An indication that I am losing my marbles- Sophia's was invited to her ex-classmate's birthday party in Brooklyn (Phil was going to the Giants/Pats game).  So I packed the girls up, headed out to the party only to realize...THE PARTY IS FOR TOMORROW.  UH-DUH!!!!!!!!!!!

After leaving two sprinkled sugar cookies we decorated and a piece of carrot on a plate for Rudolph, Sophia woke up on Christmas Day in pure amazement (infact, she slept late thinking she'll get to see Santa in the middle of the night).

 

(At 7:30a)

Sophia:  Mommy!  Daddy!  Santa ate a cookie and left half a piece!  And, the reindeer ate part of the carrot!

 

Mommy:  (half-awake, half asleep, not moving)  Uhh-huuuuh...

 

Daddy:  (was excited that Sophia was excited and jumped out of bed to join her)

 

Sophia:  ...very strange!

 

Mommy:  (mumbling) What's strange?

 

Sophia:  That Santa ate part of the cookie and the reindeer too!  They left it on the plate!  Very strange!

 

Mommy:  (so tempted to break her heart to tell her the truth that the only Santa and reindeer who ate the food was really her father, but I refrained)  Uhhh huuuuh... (thinking I better get my butt in gear to get the girls open their gifts so I can get out of the house to go to the spa with my mother...)

After decorating our gingerbread house with the help of Trader Joe's gingerbread house kit, gummy bears, gumdrops and sno-caps), Sophia pondered a bit and asked how would Santa come to deliver presents to her.

 

Sophia:  Daddy, how is Santa going to deliver my presents?

Phil:  Santa's going to open the door and leave yours and Olivia's presents.  Then he'll have a bite of your cookie and some milk before he goes.

Sophia:  (not convinced)  But how is Santa getting here?

Phil:  On his sleigh with reindeers.

Sophia:  (still not convinced)  No, no!!!  He's going to get in the elevator and press the *th floor.

Since we've been back from our trip, we've been to a total of seven holiday parties, four luncheons, two birthday parties, one class trip and a ballet recital.  And somewhere in between that, we've managed to get our Christmas shopping done.  And send out Christmas cards (along with photos).  And wrappings.  And bake sugar cookies.  Oh, and I squeezed in a pilates class too (as if that's helping!).

 

I don't mind wrapping gifts.  Infact, I find it very therapeutic.  I just absolutely hate running around town finding that perfect gift.  I know I could buy it online, but I know I can find a better deal if I was in the stores.  I can't stand crowds either.  People are so nasty, rude and impatient.  There's gotta be a better solution to this, but I just haven't figured it out.  Maybe I should just start shopping in July (but the deals are better in December!!!).

Ever since we've been back from our trip, all Olivia wants to wear are her summer dresses.  She doesn't care of it's freakin 30 degrees out there, IT MUST BE LONG AND FRILLY AND ON HER.  The nanny has told me she has thrown tantrums if things don't go her way.  So to solve this, I let her wear her winter dresses, but she's gotta wear pants.  I've also put away her summer dresses in rubbermaid containers so she can't find them. 

 

Lately, Sophia does the strangest and spookiest shit- she often repeats whatever was said, IN A WHISPERING VOICE.  For example, I ask her to go to the bathroom to wash her hands, she'll whisper "go wash your hands" twice to no one in particular.  I don't know where she gets it from.  I once asked her if she has an invisible friend and was repeating it for this friend of hers and she laughed at me like I was crazy.  Then I thought maybe she's possessed.  At least it will explain her bad behavior.  In any case, I hope this is just a passing phase because it's annoying the shit outta me.

 

In some ways, I'm very tempted to abandon my new job and go back to my old department.  For one thing, the parent company has yet to transfer my status from being a "freelancer" to "full-time status."  But I bet if it were the other way around, they'd drop me in an instant (how typical of evil-corporate companies).  I'm hanging by a thread these days, trying to be swayed by the wonderful benefits that will soon come my way once everything is changed but GEEZUS, I AM SO MOTHERFUCKING BORED with this job. 

 

All I deal with is setting up his meetings on the calendar.  Oooh, so difficult <eyes rolling>.  I hardly speak to my boss.  Maybe a "Good morning" or "so and so is calling for you."  But that is pretty much the extent of our conversation.  It's not that he's an introvert, he's just a busy guy.  He's too wrapped up in his work and doesn't have time to mingle with his own assistant.

 

Most of the staff I've met are nice (there are a few snooty ones).  Infact, just this morning one of the staff members (I actually worked on something with him prior to switching jobs, so I kinda knew him beforehand) asked how the job was coming along and I answered quite frankly, "It's okay, but I really miss the creativity I once did in the old department."  He suggested that I speak with the boss and perhaps he would assign something creative and fun.  It seems doubtful, but perhaps I will mention it before the holidays are up.

 

Technically I'm still helping out with the old department since they have yet to hire a replacement (I think they are hopeful that I will come back to them).  And I know they'd take me back in a flash.  If they offered me a full-time status with all the benefits included, I think I would run back to them.  Question is, would it be strange to flip flop positions and not look silly?

Writing here from the US Virgin Islands, St. John as I scratch my many gnat and skeeter bites.  Weather has maintained in the mid-80s, but bloody hot and humid for the past few days.  We had a rain shower here and there, but it never lasted for more than a half hour.

 

Reason why my entire family (sisters, bro in-law, parents, Phil and the girls) are here vacationing together is because my cousin (the Korean side) had a destination wedding.  The bride was very pretty in her wedding dress and food was good too.  They treated us to a welcome dinner soiree at their villa on Monday.  On Tuesday evening, 20+ of us sailed on a catamaran around the British VI as well as St. John.    Highlight of that trip was my dad bugging out- he was so nervous getting on the catamaran, he drank two shots of vodka along with two beers AND a valium to calm his nerves (he didn't want to take Dramamine).  He wasn't alone- my mother decided to have a couple of weird rum concoctions the captain made.  That evening she decided to dip into our villa's jacuzzi and fall asleep...in her summer dress.  Phil and I had to wake her to get out of the jacuzzi.

 

We managed to hop around the island in search of beach adventure.  We've visited Salt Pond Bay twice (the kids loved it despite the ten minute downhill rocky terrain trail), Hansen Bay (you pay Vie's Snack Shack $2.50 entrance fee for her private beachfront- excellent johnny cakes!), Trunk Bay (excellent underwater snorkeling trail), Maho Bay (small, crowded, but great snorkeling) and Francis Bay (soooo many little itty bitty fishies swimming all around you!). 

 

Some tidbits-