Call me crazy (and many do) but I think there are so few times but Christmas that we can go all-out on anything and everything without being looked at as though we are going to be letting out an OINK at any given minute, or appear to be decorating our homes in anticipation of having Elton John as a house guest in the coming days..... so why the hell aren't we?! This is our one freebie per year to let the crazy in us all (albeit, some have more crazy than others) shine! Embrace it why don't you :)
My family has become notorious in the last several years for doing "finger foods" at our great big Christmas get-together. I hate this.
What are we as a family coming to? We no longer get together at Thanksgiving every year, and now this is the tradition we are choosing to carry out?? Christmas is the one time when we can go nuts with decorations, food, presents....everything! So why are we copping out? Now, I do understand that not everyone has the luxury to spend their days in the kitchen trying out new recipes or digging through the oldies-but-goodies, but for Christ's sake (pun intended), IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!!!
Perhaps it's the kid in me, but this is something really important to me. While you may say to me, "CJ, why don't you just cook your own holiday feast at home?" And I say to you, "because that's lame." (And I already do that at Thanksgiving anyway....we're talking the whole nine yards for what usually ends up being for maybe 3 or 4 of us.) It is such a rare occasion that, as our families continue to grow, we all make the concerted effort to be in the same place at the same time. To me, this time of year is about enjoying yourself with great company AND all the great food they can contribute. I'm not even suggesting that one person throw this whole shin-dig together single-handedly. As that fat comedian whose name escapes me would say, Nay Nay!....In fact, quite the opposite. So many new recipes have been introduced to me and mine through the additions to the family and any friends that stop by with their own creations. I love to taste and learn what other families have passed down from one generation to the next.
I do not enjoy a plate full of pinwheels, pickles & olives, rolled up lunch meats, cheese-covered-this or bacon-wrapped-that. Nor do I like feeling that I might as well be standing in the deli section of HEB with a glass of wine in my hand munching from the sample trays as this kind of dining generally evokes. I'm just waiting to hear "clean up on aisle 6" the next time someone spills their chips and queso. I have a hunch that several of my cousins (and a sibling or two) would concur with this line of thought. The problem is...no one asked us. How does this happen? How do our votes not count?? Even Florida got a re-count when they felt their voices had gone unheard!
Granted, it isn't my house that gets invaded each holiday season...but that's not because I wouldn't offer it up. Even if I said "hey, let's take this party to SA next year," it probably wouldn't happen. The festivities always take place in the booming town of Centerville, TX, where the population count and area code are currently one in the same. We have had such arrangements since long before I came into the world kicking and screaming, whining and complaining. The fact of the matter is logistics rule when it comes to these kinds of things and most of the fam lives in that neck of the woods. It's easier to load up the dozen or so of us from the SA/Austin vicinity than have the 30-40 something living in and around Cville head south for the winter. Please don't mistake me. I LOVE that little town. In fact, Jason and I would love to raise our family there, but that move won't be happening any time soon and I miss my Christmas now.
There aren't many things I'm old-fashioned or traditionalistic about, but you don't mess with Christmas, Missy! You can't bring us all up with big family meals as kids, then yank that out from underneath us when we are all finally old enough to reminisce over holidays past.
So until J and I can build a big house to cater to all the friends and family that flock to this little part of east TX (which will hopefully happen before any children we may have in the future would start kindergarten), I say to you:
LEAVE MY CHRISTMAS ALONE! WHAT DID IT EVER DO TO YOU?!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Houston, we have a problem.
Hmm.. how can I put this delicately?
Jason's baby-mama has lost her mind. (Trust me, that is me being NICE.)
