What Makes a Family?

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about this question.  What makes a family?  Is it just blood?  Do we include friends?  What about all those step and half relations?  Where do we draw the line?  What's our criteria for claiming family? We we look at blood, I have a pretty small family.  But then start adding all the half and step and suddenly my family tree looks more like a family bush.  But do I really claim all those people?  There are definitely branches in there that I don't really keep in touch with.  There are branches that I wish I didn't keep in touch with.  And there are others that I love and see often.

But it's not just about who's related to me.  There's all those friends.  Some of who I would claim over many of my blood relatives.  Many of those friends are the ones that have been there for me.  Often they are the ones I turn to when everything gets too much.  They are here, not out of family loyalty, but because they want to be here.  It's a choice.  In many ways, that's more important to me.  I think the families of the 21st century are going to be by choice, not necessarily by blood.

My immediate family (the boys and myself) has been going through a lot lately.  We are living in a place of limbo.  We don't know what the future holds.  But I do know that I'm grateful that I have them.

Highlight of the Week - My Birthday!

Saturday was my birthday!  I'm officially 29!  Not yet 30, my palm's not flashing yet, but getting up there.  For my birthday I had a great Friday night out with friends and a mini trip with mom. On Thursday, mom and I went up to Four Winds and Blue Chip for a two day mini trip.  Me being not so interested in gambling, mostly people watched and relaxed.  The hotel room was gorgeous with an awesome bathroom and shower!  Plus, we had a great view of the nuclear reactor across the town.  I swear it was right there out of the window.

Friday night, I met some friends out at J.K. O'Donnel's for a beer and desert.  Mmmmhhh Double cream stout beer and triple layer chocolate stout cake!  Great food and some great friends.  And then we moved on to Wrigley Field for my dose of Cougar Hunter 80s spandex craziness.  The guys in the band knew it was my birthday, but thankfully I didn't get embarrassed.  I got a bit extra attention, but nothing I couldn't handle.  Just the usual craziness stuff!  Great food, great music, and some awesome friends!

Highlight of the Week - From the Mouth of Babes

This week's been generally crappy. I started feeling sick on Monday: sore throat and headache.  I thought  was getting strep throat.  It's been a few years since I've had it, but I think I was due.  Tuesday was a snow day so the boys and I spent it being lazy.  By the end of the day, cabin fever had set in.  Wednesday we had a 2 hour delay and I was definitely getting worse.  I was determined to get out of the house, so I took the opportunity to run some errands.  Thursday, another 2 hour delay, and the sore throat had changed into a horrible head stuffiness and cough.  Friday, I woke up and could hardly get out of bed.  Thanks goodness it was another snow day.  I stayed in bed all day, sleeping, coughing, blowing my nose.  It was general ickiness.  Saturday was just more of the same.  It's Sunday now and I'm not feeling much better.  At least I can get out of bed today.  I made it downstairs, but just barely. Highlight: Thursday night everyone was frustrated.  I was sick, the boys weren't getting their spelling words.  Everything was a mess.  As I was putting the boys to bed, the sweetest thing came out of A's mouth.  He looked at me and said, "Mommy, if we have a snow day tomorrow, I'll fill up your glass with ice water so you can be comfortable."  Thanks A!  That made my week seem just a bit brighter.

The Death of Borders

Okay not a complete death, but they have declared bankruptcy and are closing stores across the country. The announcement came last week.  I read about the rumors online two weeks ago.  I got an email from the CEO the day after the announcement.  I've read a lot of posts from other book bloggers in the last week.  But I haven't really decided what I think about this until now.  Today I found an interesting article on TechCrunch that expressed a lot of my own ideas about this situation.

Books without Borders: A Victory for Amazon, But Also for Independent Book Stores by Paul Carr

Explaining the global fall of Borders – their UK arm collapsed last year – isn’t quite as simple as blaming Amazon and the rise of ebooks. But it mostly is. The company took a big gamble a decade or so ago in focusing on the notion of bricks-and-mortar book shopping as an “experience”. Stores were built with coffee shops and comfy chairs and warm little nooks in which people could hang out all day and read all the book and magazines they wanted. Unfortunately, after finishing their coffee and their free reading time, many of those people subsequently went home and took advantage of Amazon’s significant discounts to actually buy books. Only those few customers who demanded instant gratification needed to actually pay full price in store.

I admit, I am one of those people...

