Amy Sue Nathan

A Christmas ramble

After a three-hour delay on Monday, my kids and I arrived safely on the East Coast for a week long visit with family.  Can’t you hear it in my voice?  I’m in Philadelphia.

First of all I’d like to thank my kids (who don’t read this blog) for being amazing and just reading and playing their video games through our many, many hours of waiting on Monday.  We waited for the cab that never showed; the friend to get up and get dressed and clean the snow off her car and drive us to the airport; the ride to the airport on slick I-294; the flight from North Carolina that had to land so that we could get on it; the line to get onto the plane; sitting on the runway; flying over middle-America; for luggage; for Grandpop to pick us up; for the ride to their house.

You done good.

I’d also like to thank the United Airlines clerk at O’Hare gate F9.  You know, you — in the green sweater — who decided to belt out Christmas tunes into the microphone to give us all something to smile about inside when the weather was frightful outside.

It has been a lot of gathering and a lot of eating and not a lot of blogging or reading blogs or Facebook or Twitter in the past few days, and it’s not going to change much until we’re back home sometime Monday.  But I wanted to wish you all a wonderful Hanukkah or Christmas or whatever you celebrate…and a year complete with all the things you want whether they’re big or small.

Oh, and of course I wanted you to see my new glasses.  They’re on the “About Amy” page. I reluctantly cut my handsome cousins out of the photo, so I hope in the future I’ll have one that’s not blurry. I cut them out for two reasons.  First, I don’t post photos of anyone online without their permission, and second, they’re handsome men in their 30′s and I don’t want y’all distracted.

It’s nice to see (and I do mean SEE – with the luxury of progressive lenses, no less) — family and old, old friends.

And speaking of old friends…

My old friend and I got together yesterday morning, hung out at her parents’ house for a bit and then headed out for very essential girlfriend alone time.  It was much easier back-in-the-day when we just went into her room and shut the door, although I’m sure her mom was often on the other side.  But off we went.  We chose a restaurant that wasn’t crowded (none were, it was Xmas Eve) and were seated at a booth in the corner.  The far corner.  It was fine with us, we just wanted to sit and talk, which is what my friend told the waiter. And I don’t know what possessed her, but she informed the waiter that she and I had probably known each other longer than he’d been alive.

“How long have you known each other?” he asked.

We stared and counted.

“Thirty years.”

“Yep, I’m 21.”

Not sure why she felt the need to point that out, but we were none the worse for wear, and even ended up taking a photo with Santa.

I did jot down a few notes for a story that popped into my head during lunch that day.

I guess it really doesn’t matter where we are or when it is — that’s always going to happen.