Two Mistakes

#1: THINKING PEOPLE ARE LIKE ME:

I have a sensitive nature. My feelings are easily hurt and I therefore assume that other people's feelings are easily hurt. This causes me to, as Richard always puts it, "walk on eggshells". Richard teases me actually that I create my own eggshells, and that my worries of offending are unsubstantiated. This is a problem because I overthink things to the point of being unable to communicate because I have anxiety about saying the wrong thing. But that is not the reason I had in mind when I realized that thinking people are like me can be a mistake.

That reason is that I expect other people to be ultra-sensitive to my feelings, the way I try to be to theirs. I am shocked when someone does something that offends me. I insist to Richard that it MUST have occurred to them that their action would hurt me. He insists back, naturally, that "No Jo, it probably never occurred to them that this would hurt you." Could he be right?

#2 THINKING PEOPLE AREN'T LIKE ME

I've already discussed on this blog the missed opportunities for friendship because I didn't think I had anything in common with someone. I heard a quote once that said "We are more alike than we are different." That way of thinking seems to fill my heart with love and unity. I imagine that if I could see into the hearts of others, I would see that they are much like me. We could commiserate and celebrate together.

So the mistake here is that by assuming people aren't like me I not only miss out on friendships and understanding, but I am judgemental and critical. I see the mote in their eye, and miss the beam in mine.

I don't believe that these two mistakes are really related. It seemed fitting to discuss them together because they have both been on my mind. But I don't believe the solution to one really has anything to do with the other. What I am trying to say is that it isn't really a dilemma after all.

Maybe...

the solution to #1 is forgiveness and #2 is humility and charity.

So simple right?

Christmas Pictures sans Commentary

because goodness knows, there is no shortage of commentary on this blog.

(watching Misha devour her Christmas goodies.)

Pre-Christmas Pictures

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hail the Heav'n born Prince of Peace
Hail the son of Righteousness
Light and Life to all he brings
Ris'n with healing in his wings

Mild he lays his glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of Earth
Born to give them second birth

HARK the herald angels sing

GLORY TO THE NEWBORN KING

I love to do this

When I pulled up this picture of Cameron from almost exactly two years ago

I wanted to reach into the computer and snuggle him.

Cameron 12/06

Eli 12/08

We Did It!

Misha and I ran our first 10k.
(Boise YMCA Christmas Run. Very festive!)

I have jumped on the jogging bandwagon. I read on blogs all the time about training for marathons, half marathons, 10k ad 5k runs. It's practically trendy.

But now I can see why.

Setting a specific goal and accomplishing it brings so much satisfaction. It's good for the soul. (Not to mention the added benefits of decreasing my risk for heart disease and diabetes.)

I recommend it. And as a side note- I was more nervous than I needed to be. I did reasonably well.

Nerves

I want to know the physiology of nervousness.

I want to know the biologic process that occurs when I think of something that I am anticipating with trepidation and it feels like someone reached into my gut and started clutching my stomach.

What causes that? What synapse exists between the mind and the stomach that relays the message "She's having anxiety. SQUEEZE!"

I'll be back tomorrow to let you know how things go.

sigh

Every year I hear about how to be less stressed during the holidays, and in my judgmental way I think to myself "People who are stressed during the holidays need to re-prioritize."

Oops.

These things have a way of coming back and haunting me. I left for a week and when I came home Christmas was 12 days away.

STRESS!

I had such grand plans, high aspirations, big dreams. And now with each passing day some of my best intentions are crumbling by the wayside. And I am finding the holiday season less enjoyable because it is not living up to my expectations.

Now I will just judge those stressed out people not because their priorities are off, but because they didn't plan well.

I'm glad I learned my lesson.

I underestimated you Spokane

Richard's travel can be a gloomy cloud at times. But ever striving to be an optimist I am always looking for the silver lining. This week we found the silver lining in a company paid hotel room in Spokane where Richard was on business. Here are some of the highlights from the week, filled with pictures and details only a grandma will appreciate.

I have a vivid memory of driving with my dad up through the palouse in northern Idaho on our way to Coeur d' Alene when I was a kid. We were listening to Enya and I was mesmerized by the rolling hills. It is a travel memory I relish.

I was blessed with another such experience on my drive up to Washington. We were in the Blue Mountains of Oregon and the boys were both sleeping. Richard was already in Spokane so I was driving alone and enjoying the quiet. (Yes, I took that picture while driving, but no one's life was endangered.) I put in Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" and this picture doesn't do it justice of course, but the scenery was a winter wonderland. Christmas spirit indeed! It was heavenly. I wish you could have been with me Dad.

The hotel had a safari motif and the boys loved this wild chair.

