"Are you EVER going to post again?!"

Yes, I am... just not a long one for a while. Oh, and Happy New Year!

Work has been uber busy. I was hoping that by the time I left my job to run away with the Navy our slow season would be almost over and I would miss the hectic stuff. No such luck- our client moved the whole planning season up about 4 months, and we're crazed. Since I do most of my posting at the office during lunch or after work, I haven't been able to fit it in. And I'm sorry, but I don't want to sit in front of a computer and type when I get home.

Christmas was great. Every year I enjoy it more. (Though Greg is going to have a hard time ever topping 2005's Christmas... I'm not expecting diamonds for Christmas again for many years to come!)

Greg's family (who shall be known from now on as The S.'s, since I've decided to take last names off my blog) all came to our house for Christmas Eve again, which was lots of fun. And they came bearing wonderful gifts: pretty gold earrings and some fun kitcheny stuff (including an monogrammed apron from our Williams-Sonoma registry... my first "S." thing!!) from Teresa and Hap, a fantastic coffee table book on Broadway musicals from J.J. (who I never told but seemed to channel the fact that I collect coffee table books on musical theatre!) and a web cam from Paul. (Paul gave Greg a web cam, too- a most thoughtful gift for a couple separated for long stretches of time!) I had fun finding gifts for Greg's family this year... though both Paul and J.J. seemed strangely relieved when (after Teresa and Hap had each unwrapped Lizzie-made scarves) I promised that their gifts contained nothing knit. :-)

Greg saved his gift to me for last. He told me that it was in the dining room, and that he was not going to carry it into the living room for me- I would have to go and get it myself. I got into the front hall (which separates the living and dining rooms) and couldn't miss the package. It was wrapped in bright green paper... and was about four feet tall. Quoth the Lizzie: "What in the world did you get me?!" My question was answered soon enough- inside the box was a brand new guitar! Hooray!!!! Greg knew that I wanted to learn how to play, but practicing on my Dad's very large steel string guitar was too difficult. It was a very, very thoughtful gift, and I absolutely love it. (If you're ever over, ask me and I'll play The Beatles' "Yesterday" for you... very, very slowly!)

Both the P.'s and the S.'s were most patient and sat through not one but TWO masses to hear me sing. We had dinner in between the two and champagne afterward. The singing went really well this year- in fact, I think it might have been my best year at St. Augustine's yet, though it is likely to be my last for a long while. (Though the choir did joke about flying me in from Hawaii!)

Christmas morning brought more singing: three more masses. I really did sing a lot this year- 8 out of 9 days leading up to Christmas. Highlights included a concert at the Juilliard Theatre, (in which I finally got to sing in a small group,) Carl and Mary's Christmas party (which is my favorite party of the year, or maybe ever), several caroling things at the yacht club, and soloing at church.

After Christmas morning mass(es), my family finally got to open gifts around 1:30. (Yeah- I'm looking forward to having Christmas morning back- I've sung from 9:00 to 1:00 for the past four years!) This year's givings included a new set of hurricanes (the pretty glass cylinders that go over candlesticks) for my Mom, (Greg, Dad and I actually gave them to her together,) a "scholarship" toward a new pair of dress shoes for the wedding for my Dad, and a shirt and makeup brush for Allie. Gifts I received include some fun little things like a pretty blue colander for my soon-to-be kitchen, a ridiculously hard puzzle (my favorite kind!), a pretty sweater and vest, Kate Spade Scrabble (from Allie- who else?!), and a really pretty gold necklace from my parents (it has charms with Greg and my names.)

The most special gift of this Christmas, though, was one I've received every Christmas for longer than I can remember. My Dad (both of my parents, really, but it's always been a Daddy-Daughter thing) started Add-A-Pearl necklaces for my sister and me when we were babies, with one pearl added for every birthday and Christmas. My sister and I have unwrapped the same square red leather boxes our whole lives, with the strings of pearl inside slowly getting longer and the gold chains slowly getting shorter. This year would have been 50 pearls.

Well, when I was getting ready for church on Christmas Eve, I went into the kitchen to ask people's opinions on a necklace to wear with my new dress. My Dad said that the one I had chosen looked nice, but that maybe I should consider wearing a different one, then produced an unfamiliar, flat, rectangular box. I unwrapped it, and in silky folder inside found a full string of pearls with a pretty gold clasp that I wasn't sure how to work. I thanked him, saying that they were beautiful, but was a little disappointed. Clearly these were to be worn at the wedding, but I had wanted to wear my pearls, as I had for almost every special occasion for my whole life. I even planned my dress around them!

But before I had more than a few moments to think about it, my Dad told me that he had had my necklace finished for me. I knew that he had planned to for the wedding, but with the new clasp and box, and the complete lack of gold chain, I hadn't even recognized it. I know it sounds silly, but as I gave my Dad a big hug, I couldn't help but cry. The necklace has always been something special for us, having grown with me. And now it's finished, and I'm grown up, and I'm getting married. Okay, now I know I'm really sappy, because I'm getting a little teary typing this.

Wait- wasn't this supposed to be a short post? Oops. Okay- I'll wrap it up.

We drove down to Pennington Christmas afternoon and visited my Mom's parents for a few days. I had fun visiting with my cousins and got the only thing I asked for this Christmas: a game of backgammon with my grandfather.

Christmas was followed with more wonderful things, including a trip to Mystic with Greg and New Year's in D.C. with the Branford gang, but I think those will have to wait for another post. I promise it will be sooner this time, though- less than a month, and maybe even before the end of the week. I'll also put up some photos- I have some great shots from all sorts of Christmassy things. I hope Blogger will allow me to post sound files someday, because I have an MP3 of O Holy Night that I'm quite proud of.

