Thanksgiving: Over Next Up: Christmas

I have a Thanksgiving post, but it requires photos, and they haven't been downloaded yet yadda yadda. So I'm doing a reverse fakeout with y'all, and doing a Christmas post instead.

ZING!

I guess it's only fitting since the Christmas tree is now up and decorated (as of about 5:30 this afternoon), and at least ONE of us in this house (the little one, natch) is suuuuuuuuuper excited about the whole shebang.

In fact, we sat down and wrote her letter to Santa tonight. I begged her to let me type it since I type about a jillion times faster than I write longhand, and here, my friends, is the stream-of-consciousness results.

Enjoy:

11.30.08

Santa Claus
North Pole

Dear Santa,

I act(ed) nice at Gramps’s house (Gramps is BH's dad, and who we stayed with for Thanksgiving--ed.), and I wanted to say that when I was a baby did you know that I did not suck on a dah-dah (a.k.a., “pacifier”--ed.)?

Dear Santa, I have a real computer like my mom but ‘cept it makes noise. I have a picture of you Santa Claus. And when you come, we have everything set. You’ll love it. I have a snow globe and it sparkles so much. I really love you Santa Claus, and I’m sorry I didn’t come have a picture with you, but I was three years old and I didn’t know what was happening like my X-ray when I got walking pneumonia (apparently that X-ray was more traumatic than I thought--ed.).

I want a little teddy bear, Santa Claus. And even though I have a little reindeer thing with Santa (you) and a present, I want another one please. And I want some princess dress up clothes and pretend lipstick. And Santa, some sparkly pink and blue shoes for Austin, Texas and Horseshoe Bay where my Dah (“grandmother”—ed.) lives, and I want some fancy green some and I want some purple shoes (sparkly), and I want writing with little people walking in the fancy shoes, Santa (I have no clue, Santa—ed.).

I really like to draw pictures. I want five clean pages and pictures in a little tiny book.

Santa, I want one more little tiny baby, but it’s going to go to Horseshoe Bay, not Austin, please, because I just want to have another baby so I can have a big circle at Dah’s house. I want a pretend telephone that doesn’t make any noise.

I want you to bring my Dah a little purple necklace with purple shoes. Do not tell her. And we are going to give this picture (what I’m holding in my hand) to her (It’s a picture of you, Santa—ed.). Do NOT tell her, Santa Claus.

BH would like some sandpaper, please.

Mommy would like two real live kittens please Santa Claus, and we need some little papers for my mom so that she can draw things at work.

Thank you and I love you,

The Geej

I sleep better when I'm organized.

I proved this statement by sleeping like a baby last night after an intensive day of cleaning/reorganizing my horrible, HORRIBLE closet. I mean, even The Geej had said to me recently, "Mommy, your closet is MESSY." And when a four year old calls something messy, you know it's got to be bad.

But it wasn't just my closet: my dresser(s) were in a total state of chaos as well. What this led to was me doing laundry, folding clothes, and then putting away everybody's stuff but my own. Instead, my clothes would just sit around in random piles all over the house until I eventually (and literally) wore them down. So yesterday, I took advantage of being Geej-free for the day and the fact that poor BH was out of the house working to spend around six hours cleaning out, weeding through, and reorganizing. That's right: I said 6 hours.

Here are some of the stats from the day:

• Number of pairs of shoes thrown away = 8
• Items found with tags still on them/never worn = 17
• Bags of clothes ready to be taken to Safeplace = 3
• Number of items I found on hangers from the dry cleaners I used while living in Chicago...NINE YEARS AGO = 2
• Number of skirts discarded because I will never, ever be young enough or crazy enough to wear something that short in public again = 3

So yeah, I'm pretty proud of myself. And guess what, there are currently ZERO piles of clean clothes lying around because I have no room to put them away.

Now for some photographic evidence (La Turista, you may want to look away because you'll probably stroke out):

BEFORE

DURING:

AFTER:

Say it with me now people: Aaaahhhh...MUCH better. I was actually able to VACUUM the carpet in my closet (something I don't think I've done since I moved in nearly 3 years ago...YIKES)! And I can find things! Like, fast and shit!

And as if this weren't enough for one day, I sat down and did two hours' worth of work work yesterday evening so I could cross a few things off my never-ending "To Do" list.

Then I took a shower, read a magazine, and passed-the-hell-out. And 24 hours later? My closet is still clean and organized. Yay for me!!

Y'all...

...I am really, really, seriously missing my boy.

The fashionista apple doth not fall far fromest the tree.

The Geej, left to her own devices, assembled this jaunty little number on Saturday morning:

Now, I'm all for self-expression through fashion, but this? It needs a bit of help. She's sort of going for that Molly Ringwald "Pretty in Pink" thrift store/bo-ho look. I mean she's even holding an "Emily the Strange" diary that says "Some girls are stranger than others" on the front, for Pete's sake. But really? She just looks like a kid who has rapidly outgrown a pair of pants and a shirt but doesn't seem all that concerned with it.

On a related note, this is what I, her mother, looked like at work on Monday:

And after a few hours of sporting the $4.99 knitted mumu from Savers, I decided to change into this ravishing number: Question: When is a plum colored "lounge suit" made out of questionable velourish material NOT an appropriate fashion choice? Answer: NEVER!!


