Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own blog posts.

Last night we attended Lewes Hospitality Night. This is where the Second St merchants who normally close up shop at 5:00 stay open until 9:00 for holiday shoppers. Many merchants give away free snacks and samples. The local high school jazz band performed, and there was a DJ playing music while the band took breaks. It was only in the low 30s so Spouse & I bundled up. We never buy anything at this event but always go each year because its a nice way to see friends and neighbors and wish them happy holidays.

My friend Dick sent me this, which gave me a chuckle.

I went to Social Media seminar today in upstate DE with my friends Deb & Greer. It was supposed to be a free seminar on using Social Media as a Marketing Tool, geared toward small business owners and non-profits. It was free and Deb offered to drive, so that was great. The seminar itself was less than great. The presenters were all volunteers who need to spend less time playing with social media and more time practicing their presentation skills. They had no idea how long they'd been talking or how much they had left to cover. One woman was all over the place like a child with ADHD. We actually left before the seminar was over because we just weren't getting enough out of it. But we had a great lunch at Border Cafe and have a terrific time talking in the car for the 90 minutes up there and 90 minutes back.

Spouse & I are not going to the Manassas Christmas parade tomorrow at our friends Kerry & Hugh's. We were just in VA last weekend, and going for that parade means missing the local parade, tree lighting, and caroling. We've been to the one in Manassas for the last 7 years so we've earned the right to stay home this year and enjoy the local happenings. Big Ella is excited about being in the Lewes Christmas parade tomorrow!

My friend Jared sent me this funny little ditty.

My friend Rick sent me this terrific video of an AMAZING ventriloquist. Enjoy!

After a small (1/2 lb) weight gain last week, Spouse rebounded this week at his Weight Watchers weigh-in with a 3 lb loss. Despite the holiday parties and goodies he's staying on track!

My friend Jared sent me this gem too.

This video seen on facebook made me laugh out loud!

Love eggnog but sometimes feel guilty about drinking a glass of it due to the high fat and calorie content? Try adding a tablespoon of eggnog to your cup of coffee... you get the taste of eggnog but a fraction of the fat and calories of a full glass. Mmm - its dee-lish!!

Wishing everyone a terrific weekend! What are your plans?

Weekend highlights

We arrived at Spouse's mom's house in VA at about 9:00 Fri night and visited with her until bedtime.

Sat morning we picked up my aunt Mary and headed to Kerry & Hugh's for the Manassas Christmas parade. It was raining when we picked up Mary, but it changed over to snow by the time we got to Kerry & Hugh's. It was the wet snow that hangs heavily in the trees. It really was beautiful! We wondered if they'd call off the parade due to the weather, but they didn't, and the scene couldn't have been more picturesque.

I forgot my camera so I got these photos from my friend Liz. (All photos will expand when clicked.) Here's one of several high school marching bands.
Notice how they all have on clear plastic to keep their uniforms from getting wet, but still allowing the uniforms to be seen. I loved that!

Here is me, Kelly, Spouse (clutching his non-existent pearls), and aunt Mary watching the parade from Kerry & Hugh's front porch. The parade goes right down their street.

Here's one of many floats.

Here are some folks on horses.

They had a teenager follow them with a poop-scoop so the parade contingents that followed wouldn't step in anything.

One of the parade sponsors gave out these funny elf hats to everyone, so Spouse donned his for this photo op.

Aint he a cutie?

The parade ran from 10:00-12:00 and we hung around for a little while afterward and visited. Then we stopped for lunch on our way out of town, then headed back to Spouse's mom's house.

My aunt Mary and I visited with Spouse's mom while Spouse went to his sister's house and made home made ravioli. His sister will freeze them and then we'll have them for dinner on Christmas day. Making pasta with his sister is a Christmas tradition Spouse really enjoys.

When he returned he took a short nap (of course) and then we all got ready to go out for Spouse's mom's birthday dinner (3 weeks early, not that I'm still bitter). All 5 of her children were there, along with most spouses and grandchildren. She chose Bonefish Grill which was very crowded. Despite having made a reservation several days in advance, we still had to wait almost 20 minutes to be seated. I had Lily's Chicken and thought it was fine; definitely not as exciting as the ingredients implied. But the service was excellent. Afterward we all went back to her house and visited. Spouse & I took aunt Mary back to her place.

Sun morning Spouse's sister came over and the 3 of us and his mom went out to breakfast, then did a little shopping at the Home Goods and World Market stores, which we like a lot but do not have here in DE. Literally for years Spouse has been looking for lightweight (not stoneware) plain white dishes, and we finally found them at Home Goods: 12 dishes in a box for $19.99, so we got 2 boxes. These will be great when we have holiday dinners and dinner parties. We also got a very cute ottoman for our dressing room, on clearance for $36. All in all it turned out to be a very productive shopping expedition.

