Happy New Year - Yo - Hold on!

Life is careening, but it doesn't feel out of control. It reminds my of one of my favorite songs, Chestnut Mare by Roger McGuinn and Jacques Levy; "she jumps off the edge, me holding on". Hope this year you can hold on and enjoy the ride! Blessings and love in 2010!

taking an online class

I decided to take an online class and figured why not University of Phoenix? They had 400,000 students last year, so they must be doing something right.

When I studied at Fairfield U 500 years ago, I only took two business courses, so I guess it was time for another. It will be interesting to see how I handle studying and interacting online instead of in a classroom. The course itself, Business Law, should be interesting.

I am nervous. I had difficulty even just learning how to post a message. Wish me luck.

The moment I take a breath

Today was a charmed day. No, really. I worked from home today, which means that I work, but I also run the errands I never get to run when I am not in my own neighborhood. I live in NJ. I work in White Plains, except for my practice in NJ and NYC, which is specifically according to appointment only. What this short diatribe really means is that I am almost never at liberty to roam about my hometown.

That changed today, and I ran into two friends, completely randomly, and decided to stop in on two others. How lucky am I? Very. How long has it been since I have seen any of them? Way too long.

Christmastime really is magical. What better gift could there be than running into one of my best friends on the planet and picking up as if we just saw each other yesterday. Startling my other friend on the bank line out of the blue. Priceless.

Stopping by on two other friends, because I miss them all so much.

Call or visit a friend today. What a gift we are to each other. Thank you!

Time to Make the Cookies - What's the secret ingredient for success - Just do it.

I must say this every Christmastime - "I feel rushed; it's all happening so fast; I'll never get the cards done"....ad nauseum. My apologies in advance.

One thing I always manage to get done is cookies. Over the years we have managed to squeak out 5-10 varieties of lovely Christmas cookies, no matter what. I really don't know how.

Well, yes, I guess I do. Just do it. Hello, Nike? I hear you need a new spokesperson.

I consult my daughters and ask them what kinds of cookies they want, ask them if they want to participate. I purchase all of the ingredients so they are in the house. I don't wait until a special time to make the cookies. If I know I have 2 hours in a row to complete a couple of batches, I do it. I prep and save ingredients so I can just throw everything together at the last minute. I know it is nauseating how organized I am. However, it is truly for a good cause - my stomach. I also think of others - that's true. Christmas would not be Christmas without cookies.

Ask me when I got my holiday cards out last year (Dec 28), the year before that (Dec 31), year before that - not - etc, etc. What is that giant pile of paperwork on my desk? Who haven't I called back? Sorry, I was creaming ingredients. Tis the season. What would Ina Garten do?

That Christmas Feeling

We've begun decorating the house for Christmas. When the children were still at home, we would whirl from holiday to holiday, and our home would always be decorated to celebrate some special occasion. Not so anymore. However, Christmas is still very special, a magical time of year.

In this bare bones economy, it is even more important to me to keep true to those times of joy with family and friends. The real gift is the gift of each other. We decided to light up the house a bit outside this year, with some extra lights here and there. It has been fun watching them glow at night!

The truth is, after all of the above platitudes (which are my truth), my other favorite way to enjoy Christmas is through fun songs, movies, videos. The South Park Christmastime in Hell is one of my favorites (sorry - just can't help myself).

My favorite video so far this year is one that our dear friend Melina (she just turned 21, shout out!) forwarded through Facebook. I love it and am sharing it here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTs5eKZ0i1E

(It is written and directed by John Roberts, directed by Clay Weiner, edited by Jesse Reisner, DP Drew Denicola. A mom and her christmas tree.) It has been making me smile every day since Melina sent it. Awesome and hilarious. Merry, merry............

I need a turkey...

Just spent a great Thanksgiving holiday in Boston with friends. Usually I cook. I just could not quite pull myself away from the concept of having a bird, cooked at home. Dudley Moore (God rest his hilarious soul) said, in Arthur, "I love a chicken cooked at home". I love a turkey cooked at home, so, I will rinse and stuff the now brining bird with some aromatics, create a bunch of side dishes and serve it to my husband, daughter Julia and however many of her friends decide they want to eat. If you are reading this, you are invited. Saturday, 5pm. Yum.

A Different Turkey Day

We had the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving at one of our daughter's boyfriend's parent's homes (how's that for possessive). It was a wonderful mix of friends, family and great food. It was very nice to be included, and a day for everyone to enjoy each other and ooohhh and ahhhh over the many wonderful dishes created by our hosts and each other. What fun! I know it must have been work for Chris' dad and stepmom, but they were mellow and smiling throughout. Apparently they have been doing this for almost 40 years, in varying configurations. What a fun crew. Our daughters Jess and Julia were with us, and Jim and I.
It was also interesting to be a guest instead of host. It was alien for me to stay out of the kitchen for most of the day (though I just had to help clean up a bit). I made spinach pie and pumpkin/banana pie which people raved about. This was a nice revelation too, as I guess we begin to take each other for granted year after year of pouring over a hot stove without much recognition. Not that I was looking for attention or plaudits - just nice that people notice when you put love into your food. There was a lot of love in a lot of this Thanksgiving's food.
I also enjoyed meeting so many new people. After so many years of spending time just with our extended families, this was an interesting change. I don't want to exchange experiences, but this Thanksgiving brought a fresh perspective on how we need to acknowledge and appreciate one another.
As I said in an earlier post, quoting Abraham, act as if... Act as if this is how you are already being treated. For me, that means to model behavior I most value, by truly appreciating the people who are in my life. I would like to make a list, but at the risk of outing all of my loved ones who may not want to be listed, you all know who you are! Husband, daughters, father, sisters and brother all, friends and coworkers.