This is a solution???

Long story short:  Big Dude snores.  He snores LOUD.  He snores all night long.  He sleeps well.  I sleep well … on nights when he is out of town.  So Big Dude went to see a doc – a snoring specialist, nonetheless. 

And with all the fantastic inventions, discoveries, and medical advancements of the 20th & 21st centuries, this is what the doc prescribed: 

For me.

Earplugs.  I’m thinking he (the doc) must think I have a better sense of humor about this than I do.  Or else he never would have sent home the Pretty Pink Pony Pool Princess plugs.  Maybe I’d find this more amusing if I wasn’t so cranky due to sleep deprivation.

[confession: I'm not really that cranky.  I do ok with little amounts of sleep.  And I'd rather not sleep with Big Dude next to me than sleep well while he's in some other room.  But goshdarnit, can't someone somewhere come up with some nifty invention to curb snoring. Such an inventor could make a lotta money.]

And just like that.

We drove away from the truck we’ve had for 17 years.  In the bright, shiny new Jeep.



Our departure was abrupt.  And I now feel the need to wax reminiscent.  We bought the truck a year before the Teen was born.  It was the vehicle we brought him home from the hospital in; strapped his little infant seat right into the front, and for the next year, he rode in the middle, right between Big Dude and I.



(what’s that you say?  you can’t see the baby in the seat?  he was kinda tiny.  and Big Dude kinda looked like a baby himself.  behold…)




But back to the truck … It got its first big dent not long after we bought it.  Big Dude took it to an offroad park with several 4wd-ing co-workers.  He drove right over a tree stump hidden by bushes.  We later put black ink on our teeny-tiny, darling baby’s feet and pressed them right into the dent.  The ink feet … amused us … and remained visible for about a decade, even through all the washings!



The impetus for buying such a big truck was to pull our boat.  Which it did, faithfully.  It also hauled junk to the dump, helped numerous friends to move, brought landscaping materials to our new home, carried us and our stuff and our dogs on about a gazillion road trips, and has been the only “tent” I’ve camped in since we bought it.



Speaking of camping, I spent the coldest, longest night of my life [not sleeping] in the back of the truck a couple years ago in Joshua Tree.  It wasn’t the truck’s fault.  We had neglected to bring our down comforter. 



So this is my official goodbye.  It’s a bit less abrupt than our car dealership departure.  Goodbye, Truck.  You’ve been very good to us.

December Round Up …

Gosh, December was over in a blink of an eye.  Here are all the little bits I never got around to blogging, all blogged in one post.  We were way later than usual in getting the décor out (I think I was in denial that we were already at the end of 2012!).  Funny moment happened when my son saw Big Dude dragging the tree out of the attic (we had to give up live Christmas trees a few years back after several unsuccessful attempts to keep them green thru the month of December; our south-facing warm windows just didn’t allow such a thing):  he shouted, “Hurray, we’re making the tree!!!”  Not quite as glamorous or traditionally seasonal as going out in the snow and chopping down a beautiful Noble Fir …  The annual gingerbread house …Beach.  In the morning.  Lovely.Lego Mini-figs. Dueling. Of course.Middle Dude is taking over cookie baking duties.  He may add a little more vanilla than prescribed, because, y’know, it smells divine.  He just saw me typing and told me that’s there’s exactly nothing wrong with adding extra vanilla.  Vanilla makes the world go round.  His words.More beach.  In the evening.  Lovely.Dog Dude + Me + evening stroll … A little yard maintenance.  The younger dudes were all over it.  Money may or may not have provided incentive & enthusiasm for said task.Phone pics …Got the yearbook started … Christmas Eve …Christmas morning …(can you read Little Dude’s tshirt?  “I support Recycling.  I wore this yesterday.”  So perfect for him!

Digging in to the science kit … (and the resulting glow in the dark wand!)This delightful Pottery Barn catalog arrived on my birthday.  Such a fun surprise!  My pics, adorning the PB desk …My birthday also included a Once Upon a Time catch-up fest …And I closed the month & year by completing my annual album.  Now I’m just waiting for a big, fat sale to begin so I can send my book off to the printer!

Christmas Vacation in Laguna:: Orange County Family Photographer

‘Twas my privilege to meet this lovely family while they were vacationing in SoCal for Christmas.  I think #1 son was born for life at the beach – it was his personal, larger-than-life playground, and he was covered head to toe with sand within seconds of hitting the beach.  The cold (and it was unusually cold for Laguna!) did not faze him in the least; he shed his shirt and showed me his impressive arsenal of dance moves.  Darling Sister may still be young, but she’s spunky, delightful, and quick to smile – she’s not going to have any problem keeping up with Big Bro.  J&H, you guys are raising a beautiful family!  Enjoy your slideshow and preview …