Thursday 37 (Week 32)

1. Pigeon and rabbit. In the same meal.
2. Alexander, upon being told that since he's home sick from school and he needs to do something relaxing: "Like play video games? Because playing video games is relaxing for me."
3. Donuts from Munster, Indiana from Rebecca and Barry. Wow. I hardly feel like I deserve this place in your hearts.
4. Ummm, wow. I did not know about Snowgasm 2012. I can safely say I left the experience pretty unsatisfied...
5. Beth: "Jackie, you obviously didn't listen to my message where I told you about the snow."
6. Sixteen miles. Five hours. Five kids. Nobody peed in the car or threw up in the car. I'll consider that a huge success.
7. George. You completely amaze me. 
8. Cold Basement Dramatics: Thirst. Great job. I'm so proud of my little brother.
9. And now I know Coopers is no place to eat. Neither is The Cooper.
10. The Waiting Game. Come on April 15th, get here.
11. Potsticker Eat Off Plans.
12. The first weekend with The Hex.
13. Following the first weekend with The Hex, this text message: "Please tell me you're available for drinks tonight.  I mean seriously. I need to go out and have a fucking glass of wine with a girl. A GIRL."
14. The Christmas Tree is out of the house.
15. This line: "One thing I think you should know, I ain't gonna miss you when you go,
    Been down so long, I've been tossed around enough
    Oh, couldn't you just let me go down and do my stuff"
16. "Here’s the truth: friendships between women are often the deepest and most profound love stories, but they are often discussed as if they are ancillary, 'bonus' relationships to the truly important ones. Women’s friendships outlast jobs, parents, husbands, boyfriends, lovers, and sometimes children." So cheers to us, Beth, Melanie, Jen, Jen, Kelly, Senora, Rebecca, Sandy.
17. Alexander: "Mom, have you had your coffee yet?" Me: "Yeah." At which point I turn around to Alexander shooting me with his toast. God I love boys.
18. Passing on the boy clothes my guys have outgrown. It is bittersweet. Even a little thing like clothes.
19. Dinner and drinks with Melanie. I think that has been forever.
20. Finding out I'm not the only one who cries about the tiniest things ever. Like babies sitting on your lap and clapping.
21. As last week, I am so thankful that my children are alive and healthy.
22. This statement: "My grandmother would have loved you."
23. My dad's signature on emails sent from his cellular phone: "eyeyaiyaiyaiFone"
24. Starting to really understand that life is short. It is happening right now. Don't waste it.
25. 4:00 AM knitting to save me from the horrible dream which woke me at 3:00 AM.
26. Beth. There are just no words to describe how I cherish our friendship.
27. Making it to school on time despite waking up 25 minutes before we needed to leave.
28. Me: "Guys, it was a great morning. Except for the whole stomping like elephants thing." The Boys: "We weren't elephants, we were soldiers." Me: "Well, maybe next time let me know there are going to be soldiers in the hallway."
29. Knowing I can't be saved. Not expecting to be saved. Not wanting to be saved.
30. The calm before the storm.
31. Paperwork is taken care of.
32. The lunch lady who ordered lunches for my kids because I was late sending in the paperwork.
33. The way the boys just switch uniforms depending on whose day it is for "regular" uniform and whose day it is for "gym" uniform.  It is nice when they work together like that.
34. Eva Kay calming herself down.
35. The prospect of being a chaperone on George's overnight field trip. Wish me luck.
36. Being ready.
37. Beautiful Wreck

So, there you go.

Thursday 37 (Week 31)

Wow, I feel like I'm rounding the bend. Whatever that means.

It seems like my mortality is flaunting itself, right in front of my face. On a good note, its pretty flamboyant. And that is never a bad thing. Unless you're on Project Runway.

