ICE!

I love Christmastime. It is undeniably my favorite holiday. I love the tree and decorations and carols and the convivial spirit that everyone has. There is so much to enjoy. There are all of the little moments that will embody the season for Sophie as she grows older and my hope is that each year we can bring a little extra magic to the holiday for her. That extra this year came in a "cool" package.

The beautiful ladies of Momzshare organized a special event just for local bloggers. We were given the opportunity to visit the Gaylord National Hotel on the National Harbor in Washington DC to view their ICE! attraction. ICE! features ice carvings of all of the characters from Merry Madagascar, the upcoming holiday sequel to the beloved Madagascar films. In addition, within the Gaylord National atrium, a special Christmas village was set up with characters from many of the Dreamworks movies including Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Puss in Boots. Hanging over the village was a 60 foot Christmas tree which, even before it was lit, was dramatic and beautiful.

The view overlooking the Christmas village. He's tough to see, but that's Shrek just underneath the tree.

Our first stop was a milk and cookies reception in the atrium where I sampled the white chocolate and cranberry rice crispy treats (note to self: figure out how to replicate these, STAT) and Sophie sipped on Ogre Milk (presumably not the milk of ogres, but it was green) and nibbled on sugar cookies in between jumping up and down while she waved furiously at Shrek below.

Cutest ogre EVER.

Scheduled for a 3:30 tour of ICE, we took our time strolling around National Harbor before heading over to the enormous white tents that house the famous ice sculptures. Living where we do, National Harbor is a special visit for us and while I visited once a couple years ago, I haven't been back since. It is a wonderful area, many great restaurants, galleries and shops, plus a spectacular view of the Potomac. I would love to get back down there for an afternoon or evening out.
















During the opening film, they told us the tent holding the ice would be cold and I believed them, but I didn't REALLY believe them. As you enter, they give you long, heavy parkas to wear over your own coats. Flattering? Not really. But once you step inside you begin to understand why, because, brother, is it cold in there. So cold that I quickly abandoned taking pictures or attempting to tweet on my iPhone because it was simply too cold to go without gloves for more than a few seconds. But bundled in my extra layers, cap and gloves securely in place, I was cozy enough to take in the amazing ice sculptures. According to the film, more than 2 million pounds of ice were whittled down by 40 international artists to create the wonders we were viewing.

Each room left us more amazed than the next. Giant ice versions of our favorite Madagascar characters greeted us at every turn. Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, Gloria the hippo, the penguins and, of course, Santa were all there. But it was when we got to the ice slides that Sophie really went crazy. Here is where we were glad to have the extra long coats to cover our behinds when we slid down the ice chutes. Sophie went down by herself and was back in line to go again so fast it made my head spin.

We finished up the ice pavilion and headed back over to the hotel for some dinner at the hotel's sports bar and grill where Neil caught a bit of the Ravens game before a visit with Shrek and the gang. Unfortunately, when it came to actually talking to Shrek, Sophie unexpectedly turned shy. But from a safe perch in mommy or daddy's arms, she met all of her favorites.

We had hoped to stay for the grand lighting of the hanging tree, which includes a light show, singing, dancing fountains and an indoor snow fall, but unfortunately our little bean was just too pooped, so we had to depart. But we left already making plans to come back again to see the lighting on another visit and see all of the wonders again.

Disclosure: We were given tickets to ICE and the other holiday attractions at the Gaylord National in exchange for a post. We paid for our own dinner. All opinions are my own.

Boo

When I was young, we lived in a big old house. Built in the late 1800s, it had history. There were rumors of the families that had lived there. Of tragedy and mystery. But we didn't know anything for sure and at that age, I didn't really think about those sorts of things.

My first floor bedroom was across from the door to the unfinished basement. More of a cellar, really, it had a dirt floor and crumbly brick walls. We almost never went down there. Only in tornadoes. And in Kansas, that was more often than I care to say. Even then, we were none too excited to open that door and descend those steps. None of us had ever had a bad experience down there, it was just a general unpleasant sense that everyone that went down there felt.

The first time something unusual happened to me, I was 8. I lay in my bed. The light in the bathroom across the hall was on and both my door and the bathroom door were open. I don't know what I was thinking, not sure how deep my thoughts were at that age, but I am certain that I was very awake. Quite suddenly, the blankets on my bed were roughly pulled off and under my bed. With the fearlessness of a child certain there are no monsters, I leaned over the edge. My head nearly touching the floor, I looked under my bed, fully expecting to see my sister playing a trick on me. But there was no one there.

After that, I would lay in bed at night staring at the partially cracked door to the basement. A door that wouldn't close all the way, no matter how hard you pushed on it. I stared and I waited. There were no repeats of the sheet snatching but few were the nights that didn't involve troubled dreams and I never truly felt comfortable in that house again. Mercifully, we moved a few years later.

