No fear

My daughters have given their sons the confidence to try. Many years ago when Jon and J were young they came out to WV to learn to snowboard.  And they did. No fear.  They listened to their coaches and practiced and practiced on the mountain and they won!  This year Ashby came over and believed that his coach would take him down the mountain.  His Mom got him ready and was his cheerleader telling him it would be great.  Weekend 1 it was okay.  A few rough patches but he persevered.  Weekend 2 he soared.  He got his groove on.  No more "baby ski wedgies" no more holding his coaches hand.  He skied the course using his edges, sliding his skis for turns.  And then he did the two mile run.  Not only did he ski it, without falling down, but he trusted his coach to take him up the big lift to the top of the mountain, skied off and headed down.  Jay and Jon know what a huge step that is the first time you do the Silver Queen.  No going back, no mid-station.  You are committed to go to the top.   Yeah to the daughters!! Yeah to the grandsons!   

Ja

New Year, New Broom

Evil spirits, gremlins, gloomy days begone.  We woke up on New Years morning having shared a midnight toast (with very yummy champagne and chambord) to a sprinkling of snow.  After sharing good-byes and a quick change of linen, we got to welcome Meagan, Mike and Ashby for several days of winter sports.  Despite a pinched nerve Meagan made the trip to introduce Ashby to skiing. Bruce was back in ski instructor mode and negotiated a trade of work for a lesson for Ashby.  

It was a strange holiday on the mountain. New Years fell mid week and lots of people had to be back at work the day after so Thursday ended up being an ordinary day with uncrowded slopes and  no lift lines, a perfect day for a beginning skier.  Despite my worries about Ashby being tentative about getting geared up and heading off with a stranger to ride up the lift and stare down the mountain, he was amazing.  His ski instructor is one of the best with kids (who don't whine) and he won Ashby's trust and with 30 minutes he was on the lift heading up to the top of the bunny slope.  Way to go Ashby.  

Home now I have begun to clean out clutter.  We are a tiny house of two with occasional small gatherings of friends but my pantry looked like I was feeding a horde regularly.  So I started reading "best by dates" and tossing expired boxes and cans.  My detective work found that I stopped entertaining, where I put in real effort, when Bruce fell. I have never gone back to doing parties with a theme, researched food, fun drinks ...   How else did I end up with two jars of fluff that had separated.  Who knew fluff could expire?  My goal is to get my basics corralled back to the cupboards in the kitchen, well just the regular basics, the four kinds of sugar, three canisters of flour and oils and vinegars, popcorn, 12 rolls of paper towels (you get the idea) can still have their own shelf (shelves) in the pantry.  Ok the goal is to keep the pantry up to date.  So if you come for dinner in the next 30 days expect to be served couscous or rice, with variations until I can tame the many choices living in my pantry.  

On to resolutions.  1. Pare down, who needs six spare pillows that really need to move on, and those very cute red heels that still hurt my feet, and many, many things that are stuff. 2. Spend more time with family and friends.  Hospitality is the healing oil that brings and keeps families and friends together.  So if I see you know I will ask what you would like to have for dinner and as a good Southerner I will ask what do you drink.  I'll keep you posted on my progress on both.  PS. No you cannot have my six shells for crab imperial, or the Christmas and Thanksgiving plates, or the dessert shot glasses. I need the for a party!

 

A progressive Christmas

Some people have progressive dinners moving from house to house from appetizers to dessert.  We are having a progressive Christmas.  We started in Leesburg sharing an amazing dinner with Kama and her family. Jon was an engaging dinner companion with stories from across the pond with his mates. J willingly shared the limelight with his big brother, and added his thoughts.  Both guys made quick decisions to snap up the last two rockfish and finished off with a hot pumpkin brownie and ice cream topped with s dollop of whip creme.  

Next morning we headed over to see my Mom. The hardest part of visiting is that I can't just pop in for an hour frequently. I try to squeeze in a months worth of conversation into a few hours. The plan for phase three was a visit with Meagan's family that included dinner in Hampden followed by walk on Christmas street to see the lights.  This is where the plan took a detour.  Meagan and I ended up at the ER for ten hours in search of drugs for a painful pinched nerve in her neck.  The guys carried on admirably with dinner and Christmas lights.  Kudos to Mike and Bruce for sending over power plugs for my phone/IPad and a late night snack.  

We are back home for a week to share Christmas dinner with friends and my oldest son before we head to Charleston for a visit with my youngest son and family.  Then a football Saturday to cheer for UNC in the Belk Bowl.  

Our plan is to bring in the new year in West Virginia.  Our superstition is if we wake up on New Years morning to snow in WV it will be a good year.  So hope for snow because we need a good year.  

Hubby has been feeling a little down in his socks without some family in residence to liven up Christmas.  I confess to doing a minimalist job of decorating, feeling a little ho-hum myself.  We will have to give some thought to what to do next year.  

Wonderful wild WV

We haven't been to WV for winter for two years.  Last time we came up right after Thanksgiving to set up the tree and provision the house for a week with the kids at Christmas and then fate intervened.  So here we are today.  We brought up a flat screen tv for the family roon and hubby's first run down the bunny slope. Big question will he get the ski bug again and we will come up and spend time here?   I don't ski, I like being here, low stress, where else can you wear your pj's under your ski pants at the grocery store?   But a bored hubby in 1750 sq ft, with ice on the steps, and snow on the roads is not my idea of fun.  I don't even have enough spices up here to alphabetize.

