Nina: December 2007 Archives

On this day last year, a phone call interrupted a quiet morning over coffee and brought me the kind of news you never want to receive.  On the way to work, my friend Loren, a respected Sheriff's Deputy and newlywed of only a few months, had been killed in a collision.  [For Loren's story, go here http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=176301469 ] As the anniversary of this event neared, his widow Jamie considered many factors when making her plans to mark this day and make her plans to celebrate New Year's Eve.

 

What she arrived at, was very much in keeping with who Loren was as a person.  A group of us took a trip to a senior center to bring some joy to the people who live there.  We chatted, played board games and cards, and simply spent time with the residents.  We wanted to try to give of ourselves to try to put something positive into this day.  Loren was very generous with his most valuable resource he had: his time and effort, himself.  So we strove to honor that in how we remembered him.

 

Here are some snapshots of our day...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jamie brought her Pomeranian, Gracie, who circulated around the room at regular intervals, tiny tongue hanging out, absorbing as much attention as possible, and putting smiles on everyone's faces

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although this was technically an outreach on our parts, I can tell you that it was NOT a chore to spend time with these precious people.  Many of them were very bright, humorous, and a joy to be around.  Several hours flew by before we realized it.  With our youth and health and ease of coming and going, it took so little for us to do this, and yet we felt like we received the benefit.  Life is short, and time is precious.....  I feel good about how I spent mine today.

 

Loren, we love you and we miss you, but we are smiling through our tears and keeping you alive in our hearts by focusing on who you were instead of how we lost you. 

We will not forget.  We will treasure every day and celebrate each moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Now that several quiet days have passed since the wild scene of opening presents at my parents' house, I'm sufficiently recovered to talk about it.  Bows flying about!  Wrapping paper shredded!  Electronic toys creating a cacophony of noise!  It was madness, I tell you.....madness!!  Oh, but it was FUN!!  There's just nothing like the enthusiasm of young children on Christmas Day.  It is a simpler, less affected reaction than when grown ups exchange presents.  With my sister's three boys being aged 6, 4, and 2, this is a stage of optimum toy appreciation, and it won't last forever.  Before we know what's happened they'll be teenagers, trying to be "cool" (or whatever the slang will be by then), and these days will be memory.  So I'm savoring them as long as I can!

 

With very focused little boys, the trick is deciding in which order to open presents.  Opening a "big" present first might result in reluctance to open less flashy gifts.  Unfortunately, we kinda fell victim to this and had to basically beg and plead for them to open the rest of their things.  The items eliciting this instant and absorbing reaction:  walking and talking robots. 

 

These dudes created complete and total obsession.  They walk, they talk, they scan, and then they say "Fire" and make a huge noise.  My Mom gets credit for spotting these on a low shelf and knowing immediately they would be a hit.  Score one for Grammy!

 

For me, the best thing about this Christmas was watching the reactions of my family members to their gifts.  Everything I gave, other than some stickers for the boys, I made by hand.  I didn't really set out to make Christmas a 100% yarn affair, it just kinda happened.  My sister got a Calorimetry in a purple yarn to flatter her hazel eyes, Mom got a Booga Bag similar to one she admired long ago at the LYS, and Dad got Fuzzy Feet slippers. 

 

 

Grandma got a beautiful, hand-knit ivory shawl NOT made by me, although she clearly thinks the opposite.  My skills not being up to knitting lace with mohair quite yet, I got it off ebay, but whatever....she deserves a lovely shawl like this.  Can you believe she turned 95 years old on Halloween?  She doesn't look it, does she?  Grandma was my confidant and encourager for many, many years, especially during my stressful adolescence.  She kept secrets and heard insecure venting, loving me unconditionally and slipping me a $20 for gas from time to time.  Now that she's hard of hearing, increasingly dependent, and living with my parents, things are a little different.  But she's still a very, very special woman, and her unmistakable joy over this shawl was worth it's weight in gold.

 

 

The boys each received a crocheted Tiny Turtle from Aunt Nina which were welcomed, although with less enthusiasm than the robots.  (Heck, let's be honest:  what chance does a yarn critter have when faced with a mechanized plastic robot?!)   However, I knew the turtles had been sufficiently appreciated and accepted when I saw Caleb happily playing with his new Star Wars Jedi Starfighter......with his turtle securely ensconced in the cockpit.  Who knew?  I had no idea Turtles were allied with the Rebel Alliance!!  (Maybe they're from Yoda's home planet?!)

 

So the boxes and tissue and crumpled paper have been thrown away.  The cookies and other goodies have been eaten.  The traditional holiday pounds have been gained.  Garland and tree and decorations have all been taken down and packed away.  It's time to start thinking about next year's gifts, and how early I need to start knitting to get them all done.  (Then again, this knitting-gifts-for-everyone thing was kinda tough....maybe I should just do gift cards next year?!)

Welcome to the beginning of my blogging adventure!  At long last I am finally joining the worldwide blog community, one that has meant a great deal to me recently.  But before I get into that....

 

Who am I ?  My name is Nina and I live in Georgia.  I'm single, thirty-something, and live alone in a small and relatively clean apartment that does NOT have enough space for my books and my yarn stash.  My sister and I are close, and we talk almost every day, often about my three rambunctious and adorable nephews.  Being an Aunt is one of the BEST things about my life!

Aside from discussing the Transformers and catching crickets with my nephews, I try to call my parents a few times a week so Mom will know I'm not dead in a ditch somewhere.  (Don't matter how old you are, your mother is always your mother!)

Socially I stay busy, participating in my church Singles department, West Coast Swing dancing, and stying connected to my circle of friends over coffee and the occasional glass of wine.  And then, of course, I try to keep up with my knitting....

 

Here is the current situation in the staging area next to the couch.  I know, I know....but it's better than it used to be!  About a month ago I attempted a thorough organizational sweep, putting into stash storage yarn I wasn't actively or imminently working on, and organizing projects into individual bags.  But then the Christmas knitting hit it's apex and.....well, things got a little messy!

 

Anyway, I guess that's a start!  To finish my initial thought, only a few months ago I began blog lurking in earnest, and it's been very revealing and inspiring.  There are SO many people out there who have things to say, and many of them are well worth taking the time to read.  My life experience is what it is, and altogether it's been a good one.  But there are hords of people out there living life in different places, in wildly diffeent circumstances, and from a completely different paradigm.  I can only benefit from getting a glimpse into their world, expanding my understanding, and hopefully growing from the process of participating in the dialogue.