In the Spirit

We had an enjoyable and busy weekend. There had been talk of Jon and Amber coming for a visit, but when they weren't able to come, we made the most of our days!

After the gym on Saturday morning, Chris and I stopped by Home Depot to buy a tree. We were woefully under-prepared for tying the tree to the top of our car. The wind chill must have been at or below zero and we were gloveless and hatless. Not to mention somewhat clueless about tree-securing methods. Not that we haven't done it before, but last time we were in Florida and the temperature was somewhere in the 70 degree range.

We recovered from near-frostbite and made it home with the tree - a lush and fragrant Noble Fir - intact.

The decorating commenced, under Chris' direction this year. What does that mean? Chris got to decorate the tree however he wanted. I helped, but I promised not to move or rearrange any of the ornaments.

In anticipation of "Chris' tree," I picked up multi-colored lights as well as gold and red tinsel after Christmas last year. He says these are essential for creating a "fun" tree. I have to admit, I agree!

The angel, along with several of the decorations, are a little fancy for the "fun" tree, but they do add to the eclectic look. I think I'll look for one of those obnoxious cool multi-colored stars on sale this year.

Photos can't truly capture how fun Chris' tree looks. Nor can you smell the fragrance that has overtaken the house. We are feeling the Christmas Spirit!

The house is not decorated extensively, but I love having a fireplace mantle on which to hang our stockings. Jack even has one. Chris is certain Jack wishes he had a Cartman stocking, too!

After decorating, Chris cooked ribs and our friend/neighbor/my former colleague, Rebeca, came over for dinner, wine and conversation. Chris lit a fire in the fireplace, as he has done several times since it was cleaned. Some may question how I can enjoy such an environmentally unfriendly activity.

I have given it much thought and have determined that I can live with the guilt, particularly since I bought TerraCycle fire logs made from cardboard waste. The cost per fire has increased, but you can't put a price on sitting by the fireplace on a cold winter day. Who says I'm hard to please?

On Sunday, Chris and I met Melissa and Steve, a nice guy she has been dating for a few weeks. Melissa and I had planned ahead and purchased tickets to Wicked at the Orpheum as soon as they went on sale back in June. We were smart to buy four tickets, although we could have made some cash as tickets to this sold-out show are in high demand!

For those not familiar with the plot, Wicked is a musical that tells "untold story of the witches of Oz" (as in Wizard of, aka one of my favorite movies of all time) and is based on a 1995 novel of the same title.

What a tremendous show! While it followed that typical musical story arc that can begin to feel long toward the end of Act I, Act II flew by and the ending literally brought me to tears! This may not seem like an achievement, but I don't think that happened since my first Broadway musical (The Sound of Music, another all-time favorite). I also didn't know how this one would end and the conclusion took me by surprise.

After the show, we grabbed a bite at Keys, which happens to be in the Foshay adjacent to the W. Jack was working so we stopped by to say hello. I spared him an embarrassing photo-op, since I know Mom and Grandma Dottie will get him this weekend!