Missing Justin

January is almost over…. my mom used to tell me that the older you were the faster life passed by…. she is right. 

I’ve been missing my son who lives in Seattle.   He doesn’t like to talk on the phone much… or text… or email.   In person, he talks and talks and talks but on the phone I must usually settle for short conversations.

In July,  Jay and I got to spend two weeks with him and his girlfriend, Harshana.    She is now Justin’s fiancée.   I couldn’t have picked a more perfect match for him.  

We took the ferry to Whidbey Island to visit my husband’s uncle and his daughters.     We drove our car on the ferry and got out for the ride.

My son looked pretty scruffy when we arrived in Seattle.   I think sometimes he doesn’t shave just to irritate me and Harshana.    It took a few days but Harshana and I eventually wore him down. 

I miss that scruffy face.

How far does your money go?

I recently went to a high school wrestling match.  It cost six dollars for admission.  I paid with a twenty and got back some change.   I left the change in my pocket and when I pulled my jeans out of the washer the dollar bills were in the bottom of the washer.   This didn’t bother me at all.  I like clean money.

I noticed one of the bills had a stamp on it to track it by going to the website http://www.wheresgeorge.com/   so I went to the website and entered the serial number of the dollar bill.    My dollar was 1,212 Miles from where it had started  3 years, 32 days, 4 hours and 41 minutes earlier when it was received as change at the Target store in Garner, North Carolina.    

I wonder how many (dirty) hands it passed through during that time?   How did it get to the high school in my town?   What has it been doing for the last three years?

Have you ever gotten money with the “where’s george" stamp?  Did you track the money at the website?    For a curious person like me,  there is no way I’d let my dollar bill move on without knowing where it came from.

Perfect Winter

So far, this winter has been almost perfect.    

We’ve had no snow.   Well not exactly no snow but none that stayed.      The golf course is brown.   I’m not sure if I mentioned it before but I am NOT a fan of winter.   I probably should live somewhere other than Minnesota.

This year is different though.  Bicycles and motorcycles have not been put away yet.   The temperature was 55 degrees one day this week.   It has been sunny too.

Are there always so many geese in the sky in January?   I do not know as  I prefer to stay inside in January most years.

I’m sure at some point it will get cold and snowy but for now every day like today makes me happy.  Each day is one day closer to spring.

End of the Season

This Christmas was sunny and warm.  There was not a flake of snow to be found.    It snowed yesterday.  There is not quite enough to cover the grass yet but it now looks like winter has arrived.

I made this wreath for my front door many years ago.   It will come down this week along with the rest of the decorations.     I do not know what will go up in its place.   The months between Christmas and Spring seem very long.

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve!

If you’ve been nice this year, you may like to know when Santa will arrive at your house.   This is a great site:    http://www.noradsanta.org/en/

I am so happy not to have snow on the ground this Christmas.   Ironically, one of my best Christmas Eve’s was when my son, his girlfriend, and my daughter were all stranded at home for two days because of a Christmas blizzard.  That is the only time I have ever appreciated snow.    As my kids have grown up and moved on to their own lives the idea of spending Christmas somewhere tropical sounds extremely appealing.

My Christmas trees are beautiful.  The tree in my family room has family ornaments that I’ve collected over the years.  This sled was made out of popsicle sticks from me by my grandma.   I see that it has lost a runner; I will look for it in the ornament box.  

I hope your Christmas Eve is filled with fun!