Walking With Nora

A bit o’ housekeeping as we approach the new year:  Please update your Google Readers to walkingwithnora.com so you can make sure to get the latest posts from me! My Twitter account has also been updated to WalkingwithNora.  I’ll be updating my banner shortly. Thanks for your continued support over the last two years and look for a Blogoversary Giveaway coming up next week! It’s been two years since I’ve been here so I think a giveaway is in order.

Hugs and blog love always,
Nora

(Before I go any further, please take a moment to read Brandy’s post and request for positive thoughts and prayers posted at over at Nilsa’s blog. )

The past weekend was four days of love, relaxation, laughter, family, sharing presents and memories. It was four days of hope, of hugs, of reading next to a fire and snuggling up with Jack at bed time. It was braving the bitterly cold winds to have a few moments to myself while I walked Jack, letting my mind go blank and enjoying the Christmas lights, the season, the reason and my many blessings.

The past weekend involved more food than anyone should consume (risotto, beef en croute, baked macaroni and cheese, fudge, chocolate covered pretzels, cheese plates, wine, wine and more wine, breakfast casseroles and more).

It involved furthering Christmas traditions like wrapping presents with my dad, making a gingerbread house with my brother, and general merriment in the kitchen.

We stayed up late and ignored alarm clocks.
We played with our Christmas presents, started our new books and expanded our musical horizons thanks to my brother.
We called family and friends to spread the love and to hope for an all-family Christmas next year.
We sang. We danced. We laughed. We loved. We Christmased.

Christmas Countdown: Two Days.

I haven’t wrapped a single present.
I haven’t written the cards for my family yet.
The only thing I have figured out is what dinner and breakfast contributions I’m making to the family over the next few days and what outfit I’ll wear on Christmas Day. (I know, silly to plan such things but you’d plan too if Darling was your mom and snaps photos as soon as you walk down the stairs!)
We have rain instead of snow, though I’m holding out for a White Christmas.
Despite the unpreparedness on my behalf, I’m giddy with the Christmas spirit today.

Packages have poured in the door from friends and family all over the country.
There are plans to meet new friends and old alike over my break as well as som much needed Nora-time.
My family has ben caught whispering to one another the last few days about last minute presents and secret surprises.
We are ready to bask in the joy, spirt and love that has been bestowed upon us this holiday season.

In honor of one of my favorite Christmas tales and movies, here’s a unique spin on the Ghost of Christmas Present from A Muppet Christmas Carol, “It Feels like Christmas,”:

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my dear bloglies (a word I accidentally used the other day and rather like. Lovely Bloggy friend is what I tried to say but this came out. ) I’ll be back next week with “The Weekend” Feature and more!

I still can’t quite grasp that Christmas is in three days. Three. Days.

Since my family bounced around a fair amount when I was growing up the four of us have been extremely close so it’s no surprise that we’ve established a fair amount of traditions over the years. Here are a few of my favorite:

* Every Christmas Eve my brother and I put together a gingerbread house. I can’t say that we are so awesome that we make and bake the house ourselves but we have a great time decorating and laughing, getting our fingers all sticky and we consider it a great success if the roof stays on. Sadly ours will not look like this:

Source

* My dad, though I love him dearly, is one of the worst wrappers in the history of wrapping presents. Each Christmas Eve we hole up in my room or the “wrap station,” room for a few hours with a Christmas movie or two as the background, bond, and wrap. We take our time to put cute little notes on the To/From Tags, add some ribbon and bows and just enjoy the day. Perhaps this year I’ll dress up, a little something like this:

Source

* Being that my family is highly influenced with Italian genes, we love to eat. We spare nothing on Christmas Eve when it comes to dinner. Honey ham or Roast Beef. Baked macaroni and cheese (Italian style), side dishes, wine, pretty centerpieces and of course, family fun. We have a mix of eaters in our house (vegetarians, allergy-ridden and etc) so we make sure to accommodate everyone.

* I grew up in a very literary and music-centric household. For as long as I can remember we have read “A Christmas Carol,” by Charles Dickens in December, usually finishing it on Christmas Eve. This tradition has fallen off the wagon a bit as we haven’t all been under the same roof for the last few years but it’s a tradition I hope to carry on when I have a family some day…

* One Present. Every Christmas Eve before we go to bed we are allowed to open one present, handpicked by our parents. To this day my family still doesn’t put all the presents under the tree until my brother and I are sleeping. It keeps the Christmas Magic & Spirit alive and also keeps us from guessing what presents we may be receiving.

