Dear Rachel - 9.20.10

Dear Rachel,

I had a quiet day today.  Did some work from home, got caught up on some stuff, did some (but not all!) homework.  Now I've got a busy day tomorrow, what with payroll, a conference call and class.  Hmm.  Maybe I should have gone in to the office today . . .

Not much else to report.  I'm excited for Glee tomorrow night.  Have you already listened to all the music?  I'll wait.

I've been recording some stuff on the DVR but I haven't really watched any of it.  That's not really the point, now is it?  (Not sure where the comma should go in that last sentence.)

Sucks that you still haven't received 9/2 and 9/3.  But at least now that I've emailed them, you'll be able to catch up.  

How's that homework coming?  :-P

Love, 

Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.19.10

Dear Rachel,

Well, we're home but we had fun driving the TT down those lonely highways.  Steve got it up to 130 today.  That's crazy fast.  I didn't like it, I mean the car felt fine, it just seems like it would be too easy for something to go wrong.

Yesterday was very nice until I got sick.  Then it sucked.  Today too.  I drank a Sprite and ate Saltines.  I actually dozed off in the car which is very unusual for me.

Clark was very happy to see us and was pretty lovey-dovey for a little while but then Ellie went after him after he jumped off the couch onto her.  I went over to make sure that he was okay and while I was holding him, he scratched my temple and bit my nose.  I screamed at him in pain and he immediately just hung there in my hand.  Steve thinks we should just go ahead and declaw him since he can't go outside.  I'm willing to be persuaded.  He has trashed the side of the couch.

The aspens are in full yellow.  It was really beautiful driving through southern Colorado and over the pass.  There were even bits of orange here and there.

Work tomorrow.  I'm envious that you have the day off.  But, of course, you do have homework to do.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.17.10

Dear Rachel,

Back to little paper again . . .

Drove to Angel Fire today.  Got a later start than we wanted but don't we always?  Left Aspen just before 10:30 am and drove over the pass.  We stopped at the top and then once on the way down and then not again until we hit Taos.  I played with the TT, seeing how it felt and what it could do.  On one straight shot, I got it up to 115.  It could have done more comfortably but I was a bit freaked out by the number.  115.  I then set the cruise control at 94.  It was great at passing on the one lane highways.  And I loved telling people here, yep it's gonna be mine.  I told Steve that once I own it, he's going to see a whole nother side of me.  I'm gonna remind you of your dad, washing my car every week.  That's how I was when I had the Saab.

We got here before everyone and were starving since we hadn't stopped at all.  Steve really wants to walk around the Taos square so we decided to drive the 25 miles back there and find a place to eat.  We got there, parked, checked voice mail and found out that we were supposed to be meeting up with Campo back in Angel Fire.  So we loaded back into the car and drove back 25 miles.  Maybe we'll stay in Taos on Sunday night.

It's been fun talking to everyone but then it'll get sad.  Such a crazy thing.

We met at the golf club for drinks and then drove up to Sandie's parents' house where we visited and ate.  Then we came back to the hotel where the guys are still down hanging out in the bar.  The memorial is tomorrow at 2 pm so I'm sure we'll hang out some more tomorrow morning.  

Mark really appreciated our all being here.  I'm touched by how appreciative he is.  I'm glad we came.  It's so important to be there for your friends.

Love, Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.16.10

Dear Rachel,

We just got home from picking up Kim's car.  It's complicated!  And even more so trying to figure it out in the dark.  It'll be fun to drive it over the pass.

I loved your text, "You know, I kinda like being the good girl."  I know I already told you but it made me proud.  I'm sorry you missed Aaron Sorkin but I'm proud of you for not skipping class.  Such a hard decision.

Hey!  We've got a full-time opening for a receptionist.  Want the job?

Nowhere near ready to leave in the morning so I'm going to bed so maybe we can leave somewhere near 8 am.

Love, Mommie  :-)

p.s. Yuck.  Boring, plain paper.

Dear Rachel - 9.15.10

Dear Rachel,

Hmmm.  Last printed sheet of this stationery too.

Struggling a bit to come up with something worth writing tonight.  Pretty mundane day so not much interesting to say.

I'm glad you were able to be productive today and that you feel good about it.  I'm proud that you're making such a conscious effort to stay on top of things.  That'll make a huge difference in keeping things manageable.

Crazy stuff happening in these mid-term elections.  Makes me want to be sure that you get a mail-in ballot.  Have you heard anything about the Tea Party lady in Delaware?  Scary.  If only the crazies vote, only the crazies will get elected.