So, with Borders gone, Barnes and Noble struggling and independent stores still closing in their dozens, is this the beginning of the end for real world bookstores? Actually, I think probably not. In fact I suspect the death of Borders might actually cause something no-one in the book trade ever thought they’d see: a resurgence in independent book stores.

For a while, Borders – and the bigger (and for now more solvent) Barnes and Noble – represented a kind of mushy middle for bookselling. On one end of the spectrum sits Amazon – colossal of inventory, quick of delivery, soulless of personality. If you know exactly what book you want, Amazon is the place to buy it.

At the other end of the spectrum sit the independents – mom and pop stores and dusty used bookshops, staffed by knowledgeable bookworms eager to recommend something quirky (and possibly second hand) that they themselves have read, and think you might like. Borders plunked itself awkwardly in the middle, trying to out-stock the former (and failing) and to out-personality the latter (and failing). Even if Borders couldn’t replace the independent bookstore experience, the existence of a giant competitor in the their midst certainly hit mom and pop’s bottom line. No-one did well from the fight except for Amazon.

Now, with Borders out of the way, leaving absolutely no major chain book store in some markets (including San Francisco, which had three Borders but no Barnes and Noble), the independents have a real opportunity to push back.

Interesting option, let's see what happens in the coming months.

...

Before the announcement: I shopped everywhere.  I frequented Borders and Barnes and Noble for their selection.  No one can be beat for browsing, getting ideas, and for the occasional awesome sale.  I frequented the chain used book store, Half Price Books, for selection (smaller than big boxes, but still pretty wide) and awesome clearance selection.  I frequented the local independent used book stores, Hyde Brothers and Village Books, for fun browsing and occasional awesome find.  And I frequented Amazon.com for the must-have new (or slightly used) books at a great price.  I shopped everywhere.  While I want to support the local stores, that cannot compete with the big boxes and online stores in terms of price and selection.  But I tried to visit them on occasion.  And I often found some great things while there.

After the announcement: My local Borders is not on the list of those closing.  We are the only Borders store within a 2 hour radius.  We currently have a Borders store and two Barnes and Noble stores.  So what does all this to me?  Will my shopping habits change?  Probably not.  I will still frequent Borders just as much as I did before.  I will frequent all the other places just as much as I did before.  The other thing I know I won't be doing.... buying the $20 Borders rewards card.  Who knows what will happen in the next few months.  I don't want to be caught holding someone I cannot use.

So sorry about the bankruptcy Borders, but times change, and I guess you couldn't keep up.

New Resolutions...

The last couple of days have seen a few changes with my blog...  I've decided to make a few blogging resolutions (Yes, I know, late, but I've never believed in New Year's Resolutions anyway.  So blog resolutions in February aren't weird or late to me).

1. Set up a more definite schedule - I have Music Mondays and Quote Wednesdays, but need to either commit to or drop Weekly Highlights, Booking Through Thursdays, and Top Ten Tuesdays.  I really like the idea of the Wordless Wednesday (pictures instead of writing) and the Mailbox Mondays, but don't know if I want to commit yet.  I'll get back to you on that.  Plus, I want to start writing (fiction pieces) more and feel like I need to commit it day or a day every other week to that.
2. Connect with other bloggers - In the past week, I've had 10 people I don't know comment on my blog.  Very excited about this turn of events.  But I need to do better at commenting on and supporting other bloggers.  So every day I'm going to focus on one of those commentors by reading their blogs, commenting, and adding them to my GoogleReader.  One down, nine to go!
3. Get my reading list set for the end of the month - Too many library books (~60) sitting on my closet floor and too many new purchases (~30 since beginning of year) sitting under the window.  I want to create a TBR list to carry me through the next two weeks.  Next up...?
4. Take more pictures to add - I feel very pictureless on my blog.  I need to add pics of me and my family, activities throughout the week, book purchases, and just pretty pics.  So far, the only picture taken by me is my gravatar photo.  The others are all from freedigitalphoto.net.  Great pictures, but I need ownership here.
5. Get my boys involved - They wrote a Thanksgiving post, but that's it.  They really need to work on their writing anyway and little blog entry every once in a while would be awesome.  C's daughter has her own blog now and my boys are really interested in reading it.  Hopefully I can get them interested in writing their own.
6. Encourage my friends and families to read - I think the only person that I actually know know that reads my blog is C.  (Thanks for the support!)  It really would be awesome to have more support from friends and family.  I'll try to talk it up.

