Naturally Optimistic

It's hard to imagine that it's already 2006 in many places in the world....good ol' 2005 has 6 hours and 18 minutes left for me. It's been a pretty good year - Lots of traveling: Mexico remote Canada The Gunflint Trail & the Boundary Waters (barely, but still) Lots of places in MN and WI Portland, the Oregon Coast, Washington Coast, Mt. St. Helen's & Mt. Rainer, Idaho, Montana & the North Dakota I finished my first feature film. I acted on stage for the first time in 7 years. I learned how to knit. I saw Paul McCartney for the 4th time. and I got engaged.... I'll take it. Here's wishing you all a spectacular 2006!! Be safe tonight and enjoy.

Steve & me at the Blue Belle Inn for a Victorian Christmas dinner. 

This is me, sort of modeling the scarf I made for my friend H. I finished it about 10 minutes before she came over to my folks house to visit with me. Doh! My first "chunky" scarf - it was fun and quick and I will make more!! 

Steve & me modeling our new caps on Christmas night. I got a purple crunch cap from Wintergreen (Ely, MN) which I love and Steve got a Life is Good "Get Out" hat w/mountains & trees. 

Well, another Christmas come and gone. That is hard to believe. We were very busy over the long weekend.... Friday night I worked a 1/2 day then we packed up and headed 250 miles south to Austin. Once there we jumped in the car and headed another 20 miles south to a little town called St. Ansgar, Iowa. My parents treated us to a Victorian Christmas dinner at a B&B there called the Blue Belle Inn . It was very nice. We stuffed ourselves silly and enjoyed wine and the beautiful house. Afterwards we got to check out the rooms because no one was staying that night. Saturday Steve & I were set with the task of "making trees" - these were out of ice cream cones, green frosting, cookies, chocolate santas and a big pain in my rear. They did turn out sort of cute. My friend H was at home visiting family so she stopped by for a while and we had our gift exchange and a nice chat. She lives in LA now - it's weird...she got there about 9 months before I left. Figures. Company ...

The food table. I really love pictures of food. hee hee... 

O Tannebaum! 

What can you do at the end of the night when your party was less than you hoped but look nasty & give a shrug? Oh well....better luck next time... 

Not much to say today - feeling fairly crappy about a relatively unattended party and pouting. I want to know why people can't have the courtesy to do something simple like RSVP to a g.d. party via Evite? It takes literally 2 seconds and you don't have to even comment. PLUS I know you've looked at it - it tells me when you do so don't use that "I didn't get it" excuse. Please. Also - if you did RSVP (thank you by the way) and said that you're coming but then don't come. You piss me off. Totally piss me off. Were you raised by wolves? WTF is wrong with you? Another 2 second phone call, IM or email would suffice to say "so sorry - something far more fabulous came up and I'm blowing you off." And for you "maybes" out there - don't tell me maybe when you really mean "snowball's chance in hell" - I will cut less veggies next time if I'm not hoping that the maybes show up. Anyway - Merry F'ing Christma...

Or just enough wine consumed? 9:20 and our neighbors came over. 6 guests (plus us) lots of beer, wine and Tom & Jerry's consumed.....I *think* things are looking up - ask me tomorrow.

8:22 - two more guests have arrived. Still not drunk but feeling QUITE loser-ish. :-(

Hmmm, 7:35...party's from 7 to 11pm. There are 2 of Steve's friends here. Should I be worried? Or drunk ?

The shortest day of the year is tomorrow. That means it'll be dark when I leave for work and dark when I get home. *sigh* but it also means that we make the slow crawl out of darkness and it starts tomorrow. Winter sunrises are quite lovely though - I miss sunrises completely in the summer time (who gets up at 5:30? not I!)....I see the pinks and oranges streaking across the sky above the lake & lift bridge almost daily - unless it's too cloudy. Lately it's been awesome. Anyway - we're having a Solstice Celebration - I'm not holding my breath that we'll have a lot of guests (see the Halloween Birthday party) but ah well. I DO love to entertain so there ya go. All of you are invited! :-) There will be munchies, homemade goodies, wine, beer, Tom & Jerry's, Appletini's, (shots of tequila, if you so desire) and probably a rousing game of Apples to Apples or Cranium. I'm a dork like that. We shall see....I'm happy to open my house when it'...

What I did yesterday! 

Scarf #2 is complete and packed to be mailed tomorrow. I love this yarn!! 

