We Are Family

Lately, we haven't been watching TV.  I mean, we watch TV but it's not going on first thing in the morning on Saturday or Sunday and I'm not having to yell, "turn the TV off!" 

The girls, for some reason, have been waking up and doing other stuff.  Arts and crafts, violin, cards, just piddling around.  It's been wonderful.  This morning I did, however, wake up to them playing ping pong on the wii.  I laid in bed listening to the funny comments and banter between them.  When I got up I got my coffee and watched them.  Jack came in after working on his skis all morning and we all decided to go for a walk up Deer Creek. 

We got on our winter clothes and headed out the door.  The girls had sleds, Jack had his snow skate, teller had a stick and I had the camera.  We walked up the first hill and stashed the sleds in the woods because we wanted to hike up further to see what Jack has named 'Little Alaska.'  

Little Alaska is an area in Deer Creek we ski in the winter.  There is a wall of chutes and cornices that he felt needed that name.  It's super cool to ski and we ski up there often with the snowmobiles towing us up there. 

We hiked up to the culvert and got a good look at Little Alaska and even though there is snow up there it's still not enough to ski.  Safely that is.  Our walk was fun with just the 4 of us plus Teller.  We sang, laughed, threw snow, talked and told stories and most importantly, we enjoyed each other and had a great time.  I took a couple of pictures but never enough.  We decided not to take our Christmas picture because Buster, our cat, wasn't with the family and that wouldn't be nice to him. 

We walked back down to where we had stashed the sleds and sledded down the most fun part of the hill to the parking lot.  I always love looking at my house from Deer Creek.  I still can't believe I live in such beautiful mountains. 

Thanksgiving

I never really think about all of the things I'm thankful for.  I take it all too for granted like many of us do but this year I really focused on what I am thankful for and here are some of the things.

• My husband, Jack.  He is a great guy and puts up with me. 
• Of course, my kids.  Good, bad, ugly.  It's all part of it and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
• My health.  Even though I haven't been feeling up to par for a few weeks it's nothing serious and I have only broken one bone, my clavicle, in 48 years and most of those years I've lived a very active life. 
• My friends.  I love my friends.  I have picked good people to be around.
• My job.  I am happy to have a job with great benefits.
• My house.  I love my little cabin in the woods.
• My pets.   They keep me laughing and I love the fact that I can spoon with my dog, Teller. 
• My sense of humor.  I love to laugh and I laugh often.
• My entire family who are spread out all over the U.S. 
• My car.  I love my car and after driving home in a huge wind/snowstorm last night it sure handles well on snowy roads.  I came upon a large tree that had blown over right onto the road and had to veer quickly around it.  I almost slammed into it.  My car is awesome. 

So many things to be thankful for but these are just a few.  I am thankful for the wonderful life I was given and I am having a great time living it. 

I did boycott Black Friday though and I am thankful for that.  Now, I can take a breather and soon we will focus on Christmas.

My People

     Last night I went bowling for our employee party.  It's pretty amazing the camaraderie we all have with one another. 
I think this was thrown together kind of last minute so an email went out last week inviting us all to the bowling alley for a get together.  Usually when something like that is last minute a handful of people may show up.  Not with our motley crew.  Everyone was there.  Front of the house, back of the house, management too. 
We walked in and the bowling alley was empty with the exception of a couple of people wrapping up a game.  We gathered around a table waiting for everyone to show and within 15 minutes 25 or so of us were high fiving, fist bumping, hugging, shaking hands.  It was as if we all hadn't seen each other in years.  It's been 5 weeks.  The energy was good and we were all feeling warm and fuzzy being with our 'kind' again.  We're like a special tribe, us restaurant folk.  We have our own language, and no one is easily offended.
 
