On The Weather

I've always questioned the nursery rhyme's claim that the old man couldn't get out of bed because he bumped his head...he had every reason to stay warm in bed, it was raining and pouring. Now, I actually do like the rain. I have fond memories of my friend S and I taking walks around the block in the rain singing. I'm grateful Davis was the kind of place parents let 5 and 6 year-olds run around by themselves on the streets. I have many fond memories of rain, from California, to Utah, to Florida, to Paris, to Morocco, and Spain. But sometimes, sometimes, I loath it and wish I had bumped my head enough to stay in bed. Mostly the frustration related to proper rain gear. How does the saying go, there is no bad weather only improper preparation. I am frequently grossly unprepared for rain.

The road connecting W to eastern civilization is prone to flooding. Has been for as long as I remember. Always along the same stretch of road. Recently it was so bad my tires were splashing water all the way up the side of the onto the roof. It was a relief the little Fiat did not float off the road. 

But as it will (hopefully) rain for extensive periods of time until May I'm trying to head bumping and snoring, I'm all out of vacation so I have to get up in the morning. 

Christmas Tunes

I meant to post this weeks ago...but I ushered in the holiday season with D's annual Christmas concert. See last years here (including a lovely clip from a living room rehearsal I enjoyed). There was a perfect mix of hilarity and touching moments. Considering how things were going at the beginning of the month I was proud of myself for only tearing up a few times.

Afterwards N, D, & I went out for dinner. It also marked the one year anniversary of D starting his law firm, he's accomplished a great deal since last year's concert. Lovely times as always.

Clarity

Yesterday I had a marvelous epiphany. Sitting in the temple with good friends, C & T, as C received her endowment I was completely overcome by how grateful I was to be there with them. The thought flashed through my mind, “well why did you think you were still here?” Not that C specifically needed me, of all people, to be there but I needed to be there, for me. I found a reason behind something that has seriously been frustrating me for months, years even. Not that it is THE reason, but it is definitely A reason to still be here. For the first time I was relieved job applications have been rejected, ideal jobs have been offered to others, and that I haven’t been able to get out of town.

Moments prior, adorable temple workers asked how T & I knew C – flashback: I was not thrilled when I was called to be the Relief Society president for our local church unit (the previous time I did it basically ran away from my ward) only a month before T called me to ask about attending the missionary discussions with C. Even that calling had a bigger purpose, beyond simply humbling me. I have been immeasurably blessed to know these wonderful ladies for the last year and a half. It's nice to realize sometimes that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

Sitting quietly in my seat I had the same feeling I get when I turn the last page of a book I’ve loved reading. You know the feeling? Fulfilled, accomplished, enlightened, and knowing you’ll carry the story with you always.

The adorable sister missionaries were kind enough to take our photo.

I know you all can read my mind, and totally extrapolated potential meaning for the end of the book simile.
Sooooo, WHAT IS NEXT?

Exciting stuff!! Check back in January...or March...more likely April...hopefully by May. I got an invitation to interview in DC for a marvelous gig. Cross your fingers.

Holiday Dec-A-Board

It is December, which means the arrival of the annual office dec-a-board competition. I've never worked somewhere that's had so many office parties and events during work hours, normally I decline from participation, but last year they talked me into doing a board. And thus unknowingly I set a precedent for participation. See last year's much more dedicated effort here.I thought I'd go minimalist and carve my board this year. A layer of paint and a knife, what more do you need? After 2 hours of cutting and peeling with lackluster results I changed my plan. By the end I had pulled out the silhouette digital cutter and was letting it do the work for me.

First off, I'm pretty sure I was sabotaged this year as my board was not white - it had signage on one side and a deep groove on the other. 

Also I could not find the box my acrylic paint was packed in to save my life - this genius used oil instead. 

I did like carving out the snowflakes - but the cost/benefit analysis determined it was not a good use of time or arm strength. 

Yay regular paper, blades, and mats!

This is what I ended up with.

Then I went to work and saw what everyone else had done...