* A Christmas Story. It wouldn’t be Christmas without “A Christmas Story.” Thanks to TBS’ 24-hour marathon we can be sure to catch it at least once. (And if we miss it we have the DVD as well.) It tends to be the background noise throughout the day. I kind of love it.

Of course our Christmases wouldn’t be what they are without the love, affection, blessings and laughter that is ever-present over the holidays.

What traditions or events are you looking forward to?

There are some work weeks that leave me incredibly beat-up and exahusted meaning my weekends are a whole lot of, well, spontaneous events, hugging my pillow and sorting things out.

This weekend I realized that I’m not quite as healed from the heartbreak as I thought. The realization came about when I couldn’t face a holiday party that was full of couples. And again when a co-worker texted me on Saturday night to tell me she had a friend she wanted me to meet. And on Sunday at the Rams game when a guy proposed to his girlfriend and I nearly lost it. Not to mention all the little things triggering memories of the duo I once was causing my heart and soul to ache in a way I never thought possible. Love dies hard.

This weekend I spent the bulk of my time trying to bury those feeling that resurfaced with a vengeance by hitting the gym, taking Jack for obscenely long walks in the 20 degree weather, standing in line at USPS with Darling and braving the mall crowds (turns out there wasn’t such a crowd after all), starting a Christmas puzzle, buying more presents for friends and family,  possibly indulging in a sweater or two for myself, rocking out to Christmas music, napping, finishing one book (Up in the Air by Walter Kirn —  don’t bother reading it) and starting another (Dear John by Nicholas Sparks) and working on a health plan to improve my energy (I recently found out I’m anemic which has been sucking the lifeforce right out of me).

This weekend I spent Friday night in the gym, Saturday eve with two of my favorite girls under the age of 10 watching Night at the Museum II and giggling as I put them to bed with them loudly proclaiming that there are only SIX! DAYS! Until Christmas!!

This weekend my brother and I attempted to watch the Rams beat the Texans but failed… as per the expectations. We stood and clapped for a Sailor who had been deployed six times and is finally home for good. There may have been tears in both our eyes. We discussed his college experience so far, random acts of kindness, the dating scene as a young 20-something, presents and shared a lot of laughs and brother-sister moments.

This weekend I realized it’s okay to be ME, no matter what that means: hurting, healing, smiling, shining, pushing forward, remembering, crying, growing, exploring. I’ve been so focused on being healed and the usual strong, independent Nora that I know myself to be (and, well, still am) that is free of heartbreak and longing, tears and pain that I haven’t actually dealt with the loss of my duo. I’ve repressed, buried and forced myself out of the healing phase which has naturally come back to bite me in the butt. I won’t be all gloom and doom but if something affects me, I’m going to face it head on, sort it out  instead of pushing it back to the corners of my mind. I’ve finally liberated myself to be free to feel.

As I mentioned yesterday, Saturday was one of my favorite holiday kick-off events of the season: wreathmaking.

This is a continuing/adult education through our local Botanical Gardens and generally sells out in August. Yes, it’s that popular. Women who attend bring in huge bags or boxes of ribbon, ornaments and other accoutriments to decorate their wreaths beyond the ribbon, pine cones, holly and blue spruce that is provided to us. Some women wear the “traditional” ugly Christmas sweater or sweatshirt, or bedeck themselves in holiday colors. We decided to join in the fun with holiday garland. I present to you Exhibit A:

We even let our feet join in on the fun this year (Darling on left; me on right):

Christmas music plays in the background while we work like little elves at the North Pole while the two instructors peruse our work, offering suggestions or “oohing,” and “aahing,” over our progress. Exhibit B, messy workstation:

Each year I wind up redoing my entire wreath a minimum of three times which really is quite a pain once you have wound the wire the required six or seven times around one bundle of ten branches. And once I’m done I go back through and trim excess  sprigs that are sticking out and ruining the lovely wreath shape.

