No Invite, no guests, what kind of Christmas is this?

 The news wasn't great. No one was coming for Christmas and we were not invited anywhere. Well that stings. I admit I felt a bit panicked. Wondering how I would make the holiday special if we were not with a million people. Though in the last 2 years I have not hosted and have been relieved. It usually made me feel good to host the large groups but it was stressful. But no one and nowhere to go, this was a new level of minimalist Christmastime. 

As with most disappointing news, it ended up opening a new experience, an unexpected way of celebrating the holidays. We as a family have not been together since May, that is quite awhile, 7 months the longest time we have ever all been apart. 

Before Steve and I could focus on that we had many events to attend to, first being 

Cara brought home Sam!  First she made it to Alaska to visit him. Cara has had quite an adventurous semester. If I have it right she study in Australia, traveled to Bali, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia and then to New Zealand and Alaska!  

Then my birthday dinner a murder! A mystery, A suspect named . Chris and A detective of the first order  Mark.   Solving crimes and bringing home stellar GPA firing on all pistons as they say, well not many say, but my dad did so now I do. 

Michael alas, did not make it to the murder he was too busy traipsing around europe like some trust fund baby. Of course claiming to study he seemed to find time to run to ,Ireland, Prague, France, Italy, Germany. I feel I am leaving out something but that is the way it is.  

It is so different from when I started with blog but yet the same. The same intensity and interest in each of their lives, but with zero diaper changes so we will take that. We miss them, yes, but knowing how they are taking on their lives fills us in a different way. 

Our fancy brand new porch, perfect for Christmas decorating! 

Our big night of Italian cookie making got off the ground! There was some squishy cookies, not good, not good at all. But we finally got our grove back and Christmas was saved  Same was put to the test with what our family calls fun Pounce and Oh Hell! I have to admit he held his own. 

    

Finally Christmas eve. Church, dinner, cookie decorating and of course Die Hard. So low key and fun. Matt may have won with his shot gangster cookie, Mark's song choice was "I am going to kill Santa" Cara made the sugar cookies, Chris made the PB blossoms.  We all ate them  

The morning was 6AM stockings, then gifts.  Not one but two Mokka pots for Matt!  I got a great game called Wingspan. Michael's secret Santa did not come through. Despite acting shady no one actually was his secret Santa, so maybe they weren't acting?  This was an unpleasant surprise, who knows where it all went wrong.  Steve's brother came through with a nice visit that we all enjoyed. Then it was time for the Backgammon tournament. I was out early, quite disappointing. Matt came out on top, but this was Chris' first day playing the game and he was in the competition for hours and hours. So from zero game time to to marathoning.  

The next day was the classic Catan game day, with Italian hot chocolate, thanks to matt and some mid popcorn thanks to Aunt Joann. 

So as they say, its a wrap. No invite, no guests but plenty of fun. 

So the table was full of returning Bo's, 

the laughs were real as was the competition 

What seemed like being left out on our own 

went beyond our expectations. 

Go with the flow and find your footing 

what's meant to be will be 

even if its  not of our choosing. 

Who is at the door

Why its channel 12 news.   Unfortunately it was because we have received an anti-sematic message.  They literally knocked on the door 

My Best Friend has Left the Building

 

Well she is gone. And I miss her.  Its been 13 days. She is in Australia, which honestly makes it difficult to really speak. It is either early morning for her, and she needs to get herself together for her day (and late for us) or late for her and early for us.  It does seem that she is making her way and I am hopeful that on the weekend she will have a bit longer for a conversation as she does not have to get to her school, the University of Queensland. 

Leaving was complicated as her entire first flight was cancelled, which is a big deal when you plan was to spend the next 24 hours traveling. But she was on her way on July 9th and that went as smoothly as a flight of that length can be. The time zone differences and the marathon flight took its toll, but Cara has rallied. She is meeting people from all over the world and is busy learning more cooking skills, her way around Brisbane and the university. 

It is interesting because I think she will not recognize the changes in herself until much later, not just the confidence in traveling but in how she interacts with the world. 

Sabbatical events!

 Takotsubo-  The biggest surprise and not in a good way. A bad, bad way. Not exactly how I was set to start off my year of freedom! .  A little trip down to see Michael brining his brother and his friend Will.  It was hot 96 degrees with very high humidity.  I set off on what the ranger had told me was a 5.2 mile hike in the Shenandoah National Park.  I experienced what i thought was heat exhaustion but what turned out to be heart failure. I was only in the hospital for one night, but it shook my confidence deeply.

Mindy and Family visit- When I was in the hospital they arrived. I was released and sat in the backyard that night.  It was a warm July night and it was nice to sit outside surrounded by family. Life goes on. 

  Mark's car accident - a phone call from Mark's phone. A woman.  She couldn't hear me and disconnected. I was alarmed, he had just left for school.  I called Steve and he thought maybe Mark had just lost his phone.  10 minutes later and its Steve telling me that the police had reached him and that Mark was in a serious car accident. Another major concussion. 3 days in the hospital. 

