‘Mama… mama….MAMA..’

...my son comes running in the kitchen of my dear friend Lisa’s house last night… with all kinds of urgency in his voice… ‘What… what… Jake WHAT is it?’

‘THIS is the BEST Christmas EVER’

and he goes running right back out on to whatever it was he had been doing after givin’ his ‘Aunt Lisa’ (he just started callin' her that) a hug on the way out…

we had an orphan Christmas dinner last night… a bunch of people that didn’t have a lot of family in town… we got together… good food… beer… a HILARIOUS White Elephant… it was the perfect evening

my kids were spoiled just enough to have ‘the best Christmas ever’ but not so much that the meaning of the day was missed… as evidenced when we were in the car on the way to Lisa’s ~ I’m giving the standard… mind your manners… you were allowed to bring selected items as long as YOU SHARE… say your sirs… m’ams… pleases… thank yous… etc ~ my son says ‘Of course mom… Christmas is all about kindness and friendship!’

so my daughter was bumped up into the BEST gift ever category when she presented me with a wax molding of her own little hand with her fingers making the PEACE sign… she went to Six Flags last month… with HER OWN money she paid to have that made for me and she’s kept it stashed away from me… GOOD STUFF right there…

there was of course a *hiccup* doesn’t even merit mentioning… but it was just enough to keep life in perspective…

a year ago...

i was sharing a room... with my son... in my parents attic... i had a job i enjoyed but it was going nowhere... and i actually was about over the restaurant BS... i loved my customers but the rest of it was just out of control... while i was about to move and i knew things were going to be better i had NO clue how really... i just knew that i was going to put all that i had in my car and get here... i had a roof over my head... i knew how i was going to pay for that and honestly... well i just knew i was resourceful enough that i would find a way to make it all work... i truly came to dallas with 'a dollar and a dime' and not much more than that except for A LOT of faith that this was the right thing and it would all take care of itself

seriously... i was just born to be here... i can't explain it in any other way... i had so much to move for already between the already established friendships and my love for a bunch of talented artists that make their living playing here... i knew that my quality of life would most surely improve without a doubt... and i'm so blessed for all the time that i have got to spend with the ones i love the most and all the amazing shows i've seen this year not to mention that i've got to share this with my children which just means more to me than i have words to express

ok.. so i had my office holiday party last night... now a year ago i didn't even know most of these people and now they feel like family because we spend so much time together and we love and take care of each other as such... again i have truly been blessed to be embraced by a group of people that genuinely celebrate me and i am sincerely excited to go to work each and everyday... well last night i was named Newcomer Employee of the Year ~ i don't even know what to say... i don't know that i have ever in my life felt so loved and blessed and i just truly was completely overwhelmed by it all...

i hope that the holiday season brings joy and blessings beyond your imagination to all of you that continue to hold my hand through this crazy life of ours... its been nice walkin' with y'all for awhile and not feelin' like your carrying me

love THIS...

THE WORLD 'S SHORTEST FAIRY TALE!


Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl "Will you marry me?" The girl
said:"NO!" (or said I'm done being married to you now...) And the girl lived happily ever-after and went shopping, dancing, camping, drank martinis, always had a clean house, never had to cook, did whatever the hell she wanted, never argued, didn't get fat, traveled more, had many lovers, didn't save money, and had all the hot water to herself. She went to the theater, never watched sports (ok football is the exception), never wore friggin' lacy lingerie that went up her ass, had high self esteem, never cried or yelled, felt and looked fabulous in sweat pants and was pleasant all the time.

THE END


and a post script to my last entry ~ i got a STAR as an early Christmas gift... SEE that's exactly what I mean... now i'll never have to wish on anyone else's star... and it is the 2nd star to the right...

if you have to ask...

me what i want for Christmas or my birthday or whatever... you probably shouldn't be getting me anything ~ if you don't know me well enough to be able to find something that represents who i am to you... or makes you think 'Lori would love that' or i need Lori to have this 'cause she'll get it... well then really there is no need to buy me something just 'cause... i'm not a just 'cause kind of person... sorry if this offends anyone... i've been asked this a lot recently for well the obvious reason and it really just rubs me the wrong way

if i was making a list ~ well something like this would ABSOLUTELY be on it...



alright not all of that... but just the one on the 26th.... oh my HECK ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS to me... someday i'll write about my first show at the Sidecar with those two artists... i say it all the time ~ that night changed my life...

