One Dilemma Solved

Thanksgiving Issue: Not an issue.

One of my friends who had previously invited me to Thanksgiving called me this weekend and said, "No Really I meant it - please come. You'd probably be the only one to help me anyway! No one else cooks!" This friend is a good friend, her daughter is my daughter's best friend. Honestly I had two major hesitations on accepting: 1) would Daughter feel weird that I was with her friend and not her? and 2) would I freak out upon being with this awesome, extended family (many of whom I already know) and think about my own family and turn into a blubbering idiot? [yes that could really happen. I'm a sap. S-A-P].

I talked to Daughter this weekend about the offer. She is royally P-O'd with her Dad. She sees no reason why I can't just spend the holidays with his family (yes I was going to be invited until he told his sister, "She can celebrate Thanksgiving some other day!"). I told Daughter that I understand Ex and that he will never forgive whatever perceived wrong I have done. Leave it at that. Daughter thinks me celebrating with this particular family is an awesome idea. She said, "I know you'll have fun! They are awesome. You should go." I think, as many have pointed out, she'd be more upset if I were home than if I were with her friend's family.

Why no I did not ask Son about this. The lovely yet ego-centric child has not given 2 seconds of thought to "what is mom doing on Thanksgiving?" That's ok. It's who he is right now and I know he loves me in his way.

And point number 2 about freaking out? I decided to be totally honest with my friend and shared my concerns. She said she understands but that I will feel like part of the family - heck in some ways they have made me so over the last couple of years. It's going to be a tough Thanksgiving for them - her very dear friend and neighbor passed away recently and she's having the friends' family over. I think she's counting on me for some support and comic relief. If I can be there to help cook, clean and crack some jokes, then maybe she needs me just a little bit, too. Being a Friend in return - that I know how to do.

Thanks to all of you near and far for your offers of places to go. The reason I don't want to leave the area is the kids are only home for a few days, and I don't want to miss that. I am hoping to hang out with them Wednesday and Friday, so I need to stay close to home.
Thanksgiving - no longer an issue.

Wow I am so silly sometimes!

Excuse me, but I Have 21 more Days coming to me and I want them Dammit!

I know I know, we're greedy in June. June hits and I say, "Summer is here!" Even though officially I'm supposed to wait until June 22. (or something like that). Of course it helps the my kids are done with school at the end of May. So maybe I encroach on summer a bit in June. But seriously, it's only September 1st people and I have 21 more days of summer. So why did I wake up this morning to cold?? Summer means warm and warm is NOT 70's. Oh no. Warm is 80's - just feeling good around 85 and 90 is even better. So who flipped the darned switch 21 days early? Hmmmmmmmmm?

It's bad enough I had to go grocery shopping last night and actually plan and think about what we would eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I love summer - summer with teenagers means calling them sometime after 9am to wake them up. Reminding them to eat something healthy (reminding them to just eat? oh that, they remember). Seeing if you can get a chore or two out of them. And dinner? Well, if they're home then we grill something out or grab some of this and some of that whenever we feel like it. No homework - at least not every night - and they're old enough to figure out those summer project due-dates. And then, if they're home, watching a movie or playing a game. [Why Yes, my teenagers do still play with me! When they're not mocking me....]

Yesterday's grocery trip was all "Breakfast: fruit, bacon[first day of school treat only], pancakes; Lunch: cheese, meat, bread, fruits, drinks, after school snack-on-the-go before cross country and healthy dinner" Takes all the fun out of grocery shopping when you have to be all organized and planning-like.

Tonight will be all "do you have your uniforms, and school supplies, and set your alarms and pack your cross country bags and go to bed early." Or maybe just maybe we'll go see that Summer movie we've been talking about and haven't yet seen, just one more night....

But the thermostat? It had better be back at 85, at least until after Labor Day! Please?!

I've Proposed to the Waiter....Again....

20 years ago when I used to travel alone for work, I'd bring the newspaper. Now I have Crackberry. Amazing how the Crackberry makes me feel connected - I am posting facebook statuses, trading jokes with my nephew, chatting with friends, catching up on blogging. So despite sitting in a noisy NY restaurant alone, I don't realize I'm alone. I look around and all us singletons are texting or blackberrying our aloneness away. Except for that moment when I sit back, sigh and thank God for a good waiter, a kickass pinot grigio, and seabass that is so good I want to cry. After 24 hours without food I am ready to eat the tablecloth. My seasoned waiter brought me chunks of parmesan so good I want to crawl into it and live there. And just when I'm thinking life can't possibly get better, he recommends dessert "warm chocolate lava cake - chocolate cake with a warm liquid chococolate center topped with vanilla ice cream and carmelized bananas." I took a photo with my phone but it disappeared and didn't save....well neither words nor photos could do it justice anyway. Did I ever tell you how I married my waiter in vegas for ordering me the perfect dinner? ** I think I need to divorce him for this one.... I'll keep you posted....

** If you've never given over your dinner selection to a seasoned waiter in a fine restaurant, you should try it. Let them order for you and you might experience something you would not have chosen and therefore would have missed an amazing culinary delight. I happen to love food of all types, shapes, sizes and states of doneness, so this is tons of fun for me. I have yet to be disappointed. Except that I have to stop proposing to them....