Cookie party!

Today was the first of...let's see...two cookie exchanges, one brunch, two holiday parties, two Hanukkah parties, one Hanukkah celebration at synagogue, one dinner for a friend, one New Year's Eve celebration in Seattle. I'm probably forgetting something. Most of this hasn't even happened yet and I'm already pooped.

Anyway....today was a cookie exchange at the holiday party for the NU Club of Portland (I interview prospective NU students as part of the NU Alumni Association). It was at a lavish house 11 blocks from ours; gorgeous kitchen, great kids' play area in the basement, lovely old woodwork, a comfortable porch -- just what you'd expect from 1911 construction. Rachel spent most of the time playing downstairs and watching the Christmas version of the movie "Shrek." I left a little early because I had work to do at home, and as I walked through our neighborhood I was struck by how beautiful it looks this time of year, with Christmas trees in the living room and lights outside. I was especially touched by the Jewish house I saw with a menorah in every window, a treehouse decorated in blue and white lights, and dreidel stickers on the front door. Almost went up and knocked and said how nice it was to know that my neighborhood isn't totally Christian.

Rachel got some nasty cuts on her face today; while she was with Drew at the farmer's market, they went inside Portland State University to warm up, and she ran to him and crashed into the edge of a very sharp table. We put princess Band-Aids on the cuts under and above her eye; poor little thing looks like a prizefighter. I told her that because she's so little and growing so fast, the cuts should heal fast, too. I hope I'm right; I hate to have to explain what happened to the preschool teachers.

I was a bit blue today and Rachel picked up on it. While I was upstairs sorting through papers for the story I'm working on, she came up to me and put a heart sticker on my chest. "This is to cheer you up," she said. I told her she was such a wonderful little girl to think of me.

She's also developing a taste for old-timey music. "Paper Moon" played on the CD today, part of  "Big Band" series of CDs I like to play, and as soon as it came on she told me, "I like this song because it cheers me up." Love that she's developing an appreciation for the classics!