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Monday, January 30, 2006
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Lacking a more creative title, I will call this post "Ice Skating."
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After the tradition
started two years ago,
(and yes,
I remember
getting all kinds
of voicemails
on my cell when
y'all were trying to get
a hold of us that first time)
it has become
customary
to make
a yearly pilgrimage
to Penn's Landing
for an outing
with friends.
This is no ordinary outing.
No shopping
at the mall
with the girls.
No, this particular event
is looked forward to
by all
with great anticipation
because
in all likelihood,
it only comes around
once a year.
Oh yeah! It was so much fun! Now, it would take me all day to sit here and type everything about the day, but since a picture is worth a thousand words, I intend to save my fingers from cramps by inserting photos that will speak for me. (Be sure and run your cursor over the photos, cause that's where I write my own comments.)
After a month of repeated tries at this and countless phone calls to see who could come on what days, and who couldn't come at all, and when the rink was open and checking the weather for a nice warm day, and after letting just one too many nice warm days go by, Saturday was the day picked. What relief! I had almost despaired of going at all! But off we went, Mom and James and I up to the Slack's house where we were to meet Mrs. Slack, Charles and his two friends, Kim & Stevie.
Stopping at Wawa long enough to pick up a hot creamy cappuccino, which you just know I can't come out without, and filled teh gas tank, we were on our way to the traffic jam on Walt Whitman Bridge. *indignant facial expression indescribable by the mere use of smileys* Ok, well it wasn't all that bad, especially with Mrs. Slack honking at everyone to let them know just exactly which lane she intended to defend occupy.
Mapquest is all well and good (and I know some people swear by it), but I don't think it's really as helpful as it seems. They say you can find a place without knowing the address, but it's not true. You have to know where it is and how to get there in order for them to give you accurate directions and then, who needs 'em?
Needless to say, it took just a few minutes longer than expected to find the place. We were set to meet the rest of our party at the rink and, having spent two days trying to get Derek on the phone long enough to pass along those same defective directions, I then had to try for his cell to let him know that that's just what they were, defective directions. When I got Melissa on the phone, they were stuck in that same bridge traffic. (I feel for ya.) She strongly admonished me not to have any fun until they all got there.
Hey, I think I'm doing good. I had already fallen down twice and I was still smiling. No, I'm not having fun. I'm just, uh, smiling for the camera. Really.
James isn't having fun either. Really. Why don't you believe me?
Ok, Kimmy and Charles were having fun, but I really didn't think the instructions applied to them. Poor Charles! He could not find a pair of skates that were comfortable enough to skate on. I mean, sure, the rental skates are just plastic things with laces that reach the whole way to your eyebrows, but you'd think he'd have found one pair that he could use. Stevie had already given up by the time I took this picture. I couldn't tell if Kim was helping Chuck or if it was the other way around. :)
I kept my eyes peeled for the Davises to show up and before long I spied a cute little pink sweater and two pairs of familiar sunglasses, belonging to Dana, Melissa & Manda, respectively. I trotted (What else could I do with skates on?) over to where they stood waiting in line to buy their passes and Manda introduced me to her friend, Tohar, whom I had heard so much about, and her sister, Christina. I went in with them while they exchanged their shoes for skates (not exactly the best end of the deal, but I guess it works) and started to shed my gloves and jacket.
When I said I was waiting for a warm day, I was not expecting such a convenient temperature. Almost nobody had a jacket on. Just the little kids and the beginning adults who still needed the extra padding for when they'd fall. :) Melissa and Derek came in while I traded my skates for a larger pair. Still as plastic and yet, somehow, the extra room inside made them more comfortable.
Out on the ice, I watched as Tohar made her way around the rink with at least four people trying to offer the poor girl advice. It was her first(?) time and I felt for her because Melissa and Manda were dragging her along between them. That's what Manda and Cara had done to me last year, and thanks girls for the help, but I really learned better when only one person held onto my hand. :)
A good half hour went by before the fellows in bright orange jackets clamoured for our attention.
"attention. skaters. we will now take a brief intermission at which time we will clean the ice. please exit the rink safely and quickly."
They sounded so cheery.
But we got off anyway.
And along came the zamboni the clean the ice. You can see in the picture how the rink manager has wisely decided to portay his cities pride and his own team spirit by displaying the logo of the nation's #1 NFL team across the front and back of his machine.
