Allison was able to come home for the weekend again! This was a perfect time to hand over her St Nick's Day stocking, as well as the stockings I put together for her roommates. I also asked her to come home so she could attend the neighborhood Bunco Christmas party on Friday night. We usually have a White Elephant gift exchange instead of playing Bunco. Allison really enjoys joining our group and chatting to all the neighborhood ladies(just like her mother!). She was thrilled to pick out an old fashioned popcorn popper for our game-the kind with the crank handle that you put on the stovetop. Sister in law Susan Seitz makes the best popcorn in one of these contraptions and now Allison is excited to be able to do the same with her roommates! They all love popcorn. And I took home a festive set of Christmas candle holders. Overall a Win-Win for both of us. Although cash works too!
I had already started out my Friday with a party. I picked up my Mom early in the morning for a Christmas luncheon at her Sr Center. I was so happy to be able to attend one of her events with her. The program hosted entertainment before lunch-a retired group of singers that put on a program which consisted of songs from the WWII era. My favorite was "They're Either Too Old or Too Young"! Very funny. And the group of singers were very cute! Afterwards we had a catered luncheon from Mission BBQ and cake from a local bakery. I then dropped into the hairdressers for a haircut and for Mom to get a perm. Overall a very busy day.
But we weren't done. On Saturday morning the kids and I got up early to participate in the Jingle Bell Run/Walk which raises money for the Arthritis Foundation. Scott usually runs the event, but I walk. Allison has been nursing a sore knee, so she skipped the running too. So instead we all walked. We were making up for skipping the Turkey Trot this year. And Cookie joined us! We dressed her up as a present, complete with a bow. But I guess she wasn't as cute as the other dogs and did not win the costume dog contest. But she did enjoy her very long walk around the lake(just like Thanksgiving weekend but with lots more people and dogs). And thankfully not too cold. Afterwards we tried to go out to breakfast at a local diner(I really wanted a big plate of bacon and eggs and hash browns). But all the local breakfast restaurants were packed, so we settled for McDonalds(not the same thing). We needed to get a few things done around the house before getting cleaned up for an evening out. Scott stayed home, but Tom, Allison and I headed into Baltimore for a concert that evening. Tom had purchased tickets for my birthday to see "Straight, No Chaser". The accopella group only puts on one concert a year in Baltimore as they travel all around the US. Apparently they have also branched out to Europe now. They are scheduled to perform in Paris. We have seen the group from Indiana U perform for several years now. They put on a fantastic show singing Pop songs, Christmas songs and songs they make up. All without instruments-just their voices. Last year one of the main singers was out with his wife while she was having a baby. We really missed his talent. This year he returned and the show was fabulous. We decided to introduce Allison to this incredible group. And we invited her boyfriend Taylor along since he enjoys concerts as well. And Straight No Chaser is enjoyable for everyone from little kids to the elderly. We invited Taylor to dinner, however he was out on a mission that involved cats during the day. He recently moved into his own apartment and was adopting two huge, fluffy black cats from his grandmother. Tyler actually rescued the pair as kittens 5 years ago at a local park and his grandmother has been raising them. She recently moved to a nursing home, so Tyler becomes the proud parent. So he had to travel down to his Grandmothers in southern Maryland for the day to pick up the cats and he couldn't make dinner with us. But he did attend the concert, and Allison got to see his new apartment(with cats). The concert by the way was Awesome! And Allison and Tyler are new fans of Straight No Chaser. We also enjoyed our dinner out at a new restaurant in Towson beforehand. It is actually a chain restaurant called BJs Tavern. Tom has eaten at this restaurant before in his travels and we also really enjoyed their food. We are happy to see they are building the same restaurant in our area. We even got a free cookie and ice cream as first time customers(some of us) which we delivered to Tyler before heading to the symphony hall.
On Sunday I was up early again to participate in the Baltimore Mayor's Christmas Parade through the historical town of Hampden to sing with the GS choir. I actually dread this parade-it is very long and hilly and usually rather cold. And last year they put a crazy lady in front of us. And this year it was exactly the same! And they put the same crazy lady in front of us again! Our choir leads the rest of the Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops in the parade. This parade is a bit unconventional. All kinds of crazy groups show up-Roller Derby girls, Big Time Wrestlers riding on toilet seat bikes, and Darth Vader as Santa Claus at the end. And the current Baltimore Mayor did not even show up and neither did the Mayor-Elect. Plus all the bars are open so it is one big street party for the crowds. And I say the crazy lady was in front of us again. She calls herself the Green Angel and she wears a green dress with a white shawl and a halo. And frankly she looks like they picked her up off the streets(poor thing). Her tennis shoes are falling apart and usually untied and her hair is filthy(it's an OT thing). I don't know how she walks the entire parade route, up and down hilly streets. I get worn out! They usually have a parade worker walk with her. Last year she yelled at our group because we sing and it was drowning out her singing too. She had the parade worker carrying a portable microphone and speaker last year and kept holding up the parade to stop and sing to the crowds. The people seem to love her. I guess she has been walking the parade for many years-they even run out in the street to get a selfie with her! This year the parade workers got smart and took away her microphone, but she came over and yelled at our group anyway during the parade. We just kept singing. Did I mention she looks homeless and a bit crazy? I am all for her participating in the parade, but I wish they would let her ride on a float! Away from us! I am hoping next year we consider participating in the Horse and Tractor Christmas parade in Lisbon, MD. We can deal with horse poop in the street-just walk around. It doesn't yell at you! Being a Girl Scout is a tough business. And naturally this year they put us at the end of the parade. So we had to stand around for 2 hours before we even started walking! It was a long day. And there is more to come.
On a personal note, we were saddened to hear of the passing of Tom's Aunt Mary. She was an incredible woman and very sweet to Tom and our family as well. She had been battling Alzheimers for about 10 years now and was residing in a nursing home in Richmond. The funeral was last weekend, and with all our prescheduled plans, we just did not think we could make the 3+ hour trip down and back to Richmond on Saturday, especially having to travel around the DC area. And I am sure we would have loved to have stayed longer to visit with all of Tom's relatives. Tom's parents were able to travel up from Florida and Tom's brother Mark and his wife Linda drove in from Indiana to attend the funeral. I'm glad part of our family was represented.
Meanwhile, Allison had packed up and headed back to school on Sunday afternoon. She was hosting a Frisbee White Elephant party at her condo that evening and needed to get back with her roommates to clean and pick up food for the party. At least she had some time to stop and do some Christmas shopping on the ride home with her roommate. She needed to pick up a dress for her end of the season Frisbee party(a formal affair). She is also starting to study for Finals and finishing up the last of her school projects and tests. Scott was busy at work and also has quite a bit of classwork to wrap up before the end of the year and Christmas break. Quite a busy time of the year!
No comments:
Post a Comment