Navel Gazing

So, I've been thinking a lot about paths lately. The various paths we take in life. How they lead us away from some people... towards others. How the choices we make change the path we're on... sometimes without us even realizing it &, more often than not, before we've quite noticed.

I suppose this is a concept that all people grapple with from time to time.... how many songs and poems have prognosticated on this very topic?

Oddly enough, it's a topic that's amazingly profound... and terribly simplistic at the same time.

Maybe that's why it's the subject of so much thought?...

And then, there's the journey itself. And that churns up a whole new set of thoughts and feelings. Life is never set. It's always moving; we're always moving. That much is certain. And, we must be willing to move with it. Being left behind is never a fun prospect, but as I've moved through my life, I've come to believe that it's not really possible. Life has a way of yanking you along, whether you want to go or not.

I think most of our troubles arise when we hold on to people, places and times when their place in our lives are long past. When we cling to those old treasures. It's that, that's the hardest thing to do, I believe. To let go, willingly... even, happily.... or perhaps merely with acceptance.

Anyway, nothing too profound or new in the spectrum of ideas. Just something that's been zipping around my head as of late.

Jacob's First Visit from Santa

North Park Mall & Santa Pictures

And He Sleeps.....

A Happy Boy

Here's a smiley little face!

Just clowning around on the couch!

Tornado, Tech Week, Openings, & New Pics

Well, we've had a minor victory here in the V household the past day or three. Jacob has napped with minimal fussing. WHOOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The boy HATES to nap during the day. HATES, HATES, HATES it. He just has too much to do (he thinks) to be bothered with sleeping during the day. His mama disagrees... very much so. Because the boy is a dragon boy come 5pm if he hasn't napped. So, we've been engaged in a full on, full scaled nap war.

I don't want to get too excited and jinks it, but I'll take what I can get... Especially since the child has been sleeping blissfully through the night since he was 7 weeks old.

Last night was tons of fun here in Plano (insert all kinds of sarcasm here). I got home from tech week rehearsal about 11pm, just in time to get a 1) in trouble for being late and not calling & 2) a phone call from my mother to tell me to turn on the news because there is some inclement weather lurking about. Lovely. As it turns out, there was rotations in the thunderstorms..... as in, tornado making rotations..... in December?????? Really?????

Then the sirens went off....

Apparently, not kidding.

(Though I do have to say that the city of Plano needs to work on the timing of when the frickin' sirens go off. Do those stupid things EVER go off, I don't know, BEFORE the rotations blows over your house?????????????? Michael and I heard it.)

So, we got to grab the boy and the cat and sit in the hall bathroom for a short while.... it's like Pavlov's dog.... the sirens to anyone who has grown up with the threat of tornadoes. The sirens go and then you go.

Anywhoo..... going to be writing that down in Jacob's baby book.

On the theatre front, we're in tech week. We open on Friday. Those of you looking for a great, family friendly, kid friendly Christmas show come out the to Plano and see Word of Mouth's production of The Miraculous Journey of Nicholas. Like I said, we open this Friday and run Friday night, Sat night and a Sunday matinee & then do the whole thing over again the following weekend.

Enjoy some new pics of The Boy!

Another Opening, Another Show...

Well, another show has come to an end. Annie Oakley was great fun & it was terribly sad to see it end. We had a BLAST!

And now, I'm on to the next show- I'm stage managing the next WOMP production, a Christmas show this time. All the performers are kids (in age, not just in attitude like the previous show!) & they are a group of talented kiddos!

Here are a few pics from the show!

Baby Dedication

On November 9th, we had J's baby dedication at our church!

Just a Few New Pictures....

Title of Today's Post...

... Having way too much fun with a slightly (okay, really) too large hat.

Big Eyed Baby

The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

Tonight we watched the Charlie Brown Halloween movie... bit of a tradition around these parts.... The wee Lad is mesmerized by the magical box we call the television... Yes, he is definitely of my and Michael's DNA!

Not Really Swimming Anymore

Remember the too large newborn jammies??

'Nuff said...

Well, there's a stinkin' ton going on in my little section of the world. The play has achieved "crazy" as we are still without a lead.... though hopefully that will be remedied by this coming Tuesday. Have I mentioned that we're less than a month out from opening night? Oh, how I love guerrilla theater...

Next week, the wee lad and I are going with my parents up to Wheeling to see the Italians. I can't wait for my grandparents to meet Jacob. I'm very excited! I can, however, wait to fly with a 3 month old. Yikes. Calgon, take me away! I'm taking the camera and the video camera with us!

**Throw Down with Bobby Flay just came on..... is it strange to anyone else that it's always the same set up??? They always think that they're going to be on an upcoming Food Network Special....***

The stories are whirling in my mind again. Starting to channel my inner Shakespeare once more now that I'm on break from school. We'll see how far I get. The little lad takes a large (wonderful) chunk of my time. And then dreaded housework that never ends... yucky.

I'm telling you, housework should be a four letter word. I hate it. Come by my house... I'll prove it to you. I have a very loose interpretation of clean.... sometimes. Clutter= clean. My mother disagrees.... and that's another thing. I hate that word, "clutter." It's my experience that when someone uses the word "clutter" they are never referring to their own stuff... no. They are talking about everyone else's.

Anyway.

The commercial for Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed just aired. I want to see that.

Well, this is quite the rambling blog post, is it not? Just the way my mind works.

New Pics for Jill

Well, since my friend/faithful reader Jill is on bed rest (also her new name) awaiting the birth of Baby Girl W (and not a ladybug, no matter what her subconscious is trying to trick her into thinking), I though I would post some new picture for her. So, here are some new pictures in honor of you Jill! We're thinking about you!!!!!!