Over the next week, I'm really going to focus on these resolutions.  I'll probably add an update entry soon.  Wish me luck!

Life Between a Rock and a Hard Place

The last few months have been tough challenging usual excruciating.  I don't want to go into specifics, but let's just say it's getting harder and harder every day to put on a happy smile and face the challenges.  I've gained weight, lost sleep (insomnia is a great friend of mine), skin has broken out, and hair has fallen out.  Stress has definitely taken a toll on my body.  I have almost weekly migraines and more often tension headaches. Lately I've had many conflicting plans.  What's the right choice?  If I chose Option A, I have x consequences.  If I chose Option B, I have a whole other set of x consequences.  How do I weigh all the interests, consequences, and potentials outcomes (good and bad)?  All the advice I've received conflicts.  Some tell me Option A, some OptionB, and some other undetermined option.  I really don't know...  All I know is that right now I am stuck between a rock and a hard place.  And neither one are moving anytime soon.

On a slighty happy side note, last night I received a package from Amazon.  My first thought: am I buying things on Amazon and don't remember?  Nope, I haven't been shopping in my sleep. J sent me an early Valentine's Day present (at least I'm assuming, but considering he isn't all that supportive of V-Day, don't know and don't care).  It was exactly what I needed last night: chocolate.  Dark chocolate.  Dark chocolate with mint.  Dark chocolate with caramel.  Dark chocolate with raspberries.  Heaven in a heart shaped tin!

Dream Vacation: Disney World

Sitting in snowy Indiana, I start to travel (in my mind of course).  Where do I go?  Better question: Where do I start?  I thought I would include a weekly or so post about my dream vacation places.  This week: Disney World.

I went to Disney World almost every other year as a child.  And I loved it!  Grandma and Grandpa lived in Florida (Jupiter, near West Palm Beach) all through my childhood.  We would visit them yearly, and sometimes we would drive up to Disney World.  I haven't been there in probably 15-20 years.  I would love to see the changes to the parks.  Last time I was there, the Animal Kingdom didn't even exist...  Typhoon Lagoon had just opened (awesome water park), but now there's Blizzard Beach also.  Towards the end of my stay in Florida, the family started going to other amusement parks, specifically Universal Studios, instead of Disney.  But Disney always held a special place in my heart.

My mom has been kicking around the idea of taking my boys to Disney World at the end of the school year.  Mom's looking into inclusive packages (hotels, food, parks, airfare, and other attractions) for one low price.  Okay not low, but lower than the advertised prices.  The deal is she will pay for the boys and any adults that come (i.e. me, my stepdad, and possibly J) must pay for themselves.  I could do that.  The boys are of an age that I think they could handle the rigors of Disney.  And I would get to go to Disney again.

Say what you want about commercialization, I love Disney World.  I want to ride Space Mountain and have breakfast with the characters and check out the cheesiness of Tomorrow Land (hover crafts anyone?).  And eat in Mexico's outdoor seeming courtyard at Epcot (always my favorite) and ride the dinosaur ride (hope it's still there).  And climb into the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, always a fun treat.  And sing along to the birds in the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room (hope they're still there).  And ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Snow White and Peter Pan and Dumbo... all the old rides.  And see the new rides.  And swim in the waterparks.  And eat some overpriced, but still good food.  And get a chocolate covered frozen banana as a cool treat.  And see the laser parade at night.  I could go on all day.

In preparation for a possible trip, I checked out a few Disney guides from the library.  I love looking at travel books/guides.  I like planning, making itineraries, things to see.  I do spontaneity, but like to have a basic plan.  So I started a Disney World notebook, highlighting the must see attractions, tips, and general information.  And we haven't even booked anything yet.  But mark my words, we will get there this summer.  We have to get there this summer.  I need my Disney World fix.

What's in a Name?

What's your first name?  Do you like it?  Do you hate it?  Is there a reasoning behind your name?  Is its meaning special?  Are you named after a family member?  Did you parents just like the sound of it?  Names are funny things, forced upon us at birth without our say.  We then must go through life with the same name, allowing only for nicknames, but often those are parent created also.  And then we may have our own children, starting the cycle of names again... Tobe Frances: I hate my name.  I've always hated it.  Ever since I was a little girl, it's always been "That can't be your name," or "You're not a boy," or "I knew a dog named Tobe," or "How do you spell that?" or "What's your real name?' or "What's that short for?"  Hi, I am a girl named Tobe.  I'm glad you once knew a dog named Tobe, but I'm not a dog as you can see. That's T-O-B-E, no I, no IE, no Y, no EY, just E. Yes, it's my real name and not it's not short for anything... Happy. Does everyone else get all these crazy questions about their name?  If no, would you like to trade?

