On having a Happy New Year

Last post of the year. Last post of the decade. Now THAT, my friends, is crazy.

I recall New Year's Eve 1999 and thinking we were all going to die from the dreaded Y2K. I was in high school people. HIGH SCHOOL. Does that not seem totally impossible? I remember like, 2 percent of my high school years and yet they are not even a full decade in the past. I maintain this forgetfulness is due to the extreme crappiness that is high school. Or the teen years in general.

So, on the eve of a new decade, I thought I'd reminisce about some of the highlights of the 2000's--a decade that was very important to me, for so many reasons.

1.) Graduated aforementioned teen hell (aka local high school.)

2.) Made the arduous journey to the fabulous Ball State University and found I loved it so much I decided to stay four years.

3.) Met my bebe (bebe meaning, of course, hetero life mate and friend extraordinaire), Amanda Jo. We had the same English class our Fall semester of freshmen year and happened to live in the same building. Every day after class, she walked approximately 10 feet behind me the whole way home. I sort of noticed this, but as I was in the front of this two person parade, I really had no idea she was back there. That is until she ran up to me one day and said, "I walk behind you every single day. Now I'm just gonna walk next to you." She has never left.

4.) Discovered I love working in libraries. Yay for geekdom!

5.) Met countless friends, both lasting and passing, who helped shape me in to the person I am today. Although the years have not proven to be helpful in maintaining contact, I think of all of you from time to time and realize how lucky I am that none of you killed me for my stupidity. Thank you.

6.) Became an aunt several times over. The 2000's were a busy time for my siblings.

7.) Against all odds, (read: seriously slacking off senior year) I graduated with my B.A. in English Studies, the most useful of all degrees.

8.) Met and fell in love with my husband, Brian. It still shocks me to think that he was right under my nose our whole lives, yet it took me 21 years to find him.

9.) Got married. It was awesome.

10.) Bought a house. Never, ever, ever buy a house that is up for short sale unless you are a zen master. Although I really do love our house. It was worth the wait.

11.) Quickly realized just how much I hate wall paper.

And now, we can look forward to another decade that will bring with it so many unknowns. Some will be good, others will be bad, but based on the success of this last decade, I think the new one will be just as it should.

Happy New Year!

Holidays and Penicillin

My apologies. I wrote this last Wednesday and thought I published it. I did not. So, a little belatedly, a new post for you.



Well world, I'm sick.

I've been trying to deny it for at least 2 days now, but the fact of the matter is that I am under the weather.

***If I may, can we have a little sidebar here? I mean, what is "under the weather" anyway? Does anyone know? Seriously, I'd like to know. Aren't we ALL under the weather, ALL the time? I guess you could be in a plane during a storm and be over the weather but really other than that you are under the weather.***

Anyway, I pretty much knew this illness was coming because I haven't had a healthy Christmas in years. I think it's karma's way of keeping me humble.

Take, for instance, Christmas of 2007. It was actually a really really awesome Christmas. No fighting, no hurt feelings, no stress. But, Brian and I were both sick. We actually skipped out on a Christmas Eve festivity due to our illness. We stayed home with a bucket of KFC (mmm...unnaturally raised chicken) and an ER marathon of the Christmas themed episodes from County General's past. What in the world took Hathaway so long to realize she should be with Doug and not that psychopath Shep?

But, I digress.

So, yes, I do sort of remember that particular Christmas fondly, but I also really like to fondly remember this little thing called breathing in and out with no hint of struggle. So there you go.

Against the medical advise of pretty much every doctor I've ever known, I'm self-medicating. Meaning that I had a penicillin refill from a tooth extraction a few months ago and I am now taking said penicillin for the sinus infection that I'm positive I have.

It seems to be working. I'm no longer breathing like a donkey with sleep apnea and I've been able to inhale through my nose all day. Huzzah! Who needs a fancy M.D. when I can just fix myself. Thank you, internet and history of nasal problems for pointing me in the right direction.

I'm now ready to celebrate the holidays. We've got a Christmas morning gathering and another gathering that afternoon. This pretty much guarantees that we'll be busy all day long and will want nothing more than to crash at home by the end of the day. I'm really looking forward to it actually.

For Christmas Eve, we are more or less playing it by ear. It's supposed to be terrible weather and the last thing I want to be is dead for Christmas. Brian and I are thinking that maybe another holiday at home (a la 2007) might be in order. Make some beef and noodles, pop in a video, and just relax.

Oddly enough, this coincides perfectly with my plan to bake delicious things and nap. It's amazing when these things come together like that.

Happy Holidays!

And now, an open letter to Starbucks:


Dear Starbucks,

I've been watching you for some time now. You may not have noticed me, I come and go so quickly through your always speedy and cheerful drive-thru. At first, it was all too innocent. I'd stop by and get a mocha, chilled or hot depending on the season. I could go weeks, nay, months without a sip of your delicious beverages with nary a whisper of discontent.

But that all changed when you began enticing me with your flavored lattes.

First, it was the pumpkin spice. Had I ever known true happiness before that first drink? I can't remember now--it's all caught up in a spicy haze. What is that? Cloves? Nutmeg? The essence of pure bliss?

And oh my, the whipped cream. You are incorrigible.

I had to have another. And another. And before I knew it, you pulled the rug out from under me. You took away that which I held closest to my coffee-laden heart. I feared it would be the end of our relationship. I just couldn't go on.