We watched from the sidelines as the zamboni went gliding across the ice, converting the slush created by hockey stops into water that refroze to fill the digs made by the more skilled skaters when they would spin on one skate.
Some of us just watched.
Some of us caught up on all the latest neighborhood news.
Some of us just smiled and looked cute.
Then we all got in one picture and looked great together.
I have found two amazing phenomena about ice skating. (1) It is easier to skate with your hands held behind your back. People had told me this. I thought they were trying to set me up for disaster. But it's true. With your hands out, granted you can catch yourself if you fall, but you are throwing yourself off balance and are less likely to fall if they are close to your body. Maybe behind the back isn't the best place to have your emergency landing gear, but even in front of you works well.
And (2) as soon as you get a camera in your hands, everyone looks away. It's true. Observe.
As soon as I took the camera from Mom, and she left to walk with Mrs. Slack, no one would look at me. I swear, it was as if I had suddenly grown another head. I would wait for someone to come within camera distance and when they would see me, they'd instantly look away and pretend they hadn't seen me. Only once was I able to catch Manda looking at me.
And I so love this picture.
Dana, your new nickname is Icepuck. K?
She would race down the rink in a game of tag and you might as well give her up for lost once she's made you "it," because you're not going to catch her.
Silhouettes on ice are really cool looking. Unlike myself, Manda is apparently adept at skating on one foot. We tried it with Dana. Derek on one side holding her up, I on the other ready to keep her from falling. We didn't get far. Maybe she didn't trust us to hold her.
In the second half of the session, I tried my hand at helping Tohar. We did really well as long as we just went slow. One handed, she made it all the way around the rink. It was rather funny at times, for she would lose her balance and somehow use my hand to regain it, just in time for my to lose my balance trying to skate so slowly. :)
Everyone else on the rink looked really funny, too. (And I don't just mean the skating ability. Some of the hairstyles . . . ) They people wearing jeans looked hilarious. The sides and back of their pants were all wet from where they had hit the ice. There was one fellow in particular who I remember had his shirt all wet on the back as well.
Pretty soon, we heard it again.
"attention. skaters. we will now take a brief intermission at which time we will clean the ice. please exit the rink safely and quickly."
So we walked inside and waited with everyone else to have our shoes returned to us so we could walk normally again. I hadn't seen any sign of Charles or his friends for an hour or more. They'd gone walking in center city, so we just called to let them know we were leaving. We were going to stop for coffee the ride home and there was this one car that followed us almost the whole way from the rink back to Barnes & Noble. But that's the beginning of another post.
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posted by cori
1/30/2006 04:23:00 PM
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Sniff. This is the first year I missed out on the ice skating fun. Although, I can't believe you broke tradition and went during the day! There is something about skating in the freezing darkness with the lights from the bridge glimmering softly that I simply love.
I'm so glad you all had a great time. Reading your post made me think back to the fun times we had learning how to skate, trying to skate backwards, playing tag, having our ritual after-skating coffee at B&N, etc. Happy memories!
Derek, your car looks great! I had almost forgotten that you had purchased the Jeep until I saw the picture.
Enjoy winter (although that sun looked a bit Texan to me :))
~Cara
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Cara,
I thoroughly agree with you about night-time skating, especially since I have now tried the alternative. But trust me, it doesn't alter the fun any! BTW, the rink moved (or, rather, they moved the rink), so it is no longer under the fabulous blinking lights of the Ben Franklin bridge. A disappointment surely, but "c'est la vie."
Cori: Can't wait for the B&N post!
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Oh, no, now I have to write it. :) I totally forgot about it.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2006
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Remember when . . . ?
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Don't ask me what reminded me. Maybe it was the mention of the Delaware Bridge. Maybe not. Maybe it was something else, but one memory triggered another and pretty soon I was remembering the whole day. I am smiling now as I think of all the fun we had that day.
Do you remember the day we went to Longwood Gardens? First, Tim nearly drove us in the ditch at Stretch's corner and then we started going in the wrong direction and Tim didn't believe us. He thought we were messing with his mind. Remember? And then all of you tried so hard to convince him that the bridge in Pennsville was, in reality, the Delaware Memorial? OMS! Then he really didn't trust our senses of direction!
