Thanks to my using Judi’s computer while writing this entry, there’s still 25 more minutes left of my birthday. (She lives in Central and so her clock is set that way – however, we’re here in Eastern, so officially, it’s the day *after* my birthday.)

Yes, I’m a New Years Baby. I was the first baby born in ’71 for 2 newspapers in my county and thus my parents (and me) got a lot of freebie gifts. But that was then and I wanna write about NOW.

So my poor little journal has been without updates for a couple of days. Which is just as well as I wrote one hell of a long entry the last time. So you’ve had time to recover, but now it’s time for you to read along long ass description – this time of TWO days…

Well, I’ll get as much written as I can, then when the girls tell me to turn off and go to bed I shall have to leave (and you can all breathe a sigh of relief).

I shall begin with New Year’s Eve. We got up damned early for vacationers (6:45am) and had breakfast at the hotel (buffet for me – more of that yummy cream of wheat). Then onto the shuttle to EPCOT, where we had intended to spend our entire day.

Once at EPCOT, we stowed our carrier bag o’ shoes & other essentials in a locker and then went to the Mission: Space Fastpass line. Steph and I were there for about 20 minutes while Judi & Elsa waited in line for Judi to get her photo taken with Mickey. Once we had the tix, we joined the girls in line for Spaceship Earth. (I tell ya, these new fangled cell phones are ideal for finding your friends in theme parks! Shame I don’t have one yet. But thankfully, the others all did.)

Spaceship Earth was a nice start to the day’s events. Judi and I then decided to find out where Mickey & Co were going to be during the day because the first line for Mickey pix ended with the person right in front of Judi! For 31 years she’s been wanting her photo taken with that mouse, and he snuffed her! The cad! (Well, actually it was the attendent with Mickey who did it.) So rather than have her mope all day about it, we decided to take action. As soon as we got to Guest Services, a lady there was handing out daily schedules, which had the times when Mickey & Co would stop and where. And the next time was 11:15 – less than half an hour to go.

We headed for the World Showcase plaza where the company would show and called the others to tell them where we were. They were waiting in line for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, but since the line was going too quickly, they went to The Land and told us to meet them there when the deed was done. Judi & I shopped for a bit before the company arrived and she got a Mickey and I bought a New Years Figment with diaper and top hat – just $10. When Mickey & Co. arrived, we were in the Mickey line rather quickly and Judi was FINALLY able to have her photo taken with the Big Mouse himself. YAY! Even Trina got her picture taken with the mouse. YAY!

By the time it was done and we met the girls at The Land, we could get fastpass tix again, and this time opted on Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. We then walked up the Rose Path to the International Section and stopped in the UK to determine our plan of action. Steph headed off to France to get reservations for supper, while the girls and I waited in the Fish & Chips line for – get this – fish & chips. Steph returned just as our ordered were filled and we found a place to eat while Steph told us the bad news. Every country was booked for supper. Well, all the countries she tried. She tried sit-down restaurants in France, Morocco, and Japan but all were already booked. Ah well. The fish & chips were very good. And a local squirrel agreed with us.

Steph, Judi, and I decided to shop a bit while Elsa sat & read some on a nice bench near the ferry to MGM. We went to France and looked around the shops. We had a 1:30 deadline for our fastpass tickets to Honey Shrunk the Audience, so we didn’t have a lot of shopping time. We decided to get ice cream and lie to Elsa about it, but the line took too long and we had to bail before we could get any. So we walked back to pick up Elsa and then headed for the movie.

Being a major Eric Idle fan, I’d been wanting to see Honey, I Shrunk the Audience for some time. It was lovely to finally see it. And the 3D was very good. After we saw the flick, we got in line to see Figment – and he, too, had Eric with him. Fun stuff.