1. Sitting on the top bunk with all three kids looking at the Word-Of-The-Day Calendar Alexander got me for Christmas. Can you say "holus bolus?"
2. Photography class. Its just fun is all.
3. Feeling like a total failure as a parent because Alexander wouldn't tell me what was upsetting him. I know it sounds strange, but I think is has something to do with the Greater Forces telling me to Pay Attention.
4. Wine with a haircut. Maybe they give it to you so the haircut looks that much better...
5. The first snowstorm of the season. I'm glad winter is here and all, but I keep thinking about that whole "...be careful what you wish for..." thing.
6. This: "Your sense of humor.  Not just "ha-ha," but your ability to laugh at the true perversity in the universe, even when it's shitting on you."
7. This statement of my Facebook page from my Aunt Bobbie: "Boomer sooner :-) good luck!"
8. One application down. One to go.
9. Around and around and around and around.
10. Middle of the night, five mile car rides.
11. Knowing that people are people. As long as you're good people, I don't care if you are a boy who wants to be a girl, a girl who likes girls, or a run of the mill person. Just don't try to get me to not buy Girl Scout cookies because of it.
12. My dad's signature on emails sent from his cellular phone: "Sent from my eyecarambaFone"
13. My children are healthy. 
14. Doing something I shouldn't have done, and realizing it before it was too late. Times three.
15. Alexander making his First Reconciliation. I can only imagine what he "confessed."
16. An email from Senora that declared: "GIRL........YOU LOOK GOOD ON PAPER!!! UMMM HMMMM"
17. Late night dancing.
18. I slept in the suburbs and didn't get sucked into a suburbanite abyss.
19. Code Word: Crab Boil.
20. This text message from Beth: "Can almost feel the shakes just thinking about it."
21. This text message from Jen: "Eeew. I'd skip the spam... Maybe a nice juicy cheeseburger!"
22. Upon seeing a three year old girl spit out her milk by the Starbucks, "Wow, she musta had a rough night, too."
23. Black Forest Ham Bacon. You are delicious.
24. Dancing on the tightrope.
25. My second application is done. I can procrastinate in peace now.
26. I have two wonderful Editors for my grad school essays. I am very fortunate to know such smart people.
27. Knitting with Melanie at Dollop. A great lazy, productive day.
28. Believing in the word conscientious. Whatever that means.
29. Nobody thinks it was passive-aggressive.
30. Angela: "What! You put that on your blog?"
31. Sitting next to Hillary at knitting.  There's just something I love about talking to her. I think we are on the same wavelength.
32. Angela and Amy: "No one is going to give you permission to stop knitting those socks before they are done."
33. Good conversations.
34. Tonya: "For we are friends."
35. Emails about my high school 20 year reunion (yikes!).
36. Eva Kay: "Mom, when I say 'meow' do the cats understand what I'm saying?"
37. Because Ladies, there is no time for weakness: Run The World (Girls).

So, there you go.

Thursday 37 (Week 30)

For some reason, not dissimilar from real life, 30 seems significant. Perhaps its because my year of noting my happiness, laughter and gratitude is more than half over.  I am already starting to imagine what my life will be like when I'm no longer making these posts.  I think I'll be a little sad. I know I'll miss it.  So I'm really going to try to enjoy the last 22 weeks.

