My little sister Deidre… okay she’s only 5 minutes younger… but still that technically means she is my little sister. She is the better twin, the kinder, more thoughtful and silly sister. Of course that doesn’t mean that we don’t know the exact buttons to push on the other. We can go from giggling to fightingdisagreeing in -.2 seconds. But that is the relationship of sister right?
Deidre works proudly at Pizza Hut where she washes dishes, speaks to everyone by name and delights the regular customers. She has been there over 5 years. I wish I could teach people to be as proud of their job as she is of hers.
She has a knack for numbers that is beyond impressive. I remember growing up we went camping each summer, she had an impressive catalogue of different campsite numbers from years and sites previous. My older sis and cousin and I would love to ask her to recite them, I assume they were correct… I don’t have that gift.
Deidre has a killer woody woodpeckers impression and whenever we are driving she will randomly share it with me. We then both dissolve into giggles. She also debuted her “Elmer Fudge” impression recently.
Deidre loves any special event and it becomes exactly that. A special event. For Christmas she received season tickets to TPAC for the Broadway series. We made a night of the most recent show, and had dinner at her favorite place, Demos and then went by LifeWay and then walked around the plaza downtown before going down to the show.
I wish I had her enthusiasim for the fun things. I wish I had her sense of adventure. I am learning.
I spent today picking up around my cozy home. Putting things in places and looking for misplaced items. I shared half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a 5 year old. All in all it was great.
I started at the gym and did some interval cardio and other jazz. Then I went to pick up Little Man who I get to keep occasionally. I waffle back and forth on questioning if I ever want kids, but I feel like I was ment to be a fantastic Aunt. Perhaps someday that will translate to motherhood with the right guy, but for right now I am 100% good with it just being me. Anyway I digress… Little Man and I ran by Dad’s to drop something off for Peepers and we visited for a moment. Always nice to see Dad and get a hug.
Eventually we ended up at church, actually ahead of schedule for once. Little Man loves going to church, and I’m certain that they would love to know that he calls it “the place where Harry Potter lives”… It’s an older large building and to a 5 year old it looks imposing and exciting at the same time.
Anyway I could go into all kinds of detail about why today was amazing and perfect for a Sunday. But here are a few more highlights.
The weather was amazing, even though now it’s raining I enjoyed leaving my window’s open all day and airing out the apartment
Little Man LOVES watching Dr. Who, which makes me incredibly happy
My starbucks was perfect
Is there any better lunch that a shared pb&j with a happy 5 year old?
My apt is clean and most of my long to-do list is accomplished
That was my low-key refreshing Sunday. What did you do that was special?
I do still love you and haven’t forgotten you. I will promise to try and do better from here on out. It’s just that… I’ve been out living a pretty good life and forgetting to write about it. I know you are here and perhaps I have been abusing that fact of knowledge.
So lets agree to do lunch or coffee and perhaps we can discuss a plan of action that would allow us to see one another more often and as the mood strikes. I understand you feel like a 3rd wheel at times and I haven’t been letting you live up to your full potential.
Today has been an official snow day for me. It didn’t start that way though. I woke up this morning and checked the street, it was covered, but then I went to where I can see the main road and it looked okay, so I decided to head to the gym to meet my partner in crime, the always lovely Finn. Well, about 3 minutes into the actual drive I was sliding all over the road, I drive half a car but I had not anticipated the ice that lay under all the snow and the main roads were the worst. We worked out and actually cut it short and headed back home. My mistake was stopping at an intersection, again I was sliding and all over the road. I got home about 5:30 and decided to wait it out and see what happened. Okay, so to stop a long story here, I didn’t go to work today. The snow never stopped this morning and yea… I went into a ditch once when I was in school and thought I was invincible – but I’m not and I learned my lesson then. I had nightmares for weeks afterwards. ugh
I have really had a laid back kinda day, I picked up and took care of a few things I have been putting off and finished some thank you cards from the womens retreat I went on weekend before this past one. I also premade lunches and veggies for this week and I’m super excited about that. I know I know, DORK would be my label right now. But I made this delish pasta salad and after it cooled I portioned it into single serve containers ready to grab as needed for the rest of the week.
