Week 51 - Almost there!

a Richmond Christmas

 

This is our first Christmas in Richmond, well, sort of.  We are actually coming home for Christmas, but we are here for the anticipation leading up to the great day.  It has been strange.  In Michigan, it seems to get cold around November 1st.  You know, the real cold that gets to the bone.  Mid 40's is warm.  This year we put up Christmas lights outside in a short sleeve shirt, then went for a motorcycle ride.

Christmas is also stressful because of the logistical issues of shopping, parties, gifts, etc...  Well, it have been increasingly stressful for us.  We had to plan shipping "stuff" north, plan our road trip, make arrangements for our house here, and wish our friends here an early Merry Christmas. 
  
It is also sort of surreal because, this is the first time our family will not be waking up Christmas morning in "our" home.  We always had the luxury of being able to see all our family for Christmas's and yet have Christmas morning to ourselves.  This year, we will be at mom's.  Don't get me wrong, I am excited about coming home and seeing everyone, it is just different.  A real test to see if living in Virginia is right for us and see if the chances and risk we took to come here are worth it.  I can's say that I am hoping for a White Christmas, but if it does snow, I hope it's BIG!  (just after we get to Six Lakes).

One thing about Christmas, where ever you are, I do feel from everyone that at some point in the holiday season, we all get a chance to sit back, relax, and reflect on what we have, our friends and family, and be thankful.  It a beautiful universality about the season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

(only one more installment and this blog is OVER!)

Week 50 - Dec. 9-15

My New Drinking Buddy

 

This week, (actually the past two weeks), have been extremely busy at work.  We had two proposals due on the 12th for two pretty cool project.  One was an $8 million residence building for a private school for autistic people and the other was a new summer training center for the Washington Redskins.  I had been working long days and weekends to get them put together and after they were submitted, I wanted to go throw back a few.

I explained to Jenny, that, back home, I would probably go after work with coworkers to either drown our sorrows or celebrate our success, but I didn't have those type of friends here (yet).  I asked if she would be my drinking buddy for a couple of hours.  She agreed!  So, Thursday night, after the all the parent duties were done, we went to our local watering hole, the Sports Page.  We just sat at the bar like a couple of dudes, she had a dinner and a Sprite, while I sampled the Majic Hat on tap.

It was really cool.  No need to worry about getting in trouble with the "old lady", she was there!  It was great of her to oblige me and just what I needed to clear my head, plus she is by far the best looking drinking buddy I have ever had.

Week 49 - Dec. 2nd - 8th

Date Night 

(with Morgan)

So being a history buff, I really wanted to see the movie Lincoln.  Surpisingly though, I could not get anyone to go watch it with me.....save one.....MORGAN!  I think it was more about the candy and popcorn than it was about the movie, although she was starting a social studies unit about the Civil War and thought it might help with school.  (Again, more about the candy.)

We picked the Friday night night show, after work, and unfortunately it was too early to eat dinner with the rest of the family, so we HAD to go to Five Guys for some burgers before the show.  You know, so we could concentrate. 

 

The movie was really good.  I had previously read Lincoln the Unknown by Dale Carnegie, which was a very depressing book about how misserable Lincoln's life was.  We stopped at his tomb a couple of years ago on the was home from St. Louis to pay homage, but I had always thought of Mr. Lincoln in the depressing light.  The movie really changed my outlook on his life, maybe because it was in color.  I saw a man who was opportunistic, a risk taker who put the greater good of the country ahead of his personal security.  They portrayed him as a person who was clearly more enlightened than the vast majority of the people in the country at the time and perhaps even today.

 

It was great to get to spend time with just my youngest daughter.  It's great to spend alone time with any of my kids.  When I asked Mo what she learned from the movie, she said, "Abraham Lincoln slapped people a lot."....you'll have to see the movie.