The weather outside is frightful

And yet it's beautiful. 

I've long believed that if it's gonna be cold, it oughta be snowing, and today I got my wish. We are in the midst of a winter storm the likes of which I haven't seen in quite awhile, and there's no end in sight. I'm safe at home (after my hour and a half drive home, a whopping nine miles!) and just completely enjoying the view from my window three floors above Downtown Arlington Heights.

It may mess up my weekend plans. It may snarl traffic for 24 hours. It may make for treacherous driving, but I don't care. I made an angel, caught snowflakes on my tongue, and wrote a note to my neighbor in the snow on his car. 

So basically, I played in the snow. Life is good.

Haiku

Cold cold cold cold cold
My feet are like icicles
Bring me cocoa, please

Me, reflected in people I love

You know how when you look in a three-way mirror, you never look as good as you thought you did? Maybe it's the lighting, maybe it's the angles, maybe it's you, but it never shows you your good side. It's different, though, when you see yourself reflected in loved ones. This reflection is like the very best fun-house mirror - you're instantly prettier, thinner, and yes even smarter than you were before you gazed upon that reflection.

This weekend, I was fortunate to spend time with four amazing women - Di, Kelly, Aubri and Amber. These past two days were just what I needed - a gentle wake-up call to be good to myself.

While I was at Di's, we looked through some of the new clothing in the line she sells. I shunned the notion that any of the pieces belonged in my wardrobe, and as I heard myself talking, I realized the sad truth. It's hard to hear yourself say that you don't deserve beautiful things. And let's face it, I didn't wake up today with a whole new set of beliefs, but at least I'm aware. And I've got my eye on this amazing brown jacket.

Then Kelly and Aubri arrived, because we were spending the night at "High School Musical on Ice." (Incidentally, I was pleasantly surprised at the wonderful production, and I'm planning to see the professional bullriders at the same venue in April. The bulls, incidentally, will not be skating.) Aubri remembered helping me move into my apartment, and at that time it was all blank walls and boxes and hope. She told me several times while she was here that she likes my home, and coming from a 13-year-old girl, that really meant something. The three of us had a great time, including bop bop bopping to the top, laughing over 10 p.m. breakfast at iHop, and being treated to breakfast in bed. (Aubri makes a mean eggs Benedict. And by "eggs Benedict" I mean "Pop Tart.")

And then today, Amber came over to watch a movie and chill with some girl time. We took a walk around downtown and I got to show her some of my favorite spots. We talked, watched a movie that still has me thinking (have you ever seen "Frailty"?) and had dinner fresh from my crock pot. I love that she will drive 45 minutes to hang out with me.

All these people, all these experiences, bring me to the realization that I am loved, by these four woman and by a solid handful of others living near and far. And if they love me, maybe it's time I start doing a little better job of that myself. Maybe it's time to believe that I deserve the happiness, love and hope that I once thought I had.

Ya gotta have friends

It happened quite by accident. On Christmas Eve, my friend Di and I had breakfast together. We share a meal together every year on Christmas Eve - it's a deal we made back when we were in college, and I think we've only missed one year in all this time. Anyway, that day she and I pencilled each other in for some quality time today, January 26. So off to Di's I drove after I got up and around this morning.

For Christmas, my gift to my niece Aubri was tickets to High School Musical on Ice. The tickets are for tonight.

So basically, I spent the morning and afternoon with Di, and I will spend tonight with Kelly and Aubri. It's hard to imagine that, just a scant two years ago, I was living in fear that I would spend the rest of my life alone, and that I would wither and die in my apartment, and no one would find me until I started to leave a not-so-savory aroma.

Clearly, this has not happened. Di and I sat on the sofa, joked and laughed. I made each of her children cry within about 15 minutes of walking in the door (obviously, I have a way with kids. And it wasn't my fault!) I was hugged and tickled and loved and just filled to overflowing with the good feelings that can only come from being with people who love you, just as you are. (It doesn't hurt that Justin, Di's husband and certified hunkadoodledoo, thinks my ex is kind of a loser.)

As if that weren't enough, tomorrow Amber is going to come over and we're gonna sit and watch movies and have dinner and just enjoy each other's company. I can't help but revel in the perfect 20/20 vision of hindsight, because now I live alone, but I have more love in my life than ever. It's sad that sometime the people who are supposed to love us the most can't manage to do that. But I think it would be even sadder if we never had the chance to realize how much love was out there, waiting for us, if only we would open ourselves up to it.

