Celebrate

I need a little.

I’m not really feeling it this year. I’m tired and cranky, unprepared financially, emotionally, and giftily (I’m declaring that a word), and tomorrow is the first of December.

So while it feels a little early to do so, I’m using my Christmas dishes and wearing my Christmas pajamas (might as well…I have an absurd amount of them). And I bought an air freshener that smells like sugar cookies. (The tree is up, of course, but it’s in the other room…I can’t see it from here.)

I’ve lost most of this year to the whirlwind of work-eat-sleep that my life has become. I’m not losing Christmas, too.

Couple of interesting conversations with Mom regarding Thanksgiving.

“What’s R doing for Thanksgiving?” “Uh, working, probably. He’s the new guy.” “Well, if he’s not working that day, be sure to let him know that he’s welcome to join us.”

_{This is the first time she’s made an explicit invitation to him. Of course, with the potential baby-daddyness, I guess she’s looking at him in a new light.}

“I told FFB that he’s welcome to join us, if that’s okay.” “Of course it is…he’s practically family.”

_{He declined, graciously…he’s planning to celebrate with his quasi-stepdaughter. Which touches me…just when I think I’ve got him figured out, he does things like this.}

That’s when I realized that R and FFBare family. Not legally, but in the way that counts.

I may not have a large, close biological family, but that doesn’t mean I can’t create a family.

My parents’ 40th anniversary is tomorrow. The 40th anniversary is a biggie, right? So why are there so few cards for it? And why are the cards that are available crappy ones?

Normally I buy cards at Walgreens. I don’t require fabric, ribbons, or glued-on geegaws – just something heartfelt without being cheesy. (Sometimes funny, though it seems more and more the only person I buy funny for is R.) But Walgreens had one 40th anniversary card, so I went elsewhere. Target, in fact. They had more of a selection, but nothing like I had in mind. I was also disappointed in their selection of gift wrap; the best I could find was a no-frills red paper bag – no glossy finish or even finished edges. The only cool bags were for birthdays, weddings, and baby showers…none of which had quite the tone I was going for.

So I braved the Hallmark store. That place sets my sinuses off terribly. (What is it in there that stinks so bad? And why would anyone want their homes to smell like that?) It’s so crowded with kitschy crap that you can barely find the floor, let alone the cards. You’re welcomed by a sugary-sweet, disembodied voice originating somewhere in the midst of all that kountry kouture, and end up responding to the shelving, hoping you’ve at least guessed the general direction of the girl’s location accurately.

I guess you could say I hate the Hallmark store.

Anyway, desperate for a decent card and gift bag, I resort to Hallmark. Would you believe they didn’t have much better? Nothing in the meager gift bag/wrapping paper selection worked for me, and they had a whopping three cards, all of which were awful. I finally managed to find a serviceable one behind one of those 40th Anniversary shelf tags, and swiped a correct-sized envelope from another card slot. And went back to Walgreens for a gift bag; I settled for a plain red (glossy, finished edges, but nothing special) bag and black-and-white floral tissue paper.

So, not at all what I’d had in mind. I would have settled for something mildly glittery, but all of those were birthday bags.

Do we not celebrate anniversaries anymore? I saw a few more cards for 25th and 50th, and Hallmark even had cards for each milestone, in increments of 5, from 5th to 45th. But usually only one card for each. And each store had customizable (pick the year) cards, which would have worked but felt too impersonal. I know the divorce rate is high, but doesn’t that mean we should put more effort into celebrating the ones who manage to stay married? I mean, what gives?

I know…this stuff isn’t really all that important. But my parents are not exchanging presents until they see what her insurance pays on the heart cath she had yesterday, so my present may be all they get. I want it to look good!

I shall wind up this rant now, and go wrap the present.

As usual, I had an extended one. Celebrated with Mom and Dad on Saturday, went bowling with R on Sunday, and enjoyed the day off and a nice b-day dinner with R on the actual day.

