Tomorrow morning, at six am, my little family will be attempting to fly to California from North Dakota by way of Hawaii.
Ya, you read that correctly. We will be hopping a plane to Hickam AFB, HA and when we arrive we are PRAYING that there is a flight to Travis AFB, CA sometime very, very soon. Now, it is likely. After all, Travis is considered the Gateway To The Pacific! One would assume that the gate swings both ways, right? RIGHT???
I sure hope so. We looked into tickets for trains, planes and automobiles. Veeeeeery expensive. Since we blew the wad and then some on the way to North Dakota, we are doing it the crazy way. There is no guarantee. But just once, don’t you think the crazy way has to pay off? I mean, ideally, we land in Hawaii and they say there is a flight to Travis in a matter of hours, preferably after just enough time to visit the beach IN OUR SWEATERS since tropical paradise was never part of the plan when I was packing for snow and ice.
Worst case scenario: We pay a lot of money for plane tickets back to the states. Or, Chris goes AWOL and we live in a little grass shack and sing Aloha Oe ‘til the end of our days which will probably be quite soon considering that we have no money for food and no medical insurance.
I’m a bit edgy.
Posted by Lou on November 29, 2005 @ 5:11 pm | 9 Comments
Filed in: Me
All night long the wind beat against the windows and drove bits of ice and freezing rain into the ground, over the vehicles parked outside, and left the branches of naked winter trees dressed in sparkling evening gowns of ice that looked almost soft, like reindeer antlers.
School was canceled, and in the calm after the ice storm when the streets were still skating rinks and the wind viciously tossed shards of ice around like tiny daggers, I made a quick trip to the store to stock up on milk, Oreos, chips and movies- essentials. The way the wind was beginning to spin and the frozen branches were snapping we figured this was the best opportunity to run any last minute errands.
We were, from experience, correct. There is now a dangerous blizzard raging outside, with wind that snaps like a wet towel. The flakes are frenzied, driven by wild-eyed Old Man Winter, whom I imagine reigns from above all this with his whip, enticing the flakes with a voice roaring, “Tanze! Tanze!” (My Old Man Winter is very German, not a Nazi, but a grizzled ancient version of St. Nicholas crossed with Father Time, majestic and grey, fearsome, but gentle. Wizened enough to understand the necessity of His winter, but gentle enough to provide lush evergreen boughs for the sparrows. I suppose my version of Old Man Winter is much like my vision of God.)
My mother came home early from work as many local businesses closed down. This is no ordinary winter storm. North Dakota, Fargo, especially, is not known for closing schools and businesses at the drop of a hat. This isn’t like Texas where a few flakes are cause for a state holiday. It takes true natural danger to shut down the people of the North. And this is, truly a beautiful storm. I haven’t seen the likes since 1997.
There is something great about being trapped in your own home (provided the electricity holds so you have heat). Not enough people in the USA have the opportunity to simply stop life for a few hours. I think Nature is meant to shut us down to force us into periods of rest that we need. In California no one ever stops. Life just keeps going, people just keep working; the slowest people move is when they are stuck in traffic and there is no peace to be had. In many ways I wish I were at home in California with this going on. I enjoy the opportunity to clean out my closets, play a few board games, and snuggle with my family with no guilt from piddly things I ought to be accomplishing. The beauty of a blizzard is that no one in his or her right mind is out being productive. Productivity is stupid in the face of a blizzard! It’s all about hunkering down at home and simply being.
I am home at last.
Posted by Lou on November 28, 2005 @ 11:35 pm | 2 Comments
This season is such a tradition driven time, and it’s wonderful, isn’t it? Tradition provides so much security and comfort. As Tevye so wisely said, “Because of our traditions everyone in Anetevke knows who he is and what God expects him to do.” I think that living in a world so full of change, and human beings’ emotional ineptitude with adaptation causes us to crave tradition. We need these tiny slices of consistency because we need to feel grounded and secure. It may seem stupid that a piece of the right kind of pie on Thanksgiving or unwrapping pajamas on Christmas Eve makes us feel safe, but we are simple creatures and sometimes we need simple assurances that life goes on and that we are a part of a never ending circle, bound by tradition, something that, to us, in our limited scope, will not fail us.
In reality, traditions do fail, people change, ideals change, entire religions and nations change- but somehow, in the moment that we are here, those little rituals mean so much. Because my little family is so young, most of our traditions are borrowed from past generations. Chris and I are slowly picking and choosing what rituals will speak Christmas to us.
Growing up, we had several traditions, some born by accident and some passed down from grandparents. Some were unique to our family, and some were pretty typical. I think most families have a certain way of opening the Christmas gifts. Ours was interesting, not so much in the how aspect of things, but in the when. Now, from what I hear, most people open gifts on Christmas or Christmas Eve. We tended to travel to grandparents homes on the holidays and we had a small car. There was barely enough room for our family of five and the few gifts we packed for others, let alone for our own gifts, so we opened things early.
It started out innocently enough. We were going to Gramma’s a few days prior to Christmas so we opened the gifts right before we left. Once we found out that one didn’t have to wait until Christmas, the presents spent less and less time wrapped. Now, I really think that, despite my younger siblings pleading, things would have stayed wrapped had it not been for my Dad. If one of us kids wanted to open a present, we knew Dad was most likely to give in. In every other aspect of life, we knew to ask Mom, but when it came to Christmas presents, Dad was just a big push over. He liked seeing us kids get so excited, and we were going to open them early anyway, so why not open them three weeks early? Why not open them before all of the gifts had even been purchased? Sometimes you’ve just got to live a little!
