4 posts tagged “holidays”

Oops...didn't get a chance to make a second post yesterday and thus failed to include "thanks" on Day 4. (We won't count that one on today's post, btw.)

So yesterday was a pretty busy day! After work, I went straight to Curves to work out (for the third day in a row!! Go me!), and then met with Joe to go running at SBCC. I ran a full mile without stopping to walk, and I finished that in just over 12 minutes! Then I went another 2 1/2 laps or so, and even ran up the stadium stairs once for good measure. THEN we went back to my place to get cleaned up and ready for a company party in downtown SB at this place called Q's. We made it there in time to be in the first 50 people to arrive, which meant we got gift cards! Woot. The whole night at Q's was really fun, thanks for asking! I played two games of pool with Joe, and amazingly, miraculously, surprisingly won BOTH games. I don't think he was excited about my victory as I was, but I pretty much guaranteed him it was a fluke...cuz I'm really not that good. It may also have been thanks to the Lynchburg Lemonade I had...ya know, loosened me up a bit. And it was tasty. Anyway, there were great appetizers, and well over 100 people showed up. I think I only knew about 15 people, but then I met a bunch of new folks and that was enjoyable. One girl just started at our company recently, so I got to feel like the old pro and show her around, introduce her to some people and get her feeling welcome and comfortable with her new co-workers. Basically, it was a very fun night and made me all the more grateful for my great job.

All that to say, I didn't make it home in time to post again yesterday. So you'll just have to be satisfied with my QotD response, and forgive me for not following the NaBloPoMo theme in that post.

Moving on...this weekend should be fun. Tonight we're heading back down to LA to see my friend Andrea play at a coffee shop. It's been awhile since I got to see her perform, and she is just amazing. I hope to run into a few APU people who might show up to support her, too. That's always fun. Then on Saturday, I plan on sleeping in (at Joe's parents'), fixing the Christmas necklace I made last weekend (have I mentioned how much I LOVE beads right now? I don't think I have...that'll be another post coming soon...), maybe doing a little Christmas shopping, and then on Saturday evening I'm taking Joe to a reunion with my team from the 2007 trip to Romania. Yay! I'm sure that will be a great time as well.

In other news...Joe's mom thinks I should be a hand model. So I'd like to take a vote: all those in favor of Tabitha's new hand modeling career, say "Aye!" Or is it, "I"? I never really figured that out.

Okay...I'm gonna do it. I am going to post at least once every day in December. That's 31 days. Thirty-one holiday season days. Am I crazy?!

Well...yeah. I probably am. But that's beside the point. The point is, I really enjoyed making the attempt at posting every day in November (from the 4th, anyway), but since I didn't manage to do it successfully for even 20 days, I just HAVE to try again. And I have to succeed. This is life or death, people.

Did I mention this is also the month of exaggeration? :-D

Right. Anyway, the suggested theme from NaBloPoMo is THANKS. (In all caps, too.) I think rather than post specifically about stuff I'm thankful for every single day, I'm gonna try to use the word "thanks" (not "thank" or "thankful" or any other variation, but "thanks") at least once in each post. Maybe I'll even get creative...or sneaky...or totally unimaginative, boring and predictable. You'll never know unless you stick around and read every day.

Well, last night I finally got to move back into my house. After the fire in my neighborhood two and a half weeks ago, we had to evacuate, and even though our house was only slightly damaged, it took that long to get repairs done, get the place de-smoke-smell-ified, and back in shape to be lived in again. I think Saturday they did some kind of sealant in the attic, or something? The house still isn't totally back to normal, though, because there are two rooms without carpet, and whatever chemical/process they used to get the smoke out put a whole different (weird) smell in its place. But I can't even tell you how great it was to sleep in my own bed last night. I mean, I was totally, completely, unbelievably blessed to have a place to stay during the time I was displaced, and it was perfect because the family was great, they lived close to my work, and they let me do my own thing and even gave me a key so I wouldn't have to coordinate with their being home in order to get inside. And Joe, of course, took excellent care of me, too. AND...my housemate (who is the homeowner) arranged all the repairs and stuff so wonderfully, and was even able to get a company to come in and take ALL of our clothes and bedding to be professionally cleaned to remove any smoke smell.

The only bummer, then, was realizing that "clothes and bedding" really meant "everything in your entire freaking room" -- so, when I walked into my room yesterday after a wonderful, relaxing weekend in LA with Joe's family, I was greeted by like 12 HUUUUUGE boxes. I mean, I couldn't really even walk INTO my room. The door wouldn't even open all the way. The boxes had taken over every corner of the place...and my first thought was, "How in the heck do I possibly have this much STUFF?" So, I just started digging into the boxes. Most of them were mini-wardrobes, meaning they had a rod across the top so that they could hang my clean clothes up. Once I got all that stuff taken out, boxes flattened, and clothes hung up or folded (all my pants, shorts, and even bathing suits were hung on hangers, too, so I had to take that all apart and put them in my dresser), my room looked a little bit more like a bedroom. But let me sum this up by saying that I spent about five straight hours last night unpacking and organizing stuff, and I'm still nowhere near having my room back in shape. But I am extremely thankful for all the hard work that has been done to get our house restored, and I was glad to finally see one of my two housemates again, and I'll be glad to see the other today, too!

