Finding the reason...

Man, how did December manage to sneak up so quickly this year? Maybe it was the mild fall we had, but I feel utterly unprepared for Christmas to be just around the corner.
Brian has been sick for almost a month, the weather has turned to ludicrous cold and I’ve been slogging through a feeling of extended writer’s block, or, more accurately, writer’s blah. Suffice to say, I’m not feeling it.

In an effort to jump start my Holiday spirit…I bought a tree on Thursday. At Costco. I see you, don’t go rolling your eyes at me, so I bought a fake tree. I can’t help it if I’m allergic to pine trees. Really I am, all those needles on the floor make me itch!

For all my complaining, my bah humbug is slowly turning around…the boys LOVE Christmas, especially Ben. Ben is all about the magic. He wants hot cocoa and Christmas Carols. He wants lights, decorations and advent wreaths. He wants to color a star every night to give a present to Baby Jesus…a sky filled of all the times he thought about him.

Any crankiness I've been feeling, stressing about my to do list is melting fast…now, where are those pine scented candles?

Ho Ho Ho- here’s wishing all of you peace joy and contentment as we prepare for the real reason of the season.
Peace-
sandy

Winter Insulation

So, guess where we got to go for Thanksgiving? I know, we are travel junkies. So sue us, we missed Brian’s family. We hopped on a couple of flights and voila, Wilbraham, MA.

The boys and I got to catch up with some old neighborhood friends. Barbara, bless her soul, even took me to a two hour yoga class. It was just the thing to uncoil my back after a long travel day. It felt a little strange to go stomping around the old homestead. Brian and I went for a walk past our old house. It looked faded and sad. I had the song Yellow Taxi in my head as we passed.…Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone….And I waxed nostalgic for a bit. Then I remembered that house only had one bathroom upstairs. One bathroom for the five of us. Funny, I don’t miss it at all anymore!

We packed as much as we could into the 6 days we had there. We made an overnight trip into Boston, where we spent time with very dear friends and their children. We took the boys to the Boston Aquarium, strolled along Quincy Market and had lunch at Durgan Park. The food was just so so, (the entire menu was either boiled or fried) but the boys loved the idea that whalers used to sail into port and sit at the same tables to eat.

For Thanksgiving, Brian’s sister and her husband hosted thirty people for a sit down dinner. You read that right, thirty people. They rented a heated tent and put it up in the back yard. Kim and Steve are amazing; there were twinkle lights, table clothes and beautiful centerpieces. Everyone pitched in and brought their specialty to the feast. (Brian and I brought wine, what does that say about us?) It was one of the most beautiful meals I’ve ever had the privilege of attending.

The week flew by in a flurry of wonderful conversations and entirely too much food. All the cousins got along beautifully. We left with more then just full tummies; we left with some really magnificent memories.
The whole week served as a not so subtle reminder of how blessed we are with family and friends who love us.

To all of you who take the time to check in and catch up, I’m grateful for your presence in my life.
Thank You-
Sandy

Mary's Fat Camp

LOOK, THERE’S A CHICKEN!

Inside joke, you had to be there to chuckle at that one.

Be where, you ask? Lucky duck that I am, I got to tag along with my sister Mary and her daughter, Kendra on an impromptu road trip to Colorado. The three of us hit the road at 5:30 last Monday morning. It’s amazing how quickly 14+ hours can fly by when you have three chatty women in a black jetta. It was a short trip, leaving Monday, returning to Minnesota Friday night. Since two of the five days were spent in the afore mentioned vehicle, we intended to made the most of the three days we had to play in the mountains.

Day one: Still a little beat from the drive, we slept in and lounged around in our PJ’s. When we were sufficiently rejuvenated with fresh brewed coffee, we headed out for an “easy” two hour hike. The effects of the altitude surprised me. It was an effort to drag air into my lungs. Despite the gasping and wheezing as we slowly ascended the trail. I was able to appreciate the 360 degree views of the mountain ranges encircling us. We were all giddy and silly and extremely happy to be out of the car.