I remember posing for Lauren to take pictures at just about every turn. Even though it was January and there were almost no flowers in bloom, we took pictures with three cameras. I remember everything about that trip, the course we took through the gardens, the house we walked through, the waterless fountains, Derek going through the little kid maze at the conservatory, that awful bonzai exhibit (who really considers bonzai an art?), the car ride at lunch! I remember how we wanted to find a picnic spot and sit on the grass by the side of the road, but Tim wanted to find a park and eat at a table. And how he would not ask for directions. And how I was squished in the middle of the backseat the whole time just because I was short!
I remember Derek eating something with vinegar on it and we all didn't like the strong smell. I remember him spilling that vinegar and Tim couldn't get the smell of it out of his car for weeks. :) *uncontrollable laughter* I remember Derek insisting that it was not his vinegar that smelled that way. It must have been the milk in someone's thermos of tea that had gone sour, but no, he had certainly put the vinegar in a container in the trunk when he had finished lunch.
Then, I remember the stop signs, too. They weren't very tall and you almost didn't see them. Tim insisted that since they were only half-signs, then he only needed to do a half-stop. I remember Lauren and Jess riding up and down in the elevator, and I remember the song that was running through my head all day. I remember that there was a big goose or something blocking the exit from the bird sanctuary and we girls were afraid to go past it, so we waited for the guys to catch up.
I remember racing Jess through a muddy field and getting mud all over our skirts and jackets. Our purses were flying as we tried to keep them with us and yet keep them out of the way as we ran. I remember Derek doing a handstand on the edge of the bridge and Tim grabbing his feet and pretending to push him off.
I remember stopping at the water fountain to wash off the mud from my skirt before we left for dinner. And I remember coming out of the ladies' room to find only Tim waiting for me. I remember him guiding my eyes through the trees to wear Lauren and Jess had gone. I remember looking to see whether Derek was with them and then suddenly finding that his glove was reaching over the low stone wall to grab my ankle. I remember jumping clean out of my skin.
Sure, I can laugh about it now. Y'all had me on the verge of tears that day.
I remember going to Cracker Barrel for dinner. I remember Lauren asking the waiter if he could light our oil lamp at the table so that it would give us "atmosphere". I remember him looking at her kind of funny. I remember Jess being so cold because it's always cold in there and she'd left her jacket in the car. I remember ordering blackberry pancakes and not being able to eat them all. I remember Jess ordering something chocolate for dessert. She sat next to me. And Tim was at the end. And Derek and Lauren were on the other side. Derek ate something orange in a frosted glass for dessert and no one wanted to try it when he couldn't finish it.
I don't remember driving back to the Davises' house, but I remember when we got there, Derek found his vinegar container under the front seat, empty.
Good heavens! what fun we had that day! |
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posted by cori
1/24/2006 08:21:00 PM
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Hahahahahaha! OH MY SOUL!!!! I am laughing hystericly! Most of the things I remember, but some I don't (I grabbed your ankle!?! How could you think that of me!?! he he). But oh the fun! I'd actually forgotten driving in the wrong direction, but as soon as I read about it it all came back. - I am laughing so hard I can hardly write! -
The vinegar!!! I could have sworn I put that in the trunk with the rest of our lunch stuff! Oh well. Sorry Tim! Needless to say, I have never taken vinegar with me on a trip since that day.
I remember the song we sang too! Except I can't recall the name. But how you wished we would just be quiet! Oh the Fun! Good, wholesome, jolly, fun.
BTW, I never go by a "half-stop-sign" without remembering that I only need to do a "half-stop!" he he he!
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OMS! I remember the song too! I don't know the name but it went like this:
In the jungle, the mighty jungle
a lion sleeps tonight
What a dumb song. :)
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That's IT! Tim started it, so maybe we'll ask him what it's called.
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It's called, The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
Wow, what memories. It's been a long time and much has happened since that grand day. Wbat a great reminder for us to enjoy God's gifts while they are ours to enjoy, for tomorrow they vanish like a vapor.
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WOWZERS! Tim commented on this blog! AND he updated his photo (which I am thankful for :)! I'm looking outside for a blue moon... :)
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Monday, January 23, 2006
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Introducing . . .
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Leslie's scrapbook!
Ta-da!
A whole separate page for photos.
Oh boy! |
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posted by cori
1/23/2006 08:54:00 PM
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What happened to your lovely, customized template? Is this just a temporary change or a farewell to the adorable strip of photos which used to grace the top of your blog?
~Cara
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Aw, gee, did you like that one better? I can change it back.
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Don't do anything special just for me, but I did truly love your old heading.
