetie had an excellent point that we should buy a tree early and get it in some water so that it will last longer. Now that it's December we can start decorating tonight!

No, really, I'm not a control freak. At least not totally. I'll let the guys put the lights on the tree.