Over the years, a number of other unexplained things have happened to and around me. Shifting shadows, noises, doors opening and closing, objects moving, voices. Some houses have a stronger presence than others. One apartment in a fairly new building I lived in when I first moved to Maryland was particularly active, while some older places have been entirely quiet.

The rational side of me says there are no ghosts, that bumps in the night are no more than settling or wind or little living creatures working their way through walls and floors or perhaps even an over active imagination. But the emotional side. The side that remembers my name clearly whispered into my ear when I sat alone on the sofa watching television. That side says there ARE things we can't explain. And that side will insist on a nightlight this all hallows eve.

As it does every night.

Happy Halloween!

THE Best Valentimes Card

There are some moments that you later realize were pivotal to how you experience life moving forward. Of course you have your most obvious moments: marriages, births, promotions, but there are also moments that shape your world in smaller ways. For me, one of those days was in June of 2008 when a run of the mill weekly trip to the grocery store turned into a conversation in the check out line with another new mother who was there with her son. He was just a few months younger than Sophie and we bonded over the finer points (and failures from a mother's perspective) of grocery cart design. We exchanged numbers and email addresses. I don't think either of us could have guessed how significant that meeting would be.

Two and a half years later and that chance encounter has turned into one of the best friends I have. Katie has become a confidante, co-conspirator, companion, commiserater and emergency babysitter. We have our weekly trips to Chick Fil A, filling our tanks (and saddlebags, in my case) on milkshakes while the kids run like hooligans in the play area. We've spent countless hours at the library and the park and each others' houses. She's the kind of friend that I'm not embarrassed to have come over when my house is a mess and my daughter is wearing a swimsuit in the middle of winter.

Our children have grown up as close as two non-siblings can. They fight, of course, but they can also be so very cute, like when they spontaneously curl up on the sofa together for a little Diego. I don't think I'm the only one that not-so-secretly hopes they someday get married.

Because it is a requirement* in my friends, she is also super funny and terribly creative. So no surprise that she "helped" her son make the cutest Valentines card for Sophie. Christopher presented Sophie with her card when they stopped over after our return from a long ski weekend. (For those of you unfamiliar with Sophie's signature phase, check out this post.)

I think I'll probably frame it.

Thanks for everything, Katie, you're the best!

*More of a guideline than a strict rule, really.

The Year of the Procrastinator

Here we are nearly 48 hours into 2011 and I still can't figure out what year it is. On no less than a half dozen occasions, including one unintentionally hilarious tweet, I have fast forwarded to 2012. I'm not sure why I can't seem to get it through my head that it's 2011, but for some reason I am stuck on 2012.

While I have this same trouble nearly every year, this is the first time I have gone forward rather than backward. Maybe I'm excited for what the next years will bring. Maybe time is just zipping by so quickly for me these days that I don't even know what year it is anymore. It is certain that my grasp on time has gotten worse and worse. Not having a set work schedule doesn't help this.

I'm always late, to one degree or another. My best friend tells me it's because I do unnecessary things as I'm leaving. I say that if I don't sort the magazines before I leave for that lunch date, then I'll forget and it won't get done. I always feel guilty about my tardiness. Not guilty enough to be on time, but guilty nonetheless.

Because of this, I've decided that 2011 is going to be dedicated to the cause of promoting anti-anti-procrastination. In fact, I'm encouraging everyone to embrace their inner procrastinator. I'm not making any grand resolutions, because who ever follows through on them anyway, but in a much more dramatic fashion, I have decided this is going to be MY year. And I'll still probably always be late.

So welcome to 2011, y'all, the Year of the Procrastinator. It took me two days, but I'm finally here with everyone else.

Holiday Card Reject

Neil told me this was too esoteric (I'm editorializing here, his exact comment was something along the lines of "why's it out of focus?") so it has been abandoned for a less artsy image. I love the new one, but I love this one too and I just couldn't let it languish in my discard pile without sharing it.

The Obligatory New Year's Ramblings

Here we are at the end of 2009. The end of another year. Another decade. Whew.

I think back to where I was in 1999. That crazy moment when everyone thought the world would end. It didn't. But, oh my the changes I've gone through in these 10 years. Changing career. Twice. Meeting and marrying the man of my dreams. Moving from the city to the 'burbs. Giving birth to the sweetest, most beautiful little girl. Joining a gym and actually going. Yep, big changes.

Meanwhile, there are those that say the decade isn't ending at all, that it doesn't end until 2010. Because there is no zero year. Except that there is. We don't start at 1 year old. It takes a year to get there. Wouldn't the same be true of our calendar? And anyways, symbolically the new decade starts when you change that third digit. So I'm going with it's a new decade.

