Archive for the 'Family' Category

2008 was not a terribly good year. 2009 started more or less the same. Without getting into too many details, eventually I realized enough is enough. By the summer, I was turning things around.

I turned 29 this past week.

I was presented with adorable cupcakes by coworkers. I was taken out for a lovely birthday dinner, rang in my birthday with my best friend, had a birthday lunch with my grandparents, parents, uncle and sister. I drank good beer. I drank good wine. I was in good company.

I celebrated Christmas with the neighbors I call family. Every muscle in my body hurt the next day from laughing so hard.

My mother, father, sister and I celebrated Christmas. We took our time and passed around the most thoughtful gifts. We cooked more food than is even necessary for four people. We ate an Italian feast. We sipped on really good red wine. We watched movies and played around with our gifts. We had a small, lovely Christmas for a family of four.

I spent the evening curled up in front of the fire with friends. The next morning I had brunch, got a manicure (deep purple nailpolish) with one of my best friends. We danced around the city.

I spent the remainder of my time off curled up with hot drinks, a blanket, and a dog. I watched more movies in a weekend than I have in the past year. I let my guard down. I shut my phone off. I drank good coffee, I snacked on imported chocolates, I sipped on champagne. I stayed up until 5 a.m. and told a million stories and listened to a million more. I slept easily for the first time in months.

I hate to brag, but – life is good. In that super annoying, omg-please-shut-up-you-big-ball-of-cheese kind of way. Yeah. It feels nice to just … this. This is good. Life is good.

Alternatively titled: “Why My Dad is Awesome”.

A few years ago I made a not so secret confession to a family friend: I am absolutely terrified of clowns. Not like “Haha. Clowns are creepy. Everyone thinks so.” Like I would CRY when I saw them as a child. Maybe I still do now. Shut up. They’re scary.

So this family friend thought it would be hilarious to purchase me a clown ornament for Christmas a few years back and wrap it up so I would never suspect the horror I was about to open.

Let’s just say I threw the box down and ran out of the room.

It soon became a tradition in the family grab to secretly re-gift this damn clown. THE HORROR. You never knew who was going to get it. It was like damn CLOWN ROULETTE.

*shudder*

Well cut to Saturday night. I got to my Dad’s for our weekly dinner. He was starting on cooking, and had set up our Christmas tree. He told me and my sister to decorate it while he cooked.

I walked over to the tree and screamed. The only ornament he had put up so far? THAT DAMN CLOWN.

Thanks Dad. My therapist will thank you for that extra appointment I had to make because of you.

Anyway, I of course took a picture to photo-text attack other family members with this horrific clown. (Aren’t we a delightful family?)

My Dad emailed the picture back to me yesterday with the following email:

“Jen, I hate to say this, but is this clown holding himself???? wtf?”

AMAZING right?

No what was amazing was that he put that same picture on his Facebook page with the following caption:

“There’s a sex offender on my Christmas Tree…”

And now, my friends, you can clearly see where my sense of humor comes from.

Wednesday
Go out of work early! Yay! Went home and had some dinner with my roommate and then headed to Boston’s left bank (Cambridge) to see my friend Jay’s band – the Bodega Girls. I can’t even tell you how fun and amazing this band is. If they’re in your area, go see them. They have some songs on MySpace but to be honest, their recordings don’t even do them justice. You have to see them live. Absolutely worth it.

Thursday
Awesome day with these awesome people:

There was pie, and food, and pie, and more food, and coffee, and Baileys and more pie. SO MUCH PIE.

During the evening my sister put on an episode of Hoarders. Have you seen this show? Oh my god. I threw up in my mouth. Twice. And then proceeded to go home and stay up until 1:30 in the morning cleaning and disinfecting my apartment from top to bottom.

Friday
Headed back over to Cambridge for brunch at the Friendly Toast. Great food. Terrible service.