Not that it seems she ever really had it to begin with. This is the same person (let's call her "A") that point-blank told Jason that she was taking him to court over their son simply because he got engaged to me and she told him that she was still in love with him. This is also the same person that called me up one day just to tell me and Jason to never call her again. (huh?) All the while, mind you, "A" is married to someone else with whom she has 2 other kids! So due to this and many other extenuating circumstances, we unfortunately aren't able to have much contact with his son who lives 3 states away. This makes things so much more difficult than they could be....than they SHOULD be. J's lovely mama has been kind enough to become a sort of mediator for us all. In doing so, she graciously offered to fly her grandson here for the holidays. We are so excited to get to see Michael since it's been too long! Well, some how Baby-Mama-Drama took that as an invitation to pack up her, her husband and all 3 kids and come on down to TX for Christmas. Now, I know the holidays are supposed to be about family, but the fact that she and J have a child together does NOT make HER family to any of us. She's nuts! If she thinks that's how this whole deal works, she will be sorely disappointed when she gets here to find neither J nor myself will be participants in this extravaganza she evidently has created in her mind. We want to see Michael. We want to see our family. We do not care to see this crazy person, or her husband, or her other children (no offense to those kids, but they aren't his and really have nothing to do with either one of us.)
I would just really hate to see someone put such a damper on this great time of year simply because she has no sense about her. What's adding to this is the fact that there are so very few times we get to see J's mom too since she literally lives on the other side of the world in Israel. By having "A" here, this will take away from the opportunities that Jason will have to hang out with his mom. (Because I can guarantee you that if "A" or her bunch is around, NEITHER of us will be.) I told Jason that it would be like me spending Christmas over at Steffen's mom's house (granted, Steff and I never had any kids, but we were together for close to 5 years, and "A" was basically just a "hook-up" for Jason back in the day). How inappropriate would that be? Who does that???? Who is that selfish?...that crazy? "A" is. Honestly, I really shouldn't even be surprised by her antics anymore. But again, WHO DOES THAT?!
What a drag.
We are going to make it a point to not let this lunatic come in the way of us enjoying our holidays. This may require some careful planning and biting of my tongue, but it IS possible. I am trying to learn to control what I can and let go of the rest. I have not mastered this so this may not be the last time you hear about this drama, but I am TRYING.
***Now, could someone please pass the wine? I might be requiring some very soon.
Jason's baby-mama has lost her mind. (Trust me, that is me being NICE.)
Not that it seems she ever really had it to begin with. This is the same person (let's call her "A") that point-blank told Jason that she was taking him to court over their son simply because he got engaged to me and she told him that she was still in love with him. This is also the same person that called me up one day just to tell me and Jason to never call her again. (huh?) All the while, mind you, "A" is married to someone else with whom she has 2 other kids! So due to this and many other extenuating circumstances, we unfortunately aren't able to have much contact with his son who lives 3 states away. This makes things so much more difficult than they could be....than they SHOULD be. J's lovely mama has been kind enough to become a sort of mediator for us all. In doing so, she graciously offered to fly her grandson here for the holidays. We are so excited to get to see Michael since it's been too long! Well, some how Baby-Mama-Drama took that as an invitation to pack up her, her husband and all 3 kids and come on down to TX for Christmas. Now, I know the holidays are supposed to be about family, but the fact that she and J have a child together does NOT make HER family to any of us. She's nuts! If she thinks that's how this whole deal works, she will be sorely disappointed when she gets here to find neither J nor myself will be participants in this extravaganza she evidently has created in her mind. We want to see Michael. We want to see our family. We do not care to see this crazy person, or her husband, or her other children (no offense to those kids, but they aren't his and really have nothing to do with either one of us.)
I would just really hate to see someone put such a damper on this great time of year simply because she has no sense about her. What's adding to this is the fact that there are so very few times we get to see J's mom too since she literally lives on the other side of the world in Israel. By having "A" here, this will take away from the opportunities that Jason will have to hang out with his mom. (Because I can guarantee you that if "A" or her bunch is around, NEITHER of us will be.) I told Jason that it would be like me spending Christmas over at Steffen's mom's house (granted, Steff and I never had any kids, but we were together for close to 5 years, and "A" was basically just a "hook-up" for Jason back in the day). How inappropriate would that be? Who does that???? Who is that selfish?...that crazy? "A" is. Honestly, I really shouldn't even be surprised by her antics anymore. But again, WHO DOES THAT?!
What a drag.
We are going to make it a point to not let this lunatic come in the way of us enjoying our holidays. This may require some careful planning and biting of my tongue, but it IS possible. I am trying to learn to control what I can and let go of the rest. I have not mastered this so this may not be the last time you hear about this drama, but I am TRYING.
