I know not all women are into shopping, but I think it’s fair to say that in a broad generalization, most women enjoy the shopping experience. They enjoy the browsing, the comparing of products from different stores and the hunt for a good bargain. My wife Holly is definitely no exception to the rule. That woman can shop like no one I’ve ever seen. From sun up to sun down she can browse and pick through wave after wave of what I perceive as pure crap for days on end. There is no limit to the amount of shopping my wife can do. This past weekend we flew home to Louisiana to visit friends and family. Since our flight brought us into New Orleans, it was only natural that we spend a few hours wandering around the French Quarter before making the drive to Baton Rouge. As I watched Holly shop that afternoon, all became clear as to the how and why’s of shopping for women and why it’s different for men.
Like most guys, I don’t like to shop, I like to buy. I decide that there’s something that I need and I go out and buy it. I might do a little price shopping on-line to make sure I’m not getting ripped off, but when I walk into a store, I’m looking to make a purchase. For example, let’s say that I need a new pair of jeans. I’ll drive over to the mall, go into a store, try a few pairs on and then buy a pair that fits and leave. Holly on the other hand would need to go to three additional stores to make sure that she was getting the best jeans at the best price.
This year, my family toasted in the New Year a little bit different than we have in the past. We didn’t have any parties to go to this year, my Mom was in town and I had a few new recipes that I wanted to try. After a brief discussion, we decided that we would start the New Year with a big meal. Some people go on diets at the first of the year. The Ashby’s – we feast. 😛
I had one of the best Christmas’ I can recall. I had no idea that Christmas Day could be so relaxing and fun. That’s not to say that Christmas is usually horrible or anything, it’s just that, typically, it’s very stressful and frantic. When Holly and I travel to Baton Rouge it’s complete bedlam trying to see everyone as we run from place to place. Even if we stay in town, we’ve typically been overwhelmed with activity, often times to the point that it’s been more about getting the next item complete on the task list, instead of quality family time.
Today is a happy day for a couple of my good friends – Dan and Rachel. That’s right, they are getting married tonight! It’s one of those happy and unexpected stories of love lost and found again. Boy meets girl. Boy and Girl drift apart. Boy meets Girl again in a new city. Boy is surprised he still has feelings for Girl. Girl is just as surprised. Boy and Girl begin dating again. Boy and Girl move in together. Boy and Girl get married and move to Guam. Who hasn’t experienced the exact same story in their own lives? Especially the Guam part. 😉 I may be making light, but today is a very big day for my buddy 
I’ve been working for about three days with very little sleep. I’ve found a neat way to create a Wish List for the weblog, but I haven’t had a chance to configure it yet. With Christmas just around the corner, it’s now or never, so I’m posting it here for starters. I hope that I’ll be able to get the Wish List weblog configured this weekend, but since I may not, here’s the Internet based version of my letter to Santa.
Holly and I love having friends and family stay with us. It gives us a chance to do some quality visiting, time to catch up on what’s been happening with each other and of course, enjoy some good food. As much as we enjoy it though, it can be a little draining, so we’ve developed a little ritual after everyone has left. It wasn’t planned mind you, it’s just one of those things that happen naturally, but I look forward to it as soon as I hear that someone is coming to visit.
Holly auditioned for the USA Networks television show 
Holidays are a weird time for me. For most people, holidays are a time for family and for sharing in common family customs. Growing up I didn’t have a lot of these rituals. My father wasn’t around much, I never really had any grandparents, and after my Mom got her divorce, it was just to two of us. When Christmas or Thanksgiving would come around, we would become flooded with invitations to attend the dinner of another family. More often than not, we would go to a friend’s house a celebrate the time of year with them. 
A few weeks ago, I was standing in the kitchen taking my first sip of coffee and looking out the kitchen window. After I swallowed my delicious coffee, I uttered ‘Son of a bitch.’ Holly said, ‘What?’, and then looked out the window and said, ‘Awww crap.’ What were we bitching about? Outside our window was a little calico kitten sitting on the window ledge.