Lisa n Tom (n James n Joseph)

Tom writes: Returning home to Virginia after visiting Lisa in Colorado (before we got married) I sat next to a woman who was going to DC for a conference of sorts. From what I could glean looking over her shoulder at her reading materials, she was rather critical of the current administration. I imagined that she was kind of down on America, too. So her reaction surprised me when we flew in over the Potomac River, where you could look down and see the Washington Monument, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, the Mall, the White House, and the Capitol. She became as excited as a six year old at Christmas. It spoke volumes of the power of the symbols in our nation's capital. But growing up here, I don't think they had the same effect on me. Today, however, I had a different experience. A relative offered my mom, brother, Lisa, and me tickets for an open house at the White House this afternoon. And you can be sure we went. The place was decorated for Christmas and it was...

Lisa writes: You know what else is awesome? Extension cords. Big, orange, heavy-duty extension cords. Nobody can ever have enough of those things. They're handy like Jack. You can solve almost any household problem with an extension cord and maybe some duct tape. They will probably turn out to be the key to world peace and global warming. Stumped for a Christmas present for that hard-to-shop for friend or relative? Extension cords. You're welcome.

Lisa writes: Tom is perfect, except for... .. when he chops tomatoes, he doesn't trim off the woody little belly-button bit where the stem was attached. He chops up the tomato so that that part is divided up into maybe fourths. I have pointed out the error of his ways. He counters by pointing out that the pico de gallo in fine restaurants such as Baja Fresh will often have little bits of tomato belly-button. I give him the look. .. he doesn't dry properly. I am not the only person to point this out. In spite of the fact that Tom is flexible enough to reach every inch of his back, he cannot or will not ever dry a three-inch swath all the way down his spine. The reason you notice this is because his shirt is always plastered to the wet spot. His college roommates pointed this out regularly. It didn't help then either. Tom writes: Lisa, you are welcome. I know that you enjoy drying my back. And behind my ears. I like to leave those areas wet as a service to you, so that you...

Lisa writes: You know what's cool? What's cool is when you run into somebody you haven't seen in a long time and they say, "Remember XYZ? I always think of you when I see/hear/do that." Isn't that cool? People think of you, even when you're not there, sometimes years and years later. You are remembered much more often, and probably much more fondly, than you suspect. It only makes sense. My memories are inextricably attached to the people who created or shared them with me. So are yours. Here are a couple of my connections. What are yours? Dar Williams is Stacy and Jenny. Joan Baez is Heidi, and Heidi's mom. David Bowie is Ruth. Lone Justice is Emily and Jamie. Johnny Clegg is Elizabeth. Billie Holiday is Cheryl. Hawaii (and anchovy-stuffed olives) is Jenny. Tomatoes are Kristin. Straight leg jeans are Janine. Ruby Tuesday (ah, such fine cuisine) is Kris. Missouri is the Emanuels. Opera is Catherine and Brooke. Driving to Las Vegas is Jen. Dansko shoes...

Lisa writes: I'm sick. I picked up a cold from a doorknob or grocery cart somewhere along the germ-laden circles I travel and brought it home. I keep trying to give it to Tom, but he is proving surprisingly resistant. I'll try to give it to one of you instead. You'll know you have it when your eyes and nose start watering for no reason, and then you drown to death in your sleep. On the fifth day, you wake up with a weird voice. I included that last bit just to give you something to look forward to.

Lisa writes: And once again , the church Christmas party is over! Hallelujah! Best Things About the Party: We only had two planning meetings, no rehearsals, and only spent 2 1/2 hours setting up the gym. We spent basically no money. In addition to being short on time, this year our committee was also short on cash. The news predicted winter storms and ice and snow and atomic fireballs from the sky, but in fact NOTHING happened. People showed up late, but in costume. We collected a mountain of canned goods for the food bank. It was scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., but ended at 7:30 p.m. and we were done cleaning before 9. We had food, and enough to spare. We don't have to do anything like this again for a year! Merry Christmas!

Lisa writes: Lori sent some pictures from Benjamin's first birthday party last month.

Lisa writes: Christi emailed pictures from nephew Christian's sixth birthday. " Christian's got skills...we'd rather not talk about...he'd make his uncle Tom proud." "We went ice skating for his birthday...bet you didn't know Santa runs the Zamboni in his spare time."

Lisa writes: On Saturday we met with my old coworker and friend, Dave, and his family at the Washington, D.C. Mormon Temple to see the lights and attend one of the musical performances. Tom and I misjudged traffic, the distance, and Newtonian physics in general and were too late to catch the show (and those Sister missionaries are quite serious about not letting late-comers past the velvet ropes leading into the theater, let me tell you) so we just waited in the Visitors Center and caught Dave and the gang on the way out. Two big touring buses discharged full loads of visitors speaking a dozen languages as we watched. The Visitors Center has come a long way since the days, ten years ago, when I invited Tom up to the Temple with me on a date to see an arhythmic handbell choir in the lobby.

Lisa writes: ... Snow! Not a lot of snow, but definitely snow. I had to get to work early today and Tom was still in bed when I left. There wasn't even enough snow to make a snowball to stuff down the back of his pajamas.

Lisa writes: What do the guy on the left and the guy on the right have in common? Answer: They both tore their ACLs. They're both in "soft casts" and doing physical therapy exercises at home. Doggy to the left is my neighbor's terrier. Puppy-dog eyes on the right is mine.

Lisa writes: Today is the first Sunday in Advent. This is one of those tricky holidays that doesn't always land on the same day of the calendar. In Western Christianity, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday prior to Christmas Day, or the Sunday which falls closest to November 30, and lasts through Christmas Eve, or December 24. (Thanks, About.com !) Employing the Catholic Saturday-evening-Mass-counts-for-Sunday loophole, we went to Mass in Morristown, New Jersey last night. I was surprised to see them lighting the pink and purple Advent candles and it took me a minute to figure out why they were doing it. There was a long time, as a kid, when I would count down the days to Christmas like a NASA shuttle launch ... starting sometime in April. But, like every year of the last ten years or so, Christmas has sneaked up on me again.