over the interweb and through the ether

(Or something.)

I'm having a weirdly difficult time getting back to "real" blogging here (is there "unreal" blogging? that's what I feel like I've slipped into). Therefore, I'll try to ease my way back in as my tension from the last four months begins to ease.

Yesterday, we had quite a nice snowstorm. I was set to be finished with my paycheck-earning obligations on Thursday, but some other people had different ideas. Instead of being able to stay warmly wrapped up in my cozy, cozy bed, I had to get up early yesterday to turn in a last bit of paperwork. I made it a little way down the snow-covered road before our car very slowly slid out of our lane. I bumped into the curb, but I was going so slowly that no harm was done. I got the car situated at the side of the road and I called Cardo. I turned the car around and went back home. My dearest partner drove me where I needed to go while Pic slept in the backseat. Stuff got taken care of and now I have a few moments to relax before it all starts up again.

In the meantime: snow! While my first instinct is to hibernate when it's cold and snowy outside, that doesn't work for the whole family. Instead, we went sledding.

Who said you need a sled?

Much of the snow was washed away by the rain today, so we went for a good long walk. I love walking for so many reasons. It keeps me mentally and physically healthy (although, to be fair, I'd have to walk about ten hours a day to combat the amount of junk I've been eating lately). Our walks are also a time when Cardo and I dream about the future. And, our walks are times when we can really spend one-on-one-on-one time together. Most of the time, Pic rides along behind us in the wagon, but we often run around at a park or two when on our walks. I think Pic just puts up with us and our meandering ways because of our park outings.

Before the snow bombarded us, we took our annual pajama-clad, hot-chocolate-sipping drive to check out the solstice lights*. We don't have many traditions, but this annual outing has become one. Every year, we spend an evening driving around checking out the decorations on the houses.

This year, we stopped at the grocery store to buy doughnuts. Pic chose yellow cake doughnuts with chocolate frosting. When I asked her if she had eaten her doughnut, she responded from the backseat, "Yeah, I ate my doughnut, but first I played with it. I pretended it was a tire."

I had a tag-along!

We've also done a wee bit of shopping. We got Pic a couple of gifts: an inexpensive tabletop easel and some puzzle erasers (they're little erasers in different forms like animals and food; apparently you can take them apart and put them back together...hence the puzzle part). We didn't want to get one of the fancier tabletop easels with a nice drawer, just in case we ended up with no interest in the whole venture. (I should say that I got an easel for myself also. I asked Cardo if he wanted one, but he said he'd share mine.) We also bought a set of fine-tipped permanent markers to use for artwork at home. We got 36 markers for less than five dollars, which seemed like a fluke, but it turns out they were on clearance (score!). The markers are kind of for us all to use -- a family gift, if you will.

Pic is very excited about the prospect of opening solstice gifts. She and I still have to get something for Papi. He wants either a new pair of Keens or a car jack that's so heavy I can't even begin to lift it (gift card, perhaps?).


"Brady Bunch - Car Jacking"

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Anyhow, we finished off our weekend (for us, the weekend is Friday and Saturday) with a trip down to Carson to cheer on the Ace of Spades in a production of Alice in Wonderland, Jr. at the Wild Horse Children's Theatre. The show was fantastic and I'm so glad the snow had cleared and we were able to make it. I can so totally imagine Pic up on stage. Immediately after we left, she started making plans for her own productions.

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* Yes, I realize most people probably don't celebrate solstices and equinoxes, but we do (in as much as we celebrate anything). It makes sense to me that the lights on the houses this time of year might be there to celebrate the soon return of more daylight. Maybe they're there to shine some (wonderfully-colorful) light through the dark days.

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Wow, apparently I can go on and on. I'll sign off with wishes of warmth and happiness during this festivities-laden season.