Love, Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.14.10

Dear Rachel,

I'm sorry you think that you miss me more than I miss you.  It's not really a competition but it's natural that you're feeling more uncertainty and anxiety.  You're dealing with so much that's new, unfamiliar and stressful.  You're trying to navigate new expectations and challenges, all of which force you to miss the familiar more keenly.  But this is your time to explore and experience, still with some measure of a safety net.  Embrace the challenges and see where they take you!  And take comfort in the knowledge that the familiar is out there even as you create new familiar.

Envious that you have the possibility of seeing Aaron Sorkin.  Not thrilled about you missing class, though.  That's a tough call..  Can't condone it but can't condemn it either.

I had my photography class again today.  I'm learning a lot about all of the possibilities of digital cameras.  Will it make me a better photographer?

We got one of those water fountain things for Clark since he loves to drink from the faucet so much.  We also got an automated food dispenser.  It'll probably take him about two seconds to learn what that noise means.  He should be all set for his first weekend home alone.

We'll be missing the Snowmass Balloon Festival and some bazaar that they're having in Aspen.  Should be fun stuff for Grandma & Papa and the Havertys to check out.

You should call Grandma Nina.  Try to stay in touch with her regularly.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.13.10

Dear Rachel,

One of the productions companies responsible for the movie we saw tonight is called A Likely Story and its log is a drawing of a "Bad Panda."   Really!  You should google it.  They have a Facebook page with their logo.  Got me thinking about what you might name your future production company.  Sad Panda Productions?  Sidewalk to Nowhere Productions?  Happy Moose Productions?  Triquetra Productions?  CharmedFreak Productions?  I could go on . . .

The movie, Please Give, was odd.  Papa's response when it was over was "Wow."  Not "Wow!" but "Wow."  He and Grandma wondered if Jon Busch was going to come back on stage to explain it.

I'm feeling pretty productive this evening since I worked all day, went to a movie, finished my homework (sorta), posted a picture and am now writing your letter.  I never turned the TV on so that probably helped.

The saga of the car may be settling down.  The saleswoman wasn't able to find any black Q5s so Kim's going to just wait until December for the blue one that she already ordered.  Or so she says.  I'm not sure that she's patient enough.  We'll see.

I guess you're getting into it, the college grind, since your texts to me have precipitously fallen off.  That's ok, I'm just wondering if I pulled the trigger too quickly on the change in text plans.

I started moving books on to your shelves.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.12.10

Dear Rachel,

Oh no!  I missed a day!  I think the irregular mail delivery at the University Center has taken the wind out of my sails.  Well, that and the TV are probably both to blame.  I've been staying up way too late.  Friday night (really Saturday morning) I was up until 1:30 am even though I had to get up and go to class.  I was exhausted last night and now it's 11:15 pm.

We went to Grandma & Papa's for dinner and I DVR'd the MTV VMA's so we just watched maybe half.  Crazy stuff.  I'd never seen Justin Bieber before.  What's the attraction?  That Eminem song is growing on me.  Who is Chelsea Handler and why did someone think she'd be a good host?  These are rhetorical questions by the way.

It looks like we're back to December for Kim's car.  She really likes the blue so I think she should wait and get what she wants.  We're still planning to take it to New Mexico next weekend.  We're going to take Ellie too.  Poor Clark has to stay home.

Leaves are turning and it's getting cold here, especially early in the morning.

Love, Mommie :-)

p.s. Even though I didn't write a letter yesterday, I do get huge points for mailing your package especially since I had to go out of my way for an envelope since they neglected to restock the priority mail supplies in the post office lobby!

Dear Rachel - 9.10.10

Dear Rachel,

Well, I feel like I'm back in college.  I just fell asleep doing my homework.  Hopefully, I'll get up in time to finish it tomorrow.

More old school stationery.  We've moved from Woodstock and Peanuts to carousel horses.  I was quite a fan of carousel horses.

Kim found out today that she lost out on the Q5 that would have been here by the end of the month so now she's broadening her range of color choices in an attempt to increase her odds of getting one before Christmas.  The limitations of the lack of dealers in the valley are a bit frustrating.  She'd love to look at other makes but doesn't think it wise.

I'll be in class tomorrow while you are.  How cool is that?  Ok, not really, but whatever.

