Now seems as good a time as any to reveal that for ten months now I have been really, really timid regarding writing about my new life here – and by my “new life” I specifically mean my friends and peers. I find that I just don’t want to write about school (which takes up a lot of my time and thought) and upset my kids’ teacher(s), or offend a schoolmate’s parents, or write about my friends and upset the three ladies who have taken me under their wing since we moved (I know they don’t think of it that way as everyone seems to think of me as an Alpha Bitch who needs no help nor coddling). Yes, surely, I am being paranoid: none of these people read my blog so let it fly, eh? But in fact I have learned over the last four years that I really don’t know who’s reading the blog, sometimes not until I get an email either offended (once) or, more likely, having followed me for a couple years and heretofore remaining silent.
Today is the day that I throw off caution and decide to just be me and quit writing about the safer subjects of my father’s illness, or cuddling the kids, or whatever, and write about who I see during the day and what I do. Yeah, HQX is a small town; but so was PT. Yeah, I don’t have enough friends to spare but I’m willing to work my ass off to keep them. Yeah, I’m not really “established” here but c’mon – when am I going to feel like I am, anyway?
Oh and in case you thought the last couple paragraphs were preludes to some great dirt: they weren’t. I’m just officially acknowledging yes, I’ve been letting you down, dear reader. And as of today I’m going to grow a pair and write on.
Last night I was joined by eight local ladyfriends for a gift exchange and holiday party. I had a great time and I was honored to host. Because it was a group of women, we had plenty of food and a comical amount of beer stacked in my kitchen (I think a few guests left with more booze than they brought). Because it was me, the food was overly coordinated and excellent (I ate one hundred thousand servings of Jasmine’s asparagus appetizer) and included an Aztec sherry cake – both delicious and hilarious. Because it was a group that doesn’t see one another all that often, we only got about twenty minutes into the 80s movie before we stopped due to a lack of interest (not me! But I’m a dork like that). With the exception of two gals, I’d known all of them for 20 or so years. Isn’t that just incredible? I felt so fortunate to have my girlhood friends, and my own mom – dressed like a rockstar BTW – all under my roof to share our lives together. And no, Ralph, we did not strip down to panties and have a pillow fight, although I hope you’re envisioning that with my mom and all.
After a night staying over at my parents’ (I joined my family there after my last guest left) my family returned home and centered our schedule around wrapping presents for our 4 PM delivery to our adopted Christmas gift family (pictures and details pending post-holiday). Dinner tonight was at Shannon’s with her lovely family of five and after a lovely homecooked meal we stayed until 10 PM. It’s like last night kicked off the final couple days until Christmas. Tomorrow morning: no school for the kids. Sleep-in for three of us as Ralph heads in to one day of work before the Big Night.
I am not as ready as Bonesaw, but I am pretty ready for Christmas. How ’bout you?