2005-05-16

Xmas in May

Back to life . . .
Graduation day was perfect. Sunny and breezy, and the ceremony was held outside under the biggest tent I have ever seen. Bigger even than the circus tents that show up every year in the mall parking lots.
We arrived late, of course. This time I got smart. I did not get ready to go and sit and wait for him. I told hubby we would be leaving at 11am, knowing that he would come home around 10:45 to shower and shave. He is really a girl when it comes to getting ready. Not in the details, as he barely brushes his hair and wouldn't recognize a metrosexual product if it was sprayed in his eyes, but in the amount of time it takes him to get cleaned up. Given the final product, it is really ridiculous. So he was ONE HOUR in the bathroom. After he was done, only then did I take my shower and get dressed. This made for a much less stressful morning for me. Now the schedule was dependent on me, not him, and I knew I could get it done on time.
We left at noon and stopped for gas and McD's and were still way ahead of schedule until we hit the traffic from hell. The goddamned highway dept. placed these cones directing all the traffic to merge into one lane. We were stuck 1/2 hour over 2 miles! And when we finally broke free, there was the highway dept. PICKING UP THE CONES! No work was done!
WTF????
We were mad then could only laugh. All in all we were only 10 minutes late. My terrific scheduling ability wins again!
~~
Hubby spent a good portion of the ceremony walking around looking for Dad. The proverbial needle in a haystack. While he was off on one of his walks, Dad emerged from the crowd and nearly ran over me. I barely recognized him. He has aged a lot - even since last winter when we had lunch together. I know he thinks the same when he sees me.
We had a nice short conversation and he went back to his seat and girlfriend.
After the ceremony we found Tom and all went out to dinner. The food was excellent, and the conversation was adequate. The girlfriend is vacuous and enamored of Dad, which makes her difficult to talk to as most conversations in our family are dynamic and exciting. I was pleased to see that OC and Tom had a good time with each other. Tom has grown into a very nice young man, even though he still floats a few feet off the ground - not because he is "light in the loafers", but because he is a little light-headed.
~~
Saturday Dad and girlfriend came to the farm and spent the afternoon with Hubby and me. We had a really nice visit, and everyone said so. Tom, of course, was late (by 3 hours) so they got a very late start to their road trip. Dad is taking him to his birthplace, and showing him the lake community Grandpa built. It should be a good experience for both. We were going to go as well until we realized we have 3 dogs now, and they ain't so easy to leave!
~~
Mom called late Saturday afternoon yelling that the local auction house was FULL of Xmas items and we HAD to get down there to look. So we did - just to look.
Six hours and $220 later, we left with a full truck. I got a 6ft carved wooden Santa, 3 other mid size 18"-3ft santas, a great 2ft teddy bear w/ice skates, a kiddie car with driver (abt. 3ft long), a sleigh with yet another santa, a bin full of ornaments for our xmas party, a box full of gingerbread ornaments, and a 3 x 5 scatter rug for the foyer.
YAY! I love the auction!!! There were so many things that I passed on, and that was really hard. I have learned from past auction experiences, that all that glitters does not fit in my house. I thought I showed great restraint, and Hubby was pleased with the purchases, so all is well.
I am so lucky to have a partner who loves Xmas as much as I do!
~~
Sunday I laid around all day watching classic movies and playing with puppies.
It was a perfect weekend.
happy to be stuck with you - Sunday, Jan. 01, 2006
the error of complacency - Friday, Aug. 26, 2005
CAN IT - Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2005
Still breathing . . . - Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2005
the big move - Thursday, Jul. 28, 2005