The November Spiral

It's the last day of November - also Saint Andrew's day - so I have to give a shout out to that Andrew guy I'm married to.  He's pretty swell really.  In Poland, There are all out parties for St. Andrew's Eve, it's a straight-up throw-down.  Poles bring out the psychics and voodoo, for good times.  Saint Andrew's day has been some what auspicious for us actually, given that Andrew met my parents at a Saint Andrew's party he attended with a fraternity brother (who happens to be Polish).  This wouldn't be so strange except that this was a year before we started dating.  And neither of us had any real idea about each other at the time.  Life is funny sometimes.

Since today is the cap of the month, I will recap.  November is always nuts for me.  It's never-ending celebrations, which is great (hi, firstworldproblems) it just means a fair amount of preparation on my end.  It starts with our wedding anniversary on the 10th, Andrew's birthday on the 13th, my parents birthdays on the 19th and 20th, and soon after, the food-fest known as Thanksgiving.  All good reasons to love November.  Also all good reasons to never have an available weekend in November.  Gulp.

This year, we hosted the whole family for Thanksgiving, and it was awesome.  Seventeen hungry people in all.  Seriously, we feel so blessed to have a space, even a cramped one, to crowd everyone in.  Because I really wanted to have a "everyone at one table" feel (I've done my time at the kids' table, thankyouverymuch), we decided the living room was going to have to be it.  So we [ok, Andrew and his dad] loaded all the living room furniture onto the balcony and set it up as a cozy living room outside.  The weather was brisk and beautiful so it worked great.  The table setting ended up going something like this:


Before the Carnage.



Mid-Carnage.



Lilly with her Great Granny and Mimi, Thanksgiving Day 2011

Yes, there's a strange gap in the middle, but some how it worked out all right.  Yeah for rented linens!  And yeah for inlaws who own copious tables and folding chairs!  Although, to be honest, I hope we get the opportunity to make Thanksgiving/whatever holiday a tradition at our house, and maybe it would be a better idea to just invest in some serious linen-age.  It's hard to beat the lack of laundering/ironing required though.  Everyone brought a few dishes, so each family's "regulars" were covered, and it came together as a super-delish time.  Just like our house came together as a group effort, so did our first Thanksgiving.

It get's me all teary, I know.  Barf, eye roll, sob.  Work with me, I'm reflective today.

For our wedding anniversary, Andrew and I decided to continue our romantic streak and get each other new iphones as gifts.  While I didn't really see the purpose in spending the money at the time, I will admit I was slightly giddy once it fell into my anxious little hands.  The camera, guys.  It's LOADS better in quality and in user-friendliness.  I have been so lazy about the DSLR as a result, it makes me feel like I'm cheating on my Nikon.  I have to take her out for a spin every once in a while to keep the relationship fresh.

So Lilly had to pose for the new phone.  That's my girl.


She knows where it's at.

For Andrew's birthday we took a trip down to Tookie's, his all-time favorite burger dive, which just happened to re-open this year after Ike.  It was just as good as before the hurricane, and dare I say the addition of a bar and balcony makes it even better.  We even managed to go out like adults that night, and dare I say that I am out of practice.  Four bars in one night is about my limit.  It took me days to recover the sleep.


That'll teach him to make silly faces at me when armed.



How exactly does one walk through the cluster-F gracefully?

 For my Mom & Dad's birthday's we held a dinner at their house with the neighbors, which was a great celebration.  They are always good sports about the fact that their days get lumped together.  Bonus: Water Conservation Project Phase 2 is now active (i.e. happy birthday here's a rain barrell)!

Christmas is upon us like mosquitoes in the rainforest, and I am giving it a concerted effort to prepare in a way which isn't centered around frantic shopping and a fat jolly man (no offense).  I managed to buy a few board books about the Christmas story (not The Night Before Christmas) so I'm hoping something sinks in with Lilly on this matter.  "Lilly, it's a birthday party for Baby Jesus" is as far as we've gotten thus far.  She prefers to call Baby Jesus "Dor-tee," I have no idea what's up with that.  I figure baby steps are what we can expect on comprehension of religious holiday significance. 