Later in the evening, a group of us headed over to Harvard Square to see the Donkey Show. This was by far the highlight of the weekend. The show is so fun – you dance, you sing, you’re part of the show … but you’re not. It’s rather impossible to explain. Go see it for yourself. Tickets are $25 for standing room, and trust me, you want standing.

Post Donkey Show a group of us headed to our gayborhood bar for some alcohol-fueled group antics. PS. Thanks SE boys. Hearts, hugs and laughs.

Saturday
This was a very productive day actually. I got a lot of work done (who works on a holiday weekend? THIS ONE RIGHT HERE.) Due to the ridiculous ASSUMPTION that baby showers are held on Sundays and the fact that I didn’t think to check the invitation sitting on top of the gift, I worked through the afternoon only to discover I missed by friend Sarah’s baby shower. Because I’m a terrible friend. Getting sucked into work is a vicious cycle of disaster.

The evening was spent at Danny’s with the Usual Suspects and Danny’s adorable parents. Where Danny’s adorable dad schooled us in Apple to Apples.

Sunday
Sunday was a Tour de el South End. My friends and I started with brunch at Metropolis (great food, again terrible service. UGH), followed by a quick shopping stop at Flock, my new favorite boutique, followed by cocktails first at Ginger Park (formally Banq), then, per usual, at Stella. Eventually we all made our way over to Joe V’s for pizza, wine and trip making plans.

Yeah that’s right. Trip making plans. Vieques? Yeah I’ll be seeing you for a week in March. Bioluminescent plankton? Get ready to get swam with. I’m coming to get you. Oh yeah – and Jean? You better start getting ready NOW. This birthday is going to be the best one yet…

After all … you made it this far :P

This weekend was all family, all weekend. And it was great.

I spent most of Saturday afternoon hanging at my Dad’s with my Dad (obviously), my Mom, two of my Dad’s sisters and my grandparents. It was supposed to be a quick visit so I could drop off my car( long story) that turned in to an all afternoon “Hey we’ve been here for hours, let’s order some pizza” affair.

Saturday night I spent with a whole bunch of friends to see off our good friend Rena. She’s moving to New York and is going to be wildly successful in everything she does – I just know it. I spent the night with her, Danielle/Dink and an assortment of other fabulous people. I finished the night off with the cheesy cab ride home:

Cab Driver: Can I ask you a serious question?

Me: Sure.

Cab Driver: Are you going to be around for Christmas?

Me: Uhhhh …. no? What?

Cab Driver: You’re not? That’s too bad. ‘Cause I need an angel for my tree.

Me: *groan* Let me out here please.

Sunday was a lovely day all around. I spent it with the people I call my “Urban Family”. They are some of the people I love most, and luckily for me, all live right in my neighborhood. We get together once or twice a week, but we decided with everyone splitting up for the holiday to go visit their biological family, we needed to celebrate Thanksgiving amongst our family.

We split up the menu, all brought wine, turned on some music, lit up a fire and had one of the most amazing afternoons into evenings I’ve had in a long time. My friend Pia gave a toast before dinner that was so beautiful, it literally made the whole room cry. I have it on video, but with the crying and all, I’ll keep that for us.

You can however look at some pics. Here, ladies and gents, is the Urban Family I refer to so frequently here, on Twitter & on Facebook. I hope all of you are as lucky as I am to have people like these in your life.

Jon & Pia

Matt, Lisa, Julie & Mary

Adam & Jon

Me & Jean!

Ad & our food!

Me & Adam

Julie

Jean

Danny, me & Matt

Matt, Lisa, me & Danny

Matt, Adam, Jean & Pixel

Back Row: Steve, Julie, Pia, Mary
Front Row: Danny (with Pixel), Jean, Matt, Me, Lisa, Adam & Jon (with Heidi)

The whole set is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alleyesonjenny/sets/72157622861349000/

With Andy Card.

With ME!

Thanks Grampy. This one’s for you ….

xoxo