Our next Fastpass ticket excursion was for Test Track. But the girls were getting tired, so we decided to split up before getting the tix. Just as we were going to split up, however, Judi shouts “Cappy! JJ!” and there were her brother, sister-in-law, and their son, Angelo. Damn, *THAT* was spooky! Yeah, we knew they were in Florida during this time and figured we’d meet up at some point, but certainly not accidentally like that. After that freak meeting (her family’s not freaky, just the chance at meeting them that was freaky) we finished the split up. Judi, Steph & I checked out Mouse Gear and then I went onto the locker to change from sandals to shoes and to dump off the stuffed toys. On my way back to meet the girls, I saw the big electric display showing information about Future World or whatever. And alas, TestTrack had no more FastPass tickets available.

I informed the girls this, but we didn’t yet know what the waiting line was. When we discovered it was 2 and a half hours, we decided to get Fastpass tix for Maelstrom instead. So off to Norway (via Mexico, doncha know) to get the tix. While there, we had some pastries from a Norweigian bakery – Lefse, decadent chocolate (mousse) cake, giant sweet pretzels w/ almonds, cheese danish – all yummy. And as it was going to be my birthday, I treated the girls to the snacks.

It was nearing time for our Mission: Space adventure, so we headed back to wait in the Fastpass lane. And just as we were about to board our vessel, Elsa decided maybe the ride was going to be too intense for her. Hell, it was too intense for me, but I wasn’t smart enough to know it at the time. Actually, I was fine for the takeoff and the g-forces – but when we were dodging the asteroids, my tummy said “Hell no!” So once we were off the ride, I decided I needed to sit a spell. Judi & Elsa played the giant video game outside the Mission: Space area while I watched and rested. Steph made a video postcard to her hubby while she waited.

Well, the problem with us being in there instead of being outside is that they were distributing the hats & horns for NYE at that time. By the time we left, (a) it was dark, and (b) they had given them all out! Alas, no hats or horns for us. 🙁

Well, as it was getting dark, it was getting chilly so it was back to the lockers for more changes of shoes & gatherings of jackets/sweatshirts. We were at the zonked out stage by now. We’d been at the park since 9am and it was now nearly 7pm. Steph & I, however, decided to make another attempt at getting hats & horns by going down the Rose Path. No success there, but on our way back, I decided I just *had* to have a photo of the main International bridge & Xmas tree now that they were all lit. I made some adjustments to the camera and as soon as I pointed it at my subject, I noticed the tree had gone out. So had the bridge. Steph and I just laughed. But that meant that it was nearly time for the fireworks.

We walked back toward UK and found a spot on the bridge to sit and watch the fireworks. Alas, most of the action took place at waterlevel, so we missed a bit. And I made up a story to go with the music that is unprintable, but kept us entertained. And while we were sitting there, I got what I thought was an inspired idea. Why not look for a place to camp out at for the rest of the night and stay there – always having 2 of us there to save spots for the others. We wanted a place that we could sit in reasonable comfort, preferably with a back support, and could see the fireworks. My first thought was the place behind the Fish & Chips shop where we’d gotten lunch. But when we got there, it was set aside for a private party. So we walked against the sea of people and found The Perfect Spot. There’s a bit on the bridge between the UK and France (heh) that juts out over the water – and practically no one was there. There was a cement ledge to sit upon and nice bushes for leaning against (the non-prickly kind). And room for 4. And it overlooked the lagoon in the direction of the fireworks. And later we discovered that the family sitting next to us were all from around London. So that gave us fun neighbors to talk to.

Having found the ideal spot, Steph called the girls and told them the plan. Describing where it was took some doing, but we did a well enough job for Judi to find us. They, too, were against the sea of traffic and couldn’t get to us quickly. So Elsa was in line for more fish & chips (the only food place they could reach) and Judi headed back to show her where to go. When they arrived, Steph and I were able to go off to France to find some supper.

There was a patisserrie we’d seen earlier in the day and we thought the line looked reasonable. Steph checked to make sure they had real food as well as sweets, and they did. And while we were in line, I saw a stack of 3 NYE hats sitting on a trash can. I checked ’em over and they were in fine shape. YAY! We had hats! Well, three of ’em at least. We got food – I opted for ham & cheese croissant and a plain croissant, followed by fruit tart. Steph got ham & cheese baguette and two decadent chocolate conconctions. And we also got a peach tart for Judi and chocolate croissant for Elsa. (Poor things had to have fish & chips TWICE in one day!)

