I'm Back!

Well, I'm back. We flew back late Thursday and due to some weather issues, we didn't land back in Great Falls until one in the morning Friday. Needless to say, it was a long journey with the three boys.

I don't think I'll go into any detail about my trip. It was great to be with family over the holidays, but it's a busy time to travel. Not to mention that it's hard to adjust to another way of doing Christmas when you've set your own traditions with your kids. All in all, we were all spoiled and we're all glad to be home.Yesterday we all slept in and reveled in being home. Today we're still in our jammies and thinking about unpacking everything. Instead of going out and partying like rock stars, Craig and I are going to stay home with the boys and play some board games. We'll stay up to watch Dick Clarke's last ball drop and then we'll be off to bed. I expect a phone call from my brother just after midnight. He calls every year at that time to wish me a happy birthday.

Yes, tomorrow’s my birthday. I'll be 34. I never care about my age it's the day of my birth I've never really liked. It's so anti-climactic to have your birthday New Year's Day. Everyone's burnt out from the holidays, broke and usually hung over, what fun is that? Of course, my first birthday with Craig changed a lot of that. He's always managed to take something I feel shitty about and turn it into something great!

We were at my sister's house for New Year's Eve. We brought over some Bombay Sapphire Gin and he proceeded to get everyone drunk. He made us all laugh! He even got my sister whose afraid of flying say that she'd go sky diving with us. At midnight he brought out this huge present for me. I unwrapped it to find another wrapped box and then another and another. When I finally got to the last box, I found a silver and gold cuff bracelet. It was a storyteller bracelet from Arizona where he was working at the time. It was beautiful and thoughtful and every time I wear that lovely piece of jewelry I smile.

It's his quirkiness, kind heart and sense of fun that made my birthday so awesome. He got together with my family and allowed us to cut loose without any baggage and bullshit. He made the night fun and light. He does that a lot! His sense of humor is a finely tuned defense mechanism from his childhood. He uses it to lighten the mood and bring the tension down. He always manages to make me smile even when I don't think I want to. I love that he turned my birthday into a special day and a happy day.

Anyway, I'm happy to be home! I missed all of my internet friends and I look forward to catching up with all of you. Have a joyful New Year and may 2006 be full of adventure!!!

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, MY FRIENDS!!!!

Well, it's official...Carroll College Saints are NAIA champions for the FOURTH time!!! GO SAINTS!

The final score was Saints 27-Cougars 10. I have to admit I was a bit freaked out when St. Francis scored a field goal in the first few minutes of the game, but that just lit the fire under the Saints and they answered that 3 pointer with a touchdown!!!

All in all it was a great game and I was so thrilled that my cable company gave us a preview of CSTV so we could watch it here.

The bowling ally outing was fun and now me and my guys are all nestled in for a cozy winter evening. Tomorrow starts the madness of packing for a 9 day trip for a family of five! It should be this complex battle of matching sox and planning outfits for weather in a different place. I'm sure it will all work out fine, but not my idea of a good time.

I may get a chance to post one more time before we leave, but if I don't...

Merry Christmas!!!

Oh, Tiny and JQP, you owe me!

SEX AND FOOTBALL

So starting a Saturday with great morning sex, getting to watch my alma mater kick some butt on tv and then taking my kids for bowling...it doesn't get better than this!

Right now it's half time and it's Carroll College Saints 17 and Saint Francis Cougars 3!!!

GO SAINTS!!!!!


If anyone is getting CSTV look for my dad in the stands!

Being Busy, Carroll Football and Memories

So I haven't blogged much lately because I've been doing the baking, decorating, shopping, mailing, and Christmas-card writing thing. It's all so exhausting. Traveling next week has encouraged me to get a lot of stuff done early, so that's good. Usually cards would've waited, but they're almost all done. I also started knitting scarves for Craig's nieces. He thinks I'm insane to start a project this late, but that's how I operate. I do well under pressure.

In other news I have an editor's note from my last post. Carroll is playing for its fourth straight NAIA championship, not fifth. At this blog we strive for accuracy in reporting the facts! The game's this Saturday, so I will be doing a football win dance as I attend a Christmas bowling party with my kids. The dance is much like an Indian rain dance, but there's beer drinking and booty shaking involved.