Oh, sure. I went back to the mocha. But it never really understood me. Not like pumpkin spice. It was simply a means to an end. A way to stay alert and warm on cold winter days. I was deep in grief.

Do you remember the time I was so tired I forgot to specify that I wanted a mocha latte? I know, I promised not to bring it up again. It's just that it hurt like so much coffee milk.

I knew you would sense this. You always know what will cheer me up. Thus, the Caramel Brulee Latte.

Until that moment I never knew how much you cared.

I know there are others. I see that girl sneaking out the door with a red cup. I know your heart is too big for just one person. I forgive you your humanitarian nature. For they need you as much as I do. After all, I will always have Del Taco. You understand, don't you?

Of course you do.

And so it is, my dear Starbucks. Ours is a love to be shared with the whole world. Let us sing it from the rooftops! The world needs to understand what it means to be truly loved. I entrust this task to your mighty coffee beans. You never let me down.

Always yours,

Rachael

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Or, you know, Wednesday. Wednesday with snow and wind. Hooray?

We went Christmas shopping this past weekend. Oh my. Can I just say that I would never (Read: NEVER) stand in a huge line with no end in sight just to get my little paws on a mechanical hamster. Seriously? Unless that thing is going to make my breakfast, I'm not wasting my time.

And, in the midst of all that craziness, we found an entire shelf full of the original Tickle Me Elmo. My kingdom for a time machine. Now THAT would lead to some Christmas cheer.

I'm probably about half way done with the gift shopping. This year I've kind of just let go of my neurotic gift buying tendencies. It makes for a much more pleasant experience. No anxious worry about whether or not someone is going to spit in my face and tell me what's what just because I got the wrong flavor of lip gloss. No! Now it's replaced with the thought "Who wouldn't want a full sized plastic unicorn? Let's get 5."

In all reality though, we've toned it down this Christmas due to that ol' recession there. Lots of time spent watching the sales and hunting for bargains. And I'm sure that's probably true of most folks out there.

I do recognize that we are very blessed. We are able to buy gifts for our near and dears. Not everyone can do that. But, in a way, this cost effective mindfulness has actually given me pause and caused me to think about the purpose of the holiday. Isn't Christmas really about family and love? Sharing a good meal with those who know you best?

I find that my favorite part of the Christmas holiday is when I get a chance to sit down with my family and just relax. Talk about nothing in particular, maybe watch a movie, and continue trying to eat most of the northern hemisphere. (Sidenote: Two years ago, my sister and I spent weeks discussing what would be the main dish of our Christmas feast. WEEKS. Let alone discussing the side dishes. But, we ended up deciding on prime rib, so it was totally worth it...right?)

So, this year, maybe don't worry about gifts so much. Just eat a cookie, joke with your family and friends, and maybe take a nap. That, my friends, is true happiness.

Just don't make me watch that stupid Christmas movie with the fat kid again. I CANNOT TAKE IT.

Running low on ideas right now. So, it's time for bullets.

• Thanksgiving went well. Turkey was not dry or burnt to a crisp and it actually got a few compliments. A successful turkey was really my only goal. Well, that and stopping any potential bloodshed. I hear it's nearly impossible to get blood out of carpets. Nearly.
  
  
• I can not believe Christmas is almost here. Could it have anything to do with this ridiculously nice weather? I submit that it does.
  
  
• Please Mother Nature, do not cause a blizzard to engulf my house tonight while I sleep.

• If you don't watch Modern Family on ABC (or, as I like to call it, The Manny Show) then I don't care to know you. Tune in folks! You can thank me later.



• I need a new CD to listen to. Any suggestions?
  
  
• For serious, I cannot think of what to buy people for Christmas. Is it acceptable to give everyone an I.O.U. until I think of appropriate replacements?
  
  
• This reminds me, I need to send out Christmas cards. However, I have lost my address book. Well, it's not so much a book as it is a loose stack of papers that I tend to keep under the couch. I just can't imagine how that got lost, can you? If you don't get a card this year, apologies in advance. Know that I am sending you all a card in my mind...hmm, will this strategy work for the aforementioned present debacle? Thinking cap time!
  
  
• Apparently, I need an address book for Christmas. Take note, relatives.
  
  
• This year we put up two Christmas trees. This is mostly because our basement reaches near sub-zero temperatures in the winter. As we spent most of our free time in the basement, this can be a bit problematic once snow sets in. Especially since we want to keep all of our appendages free from frostbite. So, this winter we've migrated upstairs to our rarely used living room. I just couldn't deny the basement its tree, even if we weren't going to be spending as much time down there. But, I also knew that we had to have a tree to enjoy whilst whittling away the hours upstairs. Thus, two trees.
  
  
• Does anyone else find it odd that I worry about hurting the basement's feelings? I mean, it's a room. That right there is the same problem that makes it impossible for me to throw away food. Four mozzarella sticks down and one to go? Someone's gonna eat that stick, dammit. I don't want it to feel sad for not being chosen.



• Sidenote: In what crazy world is there ever an unwanted mozzarella stick? I should have picked a better example. Apologies.
  

Here is our basement tree. Note the majestic quality of its branches.

And here is our upstairs living room tree. Note the sparse, yet inviting, tree limbs. This is what determination, hard work, and ten dollars at Target's after Christmas sale will get you.

Do you smell that? That, my friend, is the smell of Christmas.