Pasta Salad: Brown Rice penne pasta cooked and drained, 3 carrots grated, reg can of diced tomatoes (I use the organic no salt), salad olives or whatever you like (prob half a cup) and small can of mushrooms sliced and drained. Mixed and allowed to cool. There is no mayo or cheese I’m trying to cut both out, but I think the tomatoes add enough flavor for me.
I made dinner tonight a baked veggie burger, and then I tossed a half portion of the pasta salad with cooked broccoli and I have to say it turned out really well. I look forward to trying other variations this week and it was very cost effective to make.
I’m not working out tomorrow morning, instead I will take my gym clothes to work with me in the hope of going either during lunch or at the end of the day. I’m not going out again until the roads are good to go. Just call me the neighborhood little old lady.
Do you ever have those moments where you know you want to say something profound and you then hear crickets in your head… yep… I’m so there.
This has been a really busy week in a good way. Went to an awesome concert, hung out with family, worked out, walked in the snow, fell in the snow, worked out, and other stuff. Oh, and tomorrow night De and I are heading to the theater. Must say that I’m super excited about that one.
Working out is going well, was a bit of a slacker this week with the early morning workouts but have been good about evening cardio. Somehow I have lost my new sneakers… that’s a bit of a worry.
Okay so things I’m in love with right now.
1. My little 24 hour gym – it’s like the little engine that could – always there and always going.
2. Spaced – an awesomely quirky show I netflixed… may need to own it.
3. Sleep – where I am headed in just a moment.
4. Not weighing in. I’m only going to weigh in once a month from here on out. It’ makes me much less crazy or less crazier.
This is kid is freakin adorable, so I had to share.
Off to the gym for the evening cardio. I didn’t go this morning because of ice, but I have been going twice a day some days. It’s kinda nice and I’m seeing results. I need to catch up on blogs and fill you in on the retreat I went to this weekend, but that’s gonna be a post. If you are in the area, stay safe out there – it’s COOOOLLLLDDD and stuff.
I hope everyone has a great weekend. In a little bit I will be loading up my car and heading to a womens retreat… I’m hopeful for a good weekend and a chance to meet some new people.
My Father LOVES groundhog day, as in it’s his favorite holiday. A number of years ago we went and watched the Bill Murray movie “Groundhog Day” at the now turned office space, Fountain Square. I remember dad loving the concept of doing something until you got it right.
This year Dad had help celebrating the holiday, he brougt Phil to the office and via texts and twitter we shared with the world how Phils day went after the celebration. It was, incredible. Dad isn’t the most technical person and he doesn’t even own a cell phone that texts much less picture texts, but he orchestrated this whole thing where every little bit I would get a picture via text from my cousin and then Dad would call me and tell me the caption I needed to use and post it to twitter. He had the best time, Phil was pooped by the end of the day and my phone was dead.
We’re already planning next years road trip with Phil… it’s gonna be spectacular.
I know that I’ve talked about it before and have had another post about it before, but I need to pay respect to the Springfield Cinema, or the person who ran it forever tonight.
We have a small theater in Springfield, one screen, no surround sound and the “big” remodel happend long enough ago to where it’s time for another. It’s a theater that if you look and really pay attention, you can tell that back in the day it was THE place to go, there is still a whisper glamour somewhere in the walls. There is a balcony – although I only ever legally sat there during the aforementioned “remodel” and I remember being ran out of it more times than my father cares to know about.
My middle school was close enough where once a year each grade would get to walk to a show and watch some new Disney flick. And family holidays were often not complete without a movie, sometimes walking in snow to gaze at the Christmas lites on the street on our way home.
And there was always the same manager there. Johnny who, when I was younger scared me enough that I would never cause a problem, who while I was a teenager I believed the whispers that he lived in an apartment upstairs sleeping among old film canisters. And as I have opened my eyes and payed attention I have realized that he was as much part of the institution as the building and space itself. He was always there, I can say pretty honestly that I have never seen a movie where he wasn’t at the front making sure things weren’t being ran right. Of course now, instead of standing and watching, he was sitting to the side observing and I like to think saying goodbye in his own terms.
At the end of January, Johnny retired. There was no big write up in the paper, channel 4 didn’t come to do a news worthy piece on him, and to my knowledge there was no pomp and circumstance from the patrons. But I would like to think that for one night, perhaps as he finished his last shift and turned the keys one final time that maybe the lights flickered for Johnny as if to say goodbye and goodnight.
