feeling just a touch of patriotism

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.  You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.  ~Erma Bombeck

Yeah, it sounds like we had a pretty typical Independence Day celebration. This year it was at Jenn’s Pickle Jar.  It’s nice to know the belly-ache and headache I woke up to this morning had nothing to do with all the amazing food I consumed including Derek’s famous fried rice, tri-tip and mojitos. It was patriotism that I was feeling. Thank goodness it wasn’t a hangover.

Hope your holiday weekend celebrations were just as fun as ours was.

God bless the USA!

what? you were expecting a Father’s Day post?

Um, sorry, but there wasn’t one. If you haven’t noticed by now I was in Chicago at the time which means I did earn the epic wife Fail this year.

What kind of wife is out of town when she should be celebrating Father’s Day with the father of her five children? The same woman who is out of town for her youngest daughter’s end of the year dance recital. Yes, the same child who has just barely recovered from menigococcal meningitis. That’s right, not only is this an epic wife fail but also motherhood fail…damn, I’m good at these!

But being the amazing husband and father that he is, Bill forgave the confused, perimenopausal lapse in intelligence and ability to read a simple calendar that has the words “FATHER’S DAY” in caps on June 21 when she books the travel and pays the fees to attend a neonatal conference with his blessing.  I could try to fix some blame to him for not remembering what weekend was Jodie’s dance recital/Father’s Day when I discussed/asked him if he was okay if I attended this conference the weekend after Father’s Day. I could also try to blame it on the fact that Mother’s Day is always the second Sunday in May so wouldn’t it follow that Father’s Day is the second Sunday in June? But that really is a lame excuse. Face it, I blew it…epic Wife and Motherhood FAIL! But that is one of too many reasons to count why Bill is such an awesome husband and father. He assured me that it was okay and to get on that plane, go to Chicago, go to that conference and don’t come back until I have learned something. Just add that to that huge, thick volume that is the list of what makes him a really great guy and why it is hard sometimes for me to bitch about him when I am royally (and sometimes justifiably) pissed at him.

He is absolutely a great, fun guy and devoted friend, a long-suffering, patient and darling husband and an amazing father whom all my five of my children and grandchild can look up to and depend upon. If you are his friend, his child, grandchild or if you were as lucky as me to be his wife then you are truly, truly blessed and should count your lucky stars that he is the man in your life that he is….I do, really, I do!

Thank you, darling!

sweet

Wishing everyone a Passover and Easter with the promise of hope as sweet as these candy bunnies and swiss chocolate…even sweeter.

It’s too late for the Easter basket goodness but everyone MUST check out Schoggi at 87 Yerba Buena Lane in San Francisco (you can order from them online). Oh my their chocolate goodness is so amazing even when you aren’t PMSing!

Daniel agrees…well, about the fact that they have AMAZING chocolate and candy, not about the PMSing part.

the end of good things…for some

Winter break was fun, wasn’t it kids? We were mostly healthy…at least there was no nasty, disgusting flu striking us all down at once like it did two years ago…not so fun times that was, wasn’t it kids? No, this year was a good Winter Break. We had a pretty good Christmas even if y’all didn’t get every-single-thing you were wishing for and there was lots of things to do…

Movies to see…

Slumber parties to go to…

Snowboarding

Ice skating too…

Basketball games to attend…and perform in

and meeting Michael Phelps wasn’t half bad either.

We shopped and shopped and shopped…

we even got to ring in the New Year in San Francisco.

We played and played and played.

It was fun. Lot’s of fun.

But Winter break is coming to an end. It’s time to get cleaned up and get ready to head back to school.

Now…Today! I’ll see y’all this afternoon kids. Love you! Buh-bye!

Big Top’s Best and Worst

Traveling around the bloggy-blog-lands yesterday and today, watching (and reading) various news stories engaging in actual face to face conversations this week I have come to the conclusion that for many 2008 basically sucked and everyone is looking forward to the promise of a better year in 2009. But reading through the best and worst lists submitted by the members of my family circus, one might think perhaps it really was a pretty good year after all. Truthfully, it was a good year as I have concluded here earlier. There was and is much to be thankful for but still I can’t help but note again that thank goodness 2008 is OVER! Having said all that I bring you the Annual Big Top Best and Worst List:

Bill

Best- Hazel

Worst- Being out of work most of the year

Laura

Best- the anticipation and arrival of our Coming Attraction, Hazel

Worst- Bill’s unemployment and his “mid-life crisis”

Holly

Best- Hazel

Worst- nothing

Zoë

Best- getting my driver’s license

Worst- every single awkward moment…she seems to be afflicted with them all the time.

Abby

Best- making the high school cheer team and thus leaving Cheer Stars; Hazel being born

Worst- none

Jodie

Best- Hazel

Worst- none

Daniel

Best- Being “Uncle Dan”; going to Disneyland just for pooping in the potty

Worst- realizing that mommy and daddy expect him to poop in the potty everyday.

Hazel (according to her mommy)

Best-Being born

Worst- diaper rashes

Here’s to a year filled with many, many “Bests” and absolutely no “Worsts” for us all.

pa-art-ay!

Dude! Let’s party like it’s 2-zero-zero-9!

Have fun. Be safe. Celebrate where ever you may be.

outta here

This is an unprecedented first here under the Big Top.

Christmas has left the circus tent BEFORE the New Year’s festivities commence…BEFORE the posting of the famous Best and Worst of the Big Top Players…BEFORE even the taking down of the tree in Rockerfeller Center. All of our Christmas treasures, trees and trim, in all their bright, treasured (and sometimes tacky) glory are down and packed away until December 2009.

See you next year, dear Christmas holiday season and here’s hoping it will be brighter, warmer, more joyful and more blessed that ever.

for the weary holiday traveler

This is one airport not hampered with flight delays due to weather, traffic, over-booking, mechanical breakdowns and security glitches. But it is subject to the whims (and schedule) of one moody, easily distracted six-year-old. Welcome to Daniel’s International Airport!

hopeful

I have to say that in spite of my moody, bitchy, snarkiness of late, I was a very good girl this year in Santa’s eyes. The proof is in the loot. This is one of the treasures found under the tree especially for me: a 5 in 1 collapsible filter/light diffuser thingie. I saw first hand just how amazing it is thanks to this lovely lady while at CPR San Jose.

Just look how it reflects the light off of our faces! Jodie, Daniel and I look positively angelic. My skin never looked so smooth and flawless.

Maybe I will now take better pictures? One can only hope.

Stay tuned…

His WoW!

Ask for a Sham-Wow, get a Sham-Wow. Bill was seriously wishing for this and was seriously thrilled to receive it. I expect to see lots of clean, shiny things around here now. Yeah, I know it’s a dream. But it’s my dream, gosh darn it!