     After our warm welcomes and feeling the love we got shoes, pitchers of beer, cocktails, food and balls.  We broke up into teams and started bowling.  The jokes were flying, everyone was aware of the other lanes and how others were bowling, wise cracks were being thrown out and there was laughter all around.  We were all mingling and having a ball. 
Before last night I was so not ready to go back to work.  Now, I am. 

     I am grateful to work in such a positive environment, which is kind of an oxymoron.  Restaurant business, positive environment?
  
Yes, it is possible.  We're living proof.

Hannah Hit the Slopes

Well, my daughter, Hannah, beat me again.  She got out skiing before I did.  She got new skis, boots and poles and got her pass, which I still don't have for this season.  She's on it.  And, she is one motivated individual to ski.  I love her passion and her great attitude and it's contagious.  I'm going to get may pass tomorrow and hopefully hit the slope.  There may be more than one open that I'll ski but early season is pretty limited. 
The weather has been nice with the occasional snow shower but nothing as of late has come our way.  I'm crossing my fingers in hopes we'll have another season like we did last year.   That was crazy good. 
In the mean time we'll be thankful for the snow we do have and after a 5 week break from work I go back on Tuesday.  I'm a little mixed about starting up my job because I really don't feel ready to go balls to the wall yet.  But, we need the money and it is sure to be a profitable one given the reservations we already have for Thanksgiving.  I am grateful that I even get a break.  I can't imagine doing what I do year round, 5 days a week with no substantial break.  So, thank you.

5 a.m.... Against the Law.

There ought to be a law that states waking up before 7am is illegal.  I know all of you morning weirdos out there think that I'm crazy but if you could see me before 7am you'd vote yes.  This morning I had to wake up at 5:00 so I could get Jordan to swim practice by 6.  Of course, she couldn't wake up so I was stressing about it and we got into a little fight and by the time we drove out of the driveway at 5:30 this morning I knew we'd be late.  Too bad so sad, coach.
 I forgot my purse and didn't even have the decency to put on a bra.  Luckily for the cop who may have had to pull me over for speeding but didn't, I was wearing a huge winter coat that went down to the floor, practically.  I did get my coffee to go though so I wasn't going to cry. 
I got in the car and started driving down the icy, windy mountain road and J was telling me to hurry up.  The road was terrible and I made a mental note to call the road people to have them come up with some sand or I would be in the ditch.  Every corrner I came around I kept thinking this is it.  I'm going to spin out.  I wasn't that stupid.  I was taking it easy much to Jordan's dismay.  She had the stereo cranked up loudly to Glee's CD, I think number 6 or something.  We listen to it over and over and over and over and over and over and over, oh sorry.  I made a mental note to lose that CD for awhile. 
We got to school at 6 exactly and I drove to the wrong door because I'm new at this morning practice thing.  We drove around to the pool door, which naturally, that is where the girls would enter.  Sometime this summer they built a huge curb where there wasn't one and we drove up that curb and J kept saying, "you can't drive over that!".. "MOM, you can't drive over that!!!" 
Watch me.  We were late and by gawd I was pissed off at the new curb.  Jordan made it to swim and I drove home in peace and quiet and took a nap.  I had to get some more shut eye before I went to my 11:00 new windshield appointment and then to Jordan's 3:00 Dentist appointment to have 3 teeth pulled.  It just never ends.  After explaining to the Dentist that Jordan has huge anxiety and I could predict what would happen when we got home I asked her if she could prescribe something to get Jordan to sleep tonight because I knew the outcome of our teeth pulling day.  She and I both decided that vicodin would be to much and Valium stays in the system too long and all in all I really didn't want Jordan on a narcotic with her other meds so I drove to Vitamin Cottage and got some Valerian root and called it good.  It worked and J is resting and after about a half hour of OMG I got her settled down and happy.  Ice cream and Valerian.  It's a good combo. 
So, tomorrow we wake up for one more appointment for a school sport physical and we should be done for a while.
But, I'm happy to say that I no longer have a crack in my windshield from the top to the bottom straight in my view and I have  brand new windshield wipers and he vacuumed out my car for me.  It was exceptionally good customer service which one doesn't see much of any more. 
I may have to pop a couple of natural sleeping pills and call it a night too.

