Living the High Life

So, what's Nutmeg up to these days?

-about 9,000 ft.

(ha ha I kill me)

No seriously, it is quite an adventure, this living waayyy above sea level thing.

Take that Christmas picture down there... yes! I do! wear glasses! And here, in the dry-as-a-desert state of Colorado, I wear them almost all the time. When I do manage to force my contacts into my eyes, I have about 6 hours until I absolutely need to take them out. Otherwise, my eyes become so dry, I have to literally pry and peel them off. No fun.

Speaking of dry, there is a different sort of dry here. Not the Bible Belt kind... as in, the grocery stores don't sell beer because this town is drah darlin'. No, not that kind. This is a new kind of dry... as in, one must drink a quart of water an hour or else one runs the risk of severely depleting the H2O quota of 80% that is absolutely necessary for human survival.... Yes, that kind. In fact, there is a real danger in not taking proper care of yourself in these conditions. There are a few names for it: AMS, HACE, HAPE... otherwise known as, drink! more! water! (or kahlua, take your pick) Actually, kahlua will only make it worse, so I guess you should stick with the water.

Did I mention it was dry? Oh right, I think I did. My nostrils know it, too. My wonderfully sympathetic mother has purchased two humidifiers for our bedrooms to help re-create the steam that is North Texas... year round. It has certainly been helpful. I can't imagine what it would be like to breathe through my nose without my daily dose of humidity and saline nose spray.

If you read that bit up there about AMS, you noticed that fatigue is a symptom. And it's true! I do laundry and cook dinner and call it a day. It's like I just ran a marathon, or climbed Everest... or the stairs, as the case may be. If you hear someone huffing and puffing up the stairs? yep, that'd be me.

But I love the mountains, and I'll get this altitude thing down yet. I have high hopes of scaling my parents' road in an upright position by the end of our visit.

Just call me Mountain Mama.

:)

Merry Christmas!

Here we all are, minus our dear sister, Sephora, whom we miss so much! Love you, my dear!

















:)

Excitement!

That's what it's all about today.

That, and attempting to get the kids to bed early so Santa's elves can do their duty.

We have a full day planned, with haircuts for the boys (and maybe my sister.... can't believe she trusts me) baths, and then the vigil mass at 4pm. Upon arriving home, we will sit down to a 7 course feast prepared by my proudly Polish mom.

It is the Christmas Vigilia dinner! My personal favorite is the borscht. It's a creamy soup which you load up with rye bread, boiled eggs, hash browns and kielbasa. The warmth of it and the comfort of the cream make it so homey to me. It's just not Christmas without it. Sounds trite, but it has become such a tradition.

And that's the best part about these days. Feeling the warmth of Family and Tradition.

Merry Christmas y'all!

:)

Advent Reflections

Vacationing for the holidays has it's ups and downs, as Michelle has pointed out. Those of us in the throes of hustle and bustle can almost envy her the quiet serenity of a simple family Christmas at home.

We've done those types of holidays, and I'm sure we'll be doing them again, every now and then. They are nice.

But this year, we are homeless. Seems weird to say, since our situation is much more desirable than any other homeless family's could be. I mean, who else can boast of a beautiful home in the Rockies with plenty of snow and extended family to round out a perfect holiday?

Not many.

When we were at our friends' home, I thought a lot about this time of year, and how saturated the season becomes with buying and obtaining, and wanting and wanting. I looked around at the few belongings we had, and wondered at the amount of "stuff" we had accumulated... all of it in storage. I admit, in pondering the job ahead of me, of unpacking our new home, I was despairing... How in the world would I manage it? And what else could we possibly need?

I also had a new appreciation for those who simply don't have. If my family was truly poor, and could not afford furniture or maybe even housing, I couldn't imagine trying to tame the commercial beast of Christmas. It would be difficult for me not to feel saddened by our lack.

Of course, I know what Christmas is truly about, but it is so easy to celebrate the birth of the newborn king in a cold stable in Bethlehem when you are sitting around a toasty fire in a beautiful home surrounded by loving faces. I started looking around at the people in the stores. I started noticing the strain and the tension in their eyes. And I understood why, for some people, this can be the worst time of year. I started praying for them, for humanity fallen. This is the reason Christ came, these people are grief and sorrow incarnate, and their plight brings us closer to the reason for redemption. The reason for the cross.

