Friday, December 26, 2008

The Ghost of Christmas Past

About four years ago, I bought John a stopwatch for Christmas. I had it stashed in my closet before wrapping it & that was when I realized that it was somehow set on an alarm which went off every few hours. Every time it did, I went & pushed buttons on it until it silenced. Keywords "every time." Because it happened over & over & over....

Finally, I didn't hear it for a couple of days! Breathing a sigh of relief, I wrapped it up & put it under the tree.

That was when I realized that I hadn't succeeded in turning the alarm off entirely.....

Every few hours for two weeks, I had to tremble & talk loudly so John wouldn't hear his present beeping under the tree. I was glad when it was time to open that package.....

Ah. Good times.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Off We Go (and other tales)

Probably, perhaps, it is barely possible that you may have been wondering what has been up in my life through these past months of silence.

Most importantly, the answer is that my status in life has forever changed. From Katie, sister of ordinary civilian Paul I have metamorphasized into Katie, sister of Airman Basic Paul. I'm SO proud of his successful graduation from basic military training in the airforce. His next promotion is up and comin' & he's stationed in Missouri going to school for now.

I miss him.

Otherwise, I've managed a couple of vacations in between family, church, work and resting & recovering from my illness (yes, still...!).

First came a fabulous camping trip over labor day weekend. I lost miserably at Yatzhee & discovered that in a battle between a canoe & the ocean surf, the canoe loses. But I sort of learned to fly a stunt kite. And being dumped in the ocean is more fun that it sounds.

In September, I went to Georgia to visit a close friend for her birthday. I enjoyed surprising her with my appearance on the scene & we had a great time together...just too short.

Then, I spent my Thanksgiving vacation in San Antonio for Paul's graduation from Basic. Thanksgiving on the Riverwalk!

I read Gone with the Wind. I have been lost only rarely, thanks to Jeeves--the GPS which is still one of the best gifts I've ever received. I am on the lookout for a pair of boots at decent price. My eyes need to be checked. I took Abigail to a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta for her birthday & felt like I was celebrating my birthday at the same time. Which reminds me, I did have a birthday during my long silence. Gas is below $2/gallon. I had to explain to someone recently that, yes, I remember when gas was $2/gallon before. Apparently, I am as adorably youthful as ever. I took on four piano students. I got four cavities filled. I love my life.

Also, my toes are wretchedly cold.

Are we feeling up to date yet?

Saturday, December 06, 2008

After You

Abigail & I love to cuddle warmly in our beds in the evening alternately reading, giggling, & chatting. Eventually, we work ourself into a comfortable state of sleepiness. That is approximately when we run accross the major bone of contention in our otherwise amicable relationship.

The light.

By way of blame, a minor reconfiguration of our home created a mild inconvenience in the girls' room. By way of explanation, our light switch is outside of our bedroom. By way of a solution, our tentative rule of thumb requires the girl who last got in to bed to be the one who gets up to turn it off. I say tentative because rule though it is, it does not eliminate a (friendly) argument at least twice a week. And that's after the (friendly) race to be the first to bed.

The other night after an especially long chat-fest, Abigail & I wound down in an especially warm & cozy state. Turning off the light was an especially undesirable chore. Sweet girl that I am, I finally dragged myself grumbling out of bed to perform the duty. Reaching the doorway, I turned just in time to see Abigail leap laughing from bed. "Actually, I have to go to the restroom," she giggled, "I was just waiting for you to get up...."

After I finished growling at her, she finished her unrepentant exaltations, and we finished laughing, I announced that she is solely responsible for the light switch for the next week. At least.