So why was I named Tobe Frances?  That's the million dollar question.  I've never gotten a clear answer from my mother.  I do know that I was named Frances after my grandmother, but that's all the info I have.  My mom told me once that if I had been a boy I would have been named Elliot after the kid from E.T. Another time she said that if I had been a boy I would have been named Toby Francis (note the change of vowels).  But never have I gotten a clear answer as to why, as a girl, I was named Tobe Frances.  It's weird, not popular, spelled strangely...

Tobe (Toby actually) is of Hebrew origin meaning "The Lord is Good."  Historically it was a slave name and a Jewish name.  Of which I am neither.  My family's not particularly Christian (Easter and Christmas Christians at most) so the meaning doesn't really explain my name.  It's a big mystery.

I've always wanted a girly name.  Something that is easily recognizable and easy to spell.  Not ridiculously popular so that every fifth person I meet is named that, but popular enough.  I want a name that can be shortened to a cool nickname.  Growing up, I imagined myself as Stephanie, or Miranda, or Katherine (Kat for short) or Elizabeth (Lizzie for short) or even Frances (I know my middle name, but no one ever called me that).

...

Seven (almost eight) years ago, I had my twin boys.  I promised myself that they would not suffer the injustice of a crazy, weirdly spelled name.  I would name them something classic, easy to spell, recognizable, able to be shortened name.  And I choose:

Alexander Loring: Greek "Protector of Mankind."  Easy, classic, shorted to Alex (even though someone who will not be named insists on calling him Lex after Lex Luthor).  The middle name is weird, but it's a family name.  I'm okay with weird middle names, just not first names.

Nicholas Brian: Greek "Victorious People."  Easy, classic, shortened to Nick or Nicky (and sometimes Nicks).  The middle name is from his uncle and my stepfather.

Notice the difference between Nicholas and Alexander and Tobe?  I definitely do!

Anyone want to give me a new name?  I welcome suggestions...

Worst Movie Choice

Yesterday I had a free Redbox rental and the boys and I were going to be in for the night (single digits!), so I stopped.  I got Nanny McPhee Returns for the boys.  Great movie! Family fun and a good message.  Plus Emma Thompson is just way awesome.  Lovely cozy night with the boys.  And then they went to bed. I had got myself my own movie.  I had wanted to see Going the Distance when it was in theaters, but never got around it.  It just came out on video, so I thought, why not?

Turns out it was the worst movie choice ever.  Not because of the movie itself.  It was a fairly good movie.  The characters were good, the plot well constrcted, and good visuals.  It was the worst movie choice because it reminded me of my life.  The long distance relationship... worst situation in life.  I've been in a long distance relationship for awhile now (it's really depressing to say a number).  The plan was for me to move in the fall... last fall.  However, that plan fell through (details are very frustrating) and it was pushed to Christmas.  That plan fell through also.  And now I'm still stuck in limbo and in a long distance relationship.  And all this movie did was remind me of the all sadness.  This just sucks.  I won't give away the ending, but the ending really doesn't matter.  The bulk of the movie just made me sad.

So I have to say... worst movie choice!  And I need to go make a phone call.  I miss somebody way too much.

Soulmates

You know that one friend you have.  The one that it seems like you've been friends forever (even though it probably isn't that long).  The one that you could never be truly mad at.  The one that knows exactly what you're feeling even before you do.  The one that always understands your crazy conversations.  The one that's almost psychic.  The one that buys you the best birthday and Christmas presents.  The one that knows all your secrets and loves you anyway.  That's your soulmate. I have one, have had one for ~14 years.  B is my soulmate.  The one who completes me.  Everything I need in a friend.  And I wouldn't give her up for the world.

Who's your soulmate?

Highlight of the Week -- Birthday Madness

Wednesday was B's birthday.  And of course, we had to do her birthday up right.  Wednesday we went to four places, enjoying good drinks, great food, and amazing friends.  Best part of the night: karaoke... specifically B and A's duet.  Who knew sister's could pull off that song?  I guess B and A can! Then Friday, an extra celebration night with the boys.  Best part of the night: "Don't let her lie to you, she's single."  Hee hee.  Fun with microphones is always best when not targeted at you.

