The Holidays

The Holidays. Such an interesting time of year. I see decorations all over the place and it actually does cause me to be of good cheer. I like wreaths and bows and pine cones and Christmas trees and stockings and I really do believe in Santa Clause.

I know what you're thinking... she likes "pine cones"??? But yes, I do. I have a basket that I keep them in and every year I collect a new batch of just 'perfect' pine cones from when I'm out walking Honey or just walking. Gotta admit that I don't walk Honey much anymore. Now that we have 3 dogs it's such a big ordeal but I digress... Last time I collected a basket full of perfect pine cones I only had the one.

Anyway, so Thanksgiving was wonderful! We had a really great day starting with Houston's HEB Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was a spectacular show this year with lots of new and exciting things. First time I've seen the Nemo float, but Chris said it was actually Marlin because Nemo had a gimp fin. Who remembers Marlin's name tho? They had a rather large group of miniature horses being walked or drawing little carriages for full size humans but they were just adorable. Of course, as usually they had some old favorites - the big sun of Sunny 99.1, the giant turkey whose tail feathers turn on a spindle, and my personal favorite - Pancho Clause and his low-rider brigade making their cars hop through the parade. I loved it. I did, however, forget to bring my camera. So I have no pictures. Chris has some and I'll get them from him soon enough. Chris's brother Rob has actually been to the Thanksgiving Day Parade every year of his entire life.

After the parade we went to Chris's parents house for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. On the way there we saw a terrible accident involving a black pick up truck and a white car and a dog that was riding in the back of the pick up truck. It jumped out and the white car smashed into the black pick up truck but not before running over the dog then several people plowed through the dog before it became a huge back up of traffic. It was really sad to see a guy having to give his insurance information to someone right beside his pulverized "best friend" sloppy in the street in front of him.

And now to talk about the dinner.
I know. Poor taste but whatever this is my blog. I'll start with the pies because I made them and they were the most beautiful, most delicious, most wonderful pies ever - one pumpkin and one apple. I do have pics of those:




























Don't they just look so beautiful? They tasted even better! I promise.

The meal was delicious! Roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green peas, carrots, bread sauce, and gravy! With liberal helpings of red wine. Oh my gosh I was so stuffed. I had to then, of course, take my annual Thanksgiving Day snooze because I sat down and became trapped under my belly.

Oh and I wrote a book - well it's not finished but it was more than 50,000 words and that's what really counts for right now. I mean that in November I also helped to elect a new president, voted and got others to vote, turned in my 2 weeks notice, went thru a layoff, started a new job, and managed Thanksgiving.

So, now that NaNoWriMo is behind us and Thanksgiving in the past it seems the question posed most often to me is, "What do you want for Christmas?"

Is this a trick question? I know it is. There are wrong answers, there are non-answers, there are safe answers, and there are lies. The truth is that it depends on the giver I suppose. From Chelsea I will love and adore anything she gets for me - it could be a painted macaroni necklace or a card that says I love you and it's the perfect thing. But do I "want" a painted macaroni necklace? Not really. From my parents - nothing. My mom, I have to say, is one of the most generous and giving and wonderful people ever born. Having said that, she also gives gifts that not many people have much use for usually from items available in the catalogs of stuff she sells from her store.

We're drawing names in our family - we're just too many now so Christmas is for the kids and we just exchange one gift now - for whoever draws my name I just want bath products from Bath & Body Works. Chris is a good gift giver so I know I'll like whatever he picks. From him I just like to feel like he was thinking about ME and what I like in a gift and its usually perfect. But if I were to answer the question honestly it would ruin the surprise. In his family they tell each other what they want and then the all get just what they asked for. So it's not really as "thoughtful" or something if they don't have to figure it out.

Then there are things I want - but not really for Christmas. You know? I mean sure, I need a new set of tires but it's hardly wrappable or Christmassy. I'd like to get a new windshield and tinted windows. I'd like a kick ass hair moisturizer and some make up from Bare Essentials - but these are things I want to pick out and purchase on my own. I want a treadmill and something to keep necklaces organized but I would have to like it aesthetically and it would have to be perfect or I'm happy to wait for the perfect one while keeping my necklaces in a jumbled heap on top of the dresser. I want a new belt for the vacuum and I want a maid to come help me clean house at least once a month, and I want a new fence and a garden and a plan about where we'll move after the lease here is up and a facial care system from Arbonne. But that's not what people want to hear when they ask "What do you want for Christmas?"

What I really truly want for Christmas more than anything else in the whole wide world, is to have some good ideas about what to get for others and enough resources to get them those things. I want to see the light in their eyes when they open a gift from me and they think it's the perfect thing. I want to be the giver. I want to spend time with people I love and share good food and thank the people who have done so much for me this year. Peace on earth. Good will towards others.

Oh and I want to hang out with Carmen!

LOVE

Yes We ARE!

I'm in post-election bliss like you can't imagine! Yesterday the world changed. I'm so happy and so proud.

