Circus Xtreme - December Break Week 3

[taz_39]

To be honest, this week was a blur.

Between visiting with friends, preparing for Christmas, and prepping for Kate's bridal shower, our whole family was busy every day. On Christmas Eve we decided to go to Mass at a local Catholic church (Kayle's fiancee is Catholic). It was a very nice service, although I didn't know all the cool traditional moves ;)


The next morning: Christmas! We woke up to a pile of presents!


Skylar (Kayle's fiancee) made us his family's southwest grits recipe, it was delicious! Then we dug into the gifts! I started with Jameson's which he kindly sent me so I'd have them for Christmas morning. He bought me some adult coloring books and all the gel pens in the world (literally! There are like 60 in the pack!!). I also received a POP vinyl Drogon figurine. My favorite gift, though, was this stunning ukiyo-e style art created by Jed Henry. I can't wait to have it framed.


From my parents, a bottle of Ciroc coconut, some Swan Creek candles (my favorite!), and a Jawbone U2!
From my sisters, a Threadless gift card and a sake brewing kit!

Later on we went to Kate's house for Christmas dinner. It was wonderful to have all of my siblings and my parents together for a delicious meal, games, and the pleasure of each others' company :)

From my brother Jonah, I received a Hand of the King pin (if you watch Game of Thrones you know what this is) and a really cool Buddah Board that lets you paint vanishing pictures. From my sister Raven, several fun books and a set of lenses to make my phone camera a fisheye, macro, or wide view lens!

...Have I mentioned how spoiled I am??

But the gifts aren't important. What's important is that my family was together. My sisters have found wonderful men who love and cherish them. Everyone is generally healthy and doing well. I can't be thankful enough for that.

The following evening I met my dear friends Lauren and Sarah for dinner. Lauren and I have been friends for 21 years. We had a lot to catch up on! Lauren's husband joined us later. He plays trombone and we had fun geeking out and talking shop. Fun was had :)


The next day, Kate's much anticipated bridal shower! Kayle, Raven, Kate's friend Jess, Mom and I arrived at the venue early to put up decorations. Kayle designed and made most of the table decor and other themed items. If you ask me she did a fantastic job.


For party favors, we had made a salt hand scrub using epsom salt, coconut oil, and mint extract. It turned out wonderfully!


Pretty soon most of the guests had arrived. In walked the star of the show, Kate! Time for the festivities to begin!


We played several bridal-themed games, and Kate opened gifts from friends and family. And we all enjoyed spoiling our little sister!


Afterward we hopped over to Pat's parent's house for a short visit, then called it a day. Whew!

Now I'm finally relaxing. Tomorrow I'm driving Raven back to New York. Next week is my last week at home...

Comments

[pineapple-sour.livejournal.com]

Looks busy but so happy!

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, every since I was a child, every year I would go to the circus. It always boggled my mind how the structure would move that ringmaster stands on. Is it someone in there or is it remote controlled?
P.S. your blog is so cool. I love it.

[taz-39.livejournal.com]

Hi!

Thanks, glad you enjoy the blog!

The "Ringmaster Float" is very similar to a golf cart. The inside has a seat with a gear stick, so a person can drive it around. The hydraulic lift is nested inside, along with the batteries, motor, etc. The Ringmaster powers the hydraulic lift with a small pedal near his foot.

So yes, there's a dude inside the float driving it around the arena during the show :)
I'll take a picture of the inside sometime.