We'll be celebrating the new year with some of Neil's oldest friends. People that have come to be very special to me as well. We've been up since 5am when Sophie woke us quite unpleasantly with a coughing fit (The same cough that has been plaguing her, and therefore us, for six weeks now - we've been to the doctor three times. Sigh.), so there's a chance we won't make it all the way to midnight. Lame. But that's the life of a parent of young children. I've had more than my share of over the top new year's eves so I'm allowed to coast on a few of these.

No new resolutions. I have the 101 in 1001 that I began last year. I'm doing okay on that. There are a lot of things I need to work on. And I will. I see that as almost more of a new approach to life than a resolution.

Happy new year to each and every one of you. Be safe. Have fun.

See you in 2010!

From Our Family To Yours

Merry Christmas!

Gobble Gobble

Trying desperately not to succumb to the tryptophan after a fabulous Thanksgiving meal.















Failing.

Hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!

May the treats be plentiful!

Slainte!

May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks,
May your heart be as light as a song,
May each day bring you bright, happy hours,
That stay with you all the year long.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day

I was sick with the plague most of this past week, sick enough to have Neil stay home one day to watch the bean while I slept. One of the major symptoms of my illness, on top of congestion, coughing, aching and the rest of the Nyquil bottle, was absolute weariness. Any time I could, I slept. Which is why I am so behind on my blog reading, as well as dish-doing, laundry-folding, toilet-scrubbing, etc.

Yesterday Neil called home at about 11:30am. I had just put Sophie down for a nap. I was taking advantage of that time to catch a few z's for myself, so I was less than my usual bubbly chatty self when we spoke. What didn't register at the time, because I was half asleep, was that it was unusual for my husband to call home in the middle of the day just to talk. There's a lot of emailing between us, but phone calls are generally reserved for important messages.

A couple of hours later, after both Sophie and I had awoken from our respective naps, I put her in her high chair and went to go get the mail. However, a surprise stopped me at the door. It was then I realized why my beloved had called. He had sent me flowers! And he was curious if I had gotten them yet. I'm impressed he didn't give his surprise away when he called. I know I would have.

Thank you, my love, for making my day. And my life.

New Years Bean

Another year draws to a close. It was a year full of firsts for our little family, to be sure. Every single year I am amazed at just how fast the year has gone and this one is no different. I visited a friend of mine this afternoon who just had their second daughter. A mere 9 days old, I held that tiny life in my hands and marveled at how just a year ago, my rambunctious, talkative little girl was no bigger. It amazes me when I think about all the ways my daughter has changed in such a short time. She has gone from a baby to a kid. Meanwhile my hind end is exactly the same size. Which is to say, big. Sigh.

I've been debating with myself whether to commit to a resolution. It seems that no one ever follows through on their resolutions, though. So, since I can't even commit to one measly resolution, I'm going to commit myself to 101. A few months back, my home bloggy Jori began the 101 goals in 1001 days project. What I like about this idea is that it presents a reasonable time frame to accomplish long term goals but also allows for smaller goals to give me that sense of accomplishment. Mainly, though, I'm all about lists, but more importantly, I'm all about marking things off lists, so January 1, 2009 begins my voyage into 101 goals.

Goal #1 - Create a list of goals.

Happy New Year!

Holiday Hangover

I love Christmas. I love all of the decorations and the music. We begin the buildup after Thanksgiving. The card making and sending, the present buying, wrapping and shipping, the baking and eating. Oh. my. goodness. THE EATING. Then, somewhat anticlimactically, it's all over. The presents are opened, fawned over and put away. The big meal is eaten. The baked goods begin to run out. But the hardest part for me is the tree.

Die tannenbaum is arguably one of the most significant secular symbols of Christmas. It is when it goes up that I really get into the spirit of the holiday and it is when it comes down that I officially conclude Christmas in my heart. Christmas is so special to me, though, that I fight letting go of the good feelings. Which means that I will leave that tree up as long as I can. I once left it up until May. That was a real tree, too. You can imagine what the trashmen thought that week.

Practicality prevents me that kind of procrastination these days. With two cats and a toddler, it's a miracle the tree is still standing after a mere two weeks. I know that the day is fast approaching when the tree will have to come down. I acknowledge this, but I am not ready just yet. I will linger in the afterglow of Christmas for just a little bit longer. Until that day, I will turn on the beautiful twinkly lights each night as it gets dark and I will savor the warm memories of so many wonderful Christmases past floating through my head and heart.

Christmas Tree Loosely Translated: "Cat Toy"

I finally, FINALLY, got my booty in gear and put together our Christmas tree*. I've been so blah about the holidays this year. I don't know what the deal is. Maybe it has to do with the fact that since I don't work (outside of the home, narf), I didn't have the slow build of gradually seeing more and more houses put their lights and decorations up as part of my daily commute or maybe it's that we don't have any big travel plans. Whatever the case, I have been very slow getting on the holiday spirit bandwagon.