Clark's being a troublemaker.  Ellie got tired of keeping him in line so she left and now I'm unprotected.  He's got the huge pupils and he's trying to burrow under the lap desk again.  Now he's just lying in wait.  This is probably going to hurt but I have a spray bottle at the ready.

I'm glad you're going to brunch with Jackie and Zanny.  That should be nice.

Today was Ashley's last day.  We're sad.  We do however have high hopes for our two new hires.  You're going to come back and not know anyone . . .

Love, Mommie :-)

Hmph

The University Center appears to have a few kinks to work out with its mail delivery.  Although I have written and mailed a letter every day since we left Chicago on Sunday, 8/29/10, Rachel has only received the first three letters. It's been over a week since she's received one.

At least she's still receiving her packages . . .

Dear Rachel - 9.9.10

Dear Rachel,

Grandma & Papa are here!  We picked them up from the airport and then we went out to dinner at the Pitkin County Tavern.  I love those corn fritters!

We're testing our DVR.  Since we're losing our badge of honor of not owning a TV, we're seizing upon the fact that since our cable was turned on 24 hours ago, we've only watched the Vuelta a Espana on live TV.  And we've christened our DVR with the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.  So I'd argue that we're still occupying some high ground here.

Another work day with not much else to talk about.  Oh, except that Kim heard from the Audi saleswoman that her new car may be here by the end of the month.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.8.10

Dear Rachel,

I am so tired.  It's 10:38 pm.  The Comcast cable guy who was supposed to come between 1 and 5 didn't get here until after 7 pm.  He didn't leave until after 8, then we ate dinner (Steve cooked chicken.  He made tuna last night).  After setting up our new voicemail and playing with the DVR, it is now past my bedtime.  Still need to figure out why the on screen caller id isn't working and how to skip commercials but not tonight.

Cool, grey rainy day today but it cleared up in time for me to ride my bike home.  The weather should be nice for Grandma & Papa the next few days.

This letter is looking pretty short.  Not much going on since we didn't chat much and I basically worked.

More tomorrow?

Love, Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.7.10

Dear Rachel,

First day of college class!  Sorry you're not thrilled about one of your instructors.  Maybe he'll grow on you.  I'm heartened to hear your reaction to your classmate who's opting to go the Sparks Notes route.  As with most everything, it is especially true with regards to college that you get out of it what you put into it.  Cutting corners or being lazy academically only lessens your experience and limits the rewards to be reaped.  This is what I hope for you, that you make the most of your opportunities and allow them to take you in the direction of fulfillment of your dreams.

I had class today too.  It'll be fun for me to further hone my photography skills.  It's been such a great way to add a little variety to my day and an excellent motivation to get out and about.  

As much as I'm looking forward to Hawaii, this trip has become a bit of a pain.  Not that I want to have to choose but if I did, I might just have to opt for San Francisco.  But as I write this, Jack Johnson comes on Pandora and images of Lahaina and Ka'anapali float through y head and I get excited all over again.  Just struggling to balance work and travel.  It can be so painful to return to the workpile.

Looking around the living room, I like the new set-up.  It's cozy.  Cable guy comes tomorrow.

Grandma & Papa come the day after tomorrow.  The weather here has been nice but it's definitely getting colder.  It was 35 degrees when I left for work this am.  But it was a gorgeous 70 degrees at lunch.  Fall in the Rockies!

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.6.10

Dear Rachel,

So sad.  I've used up all the decorated sheets!  Oh well, it only took 30 years.  I can't believe we're averaging 25 texts per day.  I'm sure that average will drop once you start classes.  Tomorrow.  OMG.  Are you ready?

I found some really old video tapes today from like 1996 and 1997.  I haven't watched it all but there's footage of you skiing and of your kindergarten or pre-school graduation.  So cute!  Maybe I'll post it to Facebook or Youtube.

I put all the hanging clothes from my closet into your closet.  I'm going to put them back in my closet as I wear them and then anything left in your closet will go to the Thrift Store.  At least that's the plan.  We finally put all the boxes in the crawl space today.  I put your Venetian masks in a box by themselves with tissue paper so I think they'll be fine.  We had all of Grandma's dishes in one box but it was way too heavy so Steve put them in two separate boxes which were much more manageable.

We talked to Shelly today about Simone.  Shelly said that Simone has already been on a winery tour and will be touring the Guinness brewery when she does a school trip to Ireland.  Totally different deal in Europe . . .

Quiet day today.  We did some organizing around the house, then Jazmin came so we went to Big Wrap and then over to Barb's parents' house to help with a few things since they're moving to Grand Junction.  Back home, where I made dinner with some garden fresh veggies from Barb and some Saturday Market pasta.  Yep, we empty nesters sure are boring!