Swimming in the hotel pool of course....It was also and educational vacation.

Our countless elevator rides gave Cameron many opportunities to identify numbers.

He loved pushing the buttons.

A giant red-flyer wagon. What fun!

They were as interested in the ducks and geese as they were in the slide.

Unfortunately where there are ducks and geese, there is duck and goose poop.

I did not enjoy cleaning that off little boy shoes.

Well by golly we will find a carosel in every city.

It has to be one of Cameron's greatest pleasures in life. Room service! We only indulged in this luxury once, because room service is undoubtedly the most overpriced food there is. But it was really good, and really convenient.


Spokane, I am sorry I underestimated what you have to offer. We never lacked entertainment. Also included in our vacay: lazy mornings watching cartoons together, PF Changs, Mobius Children's Museum, visit to Santa Claus at the mall, taking the boys to "Madagascar 2" at the theater, and what should have been a six hour drive back to Kuna that took 10 HOURS because of snowy roads.

Mid-Renovation

Some folks spend the Saturday after Thanksgiving decorating their house for Christmas. We usually do. But this year we spent that Saturday creating chaos.

I also managed to raise the stress-level around here by leaving the bathroom sink on and flooding the hallway. Really stupid mistake, but really good timing! Luckily it was part of the plan to replace that flooring.

Fortunately, our house has been repaired enough that yesterday we could get a Christmas tree. (After a quick lunch at DQ - Grill & Chill.)

This week the boys and I are road-trippin' it up to Spokane to be with Richard. I am determined to be blog-free all week.

Much Anticipated

We really had a good time at Richard's Christmas party. His boss, who has been somewhat of a mentor, is moving away and we were able to sit at the same table with him. He joked that he was worried about sharing a table with me because I might kill him for "making" Richard travel so much. I reassured him I had no hard feelings. It is always a little bit painful when really good people leave their place in my life.

Oh, and I received compliments on both the shoes and dress. SUCCESS!

Tonight is the Night

I chickened out last night and didn't wear my new heels. BUT WAIT! There were two good reasons. (That's for you Hall gang.)


1. The dress I got to go with the shoes (or vis-versa) has sequins and the photographer specifically asked that no one wear anything "sparkly" for the office picture.

2. Our office picture was at 3:00 and the dinner was at 5:30. I just didn't feel prepared for a six hour heels marathon that included treking around Kathryn Albertson Park. (I'm just not that smooth yet.) In fact, a MALE coworker of mine told me the way I was walking made me look like I was in pain. And those shoes don't even count as heels. Sigh.


But tonight I will go all out and I promise to take pictures. Meanwhile:


I was the benefactor of good Karma. My grateful heart came full circle when I found a plate of cookies on my porch the other day with these thank you cards from some girls at church. Thanks girls, it made my day!

As promised -- but altered: BLACK FRIDAY

I'm going blog-wild here. Three posts in one day. I am reluctant to do this because I feel like if there are too many at once, it diminishes the value of each one. (Do I flatter myself?) Especially with wordy posts like this, one is usually plenty to digest. But oh well. I'm in the mood.

Before I had an epiphany this is what I was GOING to post about Black Friday:

I love Black Friday. The last few years I have gone shopping with my mom (and sisters/sister-in-law here and there) and have really enjoyed it. We wake up early, not the earliest of the earlies, but about 5:30am and off we go.

I love it because I think that the buzz in the air is the perfect kickoff for the Christmas season. I have heard stories about grouchy people and grumpy women fighting over dishes, but to date I have not witnessed such scrooginess myself.

I also love it for the good deals. Oddly enough I rarely buy Christmas presents on BF. I usually splurge on something for myself (justifiable because it’s so CHEAP) or clothes for the boys (outfitting their entire winter wardrobe for half price).

Ultimately though, I love it for the same reasons we all love traditions.

This year all the girls met up for breakfast at Goldy’s in downtown Boise and it was a great way to wrap up a LONG morning.


BUT THEN this morning I had an epiphany and now I want to say THIS about Black Friday.

I heard on the news that it is official that we are in a recession. I know that wasn’t exactly a shocker, from my point of view it was obvious. People I know have lost their jobs, the dental office where I work is having a high rate of cancellations, homes are in foreclosure, wall street is diving. Hard times.

Next on the news came word that Black Friday sales had not only exceeded expectations, but they were higher than last year. Wait…

America, we have a problem.

No matter that President Elect told us to “tighten our belts”. We are addicted to spending. We are consumed with consumerism. We are greedy for a bargain. My sister declined the post-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy this year. She said that because she loves good deals, shopping on BF for her is like sending an alcoholic into a bar.