We left Spouse's mom's just before 2:30 and got home just before 5:00. I fired up Big Ella so I could drop her off at the detail shop so she could get a wash-n-wax on Mon, in preparation for being in the Hometown Christmas Parade in Rehoboth Beach Mon evening. But as we headed out we saw that the road was blocked by a police barricade. The Lewes Christmas parade had been postponed from Sat evening to Sun evening due to heavy rain and wind. So I circled around and made my way to the start of the parade and got one of the officers to let me join the Christmas parade which had just started! Big Ella wasn't particularly shined up, nor was she decorated for Christmas, but onlookers seemed to appreciate her just the same. She received lots of compliments and accolades, and it was really fun.

Afterward, Spouse followed me to the detail shop where we left Big Ella, then we went to the store, had dinner at Ledo Pizza, and returned home to watch a little TV before going to bed early.

Crush du Jour: John Salutare

Birthday

So, my birthday is coming up next Mon.

I like to celebrate my birthday because I didn't get to do so growing up. As you may recall, I was raised in the Jehovah's Witness religion where birthdays (and other holidays) are not celebrated. My 1st birthday celebration was when I turned 30, a few months after I came out.

Since my birthday is this coming Mon, I wanted to stay in town this weekend, go to all of the Christmas activities (parade, tree lighting, carol singing, etc.) in town, and have some friends over for a birthday dinner. However, this coming Sat is also the annual Manassas Christmas parade back in VA that we attend every year. The parade passes in front of our friends' house and they have a big parade-watching party. Its a lot of fun, but we have done this for many years so I thought that maybe we'd skip it this year in order to stay in town.

But then Spouse's mother decided that she wanted to celebrate her birthday (which is still 3 weeks away) this coming Sat, while Spouse & I were in VA for the Manassas Christmas parade. Her birthday is on Christmas eve, and we ALWAYS make sure to wrap her birthday gifts in birthday wrap and have a birthday cake for her on the 24th, her actual birthday. She is NEVER slighted on her birthday, just because it falls on Christmas eve. If anything, everyone remembers her birthday BECAUSE its on Christmas eve.

My birthday? Not so much. My birthday falls 1-2 weeks after Thanksgiving and everyone is in the mood for Christmas shopping, sending Christmas cards, and going to Christmas parties. No one remembers my birthday on Dec 7.

So I tried to get Spouse to agree to staying in town this weekend so we could do all the holiday stuff in town we've never done before, and also have my birthday dinner. But he felt bad about not going to the parade in VA like we always do, and didn't want to mess up his mom's birthday plans, 3 weeks before her actual birthday.

So after much discussion and no accommodation for MY birthday, I basically took a 'whatever' attitude and agreed to go to VA this weekend for the Manassas Christmas parade and his mom's birthday dinner.

Don't get me wrong: I have LOVED going to the Manassas Christmas parade in VA all these years, and will certainly enjoy it again this year. I also love celebrating his mom's birthday. She'll be 80 this year, which is a real accomplishment.

But going to the Manassas Christmas parade in VA every year means we miss out on the local activities that always occur on the same day. Just this one year I would have liked to attend the local Christmas parade, tree lighting, and carol singing. Plus, by staying in town it would also have allowed us to celebrate my birthday close to my actual birth day.

But Spouse's mother's early birthday celebration proved too much for Spouse to decide to stay in town. "Besides," he said "we can celebrate your birthday on another day.

Yeah, well that's kind of a problem. Going back to VA means we leave on Fri right after work, so we couldn't do it Fri night before my birthday. We won't be back in time on Sun to do it then. The following Fri, Sat, and Sun nights are all booked with holiday parties from friends who actually plan these kinds of things in advance. The following Fri & Sat nights are also booked.

Literally, the only viable option we could come up with was a birthday breakfast (who has a birthday breakfast??) at 9am on the Sat after my birthday. Of course, we'll make it work. Several friends are good sports and have RSVP'd already, saying they'll come, despite having to get up early on a Sat. It will be fun, I'm sure.

And then once everyone leaves, we'll quickly throw the left overs in the fridge and run out the door to a tree trimming party at 1:00, followed by another party at 7:00. It sorta feels like we're squeezing my birthday celebration in, I guess, because we are.

And here's the kicker: After the VA parade this Sat, we'll celebrate Spouse's mom's (early) birthday by having dinner at a restaurant she's chosen. Then when we return to VA for Christmas eve, we will celebrate her birthday AGAIN at Spouse's sister's house, like we always do, every year! She gets 2 parties and mine is preempted.

As you can tell, I'm still a little miffed by all of this. It almost makes me want to 'change' my birthday to Feb when nothing else is going on.

But if you know us in person, please don't mention any of this to Spouse, as he would NOT be happy that I'm tellin' all our bidness up in here on the internets. But this blog is my place so I am venting today.

