…I’m talking about the holidays! Wasn't it just Halloween? I went to Target on
the Friday after Halloween and found it had been relegated to a small corner
and Christmas had arrived and taken over. I almost feel that Thanksgiving has
become an afterthought.
Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving
Save me a drumstick, Martha!
I’m not sure how you feel about Christmas commercials and
specials appearing so early in the season but I guess it helps some people with
planning or whatever. Not that I don’t enjoy the holidays but it does seem to
get here earlier each year. Please God,
don’t let me be turning into a Grinch!
Thought you might like to see this shot of myself and my brother at
my niece’s wedding back in 1999 in Santa Barbara on the beautiful campus of
UCSB. There are so many stories behind this picture it’s hard to know where to
start.
Me and my brother Mike at our niece's wedding
I need to take you back two months prior to an accident that
left me wondering if I would make it to the wedding! I literally smashed my ankle walking the dog. I had fallen down a little gully and had to
wait for a passerby to ask for help. Long story short, I ended up being
transported in an ambulance to the hospital where the emergency room doctor
told me that if I had to break my ankle I did a damn good job of it!
It was a Sunday and being the bad dream that it was, I found
out my surgeon was on the golf course – but of course! Surgery was scheduled
for the next day followed by two months spent strictly in bed (if I wanted to
make the wedding) and some rehab. I got cut out of my cast just a few days
before the trip and on crutches, I
traveled to Ohio for a few days to be with my sister where it was the hottest
summer on record (triple digits!) and then onward to Los Angeles, Santa
Barbara, San Diego, back to LA and finally back home to Hawaii. It was an
adventure traveling on crutches and when there was a time crunch with
connections, I was whisked about on a scooter thru the concourse. I’m sure you've seen them. Do you know how hard people stare at you when you’re in one
of those!
See that outfit I’m in? Does it look a tad big on me? It fit
me perfectly when I got it (esp. for the wedding) but I knew I had to cut back
on my food intake if I didn't want to balloon up. Two months lying in bed with no
activity was a dangerous proposition! I ended up losing weight and didn't even
realize it.
The gorgeous Santa Barbara coastline
Santa Barbara is a beautiful town. I remember thinking I
could so easily live there. My brother drove us to State Street (their main street)
where there are so many restaurants, shops, and galleries and I remember how he
complained about “crazy California drivers” of which I have now become minus
the crazy part! We got a parking ticket which I offered to pay and when I got
home I included a little yellow sticky note on my check that said how much I
enjoyed visiting their fair city!
There is so much more I could tell you but suffice to say,
it was quite the trip, and one that will not be easily forgotten!