Finally, Saturday, another extra celebration with some real cowboys.  Best part of the night: awkward birthday song on the stage.  Who knew the words were so different?  Not me, that's who.

Highlight of the Week -- Books, books, and more books!

I've haven't done one of these in the last couple of weeks, so I thought I would get back into the swing of things this week.  So... what was my highlight of the week? Lately, I have been thinking a lot about books.  I signed up for many reading challenges for the year, have been reading blogs about books, added to my "To Be Read" list, and went to the library multiple times.  I love wandering the stacks finding interesting books.  Sometimes I have a list, sometimes i just choose an aisle and look at the shelves, and sometimes I let covers catch my eye.  On Friday afternoon, I had the urge to go book shopping.  I don't have much extra money lying around, but I thought I would just go look at the used book stores.  I went to Half Price Books and what did I find?  A whole ton of awesome $1 clearance books.  I love it when I find bargains.  So I went a little crazy.  I bought 13 books and it cost me a total of $20 (two books were a bit more than $1, but they are on my reading challenges list).  I got up to the register and the clerk had a surprised look on her face when I plopped them all down.  But she just rang of my books and then said, "I bet you want a bag today."  Yes, yes I did.  Usually I request no bag if it's just a few books, but 13 was pushing the limit.  Add my ridiculous clumsiness and snow on the ground, and I got a bag.  As I hauled my loot out of the store, I started thinking, which one am I going to read first? Very difficult question... but as it turns out I chose to read a library book instead of my new treasures.  They will have to wait until next week.

Art of Reading

Beautiful paintings of women engaged in reading.  I love the postures, the colors, the facial expressions.  Nothing is better than relaxing in a great setting reading a book.  Somehow I don't think that taking a photo of me reading would  convey the same sense of serenity.  These paintings are much more expressive of how I see the art of reading.  Hope you appreciate these as much as I do!

Highlight of the Week -- School Program

On Wednesday, the boys had their school Christmas program.  Although I picked the program for my highlight of the week, I have mixed feelings about the program itself. The Bad

For whatever reason, the school decided that the Christmas program would be a patriotic tribute to America.  No Christmas songs, no Frosty, no Santa, no nothing.  It was full of every patriotic song I knew and many I didn't know.  We all expected to hear some carols, maybe a song about snow, hopefully an audience sing along.  But what did we get?   This Land is Your Land and the Star-Spangled Banner.  My grandmother decided not to come because of the songs being sung.  She wanted Christmas and so did I.

The Good

Even with the nonChristmas music, all the kids did such a good job.  They were adorable.  There were cowboy kids and stepping kids.  Kids with little speaking parts and kids with cute barbershop choreography.  Although A definitely was a step behind on the choreography. he said he loved dancing and singing.  N look so cute in his barbershop hat taking a bow after his song.  N's class (who I help during the week) looked so finished and sophisticated in their performance.  As a bonus, they all mobbed me when I dropped off and picked up N from the cafeteria.  They had to confirm that I thought they did well.  So adorable!  I love watching little kids perform.

Added fun: The finale unintentionally sung in a round was the hilarity of the night!

Snow Challenges

I live in Indiana.  In Indiana during December and January and February and March and sometimes November (but not this year) it snows.  We have flurries, blizzards, big flakes, small flakes, sleet, ice, powder, wet snow, really every kind of snow imaginable.  It's expected and even wished for by many people (like my boys).  For native Hoosiers (really anyone native to the middle to upper latitudes of the United States) we have had to deal with snow every winter. Yet somehow, people around here forget how to drive when it snows!  How does this happen?  It's like they've never seen snow before and don't know what to do with it.  They lose all driving ability instead choosing to go 5 mph everywhere.  They brake randomly and stop way before the intersection.  They swerve into the next lane without looking but refuse to turn right on red even if it's clear.

I really don't mind driving in the snow.  Over the past 12 years of driving, I have learned to manage it well.  I go slower if there is packed snow or ice.  I try not to tail people.  I test my brakes when leaving the neighborhood to see the state of the roads.  I try to be mindful of other cars.  But I still drive.  I don't go 5 mph unless the road is completely covered in ice.  And if that's the case, I try not to drive anywhere.

It's comical really.  All the people on the roads cannot be new to driving in snow.  And yet that's how they drive.  My advice: be cautious, but please keep driving.  If you can't handle driving in the snow, don't drive anywhere.  Get a friend to drive you or just stay in the house.  It would make everyone's commute that much better if you stay off the roads.  Please...

