gifts beyond reason, given freely and without judgement or expectation -

to say that tim and i are generous with each other throughout the year
is to downplay the rather celebratory way that he has taught me to live life.

we gift each other things as varied as stargazer lilies and cupcakes to trips and designer clothing;
we recognize that our hard work bring with it advantages,
and we take them,
share them,
and spread them around as much as we can.

so christmas is not a denoument for us,
so much as a chance to slow,
re-assess,
and thank our little family for the other presents the year has given us.

because grr and avec bring us things that are harder to quantify.
companionship.
unexpected compassion.
insistent good spirits.
unquestioning belief in our goodness.
persistent need for our attention.
steady breath at night.
sneak attack kisses.
caroling of barks upon arrival.


they give what we should to each other, and to one another.


unquestioning belief
in the goodness of man.


happy holidays, little ones.


and thank you for the gifts you bring.

XMAS IN LALA LAND

thanks for tuning in, kidlets.

big love out to you all,
thanks for all the love, laughter, and good thoughts
you've given me all year.

the blogworld collides : meeting jim at his holiday wonderland

to quote disney:
it's a small world after all.

upon moving to los angeles,
i reached out to old friends,
production friends,
and for the first time,
BLOG friends.

or, as gretchen calls them:
bliends.

jim, of jim's notes,
has been a frequent commenter,
a regular source of good laughs,
and an excellent cook . . . on his blog.

so, when he invited tim and i to his home for a holiday party,
we had to go and see the blogworld,
made real.

needless to say, the house was a riot of lights and color,
and jim?

riot of lights and color.
actually a killer host, kept handing out these drinks called "snowballs"
(stop laughing)
which you can find the recipe for on his blog.

it was a really nice gift,
making the virtual into the real.

merry xmas, blog world.  it's been a good year!

MOTTO TUESDAY : retail therapy

i think james perse's l.a. flagship caught me off guard.

cause the t-shirt king has the right idea.

we all need to
just
breathe.

go on.

i'll wait.

gris means gray : blending in

little one almost disappears in the new place . . .