So, I've been sort of bi-polar in a sense lately. I get giddy with excitement for Christmas because of the kids. Their joy and anticipation is so contagious! I also realize that although I complain about how busy they keep me with all of their activities and such, I love this time in our lives because I realize how short it is and that we are making many happy memories! I love that we're starting our own traditions and that our five person family is its own entity; not my family, not his family, but OUR family. But, the flip side is, as many of you can relate, the holidays can be depressing. I find myself thinking about my mom and brother. They've both passed in the last two years. The holidays are tough without them.

Lately, I've also started to reminisce about Christmas' past. You know when you're a kid; you kind of always think that things are going to be that way forever. When I was a kid, we all were together at my parent’s house. Christmas Eve was an open buffet of food, food, food. All of the Christmas baking was out. The house smelled of anise and something else you can only equate to home. We would all go to church and then back to mom's to eat. We would sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and one of the grandkids would put baby Jesus in the Nativity scene. For many years we opened presents that night. Bows, boxes and wrapping would seem to explode all over the house. More often than not, my mom would beg "the girls" to sing some of her favorites. She almost always got her way. We'd turn around and have a big feast for Christmas dinner. She loved to make a big fancy dinner with escargot as the opening course. All of us would be wearing a Christmas present; a sweater, slippers, or sporting something that we received and might not wear ever again. The kids would have their favorite toy in hand (this may or may not end up breaking before the night was over)! We'd laugh a lot, eat a lot, sing and someone would end up in a fight and/or tears!

As years passed and our family multiplied these events became more and more chaotic. It started to get harder and harder to get us all together. Mom and Dad were getting too old to do everything at their house. No one else had the space for our huge clan. We might all meet at church and then have dessert at someone's house. After awhile just the singles got together for the fancy dinner's at moms. One year dad emailed all of us a course to prepare from Sunset magazine. That was interesting! That was the year my brother brought some skank girlfriend to dinner. She ended up laying next to him on the floor of the family room after the meal and dry-humped his leg in front of God and everyone. I wanted to shoot her on the spot. He said it was because she was European, I say it was because she was a classless ho!

But I digress! I guess it's hard getting older when you realize things will never be that way again. My dad sold that big house on Mandan road this year. My mom is gone, Jonny's gone. My kids will never be a part of all of that insanity. They'll never know what it's like to have my mom beg them to perform! I certainly won't be making escargot for Christmas dinner any time soon. Everyone's doing their own thing, which is good in many ways. Geez, I don't even go to church any more. I find myself feeling sad, melancholy and just missing. And then there are my three boys. Those beasties don't give me long to wallow. They throw questions at me like, "how does Santa bring presents to kids with no chimney?" CJ said, "Will you sing that Let it Snow song? I just love that song!" Now how can you sing, "Oh the weather outside is frightful..." and be sad? You can't. I guess I need to just be thankful for the yin and yang. How can you relish in all the joy without knowing that deep down sadness?

Oh When the Saints Go Marchin' In...

My Alma Mater, Carroll College Saints are going to the NAIA championship for the 5th time in a row!!!!! GO SAINTS! They'll be playing the University of St. Francis, JQP's Alma Mater!!!

Oh how I wish I could be tailgating in Tennessee with the Blogger Public! The Saints defeated the Cougars last year in a courageous battle! The Cougars have kept the final score to that game on the wall in their locker room as inspiration this season. I would love to be singing our fight song, eating brats, drinking beer to see my Saints win, an unprecedented FIFTH NAIA championship, but alas it's not to be. I will be leaving for Mobile, Alabama on the 20th to spend the holiday with the in-laws. There's kids' programs, basketball games, etc...So the Saints will have to win without me! JQP, if you attend the game raise a glass for me!

In other news I haven't put one damn Christmas decoration up in my house. I keep thinking that since we're not going to be here, what's the big deal? Well, I'm starting to think I'm just a lazy hag and I need to deck some frickin' halls! Some shopping has been done, but I still have to get stuff in the mail and of course finish the dreaded Christmas cards. In case you're wondering, the photo I chose was the one outside where kids were looking at the camera, but the dogs were looking everywhere else. Out of the 20,000 shots I took that one was the very first and the best. Go figure!

BTW, the Christmas baking is almost done. We have 2 kinds of fudge, almond biscotti, chocolate mint balls and raspberry cake bars...want some? Come on over!

KIDS AND DOGS ARE TOUGH SUBJECTS!!!

This is the product of what will forever be referred to as "The Great Christmas Photo Debacle". At one point I was running down my street chasing one of the dogs while his leash was dragging behind him!