(The process, in case you care is attach wire to the wreath frame. Cut branches about 10 inches in length. Symmetry is rather important in this instance. Bundle approximately ten branches together. Five inches from the end [to your right, if you are right-handed], start wrapping the wire tightly around the branches and the wreath frame. Repeat until you have gone all the way around the wreath frame. Tie off the wire, again onto the wreath frame and proceed to decorate as you wish. It’s really not hard but symmetry, tight wire-wrapping and paying attention to the length of the branches is really important to having a lovely wreath.)

I tend to be minimalistic when it comes to my wreath decorations: one boy, a sprig or two of holy and a bit of the blue spruce. Others prefer pine cones, ornaments, large ribbons, glitter decor and more.

After two hours of demo and work, laughs and giggles, sap-laden hands, and polite chat with your classmates and instructor, you’ll come out with an almost Christmas card like photo (well, if my brother had been there it would have been perfect):

So who’s coming with me to the class next year? What’s your favorite holiday tradition or DIY holiday decoration?

(I’m toying with making this a semi-permanent feature on my blog. If you want to see a few other similar entries you can go here and here. )

There are some weekends that begin at 5pm on a Friday, chock full of plans and yet you have no idea what to expect. This was one of those weekends.

It was a weekend that involved showing up only 30 minutes before the spa closed but convincing them to give you and your friend pedicures over which you discussed work, online dating, Christmas, trips to Mexico and the Sookie Stackhouse books. The conversation was furthered over a yumalicious dinner at Chevy’s and laughing about memories long past.

It was a weekend that came with an early-rise on Saturday morning so we (myself, Darling, Dad) could attend the Wreath-Making class that has become a holiday tradition for three years and counting. We wore Chri-Cheesy garland in our hair, sap on our hands, and Christmas songs on our lips as we made our own holiday wreaths. (You can view my wreath here. More on the class coming soon.) It was a weekend that found me getting hit on (flattering) with a bad pick-up line (“I wanted to smell the pine,”) and teaching me that I’m so not ready to be approached/flirted with/even think about flirting. It was a weekend that a Christmas ornament spoke to me: a heart, made out of recycled materials. Dad bought it for me.

It was a weekend full of delicious fried chicken from a local StL restaurant that has become part of the wreath-making tradition. Of strangers asking us if we are in a club as we failed to remove the Chri-Cheesy garland from our hair. Of running into people from our past.

It was a weekend of baking S’More brownies, trolling the Target aisles for my favorite things gift bag for the party hosted by the always lovely Jen where I got to hang out with Liz and making new friends. Of deer dashing out into the road in front of me. Of sharing past dating stories with a captive audience of married women; I dare say I felt a bit like Carrie Bradshaw, just for a moment, while telling those stories.

It was a weekend of intense rain and thunderstorms spent by a fire, of naps in the afternoon, of delicious leftovers and family moments. It was a weekend of sharing text messages with my cousins Gummie and Van that made me laugh, smile and wish with all my heart that we lived closer to one another.

It was a weekend of getting 95% of my Christmas shopping done without any major run-ins with crowds, looking at Christmas lights (even the unexpected ones), eating more Mexican food (I can’t get enough), and prolonging the weekend as long as possible by watching a Muppet Christmas Carol, writing more holiday cards, and looking through old photo albums of Christmases past, missing loved ones no longer with us and looking forward to making new memories.

It was a weekend of surprising myself with my own strength. Of being caught off guard when tears pricked my eyes for no apparent reason. Of loving the things I received in my “favorite things,” basket. Of not thinking about work, not even once. Of being surrounded by love, family and friends. Of wearing slouchy boots for the first time and loving them. Of being me, perhaps for the first time in awhile.

In the last week I was awarded this fun award from two fabulous, fierce girls and because it’s Friday and I’m oh-so-glad to see it here’s the deal:

I’m supposed to list 10 things that make me happy and try to do/experience at least one of them today, which really shouldn’t be too incredibly hard, right!?

1. Rocking out to Christmas music on my way to work. Yes, I am that girl who turns the music up as high as it can go and shouts at the top of her lungs. I’m currently rocking out to A Very Special Christmas 2 which is incredibly old. So old we used to have it on cassette tape. Remember those?

2. Pseudo-fingerless gloves to get me through winter. I detest having to fumble around in my gloves if I need to answer the phone or grip things tightly. These allow for the thumb and index finger to be “fingerless,” if need be while keeping the other fingers toasty and warm. (Mine are in black.)