It finally snowed - real snow, not melt-right-away-snow - yay! 9.5 inches at the airport, slightly less here but I don't care I love it! It's soooo beautiful - all Christmassy and just begging to be played in. It's warm (30-32) so it's slushy & messy as hell but would be perfect for making snowmen....The streets are hardly plowed yet, but I'm pretty used to that. The alley won't be plowed for days so no holding breath there. I did slide part way down Mesaba Ave headed dangerously close (IMO) to a light pole but luckily the natural Minnesota-driver-instincts kicked in and I was able to turn out of it and straighten up. Luckily the truck behind me saw and took note and slowed down. Fun fun fun. Snowshoeing possibly up the shore this weekend where they got 24 inches (so far) - lucky ducks.

Ugh - another migraine today. Blech. It was a very visual one followed by a train spike in my head. *sigh* Needless to say I came home early and crashed. I slept like a rock for a few hours and am feeling much better. Now I'm just finishing up a few things for the party tonight and straightening, dishes, blah blah blah. Also I'm watching Frantic on A&E because I've never seen more than the first few scenes. It's actually quite good. I hate watching movies w/commercials but oh well.

Well, I got quite a bit done yesterday... I wrote out the first batch of Christmas cards (mailed today). Cleaned the house - except for the den/bedroom....that'll have to wait although Steve did vacuum. Love that... Put up my Nativity Scene and got some other decorations out. Made cookie dough Dipped some pretzels Knitted Watched Taking Lives (while doing Christmas cards - a bit inappropriate now that I think about it) and Secret Window while knitting. I'm letting my cable service know how much I love it! Put up the tree! Steve brought home a beautiful (and slightly huge) white spruce and it's awesome. Today (so far) it has green lights on it and my Victorian beads....I have to finish it tonight! Now it's time to get ready for the Tastefully Simple party tomorrow. I have a crapload of things to make so I better get cracking!

On today's schedule: Writing Christmas Cards Cleaning the house Knitting more gifts Baking Christmas cookies Decorating for Christmas Spending a little time out in the fresh (snow-less) air We'll see how I do....

My first scarf! Yup - it's a bit wide and short but hopefully it'll keep my friend D warm in VT. It's very fuzzy too although that doesn't show up in the picture... 

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed these days - not totally with Christmas stuff (but a little) but with life in general - the whole MONEY thing really. I am so incredibly sick of feeling this way. I have a good job, I make decent money but I am constantly paying for the idiocy of my "youth." (Meaning my 20's when I was 'filmmaker' in California). I have no student loans to pay off, I don't go and buy a bunch of stuff that I dont' need/can't afford but I've made a few films and I'm still paying for them and it's suffocating me!!! I just want to be at a point in my life where I am comfortable . Where I can think about the future and not freak myself out about wanting a new house, wanting to have kids, RETIREMENT (you see how it goes?)....*sigh* I need a snack.

Posts have been sparse as of late - sorry 'bout that...I've been cranking it in real life with various crafty holiday projects, christmas cards, job, finishing the DVD for the film (eeek!), researching more festivals to get rejected by and trying to figure out what we're doing for the holidays. Oh yeah, and planning a Tastefully Simple party (if anyone wants to order anything - let me know!) and a Solstice Celebration all the while sulking about the utter coldness in our house and lack of snow to play in. *sigh* Oh yeah, and going to the Y! I won tickets yesterday to see Al Franken when he was in town today. He did his radio broadcast from UMD (my alma mater) actually from MPAC - the theater there where I spent many many many hours. Sadly, I could not get out of work from 11-2 to go see his show. Steve went but I haven't talked to him yet to hear how it was. I did listen on the radio... And I'm hungry. I better grab a bite to eat before I go to the Y and there wil...

Here is the 2005 Christmas Collage - if you're getting a card from me, you'll get this on the letter. Anti-climatic? Maybe....I'm out of posts lately!! 

One of my very best friends in the world, L, had her baby on Thursday! Yippeeee! I got a voicemail from a very happy mama yesterday afternoon and didn't pick it up until last night. KC is the little one and she is adorable I'm sure. I haven't gotten all the details but I am chomping at the bit to talk with her!! As I was sitting at the dining room table on Thursday night I had a feeling CONGRATULATIONS!!! that it was happening right then. I looked at Steve & said - "I think L's having her baby right now." Come to find out - she was!! I think I may have a touch of a sixth sense about such things...I'm so excited and happy for her. I can't wait to go and visit and maybe even see little KC bundled up in the baby blanket I knitted for her.

Because I need something to cheer me up: This is where we're getting married. Two-hundred and 95 days from today.