todays favorite ~ Desolation Angels by Reckless Kelly

'... and it’s bound to take its toll
out runnin’ wild and livin’ free
and i’ve done some growing up
but i never lost the child in me
we’re tossin’ dice at things
that might not ever be
all just to see what I can see, yea..'

i LOVE the heck out of THAT RIGHT THERE

for those that don't think...

there is foliage in Texas... well drive down Frankford between Hillcrest and Preston... oh my HECK... i slow down to about 10mph because GOD has set FIRE to the trees... the last two foliages in VT didn't have as much color... SERIOUSLY

Saturday night..

so what may be lost on anyone that regularly reads this but doesn't know me really well... this latest love of Reckless Kelly for me is something that so many told me for so long that i 'should' have... i can't even count how many times i've heard 'what do you mean you haven't listened... you would so love them' ~ and many tried... i guess before i just wasn't in the right place and in my defense... ish ~ when i first came upon what we call OKOM... it was all so completely new to me and there was SOOO much to hear and learn and LOVE

what was different this time... i have NO IDEA... but i guess i was just ready and what they have to sing is what i need to hear and then see...

so i don't remember the setlist in order at all 'cause well it's still all so very new and i'm still takin' it all in... i did get to hear EVERY song that i have come to know and love... which i've been told is truly lucky as some they don't do that often anymore

what i loved the most is their energy on stage ~ what makes me love a band live is if you can truly see that they love what they do... and they were totally having fun and just playin' and jammin' ~ non stop!!! for me at a show... i don't need any between song banter by the band... sure i love an acoustic show and the stories that are told in the environment... but just to chat too much at a show... well ok not to be rude but mostly my experience is that they aren't paid to be comedians for a reason ok... and while the inside band jokes may be fun for the band ~ if they have to have fun with each other on stage then the audience isn't giving them what they need in my opinion... if that makes any kind of sense at all

anyway... Reckless Kelly doesn't do that too much... they interact JUST enough with each other to be a band and feed the audience the sounds that we came to hear the most and it was just AWESOME

AND THEIR FANS... oh my HECK ~ i didn't get beer spilled on me once... i wasn't shoved or knocked by some rude drunk person... i haven't heard an audience sing so loud in a VERY long time ~ oh and to EVERY SONG... while there was a few of well ok... i'm not in my 20s anymore... i don't dress to impress anyone... so there were a few of those unlike me lol ~ mostly it was just people that were there to just see and hear their favorite band... not to be seen by anyone... i got to experience all of this with some of my favorite girls in the world and of course that always makes everything better...

i loved 1952 Vincent Black Lightening as much as i knew i would... their rendition of Run Run Rudolph was fun ~ oh and David i believe his name is AMAZING on the guitar... i think the crowd may have been louder than Willy for Wicked Twisted Road... Helter Skelter was a nice surprise and the reason i LOVE live shows the most the little gems like that they throw in... Break My Heart tonight is just a genius song i swear...

and *sigh* Vancouver...

'and now i'm packing it up and rolling on out for Vancouver...
for some wasted youth and fresh set of lonely stars
and i'm wondering baby, if you ever saw the best of us
and i wonder what you're doin'... and i wonder where you are...'

ok... glad i have this in my life

'cause someone asked June

if she was happy or just not unhappy... so it got me thinking.... how do i define happy.... while i agree with what most had to say to her ~ i'll add a few things for me here

~ i wake up most days before the alarm.... oh which is set at 5:45am... and am truly excited about the day ahead has in store

~ i experience more smiles and laughter throughout the day than i do frustration, anger and tears

~ i am told at least once a day by more than one individual that they love me... and i BELIEVE them

~ i have too many exciting things planned... for me a key to happiness is having something to look forward too... i've got Arizona... NYE... my parents actually coming to Texas in February.... the promise of a Spiderman visit in my world... Greenfest... BWJ's HOMECOMING... LJT's... Vegas... IDAHO.... and that's just the stuff that I know about!!! the last year for me has been full of spur of the moment fun that has been priceless

~ my health is vastly improved and i generally feel REALLY good everday

~ my house is my home

~ my bed is comfortable and everynight... i fall asleep with no tossing and turning for fear of what tomorrow brings but with a peace that i had only once hoped i would find

~ and the best part of all of this... it's all MINE... it's not at all based on what someone else thinks or feels about my life and my choices... and that for me is GINORMOUS... it's probably not even a word but you get what i'm saying


ok so i was planning on writing about *sigh* Reckless Kelly 'cause i finally saw them last night... review to come later