***Now, could someone please pass the wine? I might be requiring some very soon.
Monday, November 29, 2010
I am BLESSED.
This evening we are having DirectTV installed. Now, let me just start this blog by stating how much I absolutely HATE having people in my house that I don't know. After our break-in and robbery a couple years ago, I have this thing about being extremely uncomfortable with strangers in my home. I had no idea it was that BIG of a problem. I started having anxiety and becoming just generally bitchy while he was working away. As I was cooking dinner (and after taking my “crazy pill” so I could relax a little and stop acting like I needed to be admitted), I thought..."geez, I hate having this dude here, but my mom raised me to have SOME manners,” so I offered him a plate of dinner since it looked like it would be a late night for him and it would just be rude to start chowing down without at least asking. Sure enough the man was really hungry and pretty much licked the plate clean. As he ate, he paused and sighed in delight. I would soon know why.
He joked later that I was "hired" and that he'd be stopping by same time tomorrow for dinner once again. After some small talk between him and Jason, I overheard him say something about not having a home. Since I was in the other room, I thought that I'd surely misheard him. Jason was talking to him about how he must be wanting to get home soon since it was getting late and it must be hard to be away like that on daily basis. He casually answered "well, not really. I just sleep in my truck." .....Huh? Seriously??
Jason said "you're shitting me right?!" He continued that he had recently fallen on hard times and just didn't have it in the budget right now to have a place of his own. WOW.
He didn't elaborate too much, but simply said that he's been moving around to be close to his kids whenever his ex-wife moved and it's just been hard. How sad.
Though "Steve" declined, Jason offered him a shower in our guest bathroom and we paid him a little extra for the satellite setup than was owed to him. I guess it was our way of saying Merry Christmas to someone who clearly needed a step up. I feel so bad for him. I mean it wasn't as if he wasn't working and trying to make some money, he didn't act as though he had any kind of addiction (and by now, I think I'm pretty good at detecting that kind of stuff....I've had plenty of practice between my own crazy family and the time I spent working at the SBUX in the 'hood), and he genuinely just seemed down on his luck.
As I sat in the next room wrapping the Christmas gifts I'd purchased for my family, thinking that I am certainly blessed.
Blessed for sure, and not just with material things either. I have a husband who adores me, a family that is always there for me (right or wrong), and I've also been blessed to know love from them, and a few very close friends, in a way I just can't explain great enough to really give you a sense of how fortunate I feel right now.
With a full heart, I am counting my every blessing this evening.
'Tis the season, right?
He joked later that I was "hired" and that he'd be stopping by same time tomorrow for dinner once again. After some small talk between him and Jason, I overheard him say something about not having a home. Since I was in the other room, I thought that I'd surely misheard him. Jason was talking to him about how he must be wanting to get home soon since it was getting late and it must be hard to be away like that on daily basis. He casually answered "well, not really. I just sleep in my truck." .....Huh? Seriously??
Jason said "you're shitting me right?!" He continued that he had recently fallen on hard times and just didn't have it in the budget right now to have a place of his own. WOW.
He didn't elaborate too much, but simply said that he's been moving around to be close to his kids whenever his ex-wife moved and it's just been hard. How sad.
Though "Steve" declined, Jason offered him a shower in our guest bathroom and we paid him a little extra for the satellite setup than was owed to him. I guess it was our way of saying Merry Christmas to someone who clearly needed a step up. I feel so bad for him. I mean it wasn't as if he wasn't working and trying to make some money, he didn't act as though he had any kind of addiction (and by now, I think I'm pretty good at detecting that kind of stuff....I've had plenty of practice between my own crazy family and the time I spent working at the SBUX in the 'hood), and he genuinely just seemed down on his luck.
As I sat in the next room wrapping the Christmas gifts I'd purchased for my family, thinking that I am certainly blessed.
Blessed for sure, and not just with material things either. I have a husband who adores me, a family that is always there for me (right or wrong), and I've also been blessed to know love from them, and a few very close friends, in a way I just can't explain great enough to really give you a sense of how fortunate I feel right now.
With a full heart, I am counting my every blessing this evening.