3. Sending cards. Not just at Christmas, for birthdays and other special occasions, but just because. I’ve stocked up on some great cards with wild art and can’t wait to send them out. I still have a few more Christmas cards to send out and it makes me so happy to send cards. No idea why, just does.

4. Attempting to make a difference. In the last six months I’ve ramped up my donation/volunteer efforts donating everything from used books, pencils for school children, shoes all for various drives as well as money and time more to give back to my community and hopefully make someone’s day brighter. While it’s not as much as I’d like to do, it’s a place to start.

5. This is totally dorky but playing my Crossword game on my Nintendo DS.

6. Coming home at the end of a long day. Mundane, maybe but so true. The warmth of the house, the dogs greeting me at the door, the promise of time to myself with family or friends, it literally warms my heart.

7. Blogging. This whole entire experience keeps getting better and better. I can’t fathom my life without it.

8. Running. It’s my release. My “me,” time. I can collect my thoughts, think freely and resolve some of those pesky life problems that affect so many of us when I’m running. It’s definitely an addiction.

9. Baking. I love that when I’m cooking or baking I have to focus on the recipe, the mix, the output and nothing more. It’s therapeutic in ways I never thought possible.

10. Hugs. Doctors recommend touching someone you know and love at least once a day. The physical contact is important for the brain and the soul, they say. I’ve always been a big fan of hugging and have no qualms about hugging my family members, close friends and even my dog, Jack.

What’s making you happy today (besides the fact that it’s Friday!?)

If you know me well, it’s no secret that I have a general disdain for New Year’s Eve. Perhaps it all started in 1999 when I hosted a Y2K Party and my HSB (high school boyfriend) refused to kiss me because there were people around.

Since then I’ve spent New Year’s Eve at a loud, raucous parties alone while my then boyfriend was at a farm party by his choice (we broke up the next day); finding out that a  different boyfriend was cheating on me when I caught him on the phone with her (in Chicago no less, far away from home and comfort; he broke up with me the next day); in a wedding watching my friend get married and getting hit on by every single guy in the room and occasionally at a decent party where I didn’t want to go home before midnight.

NYE: 6
Nora : 2

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when I shy away from getting excited about making plans on New Years. I try to find something safe and predictable as a general rule but it’s time for me to reclaim NYE. I have a score to settle, after all.

Places I’ve considered: LA (too expensive to get there this time of year); southern MO (I know, it doesn’t sound compelling but my BFF and her hubs are there, but this year in ChiTown); Florida and upstate New York.

What’s likely: ChiTown, StL or maybe upstate New York since I rarely get to see my family, or any place you suggest (I’m open!)

What’s gonna happen: I’m conquering my fear of NYE and all the dread it tends to bring me. New Year, New Nora!

What’s your best/worst NYE memory?

Most of us spend 40+ hours a week at our office and with our co-workers so at some point a few things are bound to grate on our every last nerve, right?

* Is there really a need to send an email and then come up to my desk within two seconds of sending it to ask me if I got it? It’s all very TPS Reports & Lumberg-esque.

* If you feel the need to have a conversation via speakerphone please close your door. I can’t tell you how many phone conversations I’ve heard in stereo because both parties have used spearkphone. I don’t need to hear about the special family fried chicken recipe your wife is using on dinner.

* Put your cell phones on vibrate or silent pretty please! Loud ringtones are disruptive to our clients and our work not to mention your cell phone ring is just a *tad* embarassing for a grown man to use.

* If you are sent an email by the HR Director and subsequently of the President asking you to close your doors when using speakerphone especially interoffice calls and asking you to put your cell phones on silent/vibrate, please do it. We aren’t asking to be rude, we are asking because it’s an issue affecting everyone in the darn office.

* If you spill something in the microwave, clean it up. We’re adults, not two-year olds.

* Don’t ask on a Monday if we have a “case of the Mondays.” Just assume we do and move on.

* Please don’t steal my stapler while I’m on vacation! I’m now going to bedazzle mine in pink sparkly sequins just to keep you from taking it. (Seriously, someone took my stapler while I was on vacation and didn’t return it. I know it’s not the end of the world but someone fishing around in my desk is kind of bothersome.)

Any pet peeves you’d like to get off your chest today?