So, thanks to my housemate Sarah, her amazing insurance/fire relief/restoration people, Connie (the lady who let me stay with her), Joe, and everyone else who made these last two and a half weeks more than comfortable for me as I floated around homelessly for awhile...I am seriously blessed!

Anyway, gotta sign off for now. I'll leave you with a haiku.

First order of business is to give the LAST (hopefully) fire update EVER: it's 100% contained! Yay! As far as our house, they're coming in this week to do a bunch of cleaning and restoration, and we're hoping to be living there again sometime next week. Double yay! Side note...is it weird that I'm a little bummed that I probably won't get to see the burn hole/damage on our wall before it gets fixed up? Sounds like it's going to get a temporary fix today until they can fully restore the wall, so unless they don't do it until after 6 or so, I'm gonna walk in to an already-being-restored house, and I'll never have gotten to see it in its original post-fire state. Maybe Sarah has some pictures, though. *Sigh* Okay...I'm officially CLOSING this discussion forever. NEVER gonna talk about the Tea Fire again. Never. Ha. Yeah right. But hopefully there will be nothing new or crazy to report regarding the fire, and anything related to it will be either funny, encouraging, thoughtful or otherwise not devastating, worrisome or boring. That's the plan.

Second: Ho...lee...cow. I have not had a single second to breathe today! I started this post when I first got to work (since I was early) and now it's 4:15 and I'm forcing myself to take a five minute break. But I totally don't remember what the "Second" was going to be, waaaaay back when I started writing. So...okay then. How about another haiku...or two?

Work takes much focus
Sometimes, I possess little
Please don't tell my boss

I love Christmas-time
Especially gift shopping!
What's on your wish list?

There is a strange trend that has occurred in every one of my past relationships, and it is FINALLY about to be broken (knock on wood). Wanna know what it is?

I have NEVER had a boyfriend during any holiday or either of our birthdays. Furthermore, on more than one occasion, I have broken up with a boyfriend on a day that is notably close to some upcoming holiday or birthday. When I dated Peter, the gargantuan 6'8" ex-football player (affectionately called The Refrigerator by a few of my college friends), we broke up just a couple weeks before his birthday, which was also close to Halloween and Thanksgiving. Last year I broke up with Curt on October 30 (a year ago tomorrow). Oh, and Curt and I started dating right AFTER his birthday. So there are a few examples. Also note that I seem to have a knack for breaking up with guys around the exact same TIME of year, too.

...Don't worry. I'm not saying it's about to happen again...knock on wood. (Joe, if you're reading this, I love you. Don't freak out!)

So the other day I was thinking about this odd fact, and about how exciting it is that, barring some freak incident like Joe trying to kill me, I am going to have a boyfriend ON an actual holiday. And, as a matter of fact, ALSO on his birthday. (Joe's a Halloween baby!) Then I started thinking, Crap! I don't know how this whole boyfriend/holiday thing works! How do we plan Thanksgiving and Christmas around TWO separate families, both of which we both WANT to see on those special days? And what does a girlfriend get for her boyfriend on his first birthday as her boyfriend? (say that five times fast...) OR for Christmas!? Let's just say I'm a little clueless. And also a little broke. But that's a whole different topic for another day.

Anyway, mostly I'm excited. I mean, in and of itself, having a boyfriend during a holiday or birthday is not really some huge accomplishment or even that notable a thing to write a blog about. But I guess the thing that I'm getting at here, is that I'm finally starting to understand how to be in a relationship. A real, long-term, good-bad-and-ugly, madly-in-love relationship. A relationship I hope I get to be in for the rest of my life.

Umm, hello? DID YOU JUST HEAR ME? The rest of my life.

Like, until I'm old and wrinkly and wearing Depends and cleaning my dentures and taking incessant photographs of all my grandkids in their jammies playing with their new presents on Christmas morning in my old-lady-smelling living room and singing songs in church in my shaky, off-key old-lady voice while holding hands with my old and wrinkly husband and getting a good morning kiss that still takes the breath out of me and makes me all silly and dizzy. That's what I'm excited about right now.

And dear, sweet Jesus, I hope I don't screw it up anytime before then. Cuz I kinda really (in case you couldn't tell) want to keep Joe around for awhile. I mean heck, he's strong enough to open the pickle jar. That's essential. Plus he looks great in a kilt. Not essential, but definitely a bonus.

You know? Now that I think about it...I'm really glad that Joe will be the first boyfriend I get to experience birthdays and holidays with. Because it means I don't have any stupid baggage from past boyfriend/holiday incidents, and I don't have any expectations for how it's all going to happen. I can just plunge right into this new adventure with him and enjoy all the twists and turns and anxious gift-shopping and embarrassing family moments and learning new traditions and customs and...well, it goes without saying, but holidays with TWO families means DOUBLE the delicious meals, fun activities and PRESENTS! I love presents. Er...I mean, I love being in the presence of family! And now I get to be with my own AND with Joe's. THAT is a great present in itself. (Phew! Almost gave away my secret, evil ulterior motive for getting double the presents...) :-P

Aaaaaand...I think that's a wrap. No pun intended. Mostly because I haven't bought any presents to wrap, yet.

I am SO not as funny as I think I am. Gotta work on that...