All Rileyed Up

Optional Title: Why I Haven’t Been Posting.

Parents arrive in town, Dec 23rd. Imagine lots of hugs and smiles.

Knott’s Berry Farm, Dec 24th – the muggy weather did nothing to stop The Boy from riding his very first adult roller coaster. Yes! He’s tall enough! When did he grow so big? I sat on the sidelines and watched him, fretting over and over, “He’s actually TALL enough?!!!” which led to another realization: I turn every moment into an opportunity to be a weepy mother who can’t comprehend that time passes on for her children just as it does for everyone else in the world.

Video of The Boy on his first roller coaster ride, mind the cheesy music:

Little No Limit is still not tall enough for the big rides, but big enough for the kiddie thrill rides:

Put your hands in the air like you just don’t care!

Disappointingly, I have no photo of me nearly getting stuck on the kids ride I was too tall to ride, but tried to ride anyway, because Little No Limit was scared to go at it alone. But trust me, you wish I did. I looked totally ridiculous (excuse me, could you help me get my leg out of this contraption?).

Christmas Day, Dec 25th – The Family Christmas Gathering was cancelled due to my mother-in-law’s unforeseen ailments, and moved to a later date. My sisters-in-law and niece came over to celebrate with me, the ‘rents, Husband, The Boy, and Little No Limit. I wound up introducing them to Flight of the Conchords. They introduced me to Andy Samberg’s “Rap song!”

The Boy Turns 6! Birthday party, Dec 27th – Remember how I mentioned a couple lines ago that Mother in Law was sick on Christmas? Yeah, sothe whole family showed up at The Boy’s birthday party and to celebrate it. So in addition to boys and girls and running amok and gathering piñata treats, we also had adults and relatives running amok, and many, MANY presents being exchanged between all the attendees. My cousin just got her license and she left to go to Starbucks with my 15-year-old-has-a-learners-permit-niece, and I think it might have been an awesome experience for them. I requested a venti white chocolate peppermint mocha and when they returned, everyone else had ordered the tall size, and my niece said, “Yours is the obnoxiously large one.” That’s right, I told her.

In irrelevant but serendipitous news, it turns out the mother of The Boy’s friend from school knows the artist who painted the abstract painting on my wall that Husband and I bought on our honeymoon 7.5 years ago in Santa Barbara. I know Santa Barbara isn’t that far from here, and that such a coincidence doesn’t sound sooo coincidental, but she knew him from when she lived in Switzerland. And that, my friends, is a coincidence.

Oh, and as for gifts, does The Boy have enough Wall E toys?

From L-R: “I’m the biggest!” “You can plug your mp3 player into me!” “I’m mobile!” “You can bring me everywhere because I fit in your pocket!”

Austin, New Years Eve’s Eve and New Year’s Eve – I hung out with my friends from college the first night. Imagine all the fun of a reunion and none of the anxiety. I love my friends. Among other things, I saw David Garza at the Continental Club, raided the mini bar at the Hotel San Jose, drank Jo’s fair trade coffee, strolled the Capitol, ate at Moonshine, Guero’s, and Doc’s, saw some thought-provoking art exhibits at The Austin Museum of Art (more on those provoked thoughts in a later post). And, of course, attended my dear friend’s wedding. I would love to tell you what Dear Friend walked down the aisle to, but without knowing him, it might give you the wrong idea.

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Okay, I’ll tell you anyway: “I Want to F*ck You Like An Animal” by Nine Inch Nails. You should know, though, no lyrics were involved, and he is the biggest NIN fan you will ever meet (which makes it all the funnier that he used to hope and wish to meet Trent Reznor walking around New Orleans and then one day got in line behind Trent at the ATM and was so struck, he said nothing at all. Alas… youth is wasted on the young). The wedding was among the most romantic, intimate ceremonies I’ve ever attended, the kind that remind me what a wonderful thing it is to be in love. And after they were married, they walked back down the aisle together to “All You Need is Love” and their wedding dance was “Here, There, Everywhere,” and, well, you can’t argue with that.

The true highlight quote of the night (although there were many) was this: “If anyone has any reason to believe this man and this woman should not be joined together in marriage, then meet me and the groomsmen outside and we’ll take care of that.”

Me and Hubby celebrating Dear Friend’s marriage:

On that note – I am home and everyone is sick but we are ready to kick it into high gear for 2009!!!!!!!! Happy new year to y’all! (dang, I sound like I just got back from Texas!)