Some highlights:
- I’ve mentioned the suckers R bought, but will put them here, too. That was just too cute.
- Mom and Dad’s gift of Wii Fit is looking to be a better exercise motivator than anything else I’ve tried so far; everything’s broken into easily scheduled chunks, and you get credit for non-Wii activities, as well. (Plus, unlike exercise videos, you get real feedback on whether or not you’re doing well.)
- Firefly box set! I bought one for Dad a few years ago, but now I have my own. Squee!
- R surprised me with a Dos Equis amber. I love Dos Equis, but don’t drink it often because it’s a bit more beer than I can handle. And I usually don’t like amber beers, but this was yum.
- I got way more birthday greetings than I’m accustomed to. Mostly from Facebook and Twitter. It was very nice to have an inbox filled with good wishes instead of reminders, sales emails, and junk.
- The apartment office left a balloon, a card, and a couple of cookies at my door. I’ve not had a balloon in years.
- Dad gave me a pair of lovely silver earrings from a Celtic shop he found on the trip he and Mom just returned from. I wore them in my new driver’s license photo.
- Got a card and $20 (the usual) from my grandparents…and then a follow-up email to make sure I got birthday greetings on the actual day, just in case the card didn’t make it (not the usual).
- Little things, but they still made my day: The weather was gorgeous; cool and sunny. And my hair looked fantastic.

Quite a lot of fuss – certainly more than I’m used to. I like it. :)

that I must feel like crap on holidays. (Well, I felt okay on New Year’s, but only because I was in agony on Christmas. Not a very fair trade-off, if you ask me.)

So, V-day. Not only am I crampy, with all the assorted fun that goes along with that, but I bit my tongue in my sleep last night. Hard enough to wake me up, and I sleep very soundly. Which means today’s plans (buy food, cook and eat a nice dinner, drink some wine, give R those scraps of satin and lace I’ve been promising him) look a little shaky. (Well, the scraps are definitely out. He’s cool with it, though…that’s the kind of gift you can always take a raincheck on. :)

I’m determined, though. We’re going to do something. I’ve got a couple of movies (28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later – he’s seen neither, I’ve only seen the first, and we both get queasy watching “romantic” flicks). I’ve pulled out a “dressy” dress, one I bought years ago and have never had the chance to wear, and am washing it up for tonight. And as soon as I manage to pry myself off the computer, I’ll run to the store for some food. If nothing else, I can pick up some sushi…it’ll make him happy, and I won’t have to cook.

Not sure about the wine, though. Just the thought of it makes my tongue hurt.

New cold + heinous cramps = not very jolly girl on Turkey Day. I made it through the day, though…even ate a fair amount despite not being at all hungry. The family portraits we took a couple of weeks ago will work for T-day pics for me. _{if they don’t suck, that is…}

is not technically until tomorrow, but with him working third shift, it’s easier to celebrate today.

He’s finally going to get his steak. :) Don’t worry…I’m not cooking it! We’re going out to eat. I’m just supplying the cake and frozen yogurt.

Or I will be, once I get off my butt and get going. That extra hour could not have come at a better time!

with this: http://thebcmall.stores.yahoo.net/besukibe.html

‘Cause he is.

And I’m so proud of the way he’s handled this whole thing…I want to give him something to commemorate that.

Poor Da. Mom and I feel like crap, for different reasons of course, so we’re postponing Father’s Day. To when, I do not know. Maybe I’ll run out there one night this week and at least give him his presents.

Another one of my patented extended celebrations. We exchanged presents yesterday, even though today’s our anniversary. Then we went out to dinner at Kyoto, a Japanese restaurant R’s been wanting to try…he even tried sushi! Afterwards, we did a little shopping at World Market – picked up some incense for him, some Earl Gray for me, and some beers from the “make your own six-pack” aisle. Came home and, since it was a (relatively) nice night, we went for a walk: 6 miles. Showered, then tried out some of the beer while snuggling on the couch. Today, we made fondue, watched some videos, and snuggled some more.

All in all, an excellent anniversary.