aidan

(extra)ordinary time.

8 January 2014 / aidan, birthday, christmas, life, pictures

The Christmas decorations are down and put away. Chicago’s been in a deep freeze for days now. It’s a whopping 0F as I write this, which is somewhat of an improvement over the -14F we had on Tuesday. Although, when it’s this cold, it doesn’t even matter what the temperature is. It’s just effing cold, and I effing hate it. Truly, I have not been out of the house since December 30. I don’t get cabin fever like a lot of people I know, but even I’m ready for this to be over. Thankfully, temperatures are predicted to be normal by the weekend, so I can get start going to yoga again, and I can start acting classes. (I’m also out of some of my favorite foods, and I need parmesan cheese. We also need cat food.)

Freelance work is starting up again–I have a gig with VSA later this week. Aidan heads back to Columbus later this evening. (One good thing about this horrible weather? I got extra days with Aidan! Always a good thing. I will be sad when he’s gone.)

I realized that I didn’t really do any Christmas posts on my blog in 2013. Truthfully, I found it really hard to get into the Christmas spirit this year. I nearly didn’t decorate, but knowing that Aidan was going to be here motivated me. (He seemed to appreciate my efforts, but he had more fun twirling in the beads when I took the tree down.)

I had a nice Christmas, though. We rang in the holiday at Rich’s place (Rich is one of my favorite yoga teachers), where he and loads of other people were cooking all sorts of pancakes. There was also wine. Delicious wine. It was a really great way to bring in Christmas. Even Santa showed up. We sang Christmas carols and kirtan and talked and took pictures. It was a magical, beautiful time, and reminded me of how blessed I am to be a part of the Moksha community.

can you find me and aidan?
my friend jaylen took this photo.

After the party, we went to Hollywood Grill. That place is open 24/7, and we were still hungry. Good times.

Christmas Day was relaxing because we didn’t have to travel, nor were we hosting anyone. I liked all my gifts. I really enjoyed watching Aidan open his presents, and he was happy with everything (which was mostly LEGO and more LEGO).

see?

My birthday was low key as well. I spent most of the day with Aidan, and I got some cool presents: a Tiffany necklace from Adam, a Mickey Mouse watch from Chris and Aidan, a Mickey Mouse ring from Ivy, and $25 to amazon.com from Grandma Bel. I also bought myself a Ralph Lauren sweater. And a TARDIS blanket.

For Aidan’s birthday, we took him to a LEGO store and spoiled him some more, then we let him pick where to eat for dinner. (He wanted Harold’s, but we were in the suburbs and knew it would be a while till we made it back to the city, so we had Red Lobster instead.)

happy birthday, aidan!
i can’t believe i have an 11 year old.

All the big time partying has ended, and it’s time to trudge through another Chicago winter. This one is extra hard because it started so early. I get the feeling the North Face coat and new shell I got a couple of months ago was an excellent investment.

But I do have things to look forward to. I’m excited to start going to yoga again. Betty’s Vinyasa 1 class is the perfect amount of challenge for someone whose practice is so sporadic (like mine). I’m also excited to take acting classes. Right now, Living Social has a voucher for a 10-week workshop at Chicago Actor’s Studio. I felt like it was the Universe nudging me, so I went for it. Now I just need to go register and actually start taking classes. It’s going to be interesting to see what comes out of this. I love that I can learn for the sake of learning, and it’s affordable and accessible. The Universe opens so many possibilities when I can take advantage of those opportunities.

That’s all for now. Computer’s battery is like “meh” and I’m like “I should go to bed” and my domain is like “I’m not previewing this anymore dang it” and plus, I’m cold and want to get under my electric blanket. So, till next time……

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Spring Break! Woooo!

7 April 2013 / aidan, living in chicago, pictures

Aidan flew in the evening of March 28. When the last flight comes in, it’s almost always guaranteed there will be a delay, and this time was no exception. Except the delay never actually happened. Things got squared away on the departing side really quickly, so Aidan arrived even before his original scheduled arrival. How often does that happen? 🙂

We had a fun, low key spring break. We spent most of time hanging around the apartment and relaxing, playing video games (we played Harry Potter using our “dudebro” voices) and just chilling out. It’s always nice to do that. I’d managed to clear most of my week just so Aidan and I could hang. It was challenging to keep my schedule clear, but I did it for the most part.

We went out a few days, but our biggest adventure was hitting the Shedd Aquarium. A few locals advised us against it. “It’s spring break, it’s going to be a mess!” they said. But Aidan and I met up with the woman I babysit for and her two sons, and we headed out anyway. And it turned out to be fine. It was crowded, but not so much that I was super annoyed or anything. We got there early, and because she had a stroller, got to bypass the main ticket line and use the accessible line. I upgraded our tickets because Aidan wanted to see sharks.

He got his wish.

We got to touch a sea star; Aidan didn’t like that much. We also saw penguins, pretty fish, whales, a snapping turtle, and other beautiful things.

The Wild Reef exhibit was my favorite. I’ve always loved coral reef, so seeing it there was amazing. Coral reef fascinates me. It’s teeming with life–thousands, if not millions of organisms make it their home–and it’s so delicate that it can only survive in the most exacting of environments. Once upon a time I fancied having a coral reef tank, but they’re too hard and expensive to maintain. Thank goodness we have the Shedd, right?[1. I used to have freshwater tropical tank many years ago. I really miss having an aquarium. It was so calming and beautiful. We just don’t have room for one where we live now. :(]

Of course there was souvenir shopping. Aidan wanted plushies. First, he was desperate for a stuffed penguin. I told him to wait until we were done looking at things because I didn’t want to lug the thing around. Then, by the end of the visit, he wanted a stuffed shark. So we headed to the gift shop. I was expecting to spend $25–30 on a single plush for Aidan, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were TWO for $30! Well then. So Aidan got two sharks and he named them Saw Blade and … well, shoot, I know the other one had Hammer in his name somewhere but now I can’t remember what his name is. Anyway, he was happy.