My First Grey Hair

I've thought about ending my blog.  It seems kind of redundant to me at times to keep writing the same ole, same ole.  I think I was trying to hard to come up with "material" that would be interesting.  Well, to tell you the truth this writing stuff is like therapy to me and I am pleased to announce to myself, and whom ever else reads this stuff, that I am not ending my blog.  I know my Dad, for one, will be happy about that.  So read on and some of this will get pretty juicy. 

I feel like I've lived 10 years in the past one month.  I ended my job on October 17th for 5 weeks because that's what the restaurant does.  It shuts down to regroup for the next season.  Winter.  Which equals snow, skiing/riding, tourists, holidays, busy.  I don't know how I can get any busier.  During our break I scheduled every appointment known to Mom.  Dentist, doctors, ortho, therapist, you  name it we've been.  And that is not to mention the extra curricular activities that are involved in this schedule. 
Oh, and did I mention I threw in a trip to MN in there too?  With a side trip to Madison?  Here's how my break has been so far. 
Like I said, on October 17th I worked the last night of the restaurant being opened until Thanksgiving.  A little cleaning and putting away stuff and we were good to go.  That week I had a crown on a tooth and my annual check up.  We drove to Denver and spent the night with my cousins on Friday night and drove home on Saturday so I could work a fancy, schmancy wine function for Keystone.  It was not worth it but I had fun and was out of there by 10.  Sunday was my rest day which consisted of watching the Vikings get beat by the Packers.  End of week one of my break.  Week two consisted of more appointments, violin practice, meetings at school and getting ready for Halloween which is always a huge thing.   Halloween came and went and now I'm starting my 3rd week of break so I get on a plane and head for MN, by myself, no kids.  MN was another whirlwind of packing it all in, seeing friends, not seeing friends, you bastards, and then we threw in a quick trip to Madison for the weekend to see my older brother and his family which was definitely the highlight of my trip.  I love that family because they are perfect in every way, the bastards.  Back in the car for the 5 hour drive to Mpls and I'm all energetic and pumped up and rejuvenated and motivated to change my family to be just like my brothers' family.  I've got a great plan and I am prepared.  MN gave me another day to do stuff and off to my mountain home by Tuesday.  I'm now in my 4th week of break and I feel as if I need a vacation.  I get home on Tuesday night and Jordan has to let me know how pissed off she is at me for abandoning her for a week and goes into a rage like no other.  She is throwing things and cussing and smashes a lamp with glass all over and finally breaks down into an exhausted sleep and I am now realizing that my plan to be like my brothers' family is just not going to happen.  Time for more appointments the following day,  the biggie being an ortho appointment only to be told that Jordan needs braces to the tune of 3 years and $5100.  Yippy skippy,  So I'm trying to figure out how to tell Jack this because he is going to have a cow.  Jordan is now wearing a retainer which is giving her a huge headache and she can't stop playing with it, hence a new thing to fight about.  Friday comes too quickly and I'm off again for an overnight to Jordan's speech and debate tournament in downtown Denver.  18 kids, the coach and me.  Now, I'm new at the speech and debate thing and it's actually pretty amazing to see.  It's a whole new academic world, one that I'm not so sure we belong in.  I was thrown to the wolves and was made a judge and we spent 20 hours at a school for this incredible tournament.   Jordan was a complete train wreck and I was walking around like I was lost in a corn maze, which is how I felt.  But to say the least we survived and I had fun.  The drive home was stressful as there was a huge storm in the mountains which we knew we were driving straight into, Jordan had the biggest meltdown in the car with other school passengers present and had to witness what one of her meltdowns looks like.  She ended up getting herself so worked up that by the time we got up to the tunnel it was a blizzard outside, she got sicker than a dog and  vomited her entire weekend out of her system into the Tokyo Joe's bag I thankfully had.  