Yep, she comes by it honest.

God, I love this site:

Whenever I'm feeling a little down or blue, I head on over to Cake Wrecks and check out the latest disasters. You know, like this one where the unfortunate combination of color and placement of the icing "tail" make this monkey looks as if he needs some Imodium, like now:

They're starting to trickle in...

...the wedding pictures, that is.

Here are a couple:
The wedding party (why, in the name of God, did I wear hose?).

The new Mr. and Mrs.


BH and I with his boys, J and F.



My matron of honor, Julie, and the Geej. (Aren't they beautiful? I can NOT get over how much The Geej looks like she could be her child.)



Julie, my new adorable niece Chloe, and The Geej waiting for the bride (who was late for her own wedding).

More to come...

Oh lord...

I got behind a pair of these on the way home from work yesterday. I didn't think they allowed these things inside the Austin City Limits, but I guess I was wrong. I mean, the only time I've ever seen any on an actual vehicle was in a restaurant parking lot in Kansas and driving home from Lago Vista (where there were a LOT of McCain/Palin signs in yards...related? I think so).

The pair I saw yesterday were HUGE and shiny chrome on the back of a Ford F-150 King Cab. I kept trying to get up next to the guy (girl? I hope not...) to see what he looked like, but no such luck. I'll bet you a dollar he was alone, though.

From our wedding...

We look good, no?

I especially think BH looks handsome in that headband.

The reason I haven't posted any photos from the wedding?

I don't have any. That's right: none.

My camera is totally broken and BH's was packed away in his luggage. And our event was so small and low-key, that we didn't hire a photographer. They're SO expensive, and honestly, I don't know any wedding photographers worth their salt who would've taken a 1 hr. gig. So we're patiently awaiting CDs of photos from the several people who were snapping away during the event itself. But I'll give you a written recap so that later, when I post the pictures, you'll have some frame of reference.

Our wedding was last Saturday, 11/1, Dia de los Muertos. It was at 11am and was held at the Historic French Legation in the lovely and simple Carriage House. The weather was gorgeous--sunny and warm--and the wedding itself was small: immediate family only, our kids, and my friend Julie (as my matron of honor) and her fiance, Rob. The Geej was the flower girl, and BH's brother was his best man. After the short (but very sweet) ceremony, we took some photos on the grounds and then headed to Moonshine for a luncheon in their neat little "Sunday House" room. It was all just perfect. At the end of lunch, BH and I changed into our traveling clothes and headed to the airport to go to Santa Fe for a few GLORIOUS days of rest and relaxation at a beautiful resort. Our plane, which stopped in Lubbock on the way to Albuquerque, was FILLED to the gills with Texas and Texas Tech fans headed to The Game. Yay.

But we eventually got to Albuquerque, got the rent car, drove to Santa Fe, checked in to the resort, then just barely made our reservations at a swanky (but unfortunately somewhat disappointing) restaurant. By the time it was all said and done, we were both completely wiped out. Luckily, the rest of our trip involved no schedules (except for a few excellent spa treatments for moi) and lots of chilling. The weather in Santa Fe was perfection (as it almost always is). Our room had a big balcony and a fireplace, both of which we made good use of. I would totally stay at this place again, however, it would be great if it was for longer than just 3 nights next time.

Got back on Election Day (we'd early voted), and got the Geej at school. I was so happy to see the little booger. Next day, I went to work and tried to aclimate, but felt a bit overwhelmed by the amount of work that lay at my feet. That afternoon when I went to get the Geej from school, I walked in and looked at her, and knew she was sick--dark circles under her eyes, listless. Took her home and, sure enough, she had a pretty good fever and was coughing rather harshly. The fever came down with some children's Advil, but the I stayed home with her the next day because the fever was back--and higher. And this time, it wasn't coming down with the ibuprofen. So I got her in to see the doctor at the end of the day and the diagnosis? Walking pneumonia. Yowzah. This is only the second time she's ever been to the doctor for illness, so to say I was shocked at the diagnosis is an understatement.

So she and I have been stuck at home for FOUR DAYS nursing this sickness of hers. Good news is the fever is gone and the cough is almost kaput as well. The bad news is that "overwhelmed" feeling I was having at work last Wednesday? I am fearing the avalanche I can look forward to tomorrow at work.

I promise, as soon as I can, I will post wedding pictures. But hopefully some pictures from our trip will work in the meantime:

The grounds of the resort--

My handsome husband (which is still TOTALLY weird to say)--

See? I told you we had a fireplace--

The only photo of me taken during the entire honeymoon. Yep, that's how much I slept--

Things that I am at this moment on 11/04 at 11:04pm:

• Tired
• Inspired
• Proud, once again, to be an American
• Witnessing history
• Moved
• Much happier than I was on this night four years ago
• A newlywed!! (photos and a wedding/honeymoon post to come)
• Pretty sure this dog snoring on the couch next to me has been spoiled rotten by her dog-sitter over the past few days
• Glad to be home
• Wishing I could've brought some of that beautiful autumn Santa Fe weather home with me