Unfortunately I think I have that problem too. I think as a nation we have that problem. A man lost his life because of that problem. I think my sister was wise to exercise restraint before she lost control.

Now I’m not sure what to think of Black Friday.

Tag Catch Up

I've totally neglected recent tags by blogger friends. Sorry friends. I need to check my blog etiquette book on the acceptable time frame for posting after being tagged. Oh wait. There isn't such a book. Anyone interested in tapping into that market?

THE OLDEST FRIEND TAG:

I'm assuming this means who has been my friend the longest, not which of my friends has spent the most time on earth. Once again I wish I had a scanner. Things like this are so much more fun with pictures. But alas, I still live in the dark ages apparently.

I've narrowed it down to three friends based on the following criteria.

1. We were close for a lengthy amount of time.
2. We met in childhood.
3. We (sort of) still keep in touch. (If blogging counts.)

KRISTI: I don't recall meeting Kristi, she was just always there. We must have met in 1st or 2nd grade. We lived in the same neighborhood, our moms to this day are still friends, we did
4-H together, the memories are endless. I won't type them all, but Kristi, just know that as I sit here and let them come back to me I am nostalgic and thankful at the same time. Thanks for everything, especially helping me get through the awkward years of jr. high.

MELISSA: She was my next door neighboor. Need I say more? I will. At times during the summer we were inseparable. Jumping on the trampoline, sleeping on the trampoline, walking to the school bus and getting a ride from her mom when we were late. She is such a good person. If I have something in common with Melissa, I am on the right track.

LEAH: I remember distinctly the day I met Leah. It was the summer before fourth grade. Once again, I can't begin to share everything here. She is a loyal friend. When I moved away for a year she wrote faithfully. She is kind hearted and optimistic. I miss her.

Wow.

I love it when blogging coaxes me down memory lane.

Okay, I am giving a theme to the people I tag this time.

Wendi & Wendy
Kristina & Christina
Sara & Sarah
Lacie & Lacey
Brooke A. & Brooke W.
Lindsay & Lindsey

So clever.

Husband Tag

I was tagged- this is a repost, so for some of you, no you are not experiencing deja vu.

Richard is getting a lot of attention these days! I was tagged again and I am happy to oblige.
(I modified the questions a little bit. Is that allowed?)

What is his name: Lewis Richard Bird. Obviously he goes by Richard.

How long have you been together? We met the summer of 2002.

How long did you date? We dated for 6 months and were engaged for 5 months.

Who eats more? Richard, hands down.

Where do you like to eat together? Anywhere we don't have to cook.

Who said 'I love you' first? Oh that's a funny story... I practically drug it out of him and then didn't even say it back. I was so cruel.

Who does the laundry? I do. We joke that we couldn't survive without eachother because I do the housework and he manages the money. But housework is a lot easier to learn than managing money if you ask me. So he's better off. (Reading through that it sounds like a feminist's nightmare. But it works for us.)

Who does the dishes? If I cook he does the dishes, if he cooks I do the dishes.

Who sleeps on the right? I do. Richard is a creature of habit and always has the left. (Conveniently the right side is closer to the door, closer to the crying children.)

Who pays the bills? Richard.

Who mows the lawn? Sometimes our wonderful neighbors, but usually Richard. One time when I was pregnant with Cameron in Pocatello I was mad because I thought it needed to be mowed and he hadn't mowed it so I mowed it myself. It was so hard for me (not because I am a wimp, but because I was prego) that I was worried about the baby being okay after. I've only mowed it one other time. (Last Saturday actually, Richard was working on other lawn/yard things and so I helped out.)

Who cooks dinner? Mostly me.

Who is more stubborn? Naturally I would say Richard, but Richard would of course say me.

Who kissed who first? Richard, after a little prompting in Espanol.

Who asked who out first? Richard called and asked me out. You'll have to ask him about that story.

Who proposed? Richard. Also a good story. Sometime when I get a scanner I'll post about it with pictures.

Who has more siblings? I do.

Who wears the pants? We are equally yoked of course! (But really it's me.)

Where do you fit in birth order? Richard-oldest, Me-middle

I tag Krista.

Leaping out of my comfort zone

In an effort to follow the advice of Dr. Laura to "be my husband's girlfriend" and inspired by NieNie, the hopeless romantic, I bought...

THESE.

Go ahead and ask my sisters if I am the "heels" type.

Well, you don't even have to. I will tell you right here that I have never owned, borrowed or tried on anything like these.

Tonight after putting the boys to bed I shut all the blinds to practice walking in them.

Whoa.

Friday is my office Christmas party and Saturday is Richard's.

I also got a not-so-flattering black dress to go with them. (It was only $10.)

What do you think, bright pink nylons to tie it all together?