Matt Moves to Manhattan - His plan to wait a few years to move did not not pan out. His classmate found a nice relatively affordable Manhattan apartment and he was off to new adventures.  I miss him, but he is good about coming home and saying in touch. 

France - Cara, oh Cara "Can I go to Paris for NYE?"  turned into Michael, Chris, Cara and myself spending 10 days in France split between Strasburg and Paris.  Cold but truly beautiful. 

Surgery - Nightmare, recovery was tough. The acute phases were expected but the lingering effects were disheartening. I put on weight from not moving around and it is not budging.  

U of R drama and lake house- Cara's roommates turned on her. It was maybe the most heartbreaking thing I had ever seen.   I rented us a house so she could get a break. It was beautiful and right on the lake in VA. Cara has unbelievable grace under fire. 

Mahjong- Finally found a group to play with and then jumped in to a continuing ed class with Pat. I can say I know the rules but maybe not the strategy. 

Vespa- we bought a Vespa. We had been considering this but it became more real when we realized we had more car demand than cars. Michael has been successfully using it down at Richmond.  Maybe driving too fast but he is pretty good at driving it. 

RIT Graduation- Chris graduated though he is still at RIT, he has learned and grown up so much I can hardly recognize him, though his laid back and kind vibe always shine through. Michael and Cara were able to make it and we had a fun weekend. We hit the museum of play and had a nice dinner at Limoncellos. 

Motorcycle License Cara and Michael got there ML and then Steve and I did!  What a hard class that lasted all weekend. Steve and I were both nervous that we didn't pass, but indeed we both got almost perfect scores!  Crazy. 

Mindy/Ella Visit- Mindy came back with just her daughter .  It was a fun weekend. We saw the Great Gatsby and the girls got in a surf lesson. We hosted a little bbq and the whole family got together . It was really nice. 

Nicaragua - After dropping Michael off at college and RIT grad I needed a quick getaway.  Cara and I went on a yoga/surf trip.  It was interesting, With the cold plunge and the sweat lodge and the cacao ceremony. 

Joe's Wedding - a few day trip to great old MB.  Chris was the only one that couldn't make it. We stayed in a condo on the beach.  The wedding was fun and so was all of the MB classics. Matt Varney joined us for a bit which was fun. Our flight home was cancelled, a first for me. We rallied and made the most of our situation. 

Camera -Picked up a camera at Dick's Pawn shop in Myrtle Beach. From Guns to diamond rings. 

The Devil Went Down to Dansville

 

Just a Trip to the Park

I had heard that Letchworth state park was the "Grand Canyon of the East".  So with Chris wrapping up his time at RIT we should try to get up there. We did.  The park though not quite living up to the tag line was indeed beautiful.  Lots of photo opportunities. 

The Castle at Consensus

However it never held a candle to the Airbnb that I found.  It of course starts out with me trying to find cheap digs for a quick getaway, when this beauty caught my eye.  Billed a castle and coming in at $546  for the entire 3 nights well I was warily sold.  I booked and got denied followed by a message asking us to rebook using the sight unseen small group booking option. Fine. I warned the traveling party that I had no idea what to expect. 

We drove up to the 110,000 square foot decommissioned monastery. It sits on 20 acres and is abutted by a nature preserves and state lands. We were met around the back in front of the 6 bay garage and shown our rooms. Threes separate rooms on the third floor with private bathrooms. A shared kitchen and communal sitting area. The dogs were allowed to run free in the building and out. The sheets were clean and the bathrooms looked clean enough. It was dusty and worn-out. There was an amazing amount of stuff everywhere from an old car parked on the patio to boats, a crane, motorcycles. Inside was antiques and old plastic toys.   We stayed on the building to the left, on the right were "private residences" There was also a huge guest house, a pavilion. 

Get on the Bus, Forget About Us and Put the Blame on Me

There was a bus with a stone wall built around it. There were chickens and cats And there were crumbling grottos in the woods .  Actual grottos, some several rooms big. 

Crumbling Grottos-Seriously

 

The Devil Went Down to Dansville

I don't think that I can actually leave this post without mentioning Dansville, Tina Markle who apparently is making deals with the actual devil.  Not to mention the town as a whole which is involved with not just the KuKlukKlan but the Mafia and the illuminati, pretty impressive for such a small town. Which a may have believed if it wasn't the accusation against Martin Luther , of Lutheranism fame ,was a member of the Kukulkan as well. Now here is where I draw the line. 

An altogether creepy and fun time was had.  I have to mention that this trip was not for the delicate. The place we stayed at was fascinating but not luxurious by anyone's definition. I am grateful that everyone in my family can handle tough situations, I believe it helps us have a wider variety of experiences.  I am also grateful for the dogs. They make everything more fun.  They loved hiking off leash and the freedom to roam the building. Jo was a trooper and they both hiked miles in the heat and were ready for more.