Now, I have the white knuckle drive down from the tunnel, windows down,  in a blizzard, with 2 highchool girls in the back seat wondering WTF, and a bag full of vomit,  with Jordan still dry heaving in the bag.  We were all exhausted.  We get to the school with a side trip to the gas station so J can clean up a bit, and I said goodbye and sorry to the two girls who had the misfortune of having to ride home with us but in return we got a new passenger because I told his parents I would drive him home.  Well, we get to his neighborhood and Jordan has to barf again but we have no bag so I stopped in the middle of the road in the middle of the blizzard and she had to heave out the door.  Poor guy in the back was horrified.   I gave him a look and told him he is a true friend.  We get home finally at 11 or so and I can't wait to curl up with my cat and my blanket in my comfy clothes and veg in front of the TV with a glass of wine.  I do and BOOM!!.  Power outage.  No problem, I'll just go to bed. 
We woke up the next day with no power, a freezing house and no water.  No problem, these things get fixed within a matter of a few hours.  Not today.  5pm came and it is now getting pretty dark.  I get candles and light them and we wait.  And wait.  Jack finally takes the girls to dinner down the hill and half the town of Montezuma is there too.  I opted not to go because I had now come down with the nasty cold my Dad gave to me in MN.  They got home and had full bellies and Jordan was worried about her hair the next morning if we didn't have power.  She still hadn't washed it and had barfed a little in it but washed it out at the gas station.  I told her we'll deal with it the next morning if we still don't have power.  Well, the next morning came and we were still without power.  Hannah was raring to go and I gave J the option.  She opted not to get out of her warm bed only to face a freezing house.  I don't blame her nor did I make her get up.  She had a huge weekend and was not in a good place.  She did get up at 7 though and realized that staying home in a cold house with no power or water was not going to be fun so I drove her to school at 8 and they let her have an excused absence.  We did get our power back, finally that afternoon as I was packing an overnight bag to stay elsewhere.
I had invited some friends over about 2 months ago for the Monday night football game, Vikings/Packers.  I bought football food and cleaned the house, took a vacuum to the floor which hadn't been done in about a month.  I called my friends to let them know that unbeknownst to me Jordan started swim team this night and I'd be home at 7:30 so start without me.  I get a call from my daughter and she tell me, "Mom, we have a slight problem.   Kurtis and Tracy aren't coming up anymore."  I ask why, concerned and she tells me it's because we don't get the channel that the football game is on.  I ask how is that possible and she tells me Monday night football is on ESPN, which we DO NOT GET!!  Can you say embarrassing.  So we politely invite ourselves up to their house and watch a huge ass kicking done by the Packers.  But, we ate our football food and had fun. 
Now I'm in my 5th week of break and tonight we are driving down to Denver to see The Lion King at The Buell Theatre and it's snowing.  It's going to be a late night and I'm sick.  I'm going anyway.  I'll bring my NyQuil and my cough drops and a good attitude, dammit.  I'll finish my break with another trip to Denver to see my hormone doctor followed by a dentist appointment for Jordan rounding that up with a physical check up for Jordan on Saturday.  I'll go back to work on Tuesday not rested and cranky. 
This story brings me to the title of my post.  While we were down in Denver I was getting ready for bed after a huge long day at the speech and debate tournament.  I was in my motel bathroom and the lighting was fluorescent lighting on my head and I see it.  A huge, protruding grey hair sticking straight out of the top of my head.  It was like it was calling for me to see it and I did.  I pulled that sucker out of my head and inspected it like I have inspected nothing else in my life.  I almost cried.  But I didn't, I laughed.  I threw the grey hair in the toilet like it was a dead gold fish and flushed the toilet. 
I guess I need to make an appointment to see my hair stylist.  I'll do that tomorrow.