More soon. In the mean time, Merry Ho and Hoppy Gnu Year!

Merry December!

Hello!!

Oh man- I'm still full from Thanksgiving weekend. Italian buffet at the club on Wednesday, turkey on Thursday, chili on Friday, steak on Saturday and meatloaf on Sunday. The only one of my favorite meals missing that week was mom's spaghetti sauce, but I think I might have exploded at the mere mention of meatballs!

We had Thanksgiving dinner at the S.'s house this year. For a holiday with both of our families gathered, it went really well. (You'd think combining events with future in-laws would add stress, but with our families it actually reduces it!)

I made the stuffing and stuffed celery. I'm very proud of my culinary achievements. I successfully mixed Roquefort, butter and cream cheese in a bowl and then spread it on celery sticks. This is usually the closest I get to cooking. But this year I actually did something with a pan! And heat! (Whoa!) I made (and didn't mess up) Mom's stuffing!! And put it in the bird! (Amusing conversation was had while stuffing said bird when Teresa flipped it over and told me "there's another cavity under here.") Ick. (But dinner was DELICIOUS!)

Greg and I played quite a bit of ping pong that weekend. We were in Branford Thursday night, New Rochelle Friday night, and then back to Branford on Sunday. The reason for the jaunt back to New York was a meeting with the priest that's going to marry us. That went pretty well, except for the part about him not liking that we're planning to wait to have kids. (Um... we're kinda young, and Greg's kinda going to be away for months at a time... we'd kinda like him to, you know, BE THERE when our first child is born!) The first of three, by the way. (That's bound to provoke a post or two from the boy... that is if he reads my blog!! ;-)

The rest of the weekend was fun and relaxing and filled with backgammon and James Bond movies. (No, not the new one- the marathon that Spike TV runs just about every holiday.) We had breakfast with Kate and John who were visiting from Merry Olde. The boys talked about chemistry, the girls talked about knitting. It was fun, but kind of scary. There's that quote from Grey's Anatomy: "We're adults. When did that happen, and how do we make it stop?" Yeah. But it was nice to see Katie-kate. I miss her.

We had an evening out with the Branford gang and some Q.T. with Greg's brother and sister. Good times. J.J. and I got lost in her closet for a little bit while getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner. We did our makeup and had all sorts of girl talk, which we don't get to do nearly often enough.

In other news, I'm moving home. Yup- it's official- I'm losing my independence. Actually, this is by my own choice. In addition to saving a load of money on rent before the wedding, living at home will (theoretically) give me the opportunity to merge and purge my stuff. And oh do I have stuff. Stuff happens when the same bedroom has been your home-base for over 20 years (gulp!) and there is 20 years worth of STUFF to either get packed neatly or risk having Mom toss it. (I know there was no way to know that the blue windbreaker from when I was two meant anything to me, but this is why nobody else should get to throw out my stuff! Hmph!)

I think that's about it for now. I'm a Christmas shopping machine these days. It's easy when work is painfully quiet. Too bad it never stays quiet for long.

Boo!

Happy Halloween!!!


I'm usually a major Halloween enthusiast, but not so much this year for some reason. I wore an orange shirt to work today, but that's about. I didn't even remember my Halloween socks! (Which is a shame- Lynn gave me a great pair a year or two ago!)

The one (partial) exception to my Halloween apathy is in regard to Jack O' Lanterns. I say partial because I carved four last year (yes, four- one for my parents, one for my grandparents, one for Mary and Carl and one for myself!) This year I only carved two: my parents' and Mary and Carl's.

So, last year I was on a carving frenzy and wanted to carve more pumpkins than I had front steps, so I spread the love. I carved sailboat silhouettes into a small pumpkin, which I took over to the Olsson's house. I put it on their back porch, lit it, rang the bell, and drove off just as Mary got to the door. The Boat O' Lantern was such a hit (once they figured out who left them a treat) that I decided to do another this year. Again, a hit.

The real work of art this year though was the one for my parents. I used Grandpa P.'s chisels and other random tools from his collection to truly carve (rather than cut out) a design. It took me about six hours from first lid cut to candle light, but it worked out really well! There are only a few very small places where the design is cut all the way through the pumpkin, resulting in a cool translucent effect. Chiseling the design also allowed design elements that regular carving doesn't, such as polka dots.


I guess the reason that I'm not enthused about Halloween (or the day after, for that matter) is that I've just been busy as anything lately. I haven't had time to arrange anything for Halloween or my birthday- it's been all wedding, all the time. Which isn't a bad thing, it just puts other things on standby.

So, I'm not dressing up tonight. Instead, Courtney, Josh and I are going to try for standing room tickets for Company, which is in previews at the Barrymore. We haven't seen a show together for a while, so it should be a fun night. Our client is going to be in the office tomorrow, and we have rehearsal at night, so post-Halloween celebrations will consist of drinks after choir. Festivities will continue for a while, though, so I'm not getting shafted. I'm having dinner with my parents on Friday, then Teresa is taking me to see A Chorus Line on the 8th with J.J. and Mom. My favorite birthday gift will arrive on the 10th- Greg is coming to visit for the first time since starting Nuke School. It will have been six weeks between visits, and I miss him like crazy, so that's what I'm looking forward to most.

Anyway, Happy Halloween to all, and to all a good night!

Kyrie Eleison

Sang Mozart's Requiem at Carnegie Hall this morning with the Juilliard Choral Union and the Juilliard Orchestra. It was a moving event. Check out what the New York Times had to say.

My Dad came (Mom had jury duty) and told me afterward that he had been sitting next to a woman who had been in the second tower. I remember trying to get in touch with him that morning all too well, and then how scared I was about him going to Grand Central around noon. I'm just really glad he's here.

The view from my roof tonight.