~Cara
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I have to second that motion. The picture strip was kinda nice! :)
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It was cool, but whatever. I like changes.
Except for one. I can't comment on your scrapbook page because it only allows established bloggers to comment. And since I am only a reader, I can't type up a comment.
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Sunday, January 22, 2006
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And today's quote
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He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career.
George Bernard Shaw |
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posted by cori
1/22/2006 09:46:00 AM
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I looked up my family tree and found out I was the sap.
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Whats THAT suppsed to mean?
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Saturday, January 21, 2006
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Quote of the Day
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A newspaper in Ireland published the headline:
Half the council are crooks, but was asked to retract it.
The following week it ran the heading:
Half the council are NOT crooks.
(I know this is more like a "quote of the six-month-period", but hey, that's how it goes.) |
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posted by cori
1/21/2006 12:52:00 PM
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Friday, January 20, 2006
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Leslie's Dictionary of Commonly Used Terms
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Did you know that there are many terms used today that, when taken in a proper sense, don't make sense in the way they are used? The word awful, for instance, literally means filling with awe. It means the same thing as awesome.
Wonderful is the same way. It doesn't mean something is good or cool or nice. It describes something that fills you with wonder, like the ocean or the night sky. These things are also awful and awesome.
Of course, I can't say I haven't been guilty of using the term awful to describe an unsolvable problem.
Definition of terms gives me the biggest problems when I talk to someone. We could be discussing the same topic and be talking about two totally different things.
As an example, faith is defined in many ways. One may talk of faith and see it only in the light of trusting in God, putting faith in Him. Faith may also be seen as holding up an end of a bargain, keeping faith in an agreement. So if you take a verse from the bible like Colossians 1:2 which addresses the letter to "the saints and faithful brethren in Christ", you could be led to believe many things about these saints. One, they put their trust in God so much that Paul notices it in a letter. Two, they follow Christ's commands and "hold up their end of the bargain" to the same degree.* Three, these saints are noted merely for their belief in God, which may also be termed faith.
As another example, many of my friends are committed to courtship. However, each person having a different view of what this idea entails, we really open a can of worms when we discuss it in a group. Some see it the way I see betrothal, as a father deciding which girl/guy his son/daughter should marry, and the son/daughter having no real veto power at all. Others view it as simply Christian dating, "courting" ten or twelve people before deciding on one. Still others view it in different ways, making it impossible to communicate with "like-minded" people.
Another kind of quirky and unrelated obstacle is abbreviated terms. In the past few years among several different groups of friends, I have used the term "PC". It has meant my computer, the Pampered Chef, and the production center out there at HQ. Granted, it isn't confusing when you take the abbreviation in context, but I have noted the term being used several times lately and it just struck me funny.
Well, so that's my thought for the day.
*Please note, I am not in any way inferring
that a person must hold up a bargain in order
to earn salvation. This is only an analogy to
define the term. |
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posted by cori
1/20/2006 09:09:00 AM
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Monday, January 16, 2006
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*rambling, rambling . . .*
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Ok I'm just going at random here so fasten your seatbelts. Traveling at random with my mind is like a roller coaster sometimes. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's like sitting in a parked car.
Speaking of cars, you all will be glad to know I haven't wrecked ours yet. Daddy's trying to teach me stick shift. It's not really working. I stalled out five times in twenty minutes, but seeing as how it was my first time out and nobody beeped at me, I guess I'm doing okay with it. It's different than the truck, that's for sure. That truck is one hurkin' vehicle. I feel like I have to stay almost on top of the yellow lines to keep from going in the ditch. I think I should move to England and then I'll only have to worry about one side of the car. :)
The car is parked.
I'm trying to think.
It's not happening.
The dog keeps barking at the back door. Every time she thinks she hears something, I have to get up and check it out. Then I yell at her because there's nothing out there and she goes back to bed for about five minutes until she "hears" something else. It's awful when I am here by myself. Or when she doesn't sleep in her crate at night. If she has opportunity at night, she will imagine things outside and bark at them every five minutes after we've gone to bed. And she won't go to bed until someone comes down and checks it out.
James is playing the Xbox. Mom is watching. That's always fun. Whenever I watch someone racing, I lean left and right depending on which way I think they need to turn. Or what's worse, tense myself up during the whole game because someone's tailgaiting you. It's exhausting work, watching. Mom makes it more fun. She tells you when someone's about to kill your player and you only have one life left.