Well, we’d found the place at 8pm and, with few times that we vacated the area (in ones or twos only), were there until it was time for the fireworks. We sat or stood and talked with our neighbors and each other. We watched as our little point got more and more crowded. We heard the same International Tunes over and over again. Every hour on the half hour, we heard the Chinese ring in the Chinese New Year with firecrackers. And at 11:40pm, the fireworks began. Steph, Judi, and I jumped (hah) up onto the ledge to watch, along with the Londoners beside us.

Damn, did we pick the BEST place in all of EPCOT to watch the fireworks! The show was phenomenal. And minutes before midnight, each of the countries in the World Showcase shot off fireworks and stuff. And when the UK celebrated, no one was lounder than our crew of Merkans and UK residents. And then it was time for the countdown. And then the biggest fireworks finale that I ever hope to see. Just simply amazing. I got choked up. And Judi got some lovely photos of the lightshow.

Then I changed my little display toy (that I bought the night before for $20 – spin it and it displays messages like “Happy New Year” in red lights) from “Happy New Year” to “Happy Birthday.” And the girls sang Happy Birthday to me. And Steph gave me a present – a Wonka bar! I haven’t opened it yet to see if I won the golden ticket – but I’ll do that later.

We made our way back to the front to pick up our locker stuff, our packages, and our bus. Now I got something other than the stuffed toy, but I can’t write about that cuz mom might be reading this… But I’d sent it up front with the package pickup. Elsa had something there as well.

At 1:30am, the bus arrived and took us back to our hotel. Then we all collapsed. It was a damn fine day – probably the best NYE ever! Let’s hear it for the great start to 2004 and to my 33rd year – yay!

As I wrote this morning, we got to spend some time in our new hotel – well, our old hotel. And Steph was able to join us around noon. We decided to head off to the Magic Kingdom so Judi could wear her Minnie Mouse ears and get her photo taken with the REAL love of her life (more than Paul McGann, more than Takeshi Kaga) — Mickey Mouse! Well, by the time we’d arrived, there were already over 60,000 people in da ‘dom. So we were turned away. We decided to go to Disney’s Animal Kingdom since only Steph had been there before.

We got in the line for the Kilamanjaro Safari almost immediately. The line was at the 2 hour long bit and was going to stop at 4:30pm (due to the early setting sun) so we figured, what the hell. The Safari’s the most important bit of the Animal Kingdom and we hadn’t talked with Steph in ages. So we spent 2 hours slowly walking around lots of turns with lots of people (some of them almost becoming fast friends by the end of the trip) talking with each other. It was a very pleasant 2 hours. Lovely balmy weather, great conversation, and good friends. Can’t ask for much more.

Once we finally got in our tour jeep, we found ourselves in the front row. Our tour guide was very friendly and energetic and often spoke to us off the mic. And the animals – geez, you’d’ve thought they were paid to come out at each showing. We got to see all of the animals and everyone was showing off, except the cheetah, who was sleeping. And they had Lions! No black lions, like my Leo, but a lion and his lioness (or is that backwards?) The lioness was staring down a gazelle (or something antelopish) but couldn’t get to it thanks to the moat between them.

We left the safari and to (a) celebrate our successful capture of poachers on our safar and (b) to spend some of the birthday money that the ‘rents gave me, I bought an Aussie-style Bush hat, with several pins in front. Alas, I didn’t check the size before grabbing one eagerly and ended up with an XL. But it still looks cool and I’ll probably not wear it a lot. But I have some teddy bears at home that would look very stylish with that hat on. So, thanks mom & dad for my new hat! Maybe tomorrow I can upload the photos of me in my new hat!

On our way to see the Bug movie, we went to Flights of Wonder, a bird demonstration show. And we saw some pretty well trained birds. They flew over the audience, talked to us, stole money from some lady in the audience, and other cool things. The two “actors” on stage were very entertaining. They even brought out a bald eagle (no longer on the endangered species list – woohoo!) I was quite impressed with the whole production.