Have you hugged your elk today?

It really is the little things that make the biggest impact in life. My life, anyway. I was thinking about that on my way to work today, because it was pretty. Cold, but pretty. Single-digit temperatures are here once again, but the world has a fresh coat of snow and that just tickles me.

My drive to work is really beautiful - I pass some truly gorgeous scenery, most notably Busse Woods. With the snow on the ground and the blue sky and the trees, the drive past Busse Woods is breathtaking.

Busse Woods runs between Elk Grove Village and Schaumburg (home of Cute Brian.) Who knew there were actual ELK in Elk Grove Village? Not me! So imagine my delight when I realized I was driving past these magestic critters every day! They hang out at the Busse Woods in the Elk Pasture, and I wave to them every day.

There's just something about seeing a bunch of elk (hey, what do you call a group of elk? A gaggle? A gang? A warren? A herd?) getting together for breakfast in the chill of winter. Just beautiful ... and another thing to love about winter. This season is growing on me, I tell ya! Even the chill in the air can't take away my appreciation of the beauty.

The only thing that could possibly make it better is if I could actually hug the elk. But alas ... fence.

For the record ...

... the chicken and dumplings were delish. I'm looking forward to having more for dinner. But it's entirely possible they were not as good as pushgetti.

Smiling

Today, it's easy to smile. The sun is shining, the snow is beautiful, there is no negative wind-chill ... life is good.

The view from my office window. The building across the street is the Market Day distribution center. Makes me hunger for packaged food.

So why else am I smiling? That's easy:

Spring is two months away. Just around the corner, the thermometer starts going in the good direction. Soon, the Cubs will begin spring training and mittens will become a distant memory.

There will be chicken and dumplings in the crockpot when I get home. Two of my favorite things left behind when Christopher left (other than, well, ME) are the crockpot and the recipe for chicken and dumplings. I can hardly wait to get home.

My boots are both warm and cute. Warm is necessary; cute is a bonus.

In a few weeks, I get to play in the snow with some of my favorite people. I'm going tubing!

Craig runs! That's my car's name, and he sounds so happy when I start the ignition. This morning, I got to hear him growl in four-wheel drive, as if he was saying, "Hey, you in the minivan! Get out of my way!"

So what's making you smile today?

Poverty and optimism in the life of your friend Margaret

So Frank called a little while ago. Frank's the guy who runs the shop where Craig, the Jeep, is being repaired.

Everyone, let's wave goodbye to my money.

Bye bye, money ... I will miss you.

Frank and the boys will be replacing my leaky water pump and leaky radiator (because when it rains it pours) and replacing some hoses and cleaning some stuff and oh, by the way, why not change the oil while the car is there. Thanks, that's great.

$800-ish later, I will have a car that runs. Ouch, you might say, but not me. No, I'm just happy that I have the money to have it fixed. A little over a year ago, I wouldn't have been able to. So instead of crying because I'm poor, I'm going to be happy that I can scrape together the money to pay for it. Sure, I'll be eating Ramen for the next two weeks, but what the hell ... it's only money, right?

And really, money is only good for the things it allows us to have - food, shelter, clothing (yes, Kelly, we do need clothing,) transportation and a little entertainment along the way.

Better day today

I remembered my coffee, the car did not overheat, and I get to leave at noon to attend our company post-Christmas celebration. (Oh, and I look very cute today.) Tomorrow morning I drop the car off to find out and hopefully fix what's wrong. Fingers crossed, my friends!

A rare yet sucky day in Maggie's World

I should feel lucky. After all, I'm still somewhat fresh from a terrific vacation. I have a job that I truly enjoy. I have friends who add a great deal of happiness to my life.

But right now, I really need someone to cut me a break.

I've been having car issues. I love my car, he has never let me down before, but lately he's been a little hot and bothered. And everytime the "check gauges" light comes on, it's like a huge shot of adrenaline straight to my heart. I cannot afford major repairs. Hell, I can't afford minor repairs until Thursday, which is payday.

For the past two days, on my way to work, it has overheated. We thought we'd solved this problem with a new thermostat back in November, but no such luck. Dammit. So I pull over, put in anti-freeze, and continue on my merry way. It just HAS to hold out until Thursday.

