So we had about 3 inches of snow in the last week. I think some Yoopers were getting a little excited. Then it stopped. Then it rained. And rained. And kept raining. The beautiful pine trees and w=White Birch covered in snow on my way to work from Ish to Marquette, and around the corner to my house, they were gorgeous - the rain took it all away in one shot. I am seriously starting to think I am just getting spoiled. Are all these Yoopers pulling my leg about all the snow up here? I know I will eat those words because I know when Winter comes and shows her bitter face, she will come with a Vengeance.
So Tony and I attended a party the other night - invited by Bill at Great Lakes Radio - their Two Tickets to Paradise party - to come and see what it was all about - you can win a trip to Mexico. Ok we were game. Free dinner from Mama Ruso's heck yeah....so we got there and there was a huge crowd. We waited and got in, found a spot right next to this sign that read 'Reserved for Elmer Aho'. Elmer!!! I said Honey let's sit here!!!! So we sat and he got in line at the bar waiting to get us a drink. So Elmer comes and sits and of course I am social right away! I introduced myself, told him we were big fans, that my other half was a HUGE fan - When we go to our friend Dale's house out by National Mine - on Saturday nights for the bonfires, Elmer is always playing. So I told him I will have get his autographs later - he had some fancy black and gold license plates there with his picture on them to sell...he said 'How about right now, I got an extra piece of paper" - OK!!! So he wrote me a nice note and signed it for me and me, being who I am, jumped in at the chance to get a selfie with Elmer!! Tony came back and I introduced them - got a pic with him and Elmer talking and Bill got a pic of all three of us. We did not win the trip to Mexico but we did win a chance to meet a very awesome person - Elmer Aho - and that Saturday, he played a song for me and mentioned my name and thanked me for the baked goodies I gave to him and the U.P. ornament. It was great :-) See the pictures!!
So that was my highlight of the season!!
On another note, I had not been down to the lake in a while and I was feeling kind of...I don't know, eh. Just blah. Tony's son was sick with a terrible cold/cough. Could have been bronchitis, not sure but that usually does not go away on its own. I got sick with bronchitis. Tony has been sick for a couple of days. Tis the season! Hopefully it all clears our house by the time we leave for Christmas travels on Thursday morning. I have to tell you, I am exhausted. I really want one day to sit on my ass and do NOTHING. No cooking. No baking. No laundry. No cleaning house. No picking up after teenagers. UGH. For two weeks I have been baking like a mad woman. I can't tell you how many things I have baked because I lost count. This is not all for our house. I have siblings that get some of these goodies every year. I have a best friend who is disabled and cannot cook right now out in Utah, and her kids, so they all got some. I have an old vet friend who I consider family down in Green Bay who will be getting some. So the love gets spread around. I don't know how many loads of dishes I washed....I don't count, but it was a lot and it was crazy. Then I spent all day Saturday baking some more and making Christmas dinner for me and Tony and our two sons and a friend of ours, Dale, came over. Then THOSE dishes on Sunday. Tony did come out and dry the dishes and that I was thankful for otherwise it would have taken me three times as long to get them all done, as our kitchen is small - cozy - but small and with that many dishes and pots and pans - I would of had to stop and dry them. So I have been having angry mom issues lately. I pick up after the boys at home - which I don't mind, it's just what I do - pick up dirty clothes left in the bathroom here - because, you know, why would anyone throw them in the basket right around the corner, that makes no sense. Or picking up dirty dishes in the bathroom - because eating in the bathroom is well...I just don't know. LOL. And doing more dishes. And cleaning. And picking up after people. I don't mind doing my part and being mom and girlfriend. Don't get me wrong, I am NOT bitching. I LOVE taking care of my family. I love feeding them and seeing them enjoying their meals and having full bellies. I don't love the fact that teenagers are just plain lazy and assume that when they leave shit laying around that someone WILL pick it up. My son was like that too. And my daughter. Just leave it. Mom will pick it up. WHO picks up after mom? No one picks up my dirty clothes. No one washes my clothes or makes me dinner. I suppose I enable everyone to not pick up after themselves because I DO do it. It urks me to see crap on the bathroom floor when there is a basket right there. Just pet peeves of mine. And every housewife, LMAO. Someday - I will have a bigger kitchen so I can spread out and things won't be so cluttered. Maybe even a dining room table that does not become a catchall for EVERYTHING - mail, junk mail, rocks, homework, desserts, tools, literally everything. Someday. Ok I am done venting. I am just tired. And I just realized that Tony usually reads my blog - and no honey, I am not bitching. I am just tired these past couple of weeks. Exhausted. At work and at home. Maybe it's the damn weather getting to me. Just been in a funk and I am looking forward to getting out of the house and being someone else's guest for a while!! :-)
Christmas went well at our house - My son Jon came up to visit for the weekend and we had Christmas dinner and opened gifts. My family is a gift giving family - we like to see the smiles on other people's faces. It is never about money or how much is spent or how big or expensive the gift is. It is about the smile it brings. I know Asa had a hard time with all the gifts he had piled up, as he is the type that does not like to receive if her cannot give back, a very humbling trait to have. But he is 15 and not expected to give anything. I think he had a hard time accepting the fact that my family will get him gifts because we are all family now (of course he made a comment and said 'Not really....' which kind of stung a little - that he does not see my family as his family) - but my family does not see it as me just moving up here and latching onto these two boys up here....which I didn't. We all moved in together. I did not move in with Tony and he did not move in with me, we moved in together. We have been together for over a year, I see Asa as my own son, my kids see Tony as a step-dad type guy and Asa as their brother. Some kids just take it all differently. Anyhow, I did get called the Yooper mom, that gave me warm fuzzies! Asa said he thinks of me as his Yooper mom and he is the ONLY one allowed to call me that! :-) Proud mama bear here. Even if he isn't my child, I would give my life to protect him just like I would my own. Even if they are all pains in my ass :-) Hey, isn't that what kids are supposed to do?
I was going to tell you about my trip to the lake and I really got off on Christmas and family didn't I? Sorry, just needed to spit that all out. I know I am not the only one with family holidays and baking and dishes and teenagers and all kinds of fun :-) I do love my family. To pieces. All the way to Ishpeming.
So the other day, when I pulled into work, the waves were just pushing over the break wall down by the light. So I told myself, after work, I am definitely heading down to the lake! So I did, I headed to the lake and it was alive and talking and screaming! There were big waves, some good five footers probably - I went to Presque Isle Park and took pictures and videos. It was misting - so it was cold and wet but it was invigorating, feeling the spray from the lake as well, come up over the tall rocks up to the park....I love it. I don't have a video to share on here...someday I will figure that out. :-)
Ok I think I have been babbling quite enough. It is Tuesday. Thursday we head down to Wisconsin to do family Christmas with my stepdad, my brother, Tonys dad and Tonys mom. Then our fun 7 hour trip down to southern Illinois to see my dad and siblings. May be all be alive by the end of the trip!! :-)
Have a very Merry Merry Christmas and if you are up in the U.P. yourself - I pray for snow for you!!!!
xxoxoxoxoxoxox