We headed off to see The Hard Life of Bugs or whatever that 3D (4D?) movie is called. I was impressed that I didn’t get ill with the 3D glasses. And damn, if there weren’t some impressive shocks in the production. Watch out for stinging insects! Steph and I were bad girls and kept our 3D glasses. They make great Physics demos!

So we wandered around Animal Kingdom for awhile, looking at the dinos and whatnot, and then we figured that, as it was 6pm, we should head back to Epcot to get on the freebie shuttle back to the hotel. This we did, and by 7pm we were on the bus on our way back to the hotel. Ours was the second stop, and we got in and rested up just a bit before we headed to Angels seafood buffet. Why this place you ask? Well, our cabby who took us from the airport to our hotel told us about the place. He said they had lobster and steak and crab legs on the buffet and that the food was very good.

Well, we had the front desk call Mario and ask for transport. Then we sat outside and waited. Eventually a Liberty Transit cab pulled up. But Mario’s company doesn’t have cabs, just unmarked cars. The driver in the cab was there to pick up someone who wanted to go to Econo Lodge. Not us. But then he said he could take us to our destination. He tried to prove that he knew Mario and that Mario was busy and said he could do that job. So we eventually acquiesced and went along. Now, the restaurant isn’t very far – we could probably walk it if we hadn’t walked all day. And the asshole tried to charge us $8. We talked him down to $6 and got in.

We had a further 20 minutes to go before we could be seated (we called ahead and got our name on the waiting list) so Judi and I played a game of air hockey in the hotel arcade. When the score was 2 to 5 (with me in the lead) Judi passed off to Steph. Steph then held her own until it was 6 to 6. But in a lucky break, I got the puck in under her superb defenses. Go me!

They soon seated us in the restaurant and Adam, our waiter, explained the rules of the game. We once again got in line, this time NOT a 2 hour wait, and got lots of food. Sushi, which I ate while in line, rolls, baked scallops, shrimp scampi pasta, breaded fried shrimp, fried clams, hushpuppies, steak and prime rib, crab legs, and lobster. And that’s just what I got. We ate and ate and Adam showed us how to crack lobster (and promptly sprayed Steph with the juices from Judi’s lobster) and then we ate some more. And when we were done with the real food, we had dessert. Pecan pie (nowhere near as good as mom’s), chocolate chip and sugar cookies, chocolate & vanilla soft serve and others. The vanilla soft serve and the cookies were the best of the desserts. Good eats all around. And the final tally after coupons, taxes, and tip (for Adam, whom we also recommended for employee of the month) was $30 a person. After not eating since breakfast some 11 hours earlier, this was indeed a meal and a half.

We called for another transport from Mario only to have our friendly neighborhood charlatan arrive. And soon another transport arrived – it was either one of the charlatan’s friends, or Mario really did send him. He also charged $6.

So we got back to our room and have been vegging ever since. Elsa upgraded Judi’s computer memory, I downloaded photos from all 3 cameras, and we all vegged. Now everyone’s waiting for me to get off and go to bed. So that’s what I’ll do.

I know what you’re thinking… Surely you’ve had a room since yesterday. But, alas, that was not the case. Let me tell y’all a story. Are you sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin.

Yesterday around 11am, Judi, Elsa, and myself arrived at the Rennaissance Worldgate Hotel in Kissimee. We were informed that our room wasn’t ready since check in wasn’t until 4pm. No problem, we thought, we just had lunch in the hotel restaurant (with a very accomodating barmaid/waitress/bon vivant) then we’ll catch Return of the King at Downtown Disney.

Return of the King was, as many have said and/or intimated, fantastic. Even Judi, who wasn’t looking forward to seeing the movie, enjoyed it as much as Elsa and I. Once again, I see the purchase of 6 DVDs in my future, just as I had with the first two flicks.

After the show, we wandered around Downtown looking for a place to eat. When the crab place had a 2 hour waiting list, we decided it was time to call for our cab to get back.