Shelby's making herself lovable again.
I've been working on James' story today. Like all day. It's a long story. And he has lots of details that still have to be somehow worked into the storyline. The ending is not written yet, but when he gets it all done and I get it all fixed and he gets that all fixed, I'll put it up for y'all to read. May have to link to it, otherwise it'll take up the whole blog.
Man, it's cold today. Dad and James have been working on the addition. The roof is 3/4 done. Which is good news. Now it won't rain in there. Soon we'll have a door. Then siding. Someday, we'll even look forward to electricity.
Thursday (or is it Friday?) I have to go to the dentist or orthodontist or whatever to get my jaw looked at. Finally. However, I still haven't gotten a hold of anyone there to find out if it really is Thursday at 9:30 (or 9:00?) that my apppointment is set for. Those people never answer their phone. It's so annoying.
I went with Mom and James on Wednesday to lunch to celebrate getting my permit. We went to Manda's. She wore pigtails and hightops. She's so cool. Afterwards, we walked around in the rain looking in the different shops. I bought stickers. Snowmen stickers. They'll be cute for Christmas scrapbooking.
I haven't been doing much scrapbooking lately. I did about eight pages and made it to last July before my creativity and my white paper ran out. That's discouraging.
I finally read Cyrano de Bergerac. It was good. On the slim chance that the person who recommended it actually reads this blog, I may do a review kind of thing. I liked it. (That wasn't my review.)
Well, this has been fun. See ya. |
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posted by cori
1/16/2006 07:49:00 PM
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Thursday, January 12, 2006
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Read slowly.
Happiness is . . .
. . . finding a pair of earrings you wanted on sale for half price!
. . . squishing your feet in the sand on a warm beach.
. . . laughing out loud for no reason at all.
. . . a cool pillow on a hot summer night.
. . . hearing a song that reminds you of someone you love.
. . . cocoa with extra marshmallows.
. . . your favorite pair of slippers.
. . . rain on your rooftop in the middle of the night.
. . . hot apple cider.
. . . being best friends with you brothers and sisters.
. . . making a flower crown out of daisies.
. . . warm tea first thing in the morning.
. . . four generations of family in one photo.
. . . fresh-picked berries from your own backyard.
. . . running into an old friend.
. . . a walk in the rain with (or without) a big umbrella.
. . . washing dishes with the radio cranked up.
. . . finding a letter in your mailbox.
. . . clean, crisp sheets and a cozy quilt.
. . . walking barefoot on cool, freshly-clipped grass.
. . . mashed potatoes and gravy.
. . . gooshing mud between you toes!
. . . watching someone's face light up after you've given them a present.
. . . brand new fuzzy socks!
. . . seeing flickering fireflies on a quiet summer evening.
. . . a fragrant bubble bath.
. . . wind whistling through the trees.
. . . rocking a baby to sleep.
. . . flying a kite.
. . . the smell of baking bread.
. . . cinnamon and sugar on your toast.
. . . shopping with your girlfriends.
. . . swinging on a swing.
. . . laughing so hard your cheeks hurt!
. . . singing along with the radio.
. . . warm towels right out of the dryer.
. . . running through a sprinkler.
. . . little boys wearing jammies with feet!
. . . tossing a penny in a fountain and making a wish.
. . . waking up without an alarm clock.
. . . pink lemonade.
. . . the smell of freshly popped popcorn!
. . . finding a fantastic bargain at a yard sale.
. . . making s'mores over the campfire on a chilly autumn night.
. . . cuddling with your favorite stuffed animal.
. . . opening all the windows and feeling the breeze blow through the house.
. . . sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair.
. . . laying in the grass and looking up to find shapes in the clouds.
. . . dipping your toes in a cool stream.
. . . a nap in a hammock.
. . . walking through a toy store and remembering when you were little.
. . . laughing through tears.
. . . blowing out all your birthday candles!
. . . warm and gooey chocolate chip cookies.
. . . the smell of earth after a soft rain.
. . . getting your favorite magazine in the mail!
. . . the feel of the sun warming the back of your neck as you work in the garden.
. . . messages written in the steam on the bathroom mirror.
. . . having the entire office remember you birthday. And sing to you!
. . . learning to skip stones.
And how many of these things have you experienced? |
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posted by cori
1/12/2006 09:27:00 PM
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Wednesday, January 11, 2006
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A Milestonious Event
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YES!