Love, Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.5.10

Dear Rachel,

 A bit of a lazy day today.  Relaxed at home this morning, then out to enjoy the weather in town.  We walked over to Wagner Park with Ellie, where we read and watched a little volleyball, a little touch football, a little kite flying and a little canine frolicking.  Then back home where we sat out on the porch until it started to get dark.

The only hiccup was when Clark Kent wandered into Chris' house.  You'll be pleased to know that he can't be an outdoor cat now.  Hopefully, that'll be the end of it.

It was great to see you tonight on Skype.  I had fun yelling at you from 1100 miles away.  :-P

Kim just called and told me why she didn't want me to say anything about the TT when we ran into each other earlier.  She was with two other docs who both have TTs.  One had been instrumental in talking her into buying hers and the other is bummed that he has to sell his 'cause he just had a second baby.  So there was no need for me to edit out the details online but whatever.  She just didn't want me bringing it up in front of those two.  Steve and I are going to take it to Angel Fire in two weeks.  That should make a sad trip a bit more fun.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.4.10

Dear Rachel,

Two nights in a row, you said you would text me good night and you haven't.  You must not love me!  :-P

I hope you enjoyed the fireworks.  Maybe it was fun seeing them with people who aren't as jaded about them as some of the people around here.

Steve's brushing Ellie right now.  She's not thrilled.  She got a shower earlier.  Her last one was the day I left for Chicago.  Clark's running around and meowing like the crazy cat he is.

We saw the Girl Who Played with Fire tonight.  Even though they're subtitled foreign films, they're thrillers so you might like them.  They are a bit violent, though.  This one was good but there were a couple of times I got angry because characters were doing stupidly implausible things.  Suzannah reports however that those particular events play out differently in the book.  Have you read the books?  I can't remember.  I thought Steve had but he hasn't.  I'm kinda confused.

Other than the movie, I did the Saturday Market and a little Labor Day sale shopping.  I also cleaned out two kitchen cabinets and packed up some dishes.  I'm starting the whole purging process.  Don't be too nervous.  I put most of Grandma's dishes in a box to go in the crawl space for you.

Aunt Leah called and left a message thanking us for the Kindle.  I texted her your phone number so she'll probably call you.  I just remembered that our voicemail says, "you've reached Bridget, Rachel and Steve . . ."  Hmmm.  Should I change it when I re-record it for Comcast?

Love, Mommie  :-P

Dear Rachel - 9.3.10

Dear Rachel,

You got my first letters today!  I'm glad you liked them.  We haven't yet had a chance to talk about them but hopefully we will tomorrow.

Steve and I went directly to the food area at JazzAspen and at at Sisters' Pantry (one of everything!).  Kim wasn't there today because she has house guests but she'll probably be there over the weekend.  We missed the first band, Calexico, but caught the second band which was a crazy mix of rock and polka and some Latin influences.  DaVotchKa.  Wilco was good too but the scene was nothing like Black Eyed Peas.

Clark is trying to burrow under my lap desk.  Crazy cat.  We sprayed that Keep Off stuff all over so now the whole house smells like cilantro and Ellie keeps sneezing.

I thought our text conversation about your clothing/fashion style was very interesting.  I'll say it again:  I'm very proud of you and I'm enjoying watching you become the woman you're going to be.  It's going to be a fun journey.

The saga of Kim's car continues.  She found out last night that if she gets a different color combination, her car could be here in the States in 10 days.  She decided today to go ahead and order it and she started to get excited.  But then the salesperson didn't get back to her all day so she's kinda deflated and left in limbo. 

Our Comcast cable and phone service is being installed on Wednesday.  Huge change.  The Comcast salesman was flummoxed when I told him I hadn't had a TV for 10 years.  Guess he doesn't hear that every day.

Love,

Mommie   ;-)

Dear Rachel - 9.2.10

Dear Rachel,

Sitting in the reclining chair, listening to Pandora Radio on the TV/DVD, waiting for Steve to we can go to Carl's and Red Box.

Earlier when I was thinking about what I might write to you tonight, I thought about how proud I am of your insistence on maintaining a positive attitude.  I loved your text about how if there's anything you know how to do, it's cope.  You're so strong.  As someone who shares this trait, I well know that there are plenty of times when you wish you didn't have to be strong, either because things were easier or because someone else was there to be the strong one.  But realize that our strength serves us well.  It is a huge tool which we wield to improve our circumstances and create a more positive reality.  I'm so thankful I was able to pass that along to you.