1. Returning to the states with no drama, despite barely making the connecting flight.
2. Giving up my first class seat. I'm just that cool.
3. Having the capacity to not get upset about some of the things I can't control. Like planes that are delayed (I can't fly them after all), crazy security (its just a fact of life at this point) and lost luggage (maybe it wanted to spend more time in Houston).
4. My luggage being "delayed" rather than lost, as if it had complete and total control over the situation.
5. The weather being reasonably warm when I returned to Chicago, since my "delayed" luggage contained the "winter jacket" and "pants" I planned on putting on at O'Hare.
6. Quiet -- the kind of quiet that only happens when you don't have children swarming around you -- for the first time in two weeks.
7. Knowing what I'm coming home to.
8. Seeing their little faces and getting those hugs. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.
9. Eva Kay showing me where her tooth once was.  She looks older already.
10. Having the best dentist in the world. Thanks Dr. Richard Scott Hopf.
11. Alexander reaching his hand out to mine. It is the best little hand in the world.
12. Realizing, in my absence, my cats have used my fireplace as a litter box.
13. Sleeping on it.
14. Chatting in the parking lot. I've missed it, my ladies.
15. Giving the children colones. They were each given 1,350 colones, which is about $2.65 and they all feel like they're rich.
16. Finally working on my graduate school applications.
17. Transcript requests: What can I say, everyone makes it easy except Houston.
18. A wonderful 'Welcome back!' upon returning to knitting.
19. Amy: "Jackie, I have missed you. I feel like I've been deprived the last two weeks."
20. Jenny: "If you want to change your life, clean out a drawer."
21. Angela: "I cleaned out a suitcase that has been sitting on my floor since October. I found all my underwear."
22. Duncan in his hat. I'm sad I didn't get to work on it, but Angela and Jenny, it looks wonderful.
23. My Oklahoma socks. Almost done.
24. A beautiful, lovely, wonderful, special gift from Rebecca. Thank you, thank you.
25. Nathaniel and Lily, who made very special gifts for George, Alexander, and Eva Kay. They love them.
26. George: "Why are cats so cute?"
27. Something, just something, isn't quite right, but still, peacefulness.
28. Not being a Republican.
29. An impromptu coffee date with Jen.
30. Coming back to my car after an impromptu coffee with Jen only to find a boot on my car and having the capacity to laugh.
31. Melanie: "It really is inconvenient for me that you have this boot on your car. I needed you to go over to my house and look for my phone, which I think I dropped in the stairwell this morning."
32. The ease with which the City of Chicago removes boots once all tickets and fines have been paid.
33. Beth: "You are handling this way better that I did."
34. The kids looking forward to The Snowstorm of 2012.
35. Making a New Year's Resolution, which I never do.
36. Truly appreciating my family and friends. 
37. Sweet Pain.

So, there you go.

Thursday 37 (Week 29)

 

1. Making the flight back to Chicago. Barely.
2. The following text message from Anonymous Friend: SOS!!!! Fat jeans officially heaving at the seams and threatening to burst. Passers by could be injured, even killed in their wake. Send supplies stat-- stapler for mouth, gift certificate for lipo both welcome.
3. Getting just enough sleep to leave for the airport at 3:30 AM.
4. RostiPollos.
5. Getting a text message that Eva Kay lost her first tooth (finally).
6. Sending an emergency 'If I Die' email to my closest friends, which amongst other things stated: "It takes a special kind of person to be the friend you've been to me. You're way better than a husband. You actually know how to ride the highs and lows and you do it without question."
7. Response to 'If I Die' email from Kelly: "Love you too! Have a great trip, enjoy the sun, beautiful blue waters and rum drinks."
8. Response to 'If I Die' email from Sandy: "You are a great friend and I love you very much. Through all of it, together!"
9. Response to 'If I Die' email from Jen T: "I LOVE YOU too...You are not dying anytime soon sister, you have a lot of work to do on this planet. My new years goal is to see you more."
10. Response to 'If I Die' email from Beth: "And no, you definitely do not need a husband to do much in life.  You've certainly proved that..."
11. Response to 'If I Die' email from Jen R: "So glad you are safe and sound, my darling friend.  I hope you are having a wonderful time!  Love, love, love."
12. Response to 'If I Die' email from Melanie: "I consider you the filling in my cake of life and maybe the sparkly candle on the top."
13. Surviving what I like to call the Death Flight into Puerto Jimenez.
14. Surviving the 45 minute car ride to the Osa Peninsula.
15. Celebrating the New Year by playing cards until midnight.
16. Sitting on the porch and drinking coffee in complete solitude.
17. Hiking down to the ocean and being surrounded by nothing.
18. The shoe on the tree.
19. Monkeys swinging from trees right outside my door.
20. Being told I make the perfect sausages.
21. Being too relaxed to knit.
22. Putting on a swimsuit in January and soaking in the sun.
23. Horseback riding on the beach.
24. Collecting crab shells.
25. Climbing the inside of a tree and rappelling down.
26. My Super Hot Tree-Rappelling Guide (see photo above), as I rappelled down the tree: "Jackie, What The Fuck!"
27. Learning again to play Spades. Turns out, I'm not that good.
28. Learning again to play Hearts. Turns out, I'm not that good.
29. I do rule at Scattegories.
30. Realizing that it is a small, small, small world.
31. Knowing that regardless of where you are, the chatter amongst women is always important.
32. Falling asleep in a hammock.
33. Remembering to be amazed at the little things. Like spiders.
34. Knitting by the pool (when I finally unrelaxed enough to knit).
35. Taking pictures that somehow manage to capture my emotions.
36. Looking forward to and being excited about the possibilities of 2012.
37. Landslide.