This one was my favorite - loved the plastic bowl snow globes.

You placed a marble at the top of the black foam and it rolled down into the box at the bottom. 

I'm pretty sure whoever made this one did not craft those little houses with lights on inside.

Our student assistant made a recommendation that I should add more to mine (which I had conveniently forgotten at home). Just to show I wasn't bitter about last year, when mine really was the best, I made a halfhearted effort and glued more stuff on.

Final product.

I'd tell you the glare/lighting makes the colors look harsh - but I did, in actuality, glue neon-green letters on it. I'm still bitter it was so complicated to carve out the snowflakes. But my participatory office event quota for the year is complete.

A Mason

Saturday was finally Papa’s memorial service. It was held at the local Masonic Lodge. An adorable little old man from his former lodge in Pacifica came up to officiate. The best way I can think to describe the group of 60 to 80 year-old men who organized, served food, officiated, and cleaned up is as the best Relief Society I’ve ever seen. Relief Society 2.0. I was fascinated by the Masonic ceremony and it’s symbolism, several elements were strikingly familiar. Despite hearing issues I was able to get the man at the CD player to start the songs at the correct time. Q spent much of the ceremony with her head buried in my scarf – it was interesting to see how she caught the mood of the room and processed it – eventually she relaxed and proceeded to pop M&M’s into my mouth.

All in all a positive but surreal experience. 

I really wanted to roam around the lodge taking photos of all the Masonic art, the pillars in the main room with the orbs atop them, the box of aprons, etc. But it didn't seem quite appropriate, and there was so little time for photos. 

Loving the glowing G.

 A Shriner and a Mason.

 Papa made this shoe shine kit when he was a kid. Little entrepreneur.

 I have no idea who this man is kissing my grandma, but it's the only photo I took of her.

Sometimes You Need Sushi

It's been a curious week. A curious last few months. My boss called me in today to make sure I'm getting enough support in my life and ask if there was anything I needed. He kindly offered to let me hide in an office away from my desk & coworkers, and might have offered me more time off. Generous considering I was out for more than two weeks in October, out for a week and a half in November, and I'll get another week and a half off in December for the holidays. I can't think of the last time I spent so much time away from work. I'm practically part-time.

I couldn't help but smile when boss inquired about my personal support system and if I had a place to escape. I'm grateful for wonderful friends, who tell me I'm handling things beautifully when I'm merely hanging on. Or who put up with pages and pages of daily emails - thanks T!

Sometimes you just need some sushi to talk over. And a heater at your desk - it is freezing in our office.

G goes Victorian

G decided for her 14th birthday she wanted a Victorian tea party. It ended up being more of a hot chocolate party...which they all seemed quite pleased with.

It's slightly shocking to me that she is 14. In a few years she will be exactly half my age. When she was born that seemed ages away, now it's around the corner. Though it was a rather sorrowful week for our family, I believe both my mother and I enjoyed having the distraction of party planning. She throughly enjoyed watching me make all the tea sandwiches.

G & Co.

I stayed up much to late the night before doing paper projects.

Snack spread.

The great petits fours disaster:

The party has started, the girls are out in the front playing croquet while M & C₁ work on making frosting.  Sadly the melted sugar base reached a temperature much to high and became a mass of hard candy. I came to the rescue - meaning a much simpler glaze was whisked together. However, with the girls already back inside, the rush left many cakes decidedly haphazard. Not that a group of 14 year-old girls care.

Thank goodness we don't have to do a Quinceanera next year.

Wednesday Wednesday

 A dreary morning as Dad and I made our way down to the Bay for Uncle L's funeral. A stop at the office beforehand for Dad to drop off some work. I felt quite apprehensive as we drove into the city as to how I might react to the funeral given that my maternal grandfather passed away the same day as Uncle L and we have not had his service yet. I do hate loosing it in front of people. Especially on this occasion, where I have only one firm memory in my life of seeing Uncle L - and that is from Wednesday seeing him in his coffin. It would have been a little strange to sob uncontrollably about my grandfather and have everyone wondering why I was so upset about Uncle L.