My 18 year old daughter voted yesterday for the first time in her life. She voted for a man who promises a greater tomorrow. She voted so that when she gets out of high school she'll immediately have access to health care and won't have to take the first job with insurance that comes along so she's covered. She voted so that she can afford college for herself. She voted for a greener tomorrow so that when she has to buy a car it might be more energy efficient. She voted because she's young and just starting out in life and wants her political party to hear her voice too and not just the voices of special interest groups. She voted because she is an American and, like all Americans, gets to participate in the democratic process and is responsible for the government. She voted to change the reputation of America so that when she goes to visit Carmen in Paris next year she won't have to pretend she's Canadian. She voted for the same man I voted for: President-Elect Barack Obama.

Last night Chris and I went to an election party at Chris & Lisa's place. When Obama took the stage to speak for the first time as the President-Elect I cried. I hope that this election helps America to Wake Up like Kucinich said in his speech during the primaries. We all have to take an active roll in this country. It's OUR country and we're taking it back! It does not belong to the government, a ruler, a dictator, the Congress, or any special interest group. We have allowed our country to be sold into debt to pay for wars we have no business fighting. These are not our causes. We have enough causes right here at home to worry about. I feel proud of my country for electing Obama as our president and hope that he leads our country out of the quagmire it has become. I have hope for tomorrow, for my country, for our future, for my children and I haven't been able to stop grinning all day.

Last night after the polls closed and Obama had spoken we heard a great noise in the street and an impromptu parade was headed down the road complete with drums, people waving Obama signs, t-shirts, or just shouting and happy. People everywhere actually took to the streets like Scottish hooligans after winning a soccer cup because of one man who can change the world.

In other Election Day news - Chris's sister Penny had her baby November 4th - Neil Hampton gave his debut performance weighing in at 9lbs 5ozs. Mommy and family are doing fine.

Here are some crazy pictures from the Halloween party we went to at the Avant Garden in Houston. Chris and I were love children of the 60's. Chelsea was a fallen angel. My sister is the witch; sister in law Sophie is the vampire who just fed, and Kevin is the dude with horns.

I just got my new computer! It is beautiful! I LOVE it! I can't tell you how much I love it. I will write my whole novel this month on my new mac.

NaNoWriMo is going well - except for yesterday because of the election and today because of yesterday.

Still no word on the new job but I did call today to find out if there were any snags. Apparently no but it seems to take a while for the security clearance process to come from HR.

After the Kick-Off

The 2008 NaNoWriMo Kick-Off Event was yesterday and it went beautifully! I was so happy with every single part of it. The space we reserved was more than ideal! We want to use the space for our TGIO party at the end of November. We kicked it off at the Havens Community Center which is right next door to the Chocolate Bar on Alabama. It has at least 4 separate sections plus a little kitchen area and bathrooms. It has tables and chairs, couches and is centrally located. I absolutely LOVE it! However, the perfectness of the space aside, the kick-off itself went really well. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many wonderful new participants and there are so many others, the old crew, who are just dear to my heart that I see far too rarely.

For the Swag Bags this year, Chris made an awesome CD of writing music which includes such songs as Every Day I Write the Book by Elvis Costello, Writer's Minor Holiday by Calexico, My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors, by Moxy Friivous, Paperback Writer, by The Beatles and several others. I hope everyone loves the music. We also made door hangers and put in bouncy balls and candy and stickers. We got powerstrips for the Area Liaisons which they seemed to enjoy. It was a lot of fun.

Afterwards, a group of us went for pizza at Star which maintains a status as one of the highlights of my weekend. It's been forever since I've had a chance to eat Star Pizza and it was fun to talk with everyone I hadn't seen in ages. I got some excellent ideas to include in my book in November.

This morning Chris, Colin and I went to play disc golf but it was really hot and we didn't make it through all 18 holes. It was fun none-the-less. Then I met Soluna and PataLeBon at Coffee Oasis for a Got Plot? Brainstorming Session. This was originally scheduled to be at Chelsea Coffee House but they were closed so we re-grouped at C.O. I have to say that the best ideas for my novel there actually came from Colin who was on a roll and giving everyone creative writing ideas. Then we went to pick up Chelsea from Brian's and she was happy cuz she had gone shopping and had her eyebrows done for picture day tomorrow. So that was awesome.

In other news, I've been back at work for exactly 2 weeks and it's really like a roller coaster. Rumors abound about the impending layoff which has been announced to happen right after the election for political reasons. Everyone there is looking for a job and I've spoken to people who have mentioned by title some of the exact same positions I'm looking at. That's a little scary. I had an interview at UH last Thursday and they said I should hear from them by Monday - tomorrow. I hope it's good news! Please keep your fingers crossed for me. I would like to get off the island anyway. I think it's toxic. The trees and bushes are brown and dead from the salt water and sludge that flooded everything. The first week we were back everyone got sick. It was pretty awful.