Day two: Mary, otherwise known as tour guide extraordinaire…beloved Mary of Mary’s fat camp picked another scenic hike for us. This one was a paltry 6 hours. The path wound through a pine forest, crossed over a gurgling mountain stream sprinkled with ice, and opened into a meadow that would make Bambi jealous. The last quarter mile of the trail was straight up. Switch backs made it possible for us to scale the side of the mountain. Huddled in trees to break the wind, we hunkered in to take a breather and eat our picnic lunch. The sky was an amazing hue of blue, providing a dazzling back drop for the fields and peaks that spilled out before us. It felt like the Mother Nature was showing off just for our benefit.
We spent the evening at a local bar watching the presidential debate on mute, (I guess they were afraid of a political brawl breaking out!?!) chatting with some locals, swilling martinis and enjoying a delicious black bean soup.

Day three: Today was our “easy” day. Our hike this morning was only 1 ½ hours and as flat as you can expect for a hike in Summit County. We walked past Rainbow Lake where Kendra and her husband were engaged. The surface of the lake was glass and perfectly reflected the mountains and sky surrounding it. We came back home, switched into padded pants, mounted up and rode into Breckenridge where we snarked around the local stores for a while. Mindful of the Story of Stuff…we didn’t buy anything. Our last night was spent eating take out Chinese, drinking wine and watching Grey’s Anatomy. Darn near perfect three days if you ask me.

I got home at 9:30 Friday night to a dinner party in full swing. Brian decided to go ahead with it, knowing I’d be late and he would have to do all the cleaning and cooking by himself. It was bizarre to walk in off the road to 7 people drinking and eating appetizers in my living room. Brian had a gourmet dinner simmering on the stove. Have I mentioned how much I love my husband?

It was a magnificent trip. I truly enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with my sister and my niece, both amazing women. Each day in the mountains made me think of a quote a woman in my writing class gave me…

“Earth’s crammed with Heaven and every common bush afire with God. But only he who sees takes off his shoes” Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Here’s to taking off our shoes, feeling the grass between our toes and generally basking in the glory that surrounds us. Wait, was that a chicken?

Peace-
Sandy

Stage Seven...all good things must come to an end

When the time came for Stage Seven: The Voyage home (it sounds like a Star Trek movie, doesn't it? Hey once a trekkie, always a trekkie) I think we all were feeling a little torn. We had fallen into the rhythm of vacation and were really enjoying ourselves, but we were also ready to come home and jump into the rest of summer.Which we did...so far it's been a great summer. Lots of baseball, time at the pool and memories of what I hope is the first of many historic Barry family vacations.That's it for now, my big honking nutshell of a summer, I hope this finds all of you happy and warms with your toes in the water.peace-sandy

Stage Six...Breckenridge will never be the same...

Stage Six: We rented a condo on the mountain in Breckenridge, again with Cindy and Trey. This was probably the most normal and typical part of the vacation. We soaked up all we could of the ski town in summer atmosphere. We did day trips to Vail and Copper Mountain. We also biked, hiked and went to the 4th of July parade on Main Street. We saw what we could of the Janssen Clan before they left and enjoyed the time we had alone.

Stage Five...wedding bells

Stage Five: The five of us pack up very dirty and very happy and head to Breckenridge for the wedding. We stayed at a snazzy resort with Cindy and Trey. The wedding was beyond gorgeous. The ceremony was held at Ten Mile Station halfway up the mountain. With snow covered peaks surrounding us and a bridal party that looked like they walked right out of the pages of Vogue it was one of the most striking ceremonies that I have ever attended. We all danced the night away and were thankful to be there as Kendra and Chris started their lives together.

Stage Four...happy campers

Stage Four: the real camping begins. We pitch our tents at Oh Be Joyful Falls on the Slate River. It was the perfect site. There was about 10 other campsites, all full without a banjo in the bunch. We found out that Oh Be Joyful Falls is like Shang gra la for kayakers. People come from all around the world to run the falls. After scaling a tree to cross the river and hiking up the side of a mountain we felt lucky to witness 3 of our fellow campers coming down. The boys were all duly impressed. My favorite part of camping was the campfire at night. Sitting around it with the boys, no TV, no video games or music, just conversation. Who knew we had so much to say?