Finally!
I can't believe it!
After six tries and four failures I have reached success!
Do you know what a relief this is?!?
Now I can join the millions
of Americans who, on top of everything else that goes wrong, have difficulties which are driver-related. I join the millions who didn't have enough stress, so they went and learned how to drive! Just think . . .
. . . I can experience the irritation
of fellow drivers on cell phones . . .
. . . I can sympathize
with those who fail to show patience in difficult situations . . .
. . . I can learn to hate snow . . .
. . . even more than I already do!
However, there are advantages
to being in the driver's seat.
For instance,
if I see this sign, I can stop for Wawa or Starbucks! . . .
. . . I can (eventually) monopolize the CD player! . . .
. . . I will not have to deal
with pumping my own gas unless I leave NJ! . . .
. . . I can sit back
and enjoy the scenery if necessary . . . (Hey, there's good in all things.)
. . . and who knows, I may eventually get a license and drive by myself!
COOL! |
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posted by cori
1/11/2006 02:41:00 PM
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Just Remember,
the brake is on the left,
and the gas is on the right:)
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Congratulations Leslie!!!
Happy Driving. :)
~Cara
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The brake is on the right.
The gas is on the left.
Got it.
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Fabulous Les! Every one here in Roadstown are all soooo happy for you! BTW I liked the post!
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You didn't have to deal with pumping gas as it was.
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Monday, January 02, 2006
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Things That Make You Smile
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Ok folks, give me ten things that make you smile. I'll start.
1. Breathing out on a cold day and watching my breath appear
2. Flannel pj's
3. Listening to Come Along
4. Nathan Davis
5. Trying on dresses at the mall
6. Corny jokes
7. Hearing someone call me Tink
8. Doorbells
9. Standing out front before a lightning storm and feeling the wind rush past me
10. This picture:
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posted by cori
1/02/2006 03:09:00 PM
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2. Hearing how Jared Hinton got tricked by Tink and her "fairy" cool friends.
Man, that was so funny! He totally could not figure out what I was talking about!
OK, and about that picture-do you know that I had no idea what was going on behind me until I got it developed? And then y'all were so in character that it has become my favorite-favorite HQ pic.
But anyway, no, I don't have JB's xanga. I did have a little card floating around my room with his contact info, but I don't know what happened to it. Email me and tell me so I can read it. (I didn't actually know he had a xanga.)
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Never! We'll be reliving it when we're sixty.
"And I said 'Tim Morgan? Oh, yeah. He was up there.'"
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The best part was when he first started to get suspicious. The look on his face, that look of revelation, when he said "Just a second fairygirl." Man, I wonder how many times he's had pranks pulled on him?
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Ok, folks, come on. I know chris isn't the only one who smiles. I've seen all of you do it. At least ten times.
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Man! It's so hard to narrow them all down to just 10! But I'll try. BTW, the order that they appear in doesn't mean that they are in the order that I prefer.
1. Godiva (hot) chocolate.
2. Going to the city with friends (i.e. New York and Philadelphia - remember Horns? :)).
3. Family photos.
4. When my family breaks out into dance.
5. Playing PIANO!!!!!!!
6. 1-100 (the game)
7. Danielle.
8. Memories.
9. Mrs. Thompson's lasgna (hint, hint ;)
10. A comfortable sweater.
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One thing that is making me smile right now is: Nathan is going around the house singing Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York."
I love that boy!
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He is so CUTE! I will have to ask him to sing it for me sometime. :)
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Correction: LASAGNA
NOW is it right Mrs. T.?
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Btw should I let you know the next time we are having this dish?
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Well, I guess I'll add my list.
#1. of course is my husband's smile.
2. Being a grandmom
3. my grandbaby's sweet smile.
4. The conversations I have with my son and daughter #2.
5. watching a videotape of our grandbaby.
6. A phone call from my firstborn.
7. my grandbaby's sweet smile.
8. SNOW!!
9. A trip to Lancaster,Pa.
10. Doing a remember when with my son and daughter.
There are tons more but she only asked for 10.
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Finally, I can access this blog! let's see "as long as we can have ten very dull things, I shan't have any trouble. Of course I will be limited as to number."
(also not in order)
#1 talking about my train
#2 Derek
#3 money
#4 a working invention of mine
#5 playing mariokart with someone
#6 my music teacher
#7 getting mail (snail mail, E-mail)
#8 food
#9 happy thoughts, happy thoughts..
