1.5.11

I am trying not to slide into the post holiday blues. Why does January always feel like such a lonely month? I'm conscious of it creeping in on me and I know that I can control it so that's what I'm trying to do. We still have our tree up and most of our lights and festive things, and that's helping. I still turn my Christmas tree on every morning. I have stopped listening to Christmas songs, actually the last day I did that was on Christmas day even though I am really longing to hear a few of my favorites still. I have put away a few of the knick-knacky things but for the most part I am holding out for the Epiphany and I like having such a good reason to hold out. I may even make a cake tomorrow, but it wont be an official Rosca de Reyes because I'm not going to put a baby into it.

Tony's birthday was on Sunday and would you like to know how he celebrated it? Sick as a dog that's how! I've actually never seen him sicker than he was on Sunday. He had full blown, as bad as it gets, flu. It hurt me too. It's not easy watching your big strong man get taken down so hard. Especially on of all days...his birthday! It was a rainy day and we all stayed home, tried to make him comfortable and tried to let him sleep, which isn't easy in a small house with four children in it. I am happy to report that he's doing much better now. And I am even happier to tell you that, so far, the rest of us have been spared the ugliness. Time will tell, a few more days I think anyway and hopefully our luck will hold. Ironically, or not so much if we end up with it too, Tony is the only one of us that did not get a flu shot this year. The kids and I finally took care of that business only about three weeks ago.

I think this may be the time of year here that the temperature range is the smallest of the year. This morning when I dropped the kids off at school I noticed that is was 34°, and when I picked them up from school it was 42°. Today may even be the average coldest day of the year here. So ask me what I did today, on quite possibly the coldest day of the year? Go on, ask me! I'll tell you then! Let me make a short story very long OK? I was in Costco and I had filled up my cart with all the usual suspects, eggs, milk, bananas, apples...you get the picture. As I walked by the clothing section I spied something that on a day like this [where it was freezing even on the inside of Costco] I had no business peeking at, but something I really really do need. I couldn't help myself because this particular item doesn't usually appeal to me in Costco for reasons that I'm not interested in sharing here because I really think this story is already too long so I'll just say that this thing appealed to me in a strong way and so I looked through the stack of them and found one that was my size and it very strongly continued to appeal to me and I looked around to see if I was drawing any attention to myself as I expressed what must have appeared to be pure delight. Making this an even crazier scenario, I put two of them in my shopping cart alongside the hearty lentils and the pineapple!

As I walked away, a woman commented on my shopping basket, she exclaimed "already!" with almost as much delight as I felt, I giggled under my breath and smiled all the way to pay. Have you already guessed that it was two swimsuits that I bought? Yes, on a day where the temperature did not rise above 45°, I purchased not just one but two black ladies speedo. I had it in the back of my happy mind that of course I would try them on at home and likely return them on my next [weekly] visit to the big C.

I was just tickled as I drove all the way home with a big goofy grin on my face and my music turned up really loud, as it always is when I am in the car alone. I feel like such a rebel when I am alone in the car. I am alone! I am in my car! I am driving and my music is cool! Ha!

The day got at least seven times times better when I got home, unloaded my groceries and went immediately to try on my speedo. Yep, it fit! Not only did it fit but I think it may have actually looked decent on me. I haven't had a thought like that about something like this in at least 13 years! Just plain black they are, both the same, simple, no fancy stuff. Perfect for swimming whenever we can swim again, which will probably be at least three months or more! But I don't care! The suit I had been wearing for the last two years was old and shredded and I threw it in the trash back in October. I'm ready! Hooray! January blues in your face!