Thankfully I was so fascinated by the Catholic funeral mass there wasn't time to get emotional. It had been a long time since I'd attended a mass in the States, and the first time at a funeral. Most times I've been in foreign countries when I've attended. I did have a small moment when the nice catholic couple in front of me turned to take my hand and said "Peace be with you" - without blinking I responded, "Thanks". Only when the man across the isle came to greet them did I actually realize that was not the response they were looking for. I looked behind me and my paternal grandfather was sitting there giggling at my utter confusion over the process.

After the meeting/viewing at the funeral home and the mass at the church we headed to a small chapel at a catholic cemetery in Colma where there was another service. This time the Navy was included. It was the most moving moment of the day. The bugler stood outside the chapel and played Taps, then they did the flag ceremony and presented the flag to Aunt D. If the bugle wasn't enough when the military Chaplin was thanking her for Uncle L's service I was holding back the tears, barely.

After the cemetery, which my father kindly let me wander around, we headed to lunch. I enjoyed visiting with my dad's family.

 Grandma and her oldest sister Aunt A

 One of Aunt D's friends brought trays full of homemade Baklava.

I ate over 7 pieces and had quite the pile of honey covered wrappers. 

Everybody loves a good "me in the bathroom" photo, right?

COLMA - I do enjoy cemeteries. Such great art...and equally awful art.

Glad the clouds cleared away during mass.

Favorite picture of the day, me and Dad having a lovely time at lunch.

It's that time of year - Thanksgiving

That time of year thou may'st in me behold 
  When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang 
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, 
  Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang:


In me thou see'st the twilight of such day 
  As after sunset fadeth in the west, 
Which by and by black night doth take away, 
  Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest:


In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire 
  That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, 
As the death-bed whereon it must expire 
  Consum'd with that which it was nourish’d by:   

  This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong, 
  To love that well which thou must leave ere long. 

- William Shakespeare

Hope you weren't disappointed that the post title wasn't referring to Frank Sinatra singing the Christmas Waltz.

The brief Thanksgiving break was an full one. Begun with the joyous news that we could leave work early. The Thanksgiving feast was held in Pacifica at my grandparents, comme d'habitude. The three J's and Q spent the night with G at my grandparents, and my oldest cousin D and his family of +2 was there when we arrived. Little D is just about Q's age. We got along swimmingly. Soon after arrival I had a plastic 9 inch fishing pool in hand with a magnet at the end and was crawling around the house on my hands and knees racing cars. I obey instructions well. Thankful for all the ways the babes make family gatherings enjoyable.

Czech dumplings and sauerkraut, it's what's for dinner. Thankful my grandparents share a little bit of our heritage with us for the holidays. Also, thankful that, as they get older, they speak less and less in Czech to each other so we can't understand.

There is a house on a hill in Pacifica built to look like a castle, and as Q is completely in her princess fascination phase we took a walk after dinner to show her the castle. She and lil' J were sufficiently impressed. The walk culminated in a stirring round of ring-around-the-rosie at the top of the hill. Love love love my family.

Back to the poem....

The big news of the weekend was that Papa finally died Saturday morning. I'm thankful he isn't suffering from his cancer anymore, but it's been a little bit of a shock. Of course, being us, when my parents returned from the lake Sunday evening you would have found us employing our favorite coping mechanisms, wit and hilarity. Laughter is great medicine. I freak out slightly each time someone attempts to approach me with expressions of sympathy, need to work on that.

In a natural life twist, because this would of course happen, my father's uncle passed away the same day. My only recollection of him is a photo of him and his family at my baby christening. Wednesday will be spent driving down to the bay for Uncle L's funeral. It is also my parent's 31st anniversary, and G's 14th birthday - talk about a humdinger of a day.

I'm thankful for experiences that put life in perspective, make me think, appreciate how truly amazing my life is and the wonderful blessings I have. Including the heartlessly practical gratitude I have for the five days of funeral leave the State of California is kind enough to offer me.