#10 WaWa cocoa.
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BTW, richleau, I have seen you when you play the piano, and your mouth is in any shape but that of a smile. Though I do not doubt that it makes you happy.
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Now that makes me smile! I can see him now, looking at the music, then at the keys, and then again at the music, closer this time. :)
Not unlike how Jbear plays.
Not unlike how I play.
Now at least I know it's normal.
:)
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okay my turn!
#1. watching my daughter eat her toes.
#2. Watching my husband smile while my daughter giggles when she's eating her toes.
#3. letting my parents know they were going to be grandparents
#4.an boquet of flowers that answer a prayer
#5.my daughter sticking her tongue out at perfect strangers
#6.watching my husband and daughter watch t.v. together as she sits snuggled in his lap
#7. the sighing noises of my sleeping baby
#8.family vacations
#9.chocolate milkshakes from McDonald's
#10. curning bookies and making candied corners
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Cori and Jacques:
It's called "concentration."
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Big Sis,
Candied corners?
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(It's an inside joke. One of those family things, ya know.)
*wink*
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lol..oh yeah...I was trying to remember what the exact phrase was. I thought youd help me remember if I didnt get it right. Its been a long time...heehee
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I never said it wasn't concentration
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Deck Them Halls and All That Jazz - Part Two
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Ok, I did say that I would eventually write about what we did after the holiday was over. You know that time between Christmas and New Year's Eve? It's usually a blank on the blog. At least, from surfing other folks' blogs, it seems to be.
Monday, December 26
It was a Monday. Mondays are bad enough, but when you have to be to work an hour early so you can plan your strategy against the teeming mob already lined up outside the front door, you know it's going to be the ultimate Monday.
For three hours, we fought the customers. Ladies. No men. I'm telling you it was unreal to think that only two days before there was not a woman to be seen in the store who was not wearing a red shirt with khaki bottoms. (Hallmark uniforms.) And now there wasn't a man or child to be seen. All these women were dead set on getting the best deals before the other women got away with them.
Ugly little felt Christmas trees that we hadn't sold one of before Christmas were dwindling in number by noon. The singing Snoopy suddenly became the cutest thing they'd ever seen. It's amazing what someone will buy, simply because they know it's the last one, or because someone else just put it down.
It's unreal.
Three hours. From 9:30 straight through until 12:30. Two ran registers and two bagged purchases. We two bagging were also responsible for finding boxes. These boxes were right there on the shelf next to the item they picked up, but of course no one bothered to pick up the box as well. We were responsible for retreating to hiding in making our way back to the store room to see if that snowman on the shelf really is the last one we have. Then coming back out to assure the customer that, yes, we did check again and, yes, it really is the last one we have.
Then at 12:30, people stopped coming in. "Hurry, Gina! Eat your lunch before more people arrive!"
At six, it was "Hurry, Deb! Lock the door!"
And we all went home.
Tuesday, December 27th
This day's events were described in the previous cookie baking post.
After making all those cookies, our guests arrived. We had the Slack family over for a long overdue get-together. Joy was home from training and David was spending the holiday in NJ, too. Emily & Christian brought their sweet little Charis over. It was the first time I'd seen her. She's already four months old and looks just like Christian. I would pass along pictures, but I don't have any. We were all busy having a great time that no one wanted to spend time messing with the camera.
We played Apples to Apples. What fun! I bought it for our family for Christmas. After a few rounds, it started to really get silly. I decided that flowers & candy are sophisticated, thus winning David a green apple. I am bound to silence as to whose decision it was, but Richard Simmons was deemed flamboyant and flannel shirts were described as cut & dry. Johnny Depp personified sickening and up & coming was exampled by Drew Carey.
Needless to say, we all had fun. I believe David won, but I'm not sure. It was close for a while. Some of us didn't get any green cards. Some had only one.
We ate as many of those cookies as we could in between rice crispy treats. Soda disappeared quickly, but the coffee held out all evening.
We always have so much fun with their family.
Wednesday, December 28th
This day was spent at a very slow store. Scarcely anyone came in all day long. Deb and I worked on getting Valentine's Day stuff out on the shelves which had been emptied the day before of the Christmas stuff.
Thursday, December 29th
I know I already posted about the gorgeous walk I had in the rain, so I'll tell about the evening instead.