I got to speak to a class of kids at Westside High School about NaNoWriMo which was a lot of fun. I handed out stickers and heard some plot ideas that sounded really promising. These kids sounded like they really could do it. I also got the grand tour of Westside from the teacher - Chris's brother Rob - and this school actually has an Outback Steakhouse in it for their Hotel & Restaurant Management classes! The kids can eat cocanut shrimp for lunch every day if they want to!

Also, Rob and Noelle are new parents-to-be expecting the newest little MacGregor in May! So Congratulations Rob & Noelle! I should be crocheting blankets but I have documentation to finish, a novel to write, a region to wrangle, a new job to find, and that's just the extras - I still have my family and a strewn-apart job to go to on the ghost-town island as part of my daily chores.

That's about it for an update. Oh we're gonna early vote. We saw a voting line at the library yesterday that wrapped around the building in two lines! I can't even imagine what November 4th will look like! I hope Chelsea's voter's registration card comes soon.

Much Love ~

It's been...... 1 month since I posted last; 2 days since the pix were shot

the title is a tip of the hat to Bare naked Ladies "One Week" song. In case you didn't get that.
So it really has been a month since my last post. All sorts of happenings are going on.

We took a trip to ride down the Guadelupe river with some friends. Chelsea was with us so it was really super fun. Chris and I took the bottle of left over sangria from the 4th of July party that had been frozen in our freezer all this time with us. As it melted into a slushy we just passed the gallon jug around and all had some. It was delicious! and Potent! During the river trip the skies decided to pour on us but it did not effect our spirits and we continued on even when we were the ONLY group left on the river. The whole trip was a complete blast. I fell out of my tube at one point going down the chute but only scraped up my knees. Otherwise, it was a completely awesome trip.

What else? School started. Chelsea is a Junior in High School and Colin is in 3rd grade. He thinks his teacher is cute which is terribly cute! I took a day off to hang out with Chelsea and take her shopping for school clothes and it happened to be tax free weekend so we got some deals but I was happy that we had finished with our shopping early in the day to avoid the crowds. We both got new school year hair-cuts too - I got about 4 inches cut off of my hair and Chelsea just got a cute trim. It was an awesome day.

Julie had her baby! Here's a link to her Picasa album. Her baby boy is named Caleb and he was born on August 30th. We saw him only hours after he was born and even got to witness his first bath ever. He was 8lbs 3ozs. We dont' expect to see much of Matt and Julie now that they have the baby but we're hoping to get to visit soon. Maybe if the hurricane (Ike) continues in it's path towards us we'll swing by on our way to Chris's parents' house since they both live in the north.

We watch Obama's acceptance speech at the DNC on a live feed from the BAND headquarters in our area. BAND is the Bay Area New Democrats and they have become a HUGE force during this election. I've never seen so many Democrats in the state of Texas. My dream is to turn Texas into a Blue State during election time. Can you imagine how powerful a statement that would be? Amazing! Chelsea just turned 18 so she can vote now. She has a lot of mixed feelings about it. For one, shes in school and SO many kids at this school have parents who are voting for McCain. Which I can see since we live in a fairly affluent part of Texas which has a lot of Republicans and Conservatives. But I asked Chelsea to take a Political Compass Test - she took this one and this one and both times turned up as one of those god-forsaken liberals! Thank goodness!!!! Anyway, so if the issues she truly believes in had come out that she really was all for McCain I wouldn't have minded really. I just would have thought well at least she's discussing how she feels about the issues and that's how she feels, ah well. But I really am happy that her views sort of mirror the values I've tried to impress upon her. It was a great exercise.

This past weekend I went on a date w/ Chris to beach. He was just coming in from a conference in Denver and it was TIME for us to have some fun. I've been in a really bad mood/state lately so it was great to go OUT with Chris again since it's been a while, and have some fun. We drove out to East Beach on Saturday night when it was clear and beautiful. Our original plan was to star-gaze but Chris also brought his camera and tripod with him. We played around with light grafitti and HERE are the results of our labors. It was SO much fun that we didn't leave the beach until about 2 AM and didn't get home till about 3AM. Read the photo captions on these - it tells about our thought processes.

Next weekend is the Eichler family reunion and we're not going to be able to make it. It's possible that the hurricane will prevent the whole thing anyway but we've already made plans not to attend. There are just so many other things going on right now and gas prices are so expensive that we opted out.

NaNoWriMo is coming up and I've decided to ML for one more year. This year Chris is my Co-ML which is nice. He's going to be the tech guy. He did that last year too but this year he'll have access to the ML Area on NaNoWriMo. I have no idea what I'm going to write a novel about this year. Currently, I'm focused on securing a location for several of our events rather than what I'm going to write but I'm sure it will come to me.

I just found out tonight that Carmen and Kevin are coming to Houston for Christmas! I am SO excited! It's he best news ever. I haven't seen them in about a year. I hope they can stay here with us for a little while.

That's it for an update.
LOVE