Purple Power

I love purple!  It's my favorite color of all time.

What is it about colors?  Every one of us has a favorite.  Every one of us as a most hated color.  We gravitate towards certain shades.  Psychologists have looked into the power of colors.  There are studies and Women's Magazine articles about how color affects our attitudes and thought patterns.

As a little girl, I hated pink.  I only wore dresses on Easter and Christmas and am sure hated every minute of it.  I was not and am not a "girly-girl."  I don't like doing my makeup and hair.  I wear dresses and skirts every once in a while, but usually dress in jeans or khakis and a sweater or t-shirt.  I am a low maintenance type of girl.

But I love purple.  I love all shades.  Lavender for spring time. A deep royal purple for the middle of winter.  A bright purple for summer.  A bordering-on-red purple for fall.  I have a closet full of clothes, but what color do I keep buying?  Purple of course.  And I don't even do it consciously.  I just gravitate towards the color. I shy away from reds and pinks in favor of the blue-green side.

I wore a lot of purple clothing.  I love writing in purple pen.  I want to paint my house purple.  My cabin on FrontierVille is purple.  My Mii character is wearing purple.  I choose purple when playing Trivial Pursuit (extra bonus the purple category in the new betting version of Trivial Pursuit is Arts and Literature!).  I would drive a purple car if they made more of them.  I want a pair of purple Chucks for my next pair.  If I have a big wedding with bridesmaids, my colors definitely will include some shade of purple.  I wish I was born in February (I almost was) so I could have amethyst for my birthstone.

So what does all this purple say about me?  I did a simple Google search for color and personality and here's what I found:

• According to Annie Bond at Care2.com "purples are highly individual, fastidious, witty and sensitive, with a  strong desire to be unique and different.  Temperamental, expansive, and artistic, a Purple person may become aloof and sarcastic when misunderstood.  If you chose Purple, you tend to be unconventional, tolerant and dignified, likely to achieve positions of authority."
• According to Kate Smith from Squiddo, "Purple embodies the balance of red simulation and blue calm. This dichotomy can cause unrest or uneasiness unless the undertone is clearly defined at which point the purple takes on the characteristics of its undertone. A sense of mystic and royal qualities, purple is a color often well liked by very creative or eccentric types and is the favorite color of adolescent girls. How the color purple affects us mentally and physically: Uplifting, Calming to mind and nerves, Offers a sense of spirituality, and Encourages creativity."
• According to Emily Gems "Purple is the color of good judgment. It is the color of people seeking spiritual fulfillment. It is said if you surround yourself with purple you will have peace of mind. Purple is a good color to use in meditation. Purple has been used to symbolize magic and mystery, as well as royalty. Being the combination of red and blue, the warmest and coolest colors, purple is believed to be the ideal color. Most children love the color purple. Purple is the color most favored by artists. Thursday's color is purple."

Does this sound like me?  Parts of it are definitely me, but I think some of the rest is like horoscopes--so general that everyone can find something.  Oh well!  I'll still love purple.

Interesting blog about colors: Sensational Color

All About Purple and other colors too.

Back from the Abyss

I've taken a bit more time off than I really intended.  The past week and a half has been a challenge.  I have had to deal with many personal issues (of which I am not going to dwell on here).  I have had a busy week with the boys.  I have had to reconnect with some friends and acquaintances.  I have had to plan for the future and then change the plan at the last minute.  I haven't so much abandoned the blog as I have had to focus on other things.  But finally I think I am back to a routine where I can blog and take some time to write on a daily basis.  Today I have recommitted to my writing and reading.  I am determined to once again start publishing on my blog.  I have decided that those issues over the last week won't go away magically, but I have to be patient.  I am in waiting limbo and while I am there, I may as well occupy my brain with catching up on reading (books, articles, blogs, whatever) and writing (specifically this blog, but others also).  So I will welcome myself back to the blogosphere. Hello everyone!  My name's Tobe and I am a blogger.  Care to join me for my journey: wading through the ocean of life?

...

At the beginning of the week, I had so many ideas for blog posts.  Things were happening.  I had funny stories.  I asked myself interesting questions.  I started reading three books, and finished one in one day... And then...

Everything exploded and the week turned into the week from hell.  All those inspirations are gone.  I don't have the energy or desire to write this week.  So I'm going to take a few days, try to recharge.  And hopefully those inspirations will come back.  Hopefully...