This year, it's hustle and bustle galore. But I have promised myself that I will remember those less fortunate.

And I am so very grateful for my blessings...

:)

Rocky Mountain High

The sign greets me as I maneuver our vehicle around the final bends before reaching my parents' driveway in the mountains. It reads:

CAUTION:
NARROW ROAD
BLIND CURVES AHEAD

Also keep in mind that said curves are snow covered, and the beast I am driving is not snow savvy in any way, shape or form.

So, what's a gal to do, after a 13-hour grueling drive? (well, DH drove most of it, except the very last hour or so...)

Step on the gas, and pray that the van doesn't bounce off the side of the mountain and over the cliff.

Of course.

And after a side-of-the-mountain rescue, compliments of my Dad and my brother.... (sorry, no dramatic story... we just decided that one lucky turn was pushing things far enough and asked them to drive down to retrieve wife and kids and help hubby with chains) DH is off to purchase the very last pair of blizzaks snow tires in the whole state for our sorry southern van. Just in time, too, since it seems my children's pleas for snow have not fallen on deaf ears.

It's in the forecast for tomorrow.

Seems we may have a white Christmas after all.

For me, personally? I can't wait to blow by all those natives on the pass!

Yeeee-haw!

:)

Checking In...

To say howdy, and how's your advent?

We have been getting in touch with our inner "squatters" while living in a house still owned by our friends. They have moved on to larger (and better insulated) living quarters. And we benefited greatly from their abandoned home.

After settling in as much as possible for two days, we took the remaining 4 days to box everything up again in order to journey with the ginormous little amount of belongings still in our immediate possession, to our refuge in the mountains.

And here we are! Fully caffeinated, rested, oxygenated, and wired... or wire-lessed, I should say.

More on our Advent adventures another time.

For now, it's just lovely to be here.

:)

So Long... Farewell!

I will be *choke*gasp* internet-less for the next week.

(swooning)

It will probably be the most productive week I've had in 2 and 1/2 years.

:)


And so, I leave you with a few last pictures of our (soon-to-be) former Nut House:






































































We are all set to go!

:)

Happy Feast Day!

:)

Where I'm At

I am at a certain season of my life.

It's an Advent of a different sort.

Part of it has to do with this upcoming move. The anticipation of moving into a new house can be joy-filled, but along with that goes the agony of the preparation: the endless packing and labeling, the feeling of limbo, the unsettledness of it all.

The other part has to do with our personal family journey. There are many aspects to this journey. The most difficult one is that God has decided for some reason that our home will not be blessed with a new life just yet... if ever. This is difficult for us and for our children to understand. Another kind of limbo sets in. Do we give away our baby things? The crib? The high chair? What about that darling Mary Engelbreit print car seat? My de-cluttering second self paces in circles, wondering what to do with all of this.... stuff.

But, there is never an end to Advent. At least, not down here on earth. It continues throughout our entire lives, as we prepare for milestone after milestone. Through it all, we must remember that there is ultimately only one "event" in our lives that carries the weight, the significance of that First Christmas. And we should, we must, spend our entire lives preparing for it.

To meet our Heavenly Saviour face to face.

Introducing...

The New Nut-House!!


















And here is the area of the house that makes me do the "Happy Dance" whenever I think of it...















The rest of the photos are on Flickr.

:)

Nailed: An Exchange

Mama Nutmeg: Sports Fan, did you do your Spelling Test today?

Sports Fan (laughing): Yes.

Mama Nutmeg: Really?

Sports Fan (looking at me as if I accidentally packed my brain**): Yes!!!! Remember?
(goes into a perfect re-enactment of the scene): "You're!" (contorts face) "What TWO WORDS make up the word 'You're?!?'" (throws hands in air) "As in, You're not understanding me!?!"(falls to the ground in defeat)

Mama Nutmeg (sighing amidst the giggle of siblings): Yes. I remember.

Which is why, incidentally, I am reading Elizabeth's book ...

I. need. help!

:)

**totally believable, in a box marked: STORAGE /ATTIC

Because if Nothing Else...

...y'all can rest assured that at least we have our priorities straight.

Or, maybe we're just in the state of denial... packing? what packing?

:)

At Least Someone in This House...

... is ready to move.

Or be moved, as the case may be.

:)