So, there you go.

Thursday 37 (Week 28)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know this is long overdue. But hey, I've been on vacation and out there creating these memories.  So, these are my 37 moments of gratitude, happiness and laughter from the week of Christmas.  Try to keep up...

1. Trying no to go too overboard with gifts (I am sure I'll be better next year).
2. The Easy Button.  It brings more laughter (and annoyance) than it probably should.
3. Getting motivated to eat less. Sadly, this is brought on by the sight of my pale, pale legs in a bathing suit, but hey, whatever it takes...
4. Alexander: "You know, Christmas really isn't about the presents."
5. A moment of quiet knitting in the morning.
6. Manicures with Beth. I'm pretty sure all the world's problems could be solved at a nail salon, if only the men would step aside.
7. Cass and Jake babysitting. Thank you.
8. Penelope and men in Speedos.
9. A lovely and somewhat debaucherous evening of Scattegories. 
10. George: "Marijuana!"
11. My mom helping the kids make cookies for Santa.
12. The kids tracking Santa on the NORAD site and the frenzied manner which they went to bed once he finally made it to the US.
13. Christmas morning. There is nothing like seeing those happy faces.
14. Savoring the gifts the kids gave me. I will love each and every day of my Word-A-Day and Brain-Teaser-A-Day calendars.
15. Melanie and Johnpaul making Christmas dinner. It was ridiculously nice to knit while they cooked.
16. Jake's Coke somehow spontaneously turning into a frothy, exploding mess, causing him to splurt Coke out of his nose, which naturally wound up all over the room.
17. Being the only person who saw the aforementioned event with said Coke take place, despite the room in which it occurred have many, many other people in it.
18. Eva Kay reading Baby Stephen a good night story.
19. Pumpkin Pie taste-off with a Pecan Pie chaser.
20. Making the flight to Las Vegas. Barely.
21. Realizing I will never, ever, ever, eat at Jersey Mike's Subs again. Ever.
22. Jenny on Facebook.  Pigs really do fly.
23. Upon realizing I didn't have my ATM card in Las Vegas, my friends quickly came up with ways in which I could survive. None of them, might I add, included actual monetary donations.
24. The bathrooms in the hotel rooms at Planet Hollywood are really, really nice.
25. Hiking in the Red Rock Canyon.
26. After 45 minutes of torturous hell, during which Alexander and Eva Kay were lost, wandering the desert, the were returned to me.  I have never been happier.
27. Eva Kay upon being reunited with me: "We thought you were lost!"
28. Knowing that, except for the 30 seconds of tears, I can handle a crisis.
29. Hiking in Zion National Park. Truly breathtaking. Naturally, it makes me wish I lived just about anywhere other than the nature-less Chicago.
30. Stephanie: "Nobody here cares. Really."
31. Eva Kay completing her Junior Ranger activities and the boys helping just enough to show they care.
32. The sunset driving back to Las Vegas.
33. The absolute stupid hilarity of watching P2 on an 8 foot screen at the Planet Hollywood, instead of doing something stupidly stupid.
34. A to Z Wine.  Just in case anyone is in need of a gift idea for me...
35. Seeing my mom play in the pool with the kids. They (and I) are really fortunate to have such a spry Nana in their lives.
36. Breakfast with the kids, without having to cook or clean.
37. My Sweet Lord.

So, there you go.