What a difference a month makes

I promise this is my last poor me rant.  I know I should not feel like this is the last... Last business trip to DC, last big project, last etc.  I know that I have revamped my professional life many times, sometimes a minor tweak, sometimes a major change, but usually the change was for the better.  This time the change wasn't thought out or planned it just happened.  And now that the last move event is over and the project is wrapped up I am adrift.  My laptop is tucked under the hotel desk no report to write, no lists to start, no next round of meetings to set up.   My life has been defined by what I do.  My projects have driven my calendar.  I have been incredibly lucky to have great projects that have given me the income and freedom to have a personal life.   So what is next.  Guess the most important things are - don't panic,  take the next few weeks to enjoy my family, recharge and get my professional credentials in order, and put on my big girl panties and remember that I am actually pretty good at what I do and network, network from a mindset of confidence.  Promise next blog will be about enjoying the day to day. In the next few days I will get to spend several days with family and friends.  So no more fretting, open the cookbook, send in the grocery list, heat up the oven and spend days cooking yummy food and enjoying great company.  

Before and after

TAs the queen of denial, I have just ignored the day everything changed.  I told myself to just focus on the work. Finish without drama.  But it did all change on October 23.  I had just gotten comfortable with the new routine of full time work.  I was making mental plans of things I wanted to do for the next few years, making plans that required a steady source of income, not the roller coaster of contracting.  Always worrying about the next gig.  

This last project ends on Monday. There will be champagne and funny stories and congratulations all around.  Then I will turn in my credentials, they will turn off my email account and I will be the bridesmaid once again.  Hopefully they will remember me as someone they would like to work with again.  I will head home to throw myself into a thanksgiving feast for family and friends.  We will put up the Christmas lights and decorate the tree.  The trappings of normalcy, and hopefully the beginnings of the next phase of our lives.   

I haven't quite figured out how I feel besides sad and angry.  I am used to the theory of make no plans, count no chickens, kiss all the frogs emotions that have ruled most of my adult life.  Up until October 23 I was the one who always left a full time gig when my patience with the politics and the frustration with the work got to much.  And I have taken the blame that I really don't play well with others for very long. I like to do it my way.  I don't bounce out of bed ready to greet the day.  I am not good at hopping in the shower and getting dressed before work.  I sneak up on the day, wearing my pj's and sweater I check my email, make lists, frequently workIng for hours before getting dressed.  I have a terrible sense of time.  I don't remember to eat lunch and am surprised when my hubby knocks off work at 5:30 and wonders what is for dinner.  

But this time I was playing well with others.  My time card was always full.  My client was happy.  I was looking forward to a schedule where I could plan get-aways and someone besides me was responsible for hunting down and bringing in the work.  All I had to do was show up and do it.  

So today when I was in getting my gray colored and my hair cut the woman I have been going to for years opens with so anything new this month, are you off work today or do you have to go back?  What do you say?  "Well let me tell you I was fired, rehired for six weeks on contract, as of Monday I will be unemployed, and to top it off so is hubby."   And yes I will make my next appointment now.  

Where brave soldiers walk

Coming home yesterday I was on the shuttle from the train with a couple who ran in the Marine Corps marathon. The woman was standing and talking to her spouse and men kept trying to offer her a seat - with a sides way glance at her apparently able husband - until he finally said they had run the marathon and she had pulled a muscle and sitting was painful.  Nods all around.  

While I was checking my luggage, the Honor Flight escorts started leading a parade of men in wheelchairs, walkers, canes into the airport, some had family with them, some were alone with the escorts. I thought of the courage and determination it took for them to make the trip.  

Stopped for a bite to eat and to charge my phone and sat next to several tables of soldiers who had just landed on their way home. The young soldiers were laughing and eating and adding to their collection of empty beer bottles on their table.  The waitress was doing her best to mother them, checking on their flights, being slow to bring new drinks.  The young guys were the rowdiest - but not out of control.  Another table of older soldiers in civies - if all black UnderArmor counts as civies - were keeping an eye on the kids.  When in came the couple and sat down.  The kids were boasting of their service, and started doing the "double tap" boast of pride, when the Marathon Marine said something quietly to the tables and all of a sudden they all sat up straight.  All I heard was "Men be sure you make your flight". The kids pulled themselves together and paid their bill.  When along came, the call Hero's passing". And the escorts were pushing two wheelchairs with WW II veterans.  Everyone in the restaurant stood and clapped.

A young family who looked Middle Eastern were sitting in the back with their young children and one asked why were people clapping, and the father said because they were soldiers.  It made me think - how did all of the foreign travelers see what I saw.   I saw pride in our soldiers, waitresses playing Mom, people passing the tables saying thank you, gate agents asking active duty military personnel to board first, standing to honor the men who served in the last Great War.  Many of us aren't sure where we stand on our military actions, present or past, but I think deep,down many of us, as much as we wish there was another option, want to thank those who stand on that wall protecting us from enemies seen and unseen.