Happy New Year!

Did you have one? We partied like rock stars! More like rocks.... our idea of celebrating New Year's Eve, or what we like to call Amateur Night, started our very first year we were married. We would go get an ice cream cone at the Braum's Dairy Store on Southwest 89th street in Oklahoma City. We wouldn't even eat Rum-raisin or Egg Nog ice cream... we'd stick to the chocolate. We'd do this rather early because Braum's would close around 8PM. We'd then go back home and watch all the Amateurs on TV standing in the freezing cold waiting to hear what Dick Clark would say next.

Then the years passed (just like clockwork), we had kids and we decided it would be safer to just stay home and not get out for ice cream. And there were the lean years when we lived nowhere near a Braum's. It is was really because those Amateurs had probably started boozing early and were driving to the bar (that made me laugh) and could run over us and wipe out the whole family if we chanced the outing. (The family memebers know who instilled this thinking...)

Soon our kids grew up and couldn't wait to become an Amateur and party with the rest of the world. We still stayed home at the Command Center and watched from a protected area. Sometimes we would even invite people over! And we'd (more like I'd) partake in a beverage. But our friends were of the same thought as us, and as soon as Dick had done that thing with the light at the top of the tower they'd wobble off down the street to their house. Another successful New Year's Eve.

This year was no different.... by 10:30 I was ready for bed, Jody was plinking loudly on a mandolin. I began watching the 'coverage' on CNN. They jumped over to Key West, Atlanta, Savannah, Boston. Just jumping around... Kathy Griffin running her mouth trying to impress Anderson Cooper, CNN trying to keep the FCC from shutting them off (did you hear what she told the passers-by?) Then after the stroke of midnight on the East Coast they went to Key West and they stayed there..... they had missed the actual dropping of the Drag Queen, but they were interviewing her. Oh my gosh, maybe I could see Jolea, she was working (with the catering crew) the event after all. Of course I didn't see her in the crowd, but I did see my cousin.... she's with the Key West Chamber of Commerce, so she is usually at all these types of events.

Then I went to sleep to the sound of gunfire in the neighborhood. Who started that? Poncho Villa? That is probably the only thing that set the night off from any other night of the year.

We didn't watch any parades or football games on TV New Year's day, The Dog Whisperer was having a marathon!!! (It's most important that we know how to properly train that dog we'll never have.) The weather was beautiful... in the 70's! Jody worked on another strummer he's building and I knitted and re-started a needlepoint project I hadn't worked on in years. (We didn't eat any Blackeyed Peas!!!!)

Resolutions we're making.... year's ago Jody mentioned that he resolved to not make any resolutions. Sounds good to me. I will however start exercising more and get back to going to the gym... I'm walking out of school at 4, that stuff can wait until the next day. I'm going to take better care of my flowerbeds... I may even make a compost pile. And then there's the massive clean out.... I'm selling, or giving away, or throwing away everything we haven't used or touched in the past year! I may even have a garage sale in the spring.... I hate garage sales, maybe I'll find some one to sell it on consignment. Or Craig's list it.

It's just gotta go. Jody wants to start 'living like the Japanese'.... I'm not sure what he means by this. I know when we got married I was trying to figure out his 'style' of decorating. (You'd hate to have Bordello Chic collide with Jeremiah Johnson.) I came to the conclusion his style was Early Holiday Inn. You know, everything of importance bolted down so if it did get a little cluttered the room could just be blown out with a leaf blower. Hardly any furniture... if you had guest over they could bring their own folding lawn chairs. That's a little much if you ask me... (a little much doesn't quiet make sense here.)

There is change on the horizon and I'm not talking politics here.

I almost forgot!!! Jody ate a KC Strip steak last night!!!! We all did... it was heaven. Jody thought he would cry. If his throat feels alright today we may have Chicken Fried Steak tonight! I'm so excited.