Volvo Virtues

Sweet Sexy Thang!

I love my car. Not the same way a guy loves a car. I love that it's built like a brick house and can move 5 kids legally without being a gas guzzling environment destroying rollover nightmare of an SUV or a boring *yawn* mini van. It also has a 3rd rear facing seat in the wagon part. Yup. My car has a back-back, AKA the WAY back. As one car pooling kid said " WOW what other car has this?" My point exactly kid. This is the kind of love people write poetry about. Here's my official Volvo Haiku:

Swedish engineered
Built like an Army tank
Leather seats are nice.

City Sidewalks

I have never, in the history of me, gone shopping on Black Friday. Not really my idea of a good time. I do, however, kick of Christmas festivities in my own way today. Since I have moved to The Electric City and become a city girl I have started a tradition of my own. I like that this city has a downtown, events, and traditional holdiay happenings. For the past 3 years, I have wandered downtown to start my shopping. I shop at the locally owned artsy shops, looking for nicely made quality gifts that you just can't get at the big box stores that had the grab fests today. The area I shop at has a closed off street just for shopping, beautiful decorations, music playing and you can actually stroll and stop to chat with freinds and neighbors.
From there, we head to Proctors Theatre for the Festival of the Trees. I usually get inspired here to decorate and make my Christmas a classy one. The trees are stunning and it's fun to see what the theme or inspiration of each tree is. The money we paid at the door also goes to charity! Santa can be found here, too. This is news you need when you have 2 little girls.
The day ends at perhaps one of the oldest traditions in this old city, the Christmas Parade. This parade kicks off at 7pm and around 20,000 people will visit the city tonight to view this spectacular parade. The floats are usually illuminated and people take pride in their parade enteries. I look forward to this every year. It's been cold and rainy the past 2 years, but today has started mild and lovely! I am humming already....." City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style. In the air there's a feeling of Christmas."

Bah-Humbug

It's not that I am Scrooge and don't want to spend money on Christmas. It's that simply stated, Christmas has gotten out of hand. I grew up in the country and Christmas was pretty simple, and I loved it. A home grown tree, a big dinner with the entire extended family. there were church events, concerts at school, and a joyous Christmas vacation from school. That was enough for anybody.
Spring forward to 2004. The average family will spend well over $1000.00 bucks on just presents this year. Likely, it will be charged and the interest on that will take the total even higher. Our children have more toys then they know what to do with. Our homes are filled with so much "stuff" that dusting is a full time commitment. We have garage sales to get rid of the "stuff". We donate perfectly good toys to charity to make room for new toys. We sit around trying to come up with lists of stuff that we want for Christmas. The only thing I really want is one simple Christmas. No overcrowded malls brimming so full of people that it takes an hour to park and a shuttle bus to get you to the mall. No lists. No running around like a fool to get everything you need for Christmas. I want it to stop!!!
Santa, if you are listening, tell everone that buys me presents that I don't want anything this year. Replace it with time with my family. I want my girls to explore the true meaning of Christmas with less "wants" and more " I want to do". I want to bake things for the neighbors and have time to just say hello to them. I want a sleigh ride to the woods to get a Christmas tree. No running around, no stress, no stuff. I'd like no toys with batteries, but I think that would be too much to ask for! My goal is to spend less, and have more. More time, more love, more things I can do for other people.

Miranda's Cinquain

Miranda
Beautiful daughter.
Twirling little ballerina.
Silly happy free graceful.
Love.
Tiny Dancer

10 Years in the Making!

This is the love of my life. This summer we will celebrate our 10th Anniversary. I don't know where the time has gone or how this can be possible? We have been together 13 years. Amazing. As people I know have gotten divorced, I am so thankful and blessed that we met eachother. We stil haven't had a really major fight and people can't believe that. Well, what can I say? We communicate. We eat dinner together as a family at the table. We still have date nights and we kiss daily. We hug daily. We tell eachother what the other means to us. We cherish what we have and nuture is so it grows daily.
Dana and Brian

Baby Girl Friend

I am crazy in love with this little girl. Everyday is a good day being her mommy. She has entered first grade this year and although she liked Kindergarten, she LOVES first grade and reading. I love her artistic ability, as I can't even draw a stick figure. I am amazed how she is able to create the things she does. I am in awe of her grace, because I walk into walls and trip over nothing. To see her dance and do ballet is like watching all the sweetness and innocence there is in the world together in one little package. She is outgoing, funny, and smart. She is my only child, and may always be. Somehow, even though I used to struggle with that, it is enough. It is more than enough. It is perfect. Sometimes, you get what you need.
Dana

Who knew about this Blog stuff??

I was surfing the web last night, in search of a long lost co-worker when I found him via a Blog. How cool is this? I consider myself to be pretty internet savy, yet I had no idea this existed. I had heard the word, yet had no idea. I said to myself " I gotta get me one of these!!"

I am looking forward to setting up my profile, and posting often. I love to write, and sometimes write for therapeutic reasons, so this seems like a good outlet for me. Between Grad school and my internship, I have very little time for recreational reading or writing. It seems all of my writings and readings have to have a purpose of completing a home work assignment. However, as of May 14, 2 years of Grad school will come to a screeching halt with my graduation and Masters and then, baby, I need some "me" time, R&R and a return to life as a non-student.