Now, lemme explain the cab situation. This hotel has a deal with a local transport company to take people to various places for a set fee. The hotel gets some of the money, the transport people the other money. And sometimes it works out cheaper than a real taxi. So we’d paid our “downpayment” for our trip there and back again. Only when our driver said he’d be there to pick us up in front of the McDonald’s clock tower (spooky, I know), he wasn’t. So we opted on a real cab. What with traffic as it was, the cost was more than we’d’ve had to pay with the original travel service. Alas, one learns often at the expense of, well, expense.

So we finally get to the hotel to find out there’s been an “explosion.” Thankfully, not an Orange Alert explosion, but a waterpipe bursting and ruining 3 floors. And so those of us who checked in late got screwed, er, got sent to the Marriott World Something, one humongous hotel with very soft beds, but $10 T1 connection and $15 and HOUR wireless. That sucked. (But the beds were nice). Of course, it took them over 35 minutes to get a transport over to take us *to* the Marriott.

This morning, we called our proper hotel about whether they can take us or not. They said yes and to take a cab and they’d reimburse us. Hmmm, I still have yet to see my $16 back.

So we got here and once again, were shooed aside. (And they had the biggest problem finding my name in the computer. Um, we prepaid, you lousy sons of… well… You know.) But we got a free breakfast today and tokens for a free breakfast tomorrow, so that pacified us, some. (My first time having cream of wheat – not too shabby. Very good for the alaying of trina’s frayed nerves.)

While Judi and Elsa talked at the breakfast table, I went back to the desk and this time finally got us a room. Yay! We’re on the 3rd floor with a view overlooking the fountains and parking lot. Not too shabby. Alas, no T1 line connection in the room! So I didn’t need to bring my laptop. Bugger. I wish they’d update their website. The *only* reason I bothered with the laptop was because it said T1 connections in the room. There’s Wireless, instead. Elsa & Judi have wireless NICs. I, alas, do not. So I’m typing this on Judi’s computer while she listens to my Christmas present (coincidentally, from her) on the Bend It Like Beckham soundtrack on my computer.

We’ve heard from Steph that she’s here in Orlando and slowly making her way to the hotel. And when she arrives, hopefully we can go to the Disney campus!

Thanks to the Big Finish audio Zagreus, I shall never be able to think of Walt Disney and or his “offspring” without thinking of Uncle Winky. But anyhoo, tomorrow the girls and I will be going doon sooth to see Walt Disney World and other fun theme parks. Should be a delightful time! And the weather’s looking nice.

I’m currently in the transition between Christmas time and the bit that comes after. So I still have my Sylv & Sophie desktop wallpaper and Christmas theme going, but I’m now listening to nonChristmas music on MusicMatch. (Started back to listening to all of my stuff from start to finish. As you can see from the “current music” listing below, I’m up to the M’s.)

One thing I really won’t get done before my trip is updating my website. I do have an idea of what to do on the main page, but I’ll wait until next Sunday to work on it.

ElsaF will be driving down later today to join me. And tomorrow morning (oily, oily in the morning) mom will drive us to the airport. (Elsa found it cheaper to drive to Dayton and fly out with me than to get a flight from Detroit.) Judiang will also be flying down from the Windy City and we’ll meet her at the airport. Then it’s onto our hotel and time for fun, fun, fun! And just to make things even more fun. Steph will be joining us the next day to spend some time with us. Looking forward to seeing her again.

We’re going to be rather geeky cuz each of us will be bringing her laptop (and I wouldn’t be surprised if Steph brings hers either). I wasn’t going to, but hey, if you’re a geek, you might as well prove it! 🙂

So, if the hotel didn’t lie about there being T1 lines available, I ought to be able to keep the journal up to date. (Hopefully more up to date than I have recently. Still, I’m doing a lot better than I suspected that I would!)

Hope y’all have as fun this New Years time as I intend to be having. And if you lot at home have even half as much fun as the girls and I have, then we’ll have had twice as much fun as you. 😉

Hooray for Christmas! “Merry Christmas, Gimme Presents!” as Animal is wont to say.

