Will this month EVER end?

November has not been a very good month for me. It has really been unpleasant and I just wanted it to be over.
First it started out that I had to say good by to my friend’s 16 year old son who past away on November 1 9 days before his 17th birthday.
My friend from church had past away due to complications during emergency surgery.
Then I was assault one night while getting gas. To top it off I was informed it was my fault and I was asking for it.
Then had to have surgery on my foot.
Following that up a friend’s husband committed suicide and asked that I sing at the funeral.

I had a customer blow up 3 wind turbines on a job. There are 2 project managers that I’d love to beat within an inch of their lives. 1 is just stupid and the other goes off and does crap against company policies and leaves me to clean up the mess.
My video camcorder was stolen and it had all Naomi’s first on, like rolling over, crawling, walking and her and Keren’s first trip to the ocean to play on the beach. I can replace the camera but I’ll never get that those tapes backs.
And there are a few other issues that weigh heavy on my heart right now. So, I’m just praying that December is a better month for me and November just ends and fades into a bad memory.

Picture with Santa

Well I took Keren and Naomi to see Santa today and they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

We were the first ones to see Santa this morning and poor Santa had a hard time trying to hang on to Naomi. What a way to start your day.

Ballet vs Monster Trucks

My daughter Keren will be 3 on February 14th 2008. She is such a cute and sweet little girl who loves ballet, playing dress up, dolls and lots of other girly things. She inherited that from me but from her father she has inherited the love of Monster Trucks.

Sunday the Speed channel had a Monster Truck marathon and Keren and her father watched a lot of it laughing at the trucks as they flipped over or ran over something.
Last night I took both Keren and Naomi to get their hair cut so they would look nice for their pictures with Santa this week. As my husband and I walked back to the car with both girls following 2 guys who were parked near us. They had a jacked up little Toyota truck that was sort of silly looking but Keren stopped in the parking lot and yelled, “Look daddy a Monster Truck”. We started to laugh as she stood there wide eyed in amazement at this truck and the funniest part was Keren puffed up the ego of the driver. He got in and revved the engine and then he just had to let us know he had the truck’s horn rigged to play Dixie. Now Keren wants a Monster Truck and Ballet lessons for Christmas. I wonder if Power Wheels makes one with toe shoes painted on it?

Thanksgiving

Talking to a friend this evening on the phone made me think about all my Thanksgiving dinners. Every year for as long as I can remember my mother always made a great Thanksgiving dinner. I would love to help her bake pies and make stuffing for the turkey. The whole house would smell so good with the smells of roasting turkey or fresh baked pumpkin pies. She taught me so much about how to cook and that it wasn’t just about the meal but the love that you put into it and how great it is to have shared it with your friends and family. I would pull out the fine china and the good silver to set the table. I always sat at the head of the table and just look at it before the on slot of hungry family moved in to mess it all up.
I moved away from my hometown in Northeastern PA in October of 1994 and since then I have hosted Thanksgiving. 1994 was my first time cooking such a big meal alone. It was a bit stressful because all I could hear coming from the kitchen doorway was “That’s not how my mother does it”. Oh how sick I got hearing that phrase over and over again. I stopped it by turning and stating calmly and as nicely as I could “No, that is how my mother does it”!
So much has changed since that first Thanksgiving Day. I now have a new life two beautiful girls and another Thanksgiving dinner before me to cook. I’ve gone over the shopping list to see what I have and what I have to still get. Keren I’m sure will want to be right there with me this year wanting to help and learn. I only hope I teach her as well as my mother taught me and that she can find the same great enjoyment and satisfaction in creating a day that is rich in traditions and as full of love as I have found. I know some day both my girls are going to be face with that dreadful phrase “That’s not how my mother does it” and I hope they know enough to stand their ground and say “No, that is how my mother does it”!

Therapy

Most therapists think it is a good idea for people to have a journal to keep track of their thoughts and feelings. Well I guess I’ll just use this blog as my therapy.Right now I just has surgery on my foot and I’m not allowed to drive for another 2 days. So here I sit with my foot up in a lot of pain waiting for the pain pills to kick in. I’ve been playing email tag with some friends and working from home. Also I have been sorting photos of my girls and a few of my friends.

This is my youngest Naomi

This is my oldest Keren