Category Archives: Christmas

Christmas

Getting back home

So the one thing I didn’t mention yet:  getting HOME from Long Island. 

We were scheduled to fly out on Monday evening.  Well, Sunday (as you may know) there was a gigantic storm—about 2 feet of snow dumped in less than 24 hours.  Flights into and out of the NYC area were all canceled.  Including ours on Monday night.

The airline said they could rebook us for Friday.  Or we could get to the airport and try standby.  In fact, the woman said, if we could get on the 7:15 am flight to Chicago we could likely get a flight from there to St. Louis!

IF.  I thought about it.  First:  the flight was likely already totally full.  Second: two days of flights had been canceled…and this was one of only three flights to Chicago that day (thanks, Southwest!).  Our chances:  LOW.  Especially as I’m sure some folks would get priority with frequent flyer type status plus perhaps sleeping in the airport.

So I though, let’s drive—it’s only 17 hours or so.  Chris got on the phone with rental car companies.  Nada.  No one had a car, at least, no one had a car available to drive one way to St. Louis.  Finally we got somebody who did.  Hertz.  They quoted $750 for one way on Monday afternoon to St. Louis.  Um…I don’t think so.  Then they quoted $350 for Tuesday afternoon.  Okay!  We made a reservation.  If the standby flights failed, we’d drive home starting Tuesday afternoon.

Then we found out our friends’ (who were visiting family 15 minutes away) flight also got canceled.  Boo!  I offered to share the rental car.

Then they called:  his parents were willing to lend one of their cars for the drive and would pick it up later (in a month or so).  SCORE!  Super super generous. 

A Honda Fit.

carpic

Yes, I look like a crazy person.  I don’t know why!

For some unknown reason, we left Monday night.  (We had heard there might be ice).

We drove through the night.  Again, for some unknown reason.  I think we forgot we were in our 30’s…not spring chickens anymore Winking smile I didn’t drive.  I was SO sick, and on tons of cold medicine, I didn’t think I should.  Instead, I stayed up a lot to entertain the drivers. 

We stopped a lot—starbucks, waffle house, gas stations.  We complained a lot.  We all had trouble sleeping in the back seat of a very cramped Honda Fit. But somehow we made it home by 1:00 on Tuesday!  Good times!  I was so exhausted, I slept for three hours that afternoon.

But it was great to be home Smile

DSCI0042

(the boys, asleep in the back seat)

Christmas

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas (though I realize not all my readers may celebrate—have a great day either way!). 

Enjoy your time with family, friends, loved ones, pets, hams, etc.  And remember, I always appreciate presents Winking smile

(I will be catching up on reverb10 and other interesting blog posts after the holiday.  Relationships are more important than blogging.)

HannahChristmas 1983

Me, circa 1983

 

xmas2008family2008

My family the last time we spent Christmas together.  Leslie didn’t have her boyfriend with her at the time, but it’s just as well as she has a new one now Winking smile  Maybe in a year or two we’ll get another group photo!  (serious alert!—) It’s amazing we were all together—later that day my dad left to go up to Ohio to say his goodbyes to my Grandpa, and then the rest of us drove up the next day. 

That’s Christmas for you—sad for those who are no longer with you or cannot be together, but happy to be with those whom you can. 

If you want to make a donation to help fight pancreatic cancer, you can do so here.  I have lost two of my grandparents to this disease, and it doesn’t get enough attention. 

Christmas, Random thoughts

Christmas Memories

Feeling a wee bit maudlin this evening…

I’m not visiting my family over Christmas at all.  This is the first time ever that I haven’t seen my family over Christmas at all.

I grew up in South Carolina, and my Dad’s family lived in western Ohio, and my Mom’s family in eastern Pennsylvania.  We would set out for one or the other the day after school let out (usually PA first), spend a few days, drive to the other, spend a few days, drive home.  In between we’d eat lunch at my great-aunt Wilma’s house near the border of Ohio and PA.  She would always make us hot ham sandwiches, oyster crackers with ranch seasoning, and whatever cookies were on hand, which were often not very good.