'Tis the season, right?
WTF are they thinking?!
Everytime I watch "16 and Pregnant" on MTV, I am dumbfounded. How are these little girls not absolutely FREAKED the F' OUT?! I will be 30 years old in about a week and I am still overwhelmed by the idea of being a mom in the next year or so. These girls all say the same stupid things "I just know he's going to be a good dad" or "this is going to make him see that he needs to stick around." And guess what....they, too, are stupid. They are 16 year old boys that don't have to stick around and these girls are just devastated when they stop coming around. Was I the only one who saw that coming?
Does no one talk to these kids? How are they so far removed from reality? One common theme amongst the kids on this show is their own family....or lack thereof. They seem to all come from broken homes. Now, don't get me wrong. I do not think that is an excuse for their lapse in judgement because I, too, come from a severely-dysfunctional-could-not-be-more-broken-home, and somehow I seemed to figure out early on that it just wouldn't be a good idea to bring a baby into the mix as a teen.
<sigh>
Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.
Does no one talk to these kids? How are they so far removed from reality? One common theme amongst the kids on this show is their own family....or lack thereof. They seem to all come from broken homes. Now, don't get me wrong. I do not think that is an excuse for their lapse in judgement because I, too, come from a severely-dysfunctional-could-not-be-more-broken-home, and somehow I seemed to figure out early on that it just wouldn't be a good idea to bring a baby into the mix as a teen.
<sigh>
Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Real Housewives of South TX
As of this evening...I am now a housewife (aka unemployed). Unfortunately, I am not rich like the ones on tv, nor as entertaining, since now the most interesting thing I have to do is decide whether to mop the floors and grocery shop on Monday or Tuesday. I also don't have the drama like those girls on tv do (thank God!).
But it already feels weird. We went out to eat to celebrate tonight and when I told Jason "thank you" for dinner, it hit me that it really was HIM paying for it now. It really has been mostly him paying for stuff for quite some time now since my checks were a joke by comparison, but this is different. I'm not used to this at all. He seems excited. I think he kinda likes the idea of me keeping up the house, cooking dinners and taking some classes until I can start helping him with the business.
I keep feeling like I ought to be worrying about something or someone at the office, or figuring out what my schedule will look like for next week, but then I am reminded of the blissful silence that I have in store. No more will my phone ring and someone want to tell me all about how they don't think this or that is fair, or how so and so isn't doing what they're supposed to do, or even better "why do they get that schedule and I don't?". Yes, blissful silence.
Perhaps my medications will be reduced now. Afterall, I didn't have to start on any bp meds until this job, and it seemed that my shrink has been steadily increasing my crazy meds ever since I took on the role of babysitter...uh..I mean HR Director.
Staff members kept asking me all week if I was sad to be leaving and the answer is NO. There are a few I will truly miss working with, but now I can actually hang out with them without the favoritism issue hanging overhead. Honestly, I'm so damn happy to be leaving and to soon be achieving something I've been chasing for a long time. I am feeling very blessed to be able to comfortably quit and pursue something fulfilling. I am even more blessed to have a husband that is not only incredibly supportive, but sees my vision too!
And to top it all off, I get to spend time at home during the holidays!!!!! SOOOOOO excited about that! I want to put our tree up tomorrow, but I will wait. One more week won't kill me ;) I've already been picking up a few more ornaments to add to my collection. You can be certain I'll post a pic once everything has been decorated.
Let the baking begin!
But it already feels weird. We went out to eat to celebrate tonight and when I told Jason "thank you" for dinner, it hit me that it really was HIM paying for it now. It really has been mostly him paying for stuff for quite some time now since my checks were a joke by comparison, but this is different. I'm not used to this at all. He seems excited. I think he kinda likes the idea of me keeping up the house, cooking dinners and taking some classes until I can start helping him with the business.
I keep feeling like I ought to be worrying about something or someone at the office, or figuring out what my schedule will look like for next week, but then I am reminded of the blissful silence that I have in store. No more will my phone ring and someone want to tell me all about how they don't think this or that is fair, or how so and so isn't doing what they're supposed to do, or even better "why do they get that schedule and I don't?". Yes, blissful silence.