We will be "home for the holidays" so let's see how we survive a week straight with the three of us in the house.  Truthfully?  The best part of the holidays are that Kasia and Janet are coming home.  I can't wait to see two of my favorite ladies.  Best. Gift. Ever.

Sentimental Thankfulness: It is the little things that keep me sane(ish)

If you look at my Facebook feed, it is essentially a list of reasons people are thankful, given the upcoming holiday. And while I wouldn't claim that kind of FB dedication, I do support the reflective intent.

I am thankful for a daughter who is such a good eater. I have heard numerous horror stories of 2 year olds who refuse to subsist on anything but mac'n'cheese or PBJ. I want to hope Lilly is improving on her parents, so when she ate BBQ shrimp, couscous with leeks, mushrooms and feta, and finished off with roasted brussel sprout leaves with pecans and Chardonnay raisins for dinner, I can't help be happy she is willing to give it all a shot.

OK,the brussel sprouts were pushing it, but she tried them before picking out only the pecans and raisins. We'll take points where I can get them.

Who needs a woodsman?

This morning, I grab Lilly's beautiful handmade (by the sewing genius Mrs. Tina) Red Riding Hood costume for the fall festival at her school. At the end of the day, there is a parade of all the children in their costumes, all cracked out and jittery on sugar, where parents run around like deranged monkeys wielding expensive camera equipment they don't know how to use (I am including myself in this scenario).

My daughter sees her costume, and in her high-pitched-imitating-adults voice, says "it's so cuuuute!". And then immediately looks at me dead-pan and says "Mama I need a sword." Apparently she was picturing a Red Riding Hood more of the self-defense variety.

The MANicure

There must have been some sort of subtle shift in cultural norms in recent years. I try to go to the salon regularly to take care of my feet (you only get one pair, and mine take a beating); it is my Friday-off indulgence. I have noticed more and more men crowding the salon. At the beginning, I figured it was mostly gay men, but as I sit here next to two dudes, mid-50's, decked out in camo, talking about the hunting trip they'll be partaking in two weeks from now, I'm starting to have my doubts. I am in the salon as we type, and I am the ONLY WOMAN customer of six total.

What happened to the salon demographic while I was snoozing in the massage chair?

Please do not misinterpret me, I am more than happy that men are starting to care for their digits. I like clean feet, and whole-heartedly support a kept-up dude. I'm just loving the new people watching. It's quite entertaining to see the subtle differences in the treatment and behavior of the male clientele, who are obviously regulars.

Rock on with your mani-pedis. Salons could be the new pick-up locale. Single ladies, take note.

Coming at you in Vivid Color. Thanks Jane!

Jane Foster, the lovely photographer, came and took photos of our family a couple weeks ago at our house. Somehow, she managed to pull off some great shots (even with my grimacing mug) and "sneak peeked" us on her blog.

After last year's realization that I'm not much for studio photography, I'm pleased to have gone with my gut this year. Jane was a breeze to work with, and so great with kids. I've heard rumors she may do (have done?) Halloween costume shots of kids, which is tempting...

Take a peek at her blog, she's a crafty one! She held back a few of my favorite photos, so look out for this years holiday card. You can barely wait, I know. :)

Misery Loves Company

At 10am, we showed up to join the Rocky Mountain chapter of the Texas Exes for some OU weekend action.  As it is annually the biggest game of our regular season, it was rowdy but comforting as we got completely stomped.  It's fun to see such a great crowd of alumni away from home.

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True Tourists, Check.

My friend Liz said that you're not a true Colorado tourist until you stop at Beau Jo's in Idaho Springs and eat a mountain pie.  Well we didn't want to leave without earning that medal, so on our way back into Denver to escape the pesky altitude, we stopped and grabbed one to go.  She was right, the crust was delicious, and eating it with honey (crust only) was a good call.

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