My Second Home

I have a second home (some days it feels like my real home).  I have a place I love to go and sit and read and talk and work and listen.  I have a place that doesn't judge me (we take that shit to starbuck's).  I have a place where the coffee's always hot and the pastries are always ready to eat.  I have a place where good friends come to chat and new friends are met.  I have a home filled with colors and patterns, art on the walls.  I have a place... And that place is my local coffeehouse -- Firefly Coffee House.  It's been here since 1999 and I have been coming off and on since 1999.  I came in high school.  Even when I went away to college, I would come on breaks.  Once I moved back, I came when I could get away.  Now that I'm employed part time, I spend many days here.  I bring things to work on.  I blog, I type, I search, I talk, and sometimes I just watch a movie or a TV show from Netflix.  I do whatever the day offers until it's time to go get the boys from school.  It's a place that's comfortable.  It's filled with wonderful characters.  It's inhabited by interesting employees.  I love it here.

When I've been away (like over the Thanksgiving break), I feel myself yearning to get back.  Back to the front table with computer out and ready, coffee cup on one side, plate of food on the other side, and friends across from me.  The bf always tells me he gets more work done at home, but I get way more done here.  I get on a roll, blogging, organizing, writing, etc.  I start working and before I know it, it's past lunch time and just about time to get the boys.  But that's okay. I haven't wasted a day, I spent a very enjoyable day at my second home.  And that's a great day, any day.

Highlight of the Week -- Holiday Recap

What a crazy couple of days... We did a lot, but didn't do a lot.  We we busy, but not that busy.   We had some great moments and some not so great moments.  It was a typical holiday week for us.  For this week's "Highlight of the Week" I've decided to do a huge recap of the holiday activities.

Wednesday

Our city has a huge tradition on the night before Thanksgiving.  The Santa and his reindeer display, Christmas tree, Christmas wreath, and other lights are lit with much fanfare and local celebrities.  Starting two years ago, my mother and stepdad started taking the boys down for the ceremony.  This year all of us were going to go.  We had a plan to go to Coney Island (right next to the Santa display) before the lighting and then walk around downtown partaking of the free hot chocolate and cookies before heading back to the block for the actual lighting.  Sounds great!

And then reality hit... we live in Indiana and guess what happens in Indiana in November...  It does one of three things: 1) drops 30 degrees the day of, 2) experiences a blizzard, 3) rains.  Well this year, we experienced two of the three happenings.  Tuesday the temperature was around 50 degrees, Wednesday the temperature was 34 degrees.  And it rained, all day and all night.

We made it to Coney Island fairly early.  We ate and then had around an hour and a half to walk around and enjoy the sights.  But it was freezing and raining.  So, we decided to get back into the car and drive around until the time was right.  We popped by the skating rink to watch for a little while.  N decided that he wants to learn how to ice skate, preferably this Wednesday.  We will go, but now need to find time.  We wasted enough time, and it was time to get back downtown.

The speeches and singing took forever, but finally the switches were flipped and Santa was lit.  Since we had been standing in the rain for over an hour by this time, we made the executive decision to go home.  We saw the lights, we enjoyed the festivities, but it was time to get warm and dry.

Thursday

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at home.  Thirty family members crammed into one house with ridiculous amounts of food and football.  Typical holiday.

Friday

We made it to the bf's parents for Thanksgiving.  Had a nice lazy morning before heading over at 4 for dinner.  Had a nice Thanksgiving dinner.  The boys behaved themselves, played with the dogs and some cars.  Nice fairly lazy day.

Saturday

Mom and the step dad took the boys to Science Central to see the train exhibit.  They had a barrel of fun.  It was all they could do to stop talking about the trains.  The parents had a dinner to go to so we were on our for dinner.  The bf and I decided that sushi sounded amazing.  Now to get the boys to like sushi.  They had teryaki chicken.  Took a long time for N to try it, but then he proceeded to eat all the mushrooms.  I enjoyed the dinner.

Later I went to see a favorite band with the bff.  We had  great time and enjoyed some ridiculous music  The usual.  Good night.

Sunday

Did nothing and loved it!

Highlight

Watching N do his crazy robot dance in the pouring rain waiting for Santa to be lit.  It was priceless!  Really wish I had had my camera, but since it was raining, the camera was back in the car.  Nonetheless, the dance was awesome!  Made my week.