Today was a great day. Amy spent the night with me (as per a tradition we’ve had since we separated into our own bedrooms as kids). And last night we watched A Muppet Family Christmas. This morning, I woke up early in order to call a friend in England. We opened presents over the phone and it turns out Dave got me the “Songs from the Street” collection (35 years of Sesame Street music). Woohoo! Also winging its way to the US is seasons 4&5 of The Tomorrow People DVDs. A lovely start to the day! (For him it was nearing lunch time and he and his housemates were cooking the turkey – doncha just love time zones!)

By the time I was done, Amy was moving and ready to head next door. But I’d yet to have my bath. So she had to wait a bit. But soon I was ready and she grabbed her stuff and my sack o’ presents and I grabbed Leo. He protested some, but once he got to mom & dad’s (next door) he was ready to explore. And they have STAIRS! (The only stairs I have are to the basement and I don’t let him there. I’m afraid he’d collect all the dust bunnies down there and weigh 400lbs.)

Once we were there, Amy and I got to check out our stockings. Santa brought us a number of nice things – including a tire pressure gauge! (Long story…) We then had breakfast – sour dough coffee cake, scrambled eggs, and bacon. Everyone else had coffee (one of many beverages that I just don’t understand… Tea and alcohol are two others…)

After breakfast, it was time to open presents! It was the bestest Christmas ever! Lots of cool things. From Amy, I got a framed poster of Eric Idle’s Greedy Bastard Tour (which she “liberated” for me) and two pairs of socks (one smiley face, one with cards). I also a pair of photos of Amy & Rachel from the two of ’em – and was so touched, I cried. (They’re really cool photos – they used ’em on their engagement announcements.) Rachel had sent along a set of hot cocoa mixes from Starbucks (and with the staff discount she gets, they were “thrifty” presents! Yay!)

From the parents, I received quite a few lovely gifts. Not sure I’ll remember ’em all, but I’ll get as many out as I can. Several nice outfits for school and two casual shirts. A Santa Claus nutcracker (I have a nice collection of nutcrackers). A 2-quart Calphalon chef’s pan w/ lid. Pretzels (we’re talking LOTS of ’em) and two types of cool pretzel dip (one was raspberry, wasabi, and mustard). A 14-in-1 wooden game set. The latest Terry Pratchett novel. A cookbook on recipes for 1 person (woohoo!).

The gifts I got for people were also well-received. Amy got a $30 gift certificate to the Guthrie Theatre and some MrBeer bottles and a MrBeer funnel & strainer (which were shipped to her apartment) – I’d made fake labels and stuck ’em on an empty bottle and wrapped that in lieu of the actual bottles & funnel. Mom got Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen (Kathleen Daelemans) and Nocturnal Admissions (from the Sunday Night Sex Show). And dad got two Blue Man Group CDs and the Stomp Out Loud DVD. Mom & Dad both got things that I want to borrow from them. 🙂 Leo, meanwhile, got a new toy (fun thing where he can get frustrated trying to catch a mouse that moves away from him) and a window perch.

After the presents, it was time for lunch. Mom made chicken casserole and we had it with cottage cheese, green beans, and “real” cranberry sauce (you know, the kind from the can). Leo ate some casserole and cottage cheese. It was very delicious! And everyone gets leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

The rest of the day was just time for conversations, games (we played the Pachisi and Mancala games from my 14-in-one pack) and another Star Wars movie (Return of the Jedi). Supper was an assortment of cheeses & cheese spreads, ham & summer sausage, wine (or Sierra Mist for trinas), and other cold finger foods. We toasted to family and later to the new year. Mom got to use her new wine glasses (and the wine glass markers I’d bought for her birthday).

The final adventure for the evening was another hand massage and waxing and helping Amy pack up her luggage. She’d packed a duffel bag in with her luggage cuz she knew she’d be bringing more stuff home than she brought. And that was indeed the case. So she’ll leave with 2 checked pieces. And tomorrow morning dad & I will take her to the airport – and soon she & Rachel will be together again! Yay! (*sniff* for us, however – no more Amy in person!)

So all in all, a lovely day! Hope everyone who celebrated Christmas today had one even half as lovely as we did!

I know, for some folks right now, it is Christmas day. For others, it shall soon be. Currently, my sister’s talking to Rachel (probably with some good Starbucks’ customer stories from the laughs I’ve heard), so I had a chance to come and write.

