A Whirlwind And A Sweet Man

I have to say, this holiday retail season is gangbusters compared to last year.  We've been busy since the middle of November, and people are buying!  So either everyone has a lot of extra cash, or they just don't give a damn and are contributing to their credit card debt.  Either way, I've had many customers tell me they are trying to shop local--and even though I work for a national company, we are all local employees who live and spend money in Cedar Rapids.  So, yes, "buying local" helps us buy local in our personal purchases, too.  So thank you to those who are thinking before they hit "buy" on the internet.


So much has been moving through this week!  I've finally got my little red truck Fritz back, after many months of Bud working on the brakes, the Toyota guys working on other stuff, and the muffler place fixing my exhaust.  Today was the first day since September that I got to drive it, and I was so happy!  Bud replaced my wipers--and they are the coolest wipers I've ever had on a car/truck.  He also changed my oil, put sand bags in the bed of my truck, filled my gas tank, and put on my studded back tires.  I am ready for the snow/sleet/ice combo we're getting Saturday.  All I can say is that Bud is more than I deserve and I am a very lucky chick to have him.  I picked a good one!  I'm pretty sure he can fix anything, or figure it out.  Waaaay smarter than me.  After eight years together, I'm still in awe of all he does for me.  Every time I think I can't possibly love him more, my heart grows just a bit bigger and fits more in.  How's that for cheese factor?:)

My man of many talents--he puts in patios, too.

Last night Bud came over and helped me prepare for my holiday gathering tonight.  My sisters and older nieces (except Amber--she lives too far away!) are coming over for dinner and pomegranate  martinis.  We plan on having a good time!  Bud, bless his muscles, squeezed fresh lemon juice from 11 lemons for the drinks.  I just stood there and watched.  And then he hit me with a squirt of lemon juice, right in the face.  So I moved.  Lemon juice hurts when you wear contacts.


Today I've scrubbed floors, vacuumed (yeah new vacuum!), dusted, and cooked.  I am pooped.  Just waiting for folks to come over in a few hours.  Work at 8 am tomorrow will come way too soon; I will wake up looking forward to the day being over, and relaxing after a hectic week.  And dive into the new Kate Morton book, 
The Distant Hours.  I only got about 3 pages in last night before falling asleep, but it was enough to fire up my enthusiasm--it's gonna be good!