This afternoon, while I was Targeting**, as my friend, the incomparable MEP*** would say, at Jo-Ann's, all of sudden, it came over me. HOLIDAY SPIRIT! I suspect it was the 60% off signs on all holiday decorations, crafts, cooking accessories, etc that got my blood pumping. But just like that, I was ready to go. I found myself singing carols as I wandered the aisles, taking in all of the sales and plotting where each thing would go, should I choose to bring it home with me. As it was, I made it out for the marvelous amount of just $42. For this tidy sum, I got a new tree skirt, a darling stocking for Sophie, a cookie cutter, wrapping paper, oodles of ribbon, gift baggies, tissue paper and a Kit Kat. What? I had to stand in a line a mile long, all the while staring at boxes and boxes of chocolatey goodness. I'm surprised I didn't eat it and the rest of it's buddies while I was waiting.

When we got home, I got to the task of assembling the tree. I wasn't able to begin with the decorating, meager though it is, until after Sophie went to bed. But then I spent about an hour tying bows and a half an hour positioning them just so, placing and moving and placing again so that they are evenly spaced. Gomez sat patiently watching me through all of this, mostly from his perch on the chair. After I had placed the last bow and stepped back to survey my work, he went in for the kill. It took him approximately 14 seconds to demolish all of my handiwork. That picture is the calm before the storm. This is why there are no real ornaments on the tree. In years past, I have optimistically put up beautiful glass ornaments, only to spend most of December, and in to January, cleaning up their broken corpses. But now, with a toddler who runs around barefoot most days, and who would also most likely see a heavily ornamented tree as her own personal playground, it just wouldn't work. So, all of the pretty glass ornaments stay snugly in their boxes, awaiting the day when Sophie is old enough to know better and when the cats are too old to care. But bows? Frustrating though they can be, they don't break and they're easy to replace.

Once done, I sat reflecting on all of the holiday chores I have yet to do. Looking at the tree while the velvet tones of Bing flowed out of the stereo, my tasks just don't seem so daunting now.

*I haven't quite figured out what I'm going to do with the furniture. For now, the lamp stands next to the tree eying its old spot with no small amount of jealousy, all the while plotting its return.
**Targeting is the activity of buying things you absolutely do not need but in the moment seem like just the thing to make all of your dreams come true. Often done in Target, but can be done elsewhere.
***Who is now Dr. MEP! So, in addition to raising two adorable boys, one of whom was born just months before she completed and turned in her dissertation, she is officially a smarty-pants. I'm praying I can talk Neil into letting me go to Blogher '09, so MEP and I can tear up Chicago! Or as much tearing as I do these days, which means a half a glass of wine and in bed by 9:30.

Happy Thanksgiving!

As we begin to celebrate this day of thanks, Sophie says to remember the words of the great John F. Kennedy:

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

I am inexpressibly grateful to have all of you in my life. May this day bring you the the comfort of a warm home, the company of family and friends and the satisfaction of a good meal.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday Top Ten: Thanksgiving Edition

I know it's still a week off, but I've already got the Thanksgiving spirit. Thanksgiving has always had a special place in my heart. My grandma always put out such a great feast. Her mashed potatoes are to. die. for. Plus she had a complete ensemble of Thanksgiving china: pilgrim shaped salt and pepper shakers, pumpkin platters and a turkey gravy bowl. Festive! (That's me, circa 1978. Clearly my love affair with Thanksgiving began later. How about that dress!)

There is so much to love about Thanksgiving. The entire top ten could be my list of favorite foods but I'll sprinkle some other aspects in as well.

The Ten Bestest Things About Thanksgiving:

1. Turkey! This might be the perfect food. Dark or white meat, it's all good.

2. Napping. There's just something about a tryptophan induced nap. I have spent many a Thanksgiving afternoon stretched out on the floor in front of the fire.

3. Football. Whether you just watch it or have a family tradition that includes throwing around the old pigskin in the backyard, this sport defines the season.

4. Pumpkin Pie. Topped with real whip cream or cool whip, its spiced goodness is hard to resist.

5. Family. Bellying up to the table with loved ones that you don't see nearly often enough. Priceless.

6. Four day weekend. Although some chintzy companies require their employees to work on Friday (like my husband's) most people still take the day off and have a nice long weekend.

7. Shopping. Okay, this one scares me a little bit, but the deals just can't be beat. I will NOT be out at 6am on Friday, though.

8. The beginning of the holiday season. The lights start going up around town and the Christmas decorations come out in force. 'Tis the season to be jolly!

9. Leftovers. Turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, all piled on a day old roll. Yum.

10. Giving thanks. Even in the worst of times, we all have something to be thankful for, I know I do.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!