One Week Away

As expected, the month of December has/is flying by.  What a month.  Busy.  

We've had a fair amount of snow the past week.  Woke up this morning to rabbit tracks across the entire backyard.  They made the most perfect, beautiful tracks in the new snow.  

On Wednesday, we headed to Atlantis for our weekly free play.  I debated waiting until Thursday - but J. said we knew we had a bit of a window late Wednesday afternoon weather wise and if we waited for the next day, we might not be able to get there.  So off we went.  

At 4PM on the nose, this happened:  

 

 
SECOND Grand Jackpot on Dragon Link - less than 3 weeks from the first.  Another totally epic day.  Even more epic was the Major ball dropping in the full screen of 15 - and while I'm not positive, I think the Major was the 15th orb - but I can't be sure about that.  Just like the first one, it happened so quickly I couldn't really believe it.  I texted J. right away and he hurried over from the Blackjack tables to see.  So cool.  We headed home not too long after - when J. texted me and said 'we need to get on the road for weather issues'.  J. drove home in a full-on snow storm and it was a bit scary.  But we made it.

The day before this big win, we spent some time with our neighbors - and G. and I both shared our horrible losses lately.  She was feeling really down - like I was in early November.  So we chatted for a bit and talking really helped us both.  This is a strange hobby to have and while I've had some great recovery the past few weeks, it will go to shit at some point again - it's gambling.  It's never a sure thing.  I told her my epic losses in early November made the win of my first Grand (the day after Thanksgiving) so much sweeter.  I really needed that huge win and there it was.  We promised to share more so when either of us needs encouragement or we want to share the luck, we will!  So the next day, I hit this 2nd epic win - it was a wow moment for sure.  

They are the nicest people on the planet.  Yesterday, G.'s husband T. sent J. a text 'hey, I just shoveled off your driveway and sidewalks.  I did ours and was on a roll so I just kept going'.  Bless his heart!  We hit the neighbor lottery for sure.  

In other news, earlier this week, we mailed a letter to H. care of the person we know who has seen him recently.  We kept the letter brief - mostly reminding him we love him and care about him - forever and always.  And that we would wish a different life for him and encouraged him to make different choices. We also included two self addressed (to us) stamped envelopes, 3 pens and some blank sheets of notebook paper and encouraged him to write us back.  I don't know if we will hear from him or not.  Probably not is what I think will be the result.  But we are trying.  At least we'll know we did something to try to establish communication.

I've been re-reading the blog and gaining confirmation and perspective on H.'s issues - which have existed for a very long time.  I should feel completely stupid for so many of the observations made that never added up - and of all the things I ever thought, him being a heroin addict wasn't even anything I ever considered.  We were naive and stupid and gullible.  And re-reading it all just feels so damn exhausting.  And more than a little hopeless at times.  Sometimes I think one of my 'I'm retired now with so much time on my hands' projects will be to do a timeline summary of the stories.  The things we realized after months of events that never made sense.  Really, truly - event after event morphing and changing with nothing making sense.   

My heart (often) feels heavy these days.  

Other great news:  B. has been able to coordinate his schedule so he can be here for Christmas.  He said he owes a lot of people a lot of favors but he is OK with that.  His new job has him working 11AM - 8PM four to five days a week so I suspect he will be working long stretches of days in a row to offset the extra shifts his co-workers took so he could travel home.  B. hasn't been home for Christmas since 2017 so it's been a long while!  We are so excited!  

I made a list of all available dinners - we've been eating off the freezer and pantry for the past few weeks and little by little, we're cleaning out both freezers.  The difference a list makes is amazing - J. asked 'thoughts on dinner' earlier today and my initial reaction was 'I have no idea' which would then lead to take out.  But instead, I opened up the Excel file, gave him a few ideas and we created chili dogs out of what we had on hand.  Only one can of chili and no buns - so I used some frozen dinner rolls and Texas toast.  The only bad thing is:  while cutting the dinner rolls (which had a very crispy outside and soft inside), I cut my index finger on my left hand.  It's not a big cut but it's pretty deep - it bled for a long time and we finally just put a band aid on it (tightly).  It might benefit from a stitch or two but I think it will heal on it's own.  Fingers crossed.  

I'll be putting together a grocery order this weekend for pickup early next week to be sure we have what we need for the week with B. here.  And his friend R. is coming to visit for a night or two as well while he's here so we'll have extra company.  

In a break from our usual tradition of Prime Rib at Christmas (at home), we are going to the Atlantis Grand Ballroom Christmas dinner.  Well, I mean B. & J. are - I didn't think B. was coming so I didn't get a third ticket for him - so we only have seats for two.  The amount of food I eat at any buffet never justifies the expense - and while it's really more about the ambiance, beauty and joy of the event (Atlantis really does great events), I know J. & B. will enjoy it way more than me.  I'll be fine with playing slots.  LOL.   (I think we will go up and ask if they have room for a third person in our party - if not, OK.  If yes, then we can all eat).  Our host says it's completely sold out.  So probably not.  But maybe.

We'll be doing additional Christmas decorating this weekend.  We've got our neighbor T. on standby to give J. a ride to the Reno airport to pick B. up in case there's snow on Wednesday.  T. has a huge 4 wheel drive truck with snow tires and he can (literally) get anywhere - we were so glad he was available if needed. Seems like Mother Nature is making up for all the mild weather we've had in October & November.  She's dropping bucket loads of snow everyday lately - and as always, it's beautiful.  My friend C. asked me 'does it get old'?  I said 'no.  I am always excited and giggle like a two year old whenever we have snow and it's breathtakingly beautiful'.  It never gets old.