But that's just what I thought about telling you earlier.  Since then, I've spoken with you and experienced your excitement about your afternoon.  I'm so glad that your coping mechanism paid off so well and so quickly.

We just got back with The Messenger.  It might be a bit of a bummer.

Kim's in a bit of a tizzy.  She ordered her new car, an Audi Q5, which was supposed to be ready around Thanksgiving but she got a call back saying, oops, it won't really be ready until Christmas.  Now she's questioning whether she still wants the car or whether she should be starting her search over.  I told her she just has to make sure she gets what she wants.

I hope you went down to the dance.  Of course, I'll know before you read this . . .

Love, Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.1.10

Dear Rachel,

Ah.  Back to my favorite pen!

We went to Get Low tonite.  Suzannah said they forgot the S.  It was pretty slow moving.  I"m glad I saw it but I wouldn't give it a glowing review.  It sorta deflated half way through the movie and the climax felt forced.  But the denouement did make both Suzannah and me sniffle.  We're talking about seeing The American next.  I wasn't sure I was all that interested but then Roger Ebert tweeted that he really liked it.

We might go to Angel Fire, NM for Campo's wife's memorial service.  It's on September 18.  We'll see.  We might feel odd since we didn't know her but we want to be there for Campo.

We're also talking about going to San Francisco in November for Suzannah's birthday.  That'll be fun.  She's thinking Napa and San Fran, both of which are on my to do list so I'm excited.  

I was kinda crabby at work today.  At one point, I had a mini mental meltdown and had to just get off the phone.  At another point, I was able to maintain my cool even when someone was yelling at me over the phone, although I did end up having to hang up on her.

Ellie just hid her biscuit under my leg.

But I'm slowly climbing out of the traveling hole.  I am very annoyed about an upcoming hearing. I'm having a hard time staying objective.

We ordered a new double ottoman today.  It's like the one we have but brown and twice as big.  Hence the double.

I'm also trying again to order sour cherry jellie bellies.  We'll see if this batch is in better shape.

I think it's ironic that I'm writing you letters on my college stationery but you don't have any.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 8.31.10

Dear Rachel,

This morning, the house was weird.  It had an odd vibe, kinda empty, like this is how it's going to be from now on, very different.  Clark spent the whole night curling up on my legs and waking me up.  There's a big indentation on  your bed where I think he slept while we were gone and Ellie was with Erin.  Ellie got to go to work with us for most of the day but even so, she was unusually excited to see us when we got home tonight from dinner.

We took Jill to the Pitkin County Tavern.  It still hasn't taken off like Double Dog did.  Not sure what it's about, why there's resistance.  Other than the fact that they serve Riesling by the glass, there's quite a bit of suffering by comparison.  But I had the corn fritters again and they're still good.  

(edit)

Today was a big day at work.  Almost a week's worth of checks waiting for me and they all had to be posted today for the month end.  Steve came in, got all the checks mailed out and got caught up on all the scanning.  He's not as distracting as you were!  :-)

Do you like my stationery?  I've had it since I was your age.  Clearly I haven't written a lot of letters in the last 30 years.

We rearranged the living room to accommodate the new TV.  The coffee table/trunk is now against the wall where the couch was and the couch is facing it, kinda in the middle of the room with its back to the wall of bookcases.  The TV and DVD/Blu Ray player are on top of the trunk under the painting of the Maroon Bells.  We're going to get one of those double bench storage ottomans (like the small one in front of the chair) for in front of the couch.  The couch is a little off center so there's a pathway into the seating arrangement between the desk and the couch.

We tried to watch a couple of my movies from China but kept striking out.  The Phillip Morris movie was dubbed in some Eastern European language with Chinglish subtitles and Toy Story 3 was Russian.  We were finally able to watch Seriously Moonlight with Meg Ryan but it wasn't very good.  We did test the cable to see if it worked but I vaguely recall the repair guy turning it off a few years ago.  I didn't have a chance to call today so it'll still be a bit before we really have TV.

It has occurred to me that if I take over your closet and dresser, you won't have any room for your clothes if you come home next summer.  I wonder if you will come home next summer.

I sent your robe today with a few odds and ends we found behind your printer stand and your shelf.  Nothing too exciting but, hey, it's a package!

Still have to post pictures so I'm going to end here.

Love, Mommie :-)