Perhaps my medications will be reduced now. Afterall, I didn't have to start on any bp meds until this job, and it seemed that my shrink has been steadily increasing my crazy meds ever since I took on the role of babysitter...uh..I mean HR Director.
Staff members kept asking me all week if I was sad to be leaving and the answer is NO. There are a few I will truly miss working with, but now I can actually hang out with them without the favoritism issue hanging overhead. Honestly, I'm so damn happy to be leaving and to soon be achieving something I've been chasing for a long time. I am feeling very blessed to be able to comfortably quit and pursue something fulfilling. I am even more blessed to have a husband that is not only incredibly supportive, but sees my vision too!
And to top it all off, I get to spend time at home during the holidays!!!!! SOOOOOO excited about that! I want to put our tree up tomorrow, but I will wait. One more week won't kill me ;) I've already been picking up a few more ornaments to add to my collection. You can be certain I'll post a pic once everything has been decorated.
Let the baking begin!
Monday, November 15, 2010
he who laughs last, laughs best?
I've done it...I've given in and started a blog.
It's not like I have anything good to say; I just figured I'd try not to be the last one on Earth to do it. (kinda like I was probably the last person this side of retirement left on the planet who hadn't seen an episode of Jersey Shore...Let's just hope I enjoy this more.)
I guess I'll start with my blog title. I was shopping in Salado, TX, with mom and sisters last week and saw a sign in a cute little shop that said, "Just another freakin' day in paradise." I couldn't have said it better myself. Rhonda and I were cracking up about it saying I should get it just to leave on my office door on my last day of work this week. For some reason, it has stuck with me since (probably because I have such an appreciation for sarcasm or maybe because it's true.) When my dreams meet reality, sarcasm and irony generally ensue.
So my A.D.D. just kicked in and I left this blog for a moment to read my daily horoscope and it is spot on:
Now, I say that WE started this business, but technically he's been the one running the show. I've been keeping the rest of our house and lives going....that counts, right? I have recently put in my resignation at work (only 4 days of hell left!) to pursue these dreams that seem to insist upon laughing in my face. I'm determined to be the one laughing last.
Here goes nothing...
It's not like I have anything good to say; I just figured I'd try not to be the last one on Earth to do it. (kinda like I was probably the last person this side of retirement left on the planet who hadn't seen an episode of Jersey Shore...Let's just hope I enjoy this more.)
I guess I'll start with my blog title. I was shopping in Salado, TX, with mom and sisters last week and saw a sign in a cute little shop that said, "Just another freakin' day in paradise." I couldn't have said it better myself. Rhonda and I were cracking up about it saying I should get it just to leave on my office door on my last day of work this week. For some reason, it has stuck with me since (probably because I have such an appreciation for sarcasm or maybe because it's true.) When my dreams meet reality, sarcasm and irony generally ensue.
So my A.D.D. just kicked in and I left this blog for a moment to read my daily horoscope and it is spot on:
You may have had a hard time lately reaching your objectives. Unfortunately for you, Sagittarius, today will be no different. You may begin to feel a bit dissatisfied with the way your life is going at the moment. You will ask yourself certain questions about your goals. Does your personal life live up to those goals? Can you express your wonderful creativity as much as you'd like?Woah. For those of you that don't know, I began my degree in interior design MANY years ago, but never finished it. After talking to a few in the biz and getting a quite blatant remark from a dear friend of, "Really? You need a degree for that? You either get it or you don't. You can't teach someone to know what looks good," I looked up a couple of courses at another univ here in SA to learn how to get my start. The program is only 10 months and they get you an internship as part of the course. I'm STOKED. The problem is that I've caught on about this great program half way through the session. (Remember that dreams vs. irony thing I was talking about?) The idea is to get started and have an additional service to offer through our new business Jason and I started this summer, JA Bowen Design & Consulting.
Now, I say that WE started this business, but technically he's been the one running the show. I've been keeping the rest of our house and lives going....that counts, right? I have recently put in my resignation at work (only 4 days of hell left!) to pursue these dreams that seem to insist upon laughing in my face. I'm determined to be the one laughing last.
Here goes nothing...
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