We went off to Granny’s tonight for the Short gathering. Alas, Bill & his crew (which includes Brandi) couldn’t attend tonight. So it was Granny, Becky, Deanna (Becky’s youngest), Dean (Deanna’s dad), Mick (Becky’s oldest), Joy (his wife), Taylor & Sydney (their little ones), and us. It was fun conversationally, as to be expected. And both Mick & Joy congratulated Amy on her engagement – yay!

In the gift exchange, Becky had my name and since I’d included toys in my list, that’s what I got. Some Harry Potter Lego and some K’nex (the little kids version – with cool eyeballs!) Poor mom got a lovely sweater – which Cali (the little calico kitten) promptly peed on. And also a Rubick’s Cube. However, she’d asked for Rummikub… (I’d *wondered* why Deanna had asked me where she could find a Rubick’s Cube…) They’ll get that all sorted out soon, I’m sure. 🙂

Amy got the gift I am most envious for – Muppet Monopoly! She hadn’t gotten a wish list out to folks, so Joy had found that and figured she’d enjoy it. And I know she and her friends will love it. But how will I find a way to keep it here instead? Hmmmm… I’m sure Pepe would have a plan!

So it will soon be Christmas morning! Joy joy! I hope everyone loves the pressies I got them! (The good news it that I like them, at least, so if they don’t I’ll make sure they don’t go to waste!) Perhaps tomorrow night I’ll have an update on everything.

Still no White Christmas, but hey, I’ll have fun no matter the weather! *hugs* to everyone who wants one and HAPPY CHRISTMAS and MERRY NEW YEAR!

Mom, Amy & I had something of a girly night tonight. I’m not terribly experienced with girly nights, but I had fun tonight. Firstly, mother queried Amy on wedding details (many of them that Amy & Rachel have yet to decide), but it was fun supposing. The topper of the evening, however, were the hand massages and paraffin dip.

Mom got a paraffin dipper last year for Christmas, but I never got a chance to use it before it blew up. So when dad got mom a replacement one for her birthday this year, I showed my enthusiasm for trying such a thing. So tonight we got to do it.

First, mom massaged our hands and used oil & hand cream while she did so. (My hands were so dry, it nearly “sucked” up all the oil.) Then I dipped my hand in the warm wax 4 times. She then put my hand in a long plastic bag, then stuck an oven mitt over it. We repeated this for the other hand. Amy was treated next (using towels instead of oven mitts, as mom only had a pair). Then mom did herself.

With our hands now thoroughly warm and relaxed, we went into mom’s TV room to watch Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. This was only the second time I’ve seen the show. It’s fun, but I’ve yet to commit to finding out when and where it airs. After awhile, mom peeled herself out of the bags, then did me and then did Amy.

My hands feel so soft and still are warm, even an hour later. I see now why people get manicures and things. (No fingernail polish for me, however. I chew my nails and don’t wish to stop.) So a pleasant evening spent with the girls. 🙂

TOMORROW IS CHRISTMAS EVE! Alas, it’s not yet snowing…

Mom, Amy, and I love to play card games. Dad, OTOH, was raised by militant card players and thus hates all forms of games and competitions. (Oddly enough, his sister, Becky, loves card games as much as the three of us do.) However, when we were kids and would go on vacation, the four of us would play euchre. The only card game that dad can even barely stand to play. Mom always refused to be his partner because he does things like trump his partner’s ace and call it on a Jack and a 9. So I’ve always been his partner.

Well, after years of this, and after years of playing Stick the Dealer (which my family had never heard of until tonight), I’ve gotten a little bolder with my plays. And tonight mom convinced dad that we could play another game of euchre. So dad and I sat across from each other and KICKED ASS! There was even a time when dad was actually enjoying the game cuz I’d call it on an ace and a nine and we’d still get our 3 tricks. He even was once dealt a loner, but played it out normally cuz he doesn’t like to play alone and prefers to socialize.

He was happy, however, when Rachel called toward the end of the game, which meant that we’d probably not be playing a second game. So after our 10:6 win, Amy called Rachel back for an hour’s phone call and dad and I watched Monster Garage.

