"It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"

Well, you’re probably all wondering where I’ve been. Let’s just say I’ve been a little lazy... and also a little busy. I had a fabulous Christmas with Jonah. It was so nice to spend three weeks with him after such a long absence. We had a really great time, and now that I’m back in Utah I really miss him; not that I didn’t miss him before, but being with him really made me realize how tired I am of being apart. I really hope when this teaching job ends that I will be able to find some way to work in Vegas and be with my husband.

I also miss our cats a lot. We, of course, have the two cats we’d had since we met, and as I wrote about previously read just adopted a new kitty. The oldest of our cats, even though she was originally Jonas’, has really taken a liking to me. She adores me and will often sleep right next to me at night, never moving at all. I’ve really grown fond of her.

Our brand new kitty is adorable. I just love his enthusiasm and his curiosity and his innocence. He can be a little hyper at times, and he loves to bite and claw (not in a malicious way, but in a very playful way; although he doesn’t realize that it’s sometimes hurts), but isn’t that what a child does? He’s so cute, and I love him.

Our third cat, the daughter of the first cat, is suffering from middle-child syndrome, I think. When Jonah moved into our house, I wasn’t yet there; our oldest cat had gotten lost; the third kitty didn't yet exist; so the third cat had Jonah all to herself, and I think she liked it that way. Once I moved in and once we found the lost cat, I think our third cat grew resentful. Now with this new kitty, she seems very annoyed especially since the new kitty keeps trying to play with her and she doesn’t want to. In fact, wherever the new kitty is, our middle-child cat is not. She craves attention, but unfortunately she doesn’t do much to ingratiate herself with the rest of us. I feel sorry for her. She seems so sad and grumpy.

But being away from Jonah and the cats has been hard this time around. I also feel especially that I’m missing our youngest kitty’s childhood. I can't imagine how I would feel if we actually had children. Anyway, it’s been hard, and usually I am the one that does well with separation. I guess I’m just sick of it. Oh, well. What can you do?

One of the best Christmas presents I got this year was the chance to see Andy Williams, the singer, live in concert for his Christmas show. If you don’t know who Andy Williams is, you can’t be my friend anymore. Just kidding. Andy Williams is one of my very favorite singers. He’s from the old school of singers like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Jack Jones, Sammy Davis Jr., Steve Lawrence, etc. He’s also very famous for his Christmas specials in the sixties and for introducing the world to the Osmond brothers. One of his most famous songs is “Moon River.”

I actually couldn’t afford to see him. Tickets were almost $60.00, and it really wasn’t in my budget especially since I have a job that has actually been losing me money. At the same time, the man is in his eighties, and who knows if this will be the last time I’ll ever get to see him perform? But I really didn’t feel like I could afford it, so I decided not to buy the tickets. I had posted on my Facebook status that I was sad I would not be able to see him perform. Two of my friends saw my status and without any prompting from me offered to split the cost of the tickets as a Christmas present to me.

It truly was one of the best Christmas presents I’ve ever received. Actually seeing Andy Williams perform was a dream come true, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I actually started crying when he started singing. For his age he still sings remarkably well. His vibrato has increased and he scoops some of his notes now, but I thought he was terrific. He put on a very entertaining show. Jonah also bought me a signed copy of his autobiography.

I bought Jonah a Wizard of Oz Pez dispenser set and a garden statue, and he bought me some jeans, the book, and a DVD set of the most recent season of the television show “24.” In addition, Jonah also bought each of us a new laptop computer. He got a great deal on them. I was so pleased that Jonah loved his presents so much.

New Year’s Eve, of course, was our anniversary, and we ate our recently thawed wedding cake for good luck. Surprisingly, it tasted just as good as it did on our wedding day. Well, the frosting was a little crunchy, but the cake itself was delicious!

Now I’m back in the college town where I teach. I have two acting classes and a musical theater history class, and I teach every day now. I’ve also been given a raise, which will least help me break even instead of losing money. Because I taught both courses last semester I feel a lot more comfortable about what I’m doing this semester. I’m much more relaxed as a teacher and feel like I know what direction I’m going in. I also have smaller classes, which makes teaching easier, and I also feel like this batch of students is more enthusiastic and engaged in what we’re doing.

This job ends in April, and currently I have nothing else lined up although there are some possible prospects. If I don’t get a summer job I will really be hurting financially. Buying a new car and having my knee operated on took a toll on my finances especially since my current job has been draining my bank account rather than adding to it. But I do not regret my decision to teach here. I really think I was meant to be here at this time.

I miss acting a lot and I hope to be doing it again soon. Even though I feel like I’m a good teacher, I do not have the same passion for it as I do acting.

Anyway, that’s what’s up with me. Just wanted you all to know that I’m still alive and kicking.

Apologies for any grammatical or spelling errors. I wrote almost all of this post using voice-recognition software, and depending on how well I enunciated, the computer may have typed some incorrect words. I didn't spell-check, either. Ah, the epitome of laziness!