Happy Springtime
Happy Easter to those that celebrate such things, and to for everybody else (well in the northern hemisphere) welcome to Spring (welcome to Autumn for those “Down Under”)
She made it
Not that this is a big deal for many who have kids that they probably wish would go to bed, but for LatteGirl it was a milestone. You see she has been trying to be awake at midnight for a couple of years now, and never made it. First time, it was about 10:30 that she went down. Two years ago, it was 11:30, and last year 11:45. But this year she finally made it to midnight!
And when all was said and done, she wondered what the big deal was all about. We switched over from the Disney Channel’s Happy U Year celebration just a couple of minutes before midnight to bring in the New Year with Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, as had been a tradition of both me and TheWife, even predating our marriage. It has been increasingly difficult to watch Dick since his stroke in 2004, and this year it was so bad, that the wife just let out a little moan of sadness at the sight. It sort of took bit of wind out of the sails of the celebration, which of course, help confuse LatteGirl a bit more as to just why people go through this ritual. We tried to explain it, but the words just sort of fell flat. She was still happy she made it though. And so was I.
The Best Present
Now that I am done feeling sorry for myself, I should probably cover some of the good things that come up this holiday season. One in particular caught me completely by surprise, and to date now would be what I would call my best present ever. It came in a slim little envelope, and I was pretty sure I knew what it was before I had even opened it. A ticket to a New Jersey Devils hockey game. Something I enjoy going to several times a year, and especially now that they have moved to the new Prudential Center which is much closer and easier to get to than the old Brendan Byrne Arena…er… I mean…Continental Airlines Arena…whoops check that now it is the Izod Center. (Did I mention how much I hate this corporate name sponsorship stuff?)
Anyway, unless I happen to be going to a game with my sister and brother-in-law this is a trek I usually make alone. But when I opened my gift, I found 2 tickets. It turns out that LatteGirl has decided that she wants to go to a hockey game with dear old dad. Now it may sound silly to some, but you can’t imagine how happy this made me. I love hockey, and always imagined I would be able to share my passion for the sport with her. As the picture to the right (circa 2001) shows, I had been grooming her for this from the very beginning.
However, as she grew older, things changed. My little fan, who I was feeding at 1 am when the Devils beat the Dallas Stars in 2000, and cheered with me for every goal, and consoled me when the Devils lost to the Avalanche in 2001, was no longer interested in sports. She was a girly-girl more interested in dolls and princesses. The Red and White Devil’s jersey was no longer fashionable enough for her (hmmm… I wonder if they have a Devil’s Jersey in pink), and she would rather watch Raven or Zach and Cody or Hannah Montana than to even think about watching a hockey game any longer. It was not as if I was heartbroken or anything. I am not one of those fans that use “we” when talking about a team I am a fan of, as if I was actually part of it. But, I was sad that I wouldn’t have this to share with her.
So, knowing that, you can imagine what a warm feeling (understatement) it was when, as I had a confused look on my face when I found two tickets, she jumped up and declared that the other ticket was for her and that she was going to the game with me.
So tonight we will eat overpriced greasy junk food, snap some pictures (so that I have proof that this isn’t all just a dream), survey the landscape for tomorrow’s outing to find out where the MileyWorld bus will be set up before the concert (hey I gotta make some concessions here), and cheer on the Devils as they take on the Buffalo Sabres.
Regardless of the outcome of the game, tonight, at least for a night, I am the winner.
5 years
There was something wrong with me this holiday season. I know it, but I don’t know exactly what it was. Nothing felt “right” nothing seemed to fit quite as it should (I don’t mean clothing smart ass), and it was all rather uncomfortable. I am actually quite happy that the majority of it all is now in the past, and I can hope for a better mood next year.
I know to stop and appreciate everything I have. I am very fortunate. And I was able to at least recognize that this year. In my head anyway. It still just never felt right. By all weights and measures, this should be a dream, but it wasn’t. Yet 5 years ago should have been a nightmare, and that may have been one of the best years ever.
5 years ago, I was working at Toys R Us because every dang technology company seemed to not have any openings after everybody that got laid off between the Dot Com Bust and the mess of 9/11. Those that did have positions, would not hire me me because I had too much experience and they were sure I would bolt as soon as the economy got better. So instead I was working 60 hours a week at Toys R Us, busting my ass for way too little money. We were financially struggling to survive. IRAs and 401Ks emptied. No savings left. We were just trying to find a way to hold onto the house.
Xmas that year was obviously going to be a difficult one for presents. But LatteGirl was 2-1/2, and this was the first Xmas LatteGirl really fully understood Santa Claus and presents. We couldn’t just “skip” Xmas. So, I took every hour of overtime that they would give me. I would rummage through the items that were going to hit the clearance tables to see what bargains I could find that I might be able to afford. Meanwhile, the rest came from a few rummage sales and a few visits to several different dollar stores looking for items that weren’t junk quality.
By the time Xmas morning rolled around, we had a decent “stack” of presents from Santa, that looked like a lot, but in the end cost us less than $40 total. While in some ways I felt bad, and swore to myself that we would never go through that again, it was still quite a Xmas. LatteGirl was still thrilled with what Santa gave her, we had a great day, and everybody was happy.
This Xmas by comparison was easy. Thanks to the extra week between Thanksgiving and Xmas, I had most presents bought and they were wrapped ahead of time. This was the first Xmas in I don’t know how long that I wasn’t doing something that required me to stay awake until the wee hours of the morning, such as baking or assembling one of Santa’s gifts, etc. This year LatteGirl seemed to learn to actually stop and look at what she got when she opened each present rather than unwrapping, tossing on a pile to get to the next present to be unwrapped.
I’ve had signs. In one case literal, a snarky billboard (or more precisely a picture of a billboard) that I saw somewhere, had the saying on it, “Santa Likes Rich Kids Better.” Or some excellent blogging, like this wonderful post by Whit that really made me think. And yet, you would think that after only 5 years, I would remember how tough I had things then, and would be thrilled, and yet I am not.
I know somewhere in here I am supposed to put the requisite message that money can’t buy happiness and all that. But while true, it is just a bit too cliché, and I am feeling too grumpy today to be cliché.
Frozen Chocolate
We’ve tried it at Easter, we have tried it at Halloween, so it only seemed right that we give it a shop and check out Christmas at Hershey. Of course we made these plans some time ago, but even then at the time, I mentioned to a few friends how we could almost bank on it snowing or something that weekend. I guess I shouldn’t have tempted fate, and now we are getting hit with snow. Here at home, closer to the ocean, we only got a couple of inches before it turned into rain, but the forecast for the weekend in Hershey,PA is not all that promising.
I’m not complaining really, I am really looking forward to seeing the Sweet Lights, a two mile drive through light display, LatteGirl is just about thrilled at the thought of playing in “Christmas” snow (I believe it was the magic of “Christmas Snow” that enabled Frosty to “un-melt” again if I am not mistaken) even if it does mean that Candy Cane Lane (the selection of rides at Hershey Park that are still open this time of year) is canceled , and of course TheWife once again will be treated to an afternoon at The Hershey Spa.
I am just hoping that I can actually get to the store this evening through the ice to pick up my new camera, to photgraph these travels, as I am hopeful that the snow will make for some great shots, because my current (hunk of junk) Kodak is just not up to the task.
I can’t help but wonder what I was thinking scheduling this so close to Xmas. I have shopping to do, and work to be done, and I don’t have time for this right now. It is frustrating in a way, and it seems like it will add more stress later, but the more that I think that I scheduled this at the “wrong” time, the more I also think that this is exactly the kind of break from the hustle and bustle of the holidays.
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