But it's not only that. This morning, I made coffee. And proceeded to leave it in my kitchen. I've had a headache for about 24 hours, and lack of caffeine really isn't helping. And I'm dizzy. When I got out of bed this morning, I almost took a header into the window.

This is just not shaping up to be a great day.

On the up side, I look really cute.

A haiku for a Friday

My brother's haikus
leave something to be desired.
He hides on his blog.

Evaluation

I was reprimanded by Kelly today because I hadn't updated the blog in a couple of days. I was actually waiting until I was ready to blog the vacation, but since Miss Impatient Pants can't wait, here goes.

Remember 2006? That was the year I spent jobless. Well, not technically - I had a part-time gig that paid some of the bills, but it was a rough, hard year. My husband stopped wanting to be my husband, my career was a distant memory, and I was lost.

In January of 2007, I began the job I now enjoy, as a writer with an undisclosed company. (Yes, the name is bold, lower case. Usually in Helvetica Neue.) I've been hear a year and three days, and I still love my job. And the best part? They love me, too.

Yesterday, I had my evaluation. I got a raise, which is always nice, but the best part to me was reading the comments my manager wrote. Here's a sampling:

• Maggie picked up the direct selling writing style more quickly than any other writer I have worked with. She isn't afraid to ask questions and request resources as needed.
• She is willing to do whatever it takes to finish an assignment on time.
• Maggie is diligent in making sure that her copy is accurate, and she consistently proofreads to double-check her work.
• Maggie takes great pride in her writing, and that shines through in her work. She consistently writes copy of very high quality that fits the audience and meets the objectives of the project.
• She easily puts herself into the shoes of our Advisors and anticipates their needs. The copy for our monthly newesletters gets better with each passing month.

Isn't that wonderful? I love my work, I love the people I work with, I love feeling appreciated ... but most of all, I love being employed!

Back home

Landed at O'Hare at around 10 last night, but didn't get home until 1:30-ish ... to bed around 2.

It's good to be home. Sometimes I think the best part of vacation is coming home.

But to be honest, the best part of my vacation had nothing to do with coming home or Mickey Mouse or awesome rides or that amazing filet at Le Cellier. The best part of vacation, for me, was the last night in Disney World.

It was late, and we were full of big, juicy steaks and delectable desserts, so we all (me, Dad, Alex and Kathie) sort of hung out in Dad's room, not quite ready to let go of the magic yet. One by one, we retreated to our own space, but I lingered at Dad's a bit.

See, my relationship with my sisters (most of the time, anyway) is tenuous at best. And my relationship with Kathie is especially difficult. If you're reading this, you know that I can be a bit of a diva - I sometimes primp before buying groceries, my cosmetics are few but the good stuff, and don't even THINK about talking to me before I've had my first cup of coffee for the day. But if I'm a diva, Kath is a princess. Her jeans have perfect creases. Even in Disney World. And I'm as much a hippy as I am a diva, which doesn't really mix well with princess. So I spent a lot of time walking on eggshells so as not to upset Princess Kathryn's routine.

And by late Saturday night, I was at the end of my rapidly swinging rope. And my dad and I sat up and talked and talked and talked about it, into the wee hours of the morning.

Which brought me to the conclusion that my sister Kathie, much like my mother before her, loves me, but doesn't like me very much. She doesn't "get" me, and she probably never will. But my dad? Well, Dad has an inimitable way of understanding me even when I don't make any sense to him. He has always described me as his free spirit, and he (unlike anyone else in my family) seems to enjoy that.

So we talked. And talked. And talked some more, until we were just completely pooped and went our separate ways for our final night in the happiest place on earth.

There is no one on earth like my father. He is at once generous, loving, understanding, kind, funny, encouraging and wise. I am so glad I had the opportunity to share the past week with him.

There's a lot more to tell, but I haven't even begun to plow through the photos yet, so you'll have to be patient. I will post the highlights as soon as I have a chance. But for the moment, you can buy me a cocktail for bringing some of the warm weather home with me!

Dogs are barking

After five days, my feet seriously hurt. Ouch.

A day in the wild

It's a little warmer today, in the mid-50's. Saw some great shows, ate some great food (which is fast becoming a theme)

Unseasonably cold

It's 40 degrees in Orlando ... but at least it's sunny. Having a blast, riding great rides, eating great food, enjoying

New Year's Day, Disney-style

I'm here. It's beautiful. I wore sandals today. And trite as it sounds, I wish you were here.