All in all, a lovely evening.

Oh, and did I say we KICKED ASS at euchre?

(As an aside, I’ve since found I prefer bid euchre to regular euchre, which is what my family plays. On Friday, our last day of school before Christmas break, that’s all I did was play euchre. Had the most impressive loss of my euchre-playing with a -44 to 7. But I think we’d’ve caught up if we’d not run out of time!)

I am currently listening to song #766 on my Xmas MP3 playlist. That is, the last of the songs. Wow – I got through them all before Christmas!

Guess I can shuffle the playlist and begin again. 🙂

Today we had the Andersons over for the family Christmas celebration. Mom made Gramma’s noodles and some smashed taters (with sour cream added), plus had earlier made pickled eggs (another Gramma recipe). Amy and mom made banana salad (one of Aunt Mary’s recipes). Dad came over to my place (next door, see) to bake the ham. I made dezert and cheeseball (the type like I made at Thanksgiving). And at 2pm, we sat to await the family.

There are some things one can count on when the Andersons come. Uncle Bob & Aunt Madeline usually arrive early. Uncle Doug & Aunt Charlene always arrive late. Cousin Patty and Cousin Gregg (Doug’s kids) are usually even later than Doug. Cousin Shelly (Bob’s girl) & Brett have the two little ones (Mallory & Brooke) in tow, so it really matters on the kids on when they’ll get there.

Well, the gathering was scheduled for 2pm. And since no one had yet arrived, we began to fear that maybe folks thought it was Sunday. (Well, no one really thought that, but we did joke about it.) And shortly after 2, the first guests arrived. And to the shock of everyone, including himself, Uncle Doug was first! He and Charlene were astounded that they were first. Lots of hugs were shared and we heated up the bean greens that Charlene had brought. Plus she had Chex Mix – yum!

Turns out Shelly & co had arrived at Bob’s earlier that day and everyone was going to head over after that. And they were there by 2:30. Mallory & Brooke had asked before hand to get clear on who was who (we usually see them once, sometimes twice, a year). And they got my name right, at least. It was lovely to see them all again. Madeline brought a decadent chocolate cake and some crackers for Patty’s radish dip (that had yet to arrive).

Patty was there shortly afterwards, with said dip. She’d hollowed out a red cabbage for the dip and that was a hit for the day. Dad said the prayer (amidst arguments on whether God was watching us or not – long story) and we all ate. And sure enough, by the time we were all seated (in the dining room, kitchen, and living room) Gregg arrived.

The food was wonderful and I ate far too much. Then we sat and talked for hours. Eventually, I passed out presents wearing the Santa cap & reindeer cap that the girls had brought. (I like to be thorough.) Once things were winding down, I escorted people next door to see my newly (well, before last Christmas, actually) remodeled kitchen. Folks seemed to like it. Then everyone headed home and by 6:30, we were just the four of us again.

The day was very fun, but unfortunately, that was tempered by the fact that no one commented to Amy about her engagement. Normally when someone in the family is engaged, that’s the main talk of the next family gathering (at least, that’s what I always thought was the case). Alas, that was not this case. In fact, in the Anderson family, the only one who really seems pleased is mom’s Cousin Lynelle. When she got Amy’s pre-announcement (to get the news and general date out to folks) she cried. And every time, she says, that she thinks about it, she gets teary eyed. She’s truly happy for Amy getting married. She is, however, a shut-in and won’t be able to attend. 🙁

Although the lack of discussion bummed (or angered) us (poor Amy cried) out, we figure that for most of the folks, they probably just don’t know what to think about it, let alone say. I, for one, am thrilled at Amy and Rachel getting hitched. Heck, I’ll even go to Minnesota in August, that’s how happy I am about it. 🙂 But for us, Amy being Lesbian is normal. I think for many of the Andersons, it’s still something alien. So we’re disappointed in the lack of “congratulations” or wedding discussions, but we do understand why there was none of it.

It’ll be interesting to see if this is echoed at the Short gathering this Christmas Eve. I’d like to think that it won’t be, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough!