Wordless Wednesday

Bring on the Holidays

Ahhh a week away from home all alone on the road. I've been to union meetings and have enjoyed the time on my own. RJ has been *home alone* and I have been texting her daily to ensure she is alive and well. She doesn't like being alone, but the little dog is there with her and The Beau is up the street even if she doesn't acknowledge his presence much.


I've been sending The Beau emails and he's been responding, but I do miss our daily chats. So this evening, instead of heading straight home, I'll be spending the night at his place and heading home on Saturday instead. A little snuggle time as well as decompression rather than heading straight home to whatever mess awaits me. RJ still isn't good enough at keeping the place tidied and I'm stymied as to how to deal with it.


The holiday preparation time is upon me and I've got a note for December 1 to pick up some new tree lights and tinsel for the tree instead of waiting until Dec2 20th when things are terribly picked over and when we usually trim the tree. I am not sure what we'll be doing for the holidays this year. There had been talking of heading home west, but the $2000 price tag for three of us to fly kills me. So we'll stay put. XSU is heading east and I am not sure if the girls want to go with him or not. I truly don't mind if they do. The Beau has told me we can spend Christmas with his family, but the girls are not keen. I don't mind that either.


We Beau and I - have a bunch of social engagements. Wow. We've already had two parties to go to, and have about three or four more. This part of being a couple has been more than fun. I'm enjoying it. Interestingly, I've been hanging out a lot with the neighbours, something I haven't had much chance to do in the past given XSU's non social temperament. More restructuring experiences. All good.


This social thing has taken some getting used to surprisingly. Being part of a real couple is still kinda new, and of course social engagements are part of the deal. I like it, and in fact I am reveling in it.


I have to plan my own big open house party, but I've decided it will wait until the February blues time, because, right now, I am just too busy!

Best night ever!

I have been wanting to have good friends for dinner since I separated. There is a group of people who have meant a lot to me, who supported me and looked after me as I went through all the Rebel heart ache as well as my own heart ache. And I finally did it. Five couples came over for a traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner on the night after Ukrainian Christmas - which falls on January 7th. As luck would have it there is a Ukrainian students club at the local university and they put a call out telling people they would come caroling and they were doing it as a fund raiser for orphaned children in Ukraine.

It was beautiful and worked out wonderfully. Right after we finished our vodka Merry Christmas shot, had an appetizer and sparkling wine, and finished the borscht and mushroom perogy course, the carolers showed up. Ten students sang a bunch of traditional carols, and the group loved it. They were so surprised and impressed that these young adults were not just raising money but were living and keeping our heritage alive through song and traditional activities. The rest of the evening was talk talk talk about the carolers. I was so glad I invited them. It didn't hurt that one of the dinner plates was passed around and every couple kicked in $20 for their cause. Unexpected and quite a touching gesture too.

I sat at the head of the table not missing the XSU at all. Those closest to the kitchen with me kicked in and offered help as courses changed, plates removed and wine poured. Most of the dishes were done too. It was the BEST night ever. I so thoroughly enjoyed myself. I really didn't miss not having a partner around at all. I was quite content and so happy to have my own friends around me enjoying the meal and each others' company.

I had thought about inviting the widower neighbour to even things out, but I am not quite ready for that. Yet. I know he'd have been fine and quite comfortable with my group of friends. But I just wanted to enjoy my friends for each other for now.

We are going on a date next week. At least I think it will be a date. Something about dinner. I'm not all that free these days. I'm teaching at the local university one after noon a week, and I am in French class two mornings a week, plus the usual other nonsense I do, so I really do like time at home on my home to just de compress and chill. Regardless, I said yes to a Friday evening, and I expect it will be a date of sorts. Shall see how it goes.

I was shoveling my drive way on Ukrainian Christmas when I got home from work and he stopped his car got out and wished me a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year both - with a kiss. This rather impressed me. I think this man is confident, and has a mission. I'm going to sit back, relax and go with the flow. Dinner date - here I come.

Sunday Snippetts

Day 3 in my PJs.  I LOVE this quiet Christmas season.  Just what the doctor ordered. 

Rebel's dog is making me a tad crazy but other than that... it's been nice. 

Rebel Junior seemed pretty content.  We had turkey for dinner.  I cooked a turkey breast and as it cooked I realized there wasn't going to be any juice to make gravy.   THAT was a little odd. We had sour cream with the perogies and cranberry sauce but no gravy for the stuffing  - this was not right.  I could have used some of the broth I always have handy but RJ said not to worry about it - so I didn't.  We had caesar salad instead of the coleslaw that XSU always insisted upon and that was quite yummy.  I allowed RJ to have a rum cooler with her dinner - YES I did! In the wine glasses no less!  She had about half and decided she didn't want any more.    I don't know who was more surprised... her or me. 

I may do the same on New Year's Day.  I have already decided to cook a ham and make scalloped potatoes for dinner since everyone will be back,  May be we'll have a few odds and orphans around too.  Will see what transpires.  More perogies to make probably too!

Boxing Day was freezing rain. There was no way I was going to hit the stores.  RJ was not impressed.  Her godmother sent her $50 and she was all geared up to head to the mall.  She wouldn't take a bus and I wasn't about to chip the ice off the car and slide to the mall.  Getting home uphill would have been tricky.  So instead she decided to go to a friend's at the opposite end of the city and stay there for a few days.  Okay fine. 

Today - day 3 in PJs and I hear the Rebel's BF clattering around doing the housecleaning.  I am staying out of his way.  I think I will get up and put real clothes on and go and chip away the slush now that the weather has warmed up and the ice is melting everywhere.   I still have two more days off and today is Sunday so I am not going to do too too much.  Maybe read a book and drink some wine next to the Christmas tree.

So a first Christmas in a new way.  Next December I`ll have to remember the quiet and tranquil time we had and not feel stressed about what will happen or how, and perhaps it will help me get it together a whole lot earlier.  Though I say that every year. And every year, things have a way of working the way they are supposed to. 

 God Bless Us!  Each and everyone of us. Hope your 12 days of Christmas are tranquil and blessed. 

Merry Christmas

For unto us a child is born....

13 on Thursday

TO+Verb

1.tree to decorate

2.groceries to stock up

3.presents to wrap

4.phone calls to make

5.books to read

6.course curriculum to finish

7.movies to watch

8. kid to drive around

9. time to relax

10.wine to drink

11.blog to write

12. prayers to recite

13. Time to reflect

Decking the Halls: Faking it 'Til I Make it.

Christmas is a few days away and I am still not really feeling it. The cards are waiting to be done - I have a few more gifts to buy. I never did send anything out to the fam this year- I am behind worse than ever. And I am thinking I am just going to go with the flow of it. I am thinking of calling it post traumatic divorce/separation disorder.

PTDSD not an excuse I don't think. Just getting through the process kept me going. These past few months have been dealing with the after math of the process and perhaps this could be the reason that the ho ho ho-ing isn't coming quite naturally. My family is split apart with one kid with her dad a 1000 miles away and the other telling me that Christmas is going to be just plain weird. I get that.

However this evening I'll go buy a tree and wrestle it into the trunk of the Taurus somehow. The Rebel's BF is around though he did something to his back and is pretty much useless, but he wants to stay in my good books so he'll figure out a way to help me get the tree stand on and the thing into the house to thaw out.

So the decorations will go up tonight and tomorrow and I'll play the CDs sent to me by my friend in Washington - the three CDs that go buy the title "not your crooner's Christmas and I am sure I'll come around. It is about the feeling and looking forward to way to bond with the RJ if she'll let me.

Sunday Snippets

I have watched this cheesy version of a Christmas Carol called "Ebbie" with Susan Lucci three times yep 3 TIMES in the past few weeks, the latest being this morning.  Makes me tear up every time.  I mean cheesy, cheesy.  Yet the tears flow. 

 The WII Console is sold out all over town.  Luckily, Rebel isn't around at Christmas and so it won't be too bad if I don't get it til afterwards.   I bought Rebel a sweater and a couple of Disney movies ( she loves her Disney- Sleeping Beauty and Snow White are in the platinum edition!) to have as presents while away with her dad. 

Damn you Apple.  No such thing as a 16 ipod Touch any more.  There's an 8 and a 32 - Price difference is from $200 to $300.  I know an 8 isn't enough.  WHEN did that happen?  I STILL think the kid is lucky to be getting this regardless. 32 it will be.  Luckily I have 5 cell phones to give Best Buy.  They recycle them and give you reward points.  I am counting on a few serious points to bring the cost of this one down.  Will see.  XSU forked over a whole whack of money to pay for all this thank goodness.

 It's nearly 3 PM and I am still in PJs moving rather lethargically.   Might be because I didn't get home last night til nearly 2 AM.  I had a lovely time at a friend's annual martini Christmas party.  Had a choco-tini, a Bellini, a traditional (gin not vodka) and some kind of raspberry blue thing.  Don't worry - I paced myself.  One drink an hour plus food and water between drinks.  We danced in the kitchen.  It was a good time. 

RJ told me her dad was going to a party and wouldn't it have been funny if we were going to the same party.  Now there's a thought.  OF course this would be highly unlikely, but for a half a nano second ...

Wordless Wednesday