Its not like this is a milestone birthday for me; I'll be 46. Big deal. I should probably quit my belly aching and just be grateful I have people in my life to celebrate with, right? Well that's what I'm going to do. Hissy fit cancelled. You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Crush du Jour: Emmanuel Delcour

Weekend highlights

Karaoke - Freddie's was not a full as it normally is on a Fri night, so there were fewer karaoke singers. I got to sing 5 times during my 2 1/2 hours there! I had a good time visiting with my buddies Chris and Sean.

Parade - It was really cold for the Manassas Christmas Parade, but at least it wasn't windy. We had a lot of fun and I ate too many sweets.

Dinner - Spouse wasn't feeling well so he didn't go with me when I met up with Susan, her boyfriend Gerry, Clara, her husband Sivan and their son Kai. We had a really nice visit, chatting about politics, work, quality of life, and holidays. We ordered Greek food from a nearby restaurant and ate at Clara & Sivan's. Afterward they surprised me with a birthday cake and sung "Happy Birthday" to me. It was sweet.

Brunch - Spouse, his mom and I picked up my aunt Mary and we had brunch at Ireland's Four Provinces. I had selected brunch as my meal of choice for this year's birthday, and Mary recommended the venue, which we all enjoyed a lot.

Lights - On Fri I strung the wrap around porch with white lights. When I plugged them all in, I saw an 8' section of lights that were out! I replaced the bulbs at the beginning and end of the un-lit section, but it didn't help. So, I unhooked that string, unwound them from the railing, and re- strung another string in its place. That string also had an 8' section that didn't light! What was particularly distressing was that I'd just bought these lights last year. After spending 2 1/2 hours wrapping and wiring the whole thing up, I decided to just leave the lights as-is, with the hope that the non-working lights would magically start working just as mysteriously as they had stopped working. I began to feel jinxed after remembering last year's outdoor holiday decorating debacle.

Then on Sun when we returned from VA, I decided to string the Christmas tree with lights. I got the 1st 3 strings tested and put on. When I tested the 4th and final string, I found a big section of lights that didn't work, so I threw them in the trash. I'll buy another string of lights this week to finish lighting the Christmas tree. Its just kind of weird that we decorated our house and tree for years in our old home and never had any issues, but our 1st 2 Christmases in our new house have been accompanied by lighting issues.

DVDs - Last night Spouse & I watched the 2nd disc in the 3-disc DVD set of HBO's miniseries "John Adams". It was nominated for a bunch of awards, and we've been enjoying watching it. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in history, like Spouse. I'm enjoying it to, and I'm not particularly interested in history. Add it to your Netflix queue and be surprised how much you enjoy it.

***Update***

Video - I can't believe I forgot to mention the wonderful video that fellow blogger Gallus made for my birthday! He included all my favorite stuff, and really made my birthday special. Check it out here.

Crush du Jour: Steve Zahn

Friday fragments

Last evening Spouse & I walked over to Second St (the main commercial street in town) for the merchant's holiday open house. Typically the non-restaurant merchants on Second St close at 5pm, but on this night they all stay open until 9pm and provide snacks for shoppers. Second St is closed off to car traffic, and the local high school jazz band plays Christmas carols. We only stayed for about 1/2 hour, but did run into a few neighbors. The historic street looked charming all decked out with lights, garlands, ribbons and bows for Christmas. Unfortunately we will miss the Christmas parade on Sat.

I have the day off work today. Since my company doesn't allow us to carry over unused leave I realized I needed to use 4 days before the end of Dec. So I'm taking Fri off each week before Christmas, and then taking Wed, Christmas Eve off, too. I worked a 2 days the week of Thanksgiving, 4 days this week, 4 days next week, 4 days the following week, 2 days the week of Christmas (we get Thurs & Fri off), and 3 days the week of New Years (we get Thurs & Fri off). Pretty sweet, eh?

Last week when I took off Wed, the day before Thanksgiving, I made a long 'to-do' list for myself that included stuff like housecleaning and making up the guest room beds. But today is just going to be a fun day. I'm going to make a deposit at the bank, maybe have lunch out, get my hair cut, put up white lights on the wrap around porch, and get caught up on blog reading. No vacuuming, no scrubbing - just fun! Work has been so busy all week I haven't been able to read my favorite blogs, so I feel like a junkie jonesin' for a fix!

This evening we're going back to VA for the weekend, and have we ever got a full weekend planned! After dropping the dog and Spouse off at his mom's, I'm going to meet a few friends and sing karaoke at Freddie's.

Sat morning we'll take Spouse's mom and my aunt Mary to the Olde Towne Manassas Christmas Parade. We do this every year because our friends live on the parade route and host a big parade-watching party. Sat evening we're meeting up with our friends Susan and Clara & Sivan for dinner, whom we haven't seen in quite a while. Susan and Clara and I worked for the same company about 10 years ago, and have remained friends since.

Sun morning we're going to brunch with my aunt Mary for my birthday. Then we'll pack up our drag and head back home. So it will be a full, but fun weekend.

Crush du Jour: Jeff Wilson