And man, some of the things that come out of that kid’s mouth!!

Aidan: There are so many movies coming out that I don’t care about!

Ronni: Oh hell no.
Aidan: Oh heaven yes!

Aidan: Would you like this Easter egg bubblegum? It’s egg-flavored gum. Just kidding!

Aidan: Mom, you need to buy a new mirror. That’s a funhouse mirror.

He’s right about the mirror. It does a number on my self-esteem when I’m standing in just the right… or maybe wrong place.

Aidan flew back to Ohio tonight. The gate agent sat him next to another UM–an 11 year old girl–so he’d have someone to talk to. The next time I see him, he’ll be arriving for the summer. And two days after that is Disney World!

So, that was my spring break in a nutshell. It was a good one. Hope yours was good, too.

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It Did Not Go Well

6 December 2012 / aidan, christmas, lol, pictures

Aidan’s first time ever seeing Santa. December, 2003.

It didn’t go well.

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Tis The Season For an Aidan

26 November 2012 / aidan, life, pictures, shopping, thanksgiving

How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was really good. My favorite part, of course, was that Aidan was here. We had a LOT of fun! We hung out, we watched Christmas programs, we braved the crowds on Black Friday and did some shopping, and I got in a lot of laughing and cuddling and good times. I suck them up now because I know they will end sooner than I’m ready.

I didn’t take photos of the spread, but we had turkey that Adam had brined in a solution from the Spice House (the turkey was good on Thanksgiving, but it was AMAZING Friday night). We had stuffing, cornbread dressing (gotta have my dressing; stuffing just doesn’t do it for me), corn, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce (homemade by Adam and awesome), and apple pie. Jeff and Deborah brought over a tart and some sweet potato fritters–I didn’t even get a chance to try them. Jen bought over a plate full of yummy rolls. We had sparkling blueberry juice and sparkling cranberry apple cider to drink, as well as the cranberry Sierra Mist. Everything was wonderful. We let our food digest while watching Twilight with RiffTrax before tackling the dessert. Good times.

Friday, Aidan and I went back and forth about whether or not we wanted to go out. He finally said “I want to go shopping.” He said he’d never been Black Friday shopping before and he thinks his dad won’t take him. So, we bundled up and headed on out! (And NOT to Walmart. Hell no.)

aidan and me on the way to state street
we’re waiting on the train, which came really quickly for once
so i had to rush and take this photo
that’s why i look crazy. lol.

I told him that we needed to go to shop for other people, not for him. But he talked me into getting him a stuffed Wreck It Ralph anyway. Hmph. Oh well.

We made our way to Macy’s. He didn’t really want to look at the store windows this year (Although he made sure I was OK with that. I was.). He did write his letter to Santa, though. Macy’s has a table set up every year and they donate money for every letter sent. 🙂

thinking hard.

mailed!

We made our way through Holiday Lane, which I like to do every year, but we didn’t go see Santa. I didn’t even try–figured the line would be too long, and besides, Aidan was getting hungry.

aidan and me at holiday lane
he was cranky and hungry
at least, until we made our way to the toy aisle

We also went up to see the Great Tree, which he and I called the “BASST”. Short for Big Ass Tree. But really an excuse for me to cuss. 😉

We actually had a good time shopping. We didn’t head out til around 230pm, so I figured most of the insane deal hunters would be home and sleeping. Most of the stores we went into had really cheerful workers (the ones in Old Navy seemed to be running on pure adrenaline or drugs or something) and also cheerful customers. There was only ONE store with a pissed off cashier–I didn’t take it personally though. Only one of the stores was so crowded I started to freak out, but the others were manageable. One wasn’t crowded at all.

We spent Saturday evening having a Christmas program marathon. We started with Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (where we tried to figure out what was going on with the doll on the Island of Misfit Toys), moved on to Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns, then plopped in another DVD and watched Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol. I could have kept going, but Aidan turned the TV off LOL.

I had so much fun with Aidan. This will be his LAST CHRISTMAS in single digit ages; he turns 10 on December 30! Hard to believe that I have a kid who’s about to be 10. Holy cow. But let me tell you why he is so amazing.

Last night, even though he’d had dinner, he decided that he wanted spaghetti. At 10:48pm. (He’s a night owl like me and on vacation time, I let him stay up.) I really didn’t want to cook that late, but I decided I’d show him how to get it started. I told him how to fill up the pot 3/4 of the way with water (he hasn’t learned fractions yet so he was like “WTF Mom”), and then he broke the noodles into the water. I added the butter and salt and oil, and he stirred the noodles. It was a team effort. I made enough for him to have a serving and a half. When I fixed his plate, I asked if he wanted everything in the pot, and he said “No.” And you know why? He told me that he wanted to make sure I got some even though he could have eaten all of it.

He is the kindest, most compassionate kid I’ve ever met, and I’m really truly hoping the teenage years don’t steal that away from him completely.

The next time I see him will be Christmas Day. 29 Days! In the meantime, I get to make Christmas. That will keep me busy and happy until then.

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Fourth Grader

12 November 2012 / aidan, pictures

6 Comments