The process always happened in the same way. My little sister Jan would ask dad if we could open just one. Just one little gift, that’s all, then she’d be happy and she could wait for Christmas for the rest. Of course, if she got to open one gift then it would stand to reason that we all needed to open a gift, to be fair and to keep things even for the Christmas morning unwrapping we all knew was never going to happen. As soon as we had all opened one gift, Dad would get a boyish gleam in his eye and the next thing we knew the only thing left under the tree was the skirt!
Now, this tradition isn’t one that we are practicing in our family, as it was unique to my family’s circumstances. But it did form bonds between us and made our family stronger.
One thing that we are doing is opening pajamas on Christmas Eve. This is a tradition form Chris’ side. Another tradition that we are starting all on our own is to read a children’s book about Christmas each day until Christmas Eve, when we read the Bible story of the Savior’s birth. So far, we can only read for about a week prior to Christmas, although I hope to someday have enough holiday themed books to read for all twenty-three days. Another tradition I grew up with is driving around town to look at Christmas lights. I hate this tradition because I get carsick and suffer from light induced migraines. It’s not one I’m eager to carry on.
It has been interesting for Chris and I to adjust to the blend of traditions. He is still amazed at how camera happy my side is (his family gives each other camera as gifts and then you never see a photo; I think it’s bizarre. In my family you see photos of everyone else taking photos. Equally bizarre.) I adjusted quickly to clam dip as a holiday appetizer, but his family’s line up according to age and then walk into the living room to see what Santa left is still kind of odd for me, fun, but odd. Chris gets my passion for lefse, but doesn’t understand why I’m so appalled that the TV is on instead of everyone chatting and playing games. The good thing is, we both enjoy this adjustment. It can be fun to suddenly experience a whole new set of traditions. Now if we could just marry someone who actually sang carols around the piano, I’d be stoked. Right now I’m just biding my time until Jonas and Maggie are taking piano lessons; after that, let the new traditions begin!
Posted by Lou on November 25, 2005 @ 9:10 pm | 4 Comments
You’re unique, your cards should be too! I’ve taken a small break from the scrapbooking stuff and made a few sets of cards for anyone who is interested! They come in sets of eight, all in the same design, $16.50 per set. Envelopes not included. Leave a comment or e-mail me if you are interested! When they’re gone, they’re gone!
Posted by Lou on November 23, 2005 @ 4:15 pm | 12 Comments
I was tagged by Kathy, so here goes!
2 names you go by
Lou & Leah
2 parts of your heritage
Norwegian & German
2 things that scare you
My children dying & being locked up in a psych ward
2 of your everyday essentials
Creativity & Sleep
2 things you are wearing right now
jean jacket and clogs
2 of your favourite bands or musical artists (at the moment)
Natalie Merchant & Patrick Doyle
2 favourite songs (at the moment)
My Father’s Favorite (Patrick Doyle) & Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Bing Crosby/Doris Day)
2 things you want in a relationship (other then real love)
Trust & Humor
2 truths
I am ready to go home and be done with our vacation & I would love to take my own vacation away from everyone else for a week.
2 physical things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex)
intelligence & a nice tush
2 of your favourite hobbies (apart from Scrapbooking)
watching old movies & photography
2 things you want really badly
Money. & Understanding. I would like to understand people and the world we live in at a higher level.
2 places you want to go on vacation
the UK and Norway
2 things you want to do before you die
have a big, big bathtub in my house & experience the feeling of being well rested
2 ways that you are stereotypically a dude/chick
I have a particular brand of make that I use (Clinique) & I like diamonds
2 things that you are thinking about now
How are we getting home & I wonder how much my ebay stuff will go for.
2 stores you shop at
Target & Gymboree
Now, I tag Misty
Posted by Lou on @ 1:19 am | 1 Comment
So, I am home. Well, kind of. My parents moved into a new house about two years ago. I have never technically called this place home. I love this new house though, and have no problem with all of the bathrooms (the old house had one) and the fact that there is a guest bedroom for me to sleep in (at the old house, the minute I moved out my mom converted my bedroom into an art room- I totally approved, except when I came back with a husband and kids and no place to sleep). The only things that get me about the new house are all the light switches everywhere! I try to turn on a light and I spend five minutes flipping switches and turning knobs making the house blink like a giant Christmas light before I manage to connect the right current! Maybe I’ll have it figured out by the time I go home.
I am always a little insecure when I make a trip to Fargo. I want very much to appear as though I have everything under control and that everything about my little life is perfect. Now, in reality, I’m bumbling along just like most of the other idiots in this world, doing my best and hoping for karma to balance out my feeble efforts. But when returning home, I would much rather have old acquaintances see me and mourn the fact that they didn’t make out with me when they had the chance, rather than look me over and notice that motherhood has not been good to my thighs. Funny how I get like this, isn’t it?
Insecurities aside, I do enjoy visiting people and seeing how their lives are changing. It’s been wonderful chatting with former teachers, showing off my children, and catching up with old friends from church. I always feel like a big goober hunting down these people from my past. I have to wonder if they every wonder about me they way I wonder about them, or if they even care to see me. I wondered especially on this trip, where it had been three years since my last visit. Some people would just move on. I suppose this is why I am well suited to Air Force life; the old adage “make new friends but keep the old” really comes into play in the life I lead. I like knowing that I have so many people who I am fond of in so many places. It makes the world seem homier. I was not disappointed in my visiting. People are still wonderful.
Posted by Lou on November 21, 2005 @ 6:27 pm | 1 Comment
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