Hooray! We took a trip to Deptford. All of us. Five in the Honda. It was kind of cramped, what with our heavy coats and all. Then it became kind of warm. We had a difficult time extricating ourselves from those heavy coats.
Hit the mall. Not as much fun as at other times for the only stores I struck were JCP, the Icing and, oh, some computer game store that I can't recall the name of. I towed James along with me to Icing.
"Do you like this one?"
"That's nice."
"Ooh! This is pretty."
"Mm-hmm."
He looked like a fish out of water.
"Oh! Look at this purse! Tinkerbell! I so love it!"
One raised eyebrow.
"How 'bout earrings?"
He followed me over there.
Finally, after much deliberration, I settled on a necklace and earrings. Black and white stones. Cute, but pretty at the same time, with the added bonus of James' approval.
"I don't know. Do you like it?"
"Mm-hmm."
At the register- "I don't know, James. Do you really like them?"
"Mm-hmm."
Out the door.
James- "Ok, now let's go to this store over here."
The first time I got a whole sentence out of him, he wanted to take me to the computer game store.
The grown-ups had stayed in Penney's to return sizes and find other deals, so we headed there again when we were finished. We spotted Dad going out the door, but we couldn't catch him before he was gone. We hung around, assuming that he was goin to pull the car up for Mom and Grandma, but we didn't see them.
What I did see were some more cute purses and after ooh-ing and ah-ing over them and getting James to try and figure out how the cutest of all of them opened, I spied the perfume counter.
It's no wonder he doesn't like to go to the mall with me.
I found two that I liked, but he couldn't tell the difference. (Bree, one of them was that Curious that we were so all over. I love it! but he couldn't tell me more than that "it smells like alcohol.") :-b
Dinner at Pizza Hut! Do you know that the last time I was at PH, I was watching Amber order two servings of breadsticks, putting one aside for taking home? That was so much fun!
James and I split a stuffed crust pepperoni. Obviously, we had to take half of it home.
Friday, December 30th
Thankfully, this was my last day at the store. I'm so glad I didn't sign on for longer than the month of December. Don't think they didn't all try to get me to stay, "at least another month, huh?" "Do you want any more days before you go back to Chicago?" "I wish you were still gonna be here."
I almost wanted to stay.
Almost. Not quite.
Saturday, December 31st
New Year's Eve
Mom, Grandma and I went shopping at the Cumberland mall. They are slowly moving up. An Aeropostale here. A Claire's there. Bath & Body Works was the only cool store for a long time. We had to be back in time to make dinner before Dad left for work, so we didn't stay long. I do remember hitting Walmart on the way in? or out?
James and I decided we were going to stay up late. I played the Xbox for a while after dinner. He played after me. I tried calling some friends to see if we could borrow one of their dvd's, but (duh!) they weren't home. So we watched Peter Pan. Then we watched Phantom of the Opera, the old one with Claude Reines? (How do you spell his last name? Is that right?) We only had about an hour afterward to kill so we sat reading the paper and doing crosswords. I had just figured out what a fifteen letter word for hop was when James pipes up.
"happy new year."
"oh. yup. happy new year."
"i'm going to bed."
"see ya."
And that was it. |
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posted by cori
1/02/2006 11:11:00 AM
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I am sooo going to have to play Apples to Apples! I've heard that it's really fun!
And for James' info, "Curious" does NOT smell too much like alcahol and is one of the best-smelling ladies perfume on the market!
However, James, I do feel for you - being drug around the mall like that. But I really must point out that you have such insight when it comes to ladies' accessories! "MMm-hmm."
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That's not insight! That's disinterestedness.
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| The ShugaBowl |
| Sounds like some kind of sports thing, but in reality, the ShugaBowl is just a little hideaway for me, Sugarcube herself, to let loose my thoughts and occasional creativeness. |
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Sniff. This is the first year I missed out on the ice skating fun. Although, I can't believe you broke tradition and went during the day! There is something about skating in the freezing darkness with the lights from the bridge glimmering softly that I simply love.
I'm so glad you all had a great time. Reading your post made me think back to the fun times we had learning how to skate, trying to skate backwards, playing tag, having our ritual after-skating coffee at B&N, etc. Happy memories!
Derek, your car looks great! I had almost forgotten that you had purchased the Jeep until I saw the picture.
Enjoy winter (although that sun looked a bit Texan to me :))
~Cara