Pennsylvania:  Memories of weirdly bad cookies, playing with cousins, the apartment in the basement, lots of Amish people, church, ice, snow, “Trade hands sight unseen”, riding in the huge front seat of the car with Grandpa driving, Christmas lights, taking forever to get to the exit from the Interstate, singing in the car on the way there.  Ham loaf, Grandma trying to get us to clean our plates, Mom trying to stop us from cleaning our plates, eating in the cold sunroom, playing in the backyard, that steep steep driveway, Grandma watching cable tv, the two chairs in the family room, Grandma saying “ay, ay, AY, ay, ay” and sleeping on the floor.  Matching outfits, sledding, playing piano duets, scrapple, Mom wearing knee-high boots to church, Grandma trying to send sandwiches along on the trip, Grandpa’s pointy ended glasses and saying it was “Christmas Eve Eve” (that’s today, btw—and for some reason that is the memory that sticks most in my head…I believe by the following Christmas he had had his stroke).

It’s hard to believe how long it has been since I have been to my family in that area.  After my grandparents passed away I really haven’t been back.  I miss them…I wish I could have known them longer.

I have many more recent memories of Ohio, since I lived just 2 1/2 hours away for many years.  However, I also have some memories as a child:

Ohio:  Eating so many homemade cookies I threw up, playing in the snow with my cousins, PONG, ping-pong in the garage, the kitties, ice skating on the pond, singing a cappella at church, sleeping in the parlor, fancy dinners, date pudding, mince pie, the cuckoo clock, playing games, snow, wanting to play outside when it was actually 20 below zero and not understanding why, white bread toast, orange juice, “let me get my socks on!”, sitting around just visiting…I actually seem to have less specific memories of Ohio—I think it’s because we did more varied things in PA since it was more of a city-type of place, and more of the same thing repeatedly (i.e. playing with cousins) in Ohio.  But I loved visiting both so much!

I will always have those memories Smile

HBBC: December 22:  60 minute various cardio (run, bike, elliptical): 4 points, 7 f/v: 1 point: total: 5 points. December 23: ?.  December 24:  ?  .  Week of December 18-24 total: ?.

 

Christmas

A few pictures…

2 Comments

DSCI0001

Christmas dinner that we made last night

DSCI0006

What is that?  A SARDINE???

DSCI0007

I’d better lick it all over and roll around on it! (obviously speaking from the cat’s point of view here…)

DSCI0008

A couple fun gifts from Leslie and Peter (not all are pictured)

DSCI0012

Some sweet purple cross-training shoes from Chris

 

I also got a Garmin Forerunner 205 from Chris (a fancy watch that can track how far you run and how fast using gps), a nice apron from Leslie which I want to get a picture with it ON, and a KINDLE from my Mom (and Dad too, I think!).  I am very happy with ALL of my gifts—it has been a fantastic Christmas so far.

I will be spending the holidays with Chris’s family, which is why my family sent gifts in advance.

Now I am doing errands, meeting Mike for a workout later (edited:  he had to cancel so I went for a run instead), and meeting friends for a happy hour at Modesto to celebrate the “Winter Solstice.”

I will not be able to blog as much the rest of the week.  Don’t be sad Winking smile I imagine people will not have as much time to read blogs, so it will all work out.

HBBC:  3.5 mile run: 3.5 points, 7 f/v: 1 point, total: 4.5 points

Christmas, Food

First Christmas Dinner

Chris and I had a lovely dinner tonight—Ham, Corn Pudding, Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli, Smoky Cheddar Loaf, and for dessert, Egg Nog Tres Leches Cake..  I wanted to make a fancy dinner before we exchanged our gifts (we are heading out of town soon and didn’t want to bring them with). 

I got some neat stuff, but I think it’s too early to share Christmas presents Winking smile  I’ll share later!  Just wanted to say the menu was a great success, and I received some excellent gifts.

I also had a tough workout with Mike—I had to use the gym’s new Stairclimber machine tonight.  That was super tough!  Probably doing a workout today after my 8.5 or so mile run yesterday (soon to be much more precise in measurement—hint of a Christmas gift I may have received) wasn’t the best idea, but with traveling up ahead, you do what you can.

Chris and I did a tad bit of Christmas shopping today.  Ordinarily I hate crowds, and today was definitely crowded.  I decided to tell myself it was fine—it WOULD be crowded, and I would simply accept that as a fact.  That seemed to help me keep from getting annoyed. 

I’m enjoying my Christmas vacation now—I have two whole weeks to relax and not teach violin.  I’m sure when I return I shall be well rested and ready to face the students again.

HBBC:  7 f/v: 1 point, 1 mile walk: 1 point, Workout with Mike:  5 points (way tougher than somedays and more high impact), total: 7 points