Monday, December 21, 2015

Laughter and Tears


There has been much joy in the Broome house this past week with our girl child back home. Lots of laughter and being silly. Gerry and I made the now obligatory trip to Walmart yesterday. Dear God, they built this thing less than a mile from our house. When it was announced that it would be built we ranted and raved and expressed our indignation that it would come to our community. There are probably 5 or 6 receipts from there on Gerry's desk this morning. My how we changed our tune for convenience and saving money.....it's vile and distasteful to shop there, but I do, there it's said.....

I get bored easily walking around shopping, so I entertain myself. I found this red flannel hat on one of the shelves and what do you know, it matched my favorite comfy shirt. So I walked around with it on my head taking instagram selfies while Gerry tried to find stocking stuffers for his dad. I know I look like a fool, but a blissfully happy fool, haha!


Us Broomes have a taste for Kitch and so we went out in search of the tackiest Christmas lights we could find. This is my favorite, we found it a couple of years ago in Cary. I love the alien peeking out in the middle. Thank God for people that collect this stuff, I love it. It makes my heart soar to see tacky Christmas lights.
 Just so you don't think we have turned into the Griswalds, we have balanced out the tacky and the Walmart exposure with making our own pasta noodles and eating vegan this week. I found a perfectly great pasta maker at the thrift store for $8 and we have been making our own noodles. Super simple and the flavor is amazing.


The other night we had ramen noodle soup in my favorite Hatchville Pottery bowls. How many of you miss Hollis' blog?


Good news at work, I got a bit of a promotion and that has been fun. I am solely in charge of the visual look of the store now and I get to do whatever I want with the store merchandising (within reason and approval of the owner of course). No more checking in with a certain person anymore and it's nice to have autonomy without worrying about being second guessed. It's a lot more work and responsibility, but it's my wheelhouse. I got this.

I still really love my job, going on over a year now. Time flies, right? I have proposed to the owners some ideas I have for bringing in artists and musicians, reaching out more into the community and strengthening our brand through community involvement and creating fun events for the store. More workshops, more education, more community. I have a strong background in brand marketing and hope to bring that experience to my job more. I'm sort of trying to define my own role and it somehow feels right. Hoping it works out....


With all the laughter, of course some tears must come as well. There was a moment of adjustment having Wes back home. I have been super sensitive to everything since she left and my feelings get hurt at the least little thing. I wanted to walk down memory lane with her, she said "I don't want to go down that rabbit hole" and the first of the tears started. I heard that she hated her past, she just meant she wanted to look towards a bright future.

Then we made the mistake of having a breakfast table discussion after the democratic debate. WTF were we thinking. You cannot have a political conversation with an idealistic 22 year old and a cynical 55 year old photojournalist that has been covering politics and news for 35 years. There was stomping of the feet up the stairs, slamming of the door, and more tears. This time I was a rational understanding grownup seeing both sides and was able to offer mediation. I was very proud of my grown up pants and the wisdom I finally have to see all sides.

Did we all struggle in our 20's with so much mental turmoil about the state of the world? I feel so apathetic compared to Wesley now. There was a time I raged against the machine too. Now I just move out of it's way.....


More tears. My kiln is gone and in it's place a lonely tile pad where it used to be. This is such a forlorn sight to me. I had so much fun and excitement at this spot, so many days of shear joy, opening that kiln. Of course there were a few not so great openings but mostly, that kiln was my friend and I miss it.


I love this photo I snapped the morning after the new owner picked up the kiln. It seems to offer light and promise of a coming year full of unexpected happenings and a new future somewhere. At least that is what I choose to read into it. Looking forward to the rest of our Christmas holiday and a coming new year.

Wishing all of you the very best of whatever it is you celebrate, happy Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Atheism, whatever...... enjoy it all! My little corner of the world is bright.

Peace, ya'll
xoxo

8 comments:

MH said...

Tracey - ya need the hat. Go back for the hat. :^)

Tracey Broome said...

I know! I looked at that photo again and thought, "I need that hat" :)

oldgreymareprimitives said...

That is so funny - when I saw on IG that you were in Walmart I was shocked. Not you! but then today i laughed because I cannot let the kids know I go there occasionally to save money or I would get "the lecture" so i am relieved to know you guys feel a little guilty..loll Do they sell scala rolls in the bakery there? hehe

As for your girl- share with her your own growing pains and fears. I've gotten a better response form the kids when i am open about being scared and not always having the answers. You know talking like they are peers instead of me being the authority. I woke up this morning to Ben's shoes smack dab in the middle of the LR. Poor blind Justice smacking into them each pass by...but my lips are sealed even if I do photograph for IG ha!

Dennis Allen said...

You're rockin' that outfit but it needs accessories like a chainsaw or a bear

Vicki said...

Dennis' comment made me laugh... "chainsaw or a bear"...
Love your shirt. The hat is just waiting for you :)

Life. It's all about the highs and the lows isn't it?
Doors close and doors open.
At least they do open...

Congrats on your promotion! You rock design. Wish you could help me with mine. You've got a great eye.

Yeah. I think we all raged hard against the machine in youth.
But like you say, we move over as we get older. Most of us anyway.
We can "fight it" in other ways...

My boy now tells me "I know" whenever I suggest or discuss ideas.
At 25, he knows everything it seems. And I'm redundant.
Sigh.
This has been a difficult year for he and me as well. We've butt heads more than ever before.
The old goat and the young goat. Both stubborn. Neither wanting to give in :)

Oh well, at least we two had a lovely lunch while out present shopping in the village on the mountain today. We get on so well on "neutral ground".
Grateful for days like that...

Parenthood. Tough, rewarding, frustrating, fun, frightening and so, so wonderful.

Wishing you three the very best of Christmases.
xx

Found you on instagram BTW :)

Tracey Broome said...

Hi Z. Yes that evil monster Walmart. We used to have to drive to another town to shop for things like oil for the car and certain other supplies no one else seems to have anymore, Walmart ate the world.... And so we drive 1/2 mile to shop there from time to time.... I do share probably too much with Wes, and once in a blue moon she might share something with me, I think the 20's has got to be my least favorite decade in a persons life...
Dennis, I'll take either one, haha! I do have a thing for red and black plaid:)
Vicki, I hear ya, if I hear teeth sucking or see eye rolling one more time, I think I will scream! I just get dumber and dumber..... Neutral ground does seem best, and I too love those special lunches. Xo

Michèle Hastings said...

Walmart, the necessary evil. There are things I have to buy there either to save money or because no one else in town has it... as a matter of fact, I am heading there today. I will come home exhausted... it just ruins my day.
It seems mothers and daughters go back and forth between easy and difficult relationships. That's been my experience at least! Seems Dad is the good guy much more often.

Tracey Broome said...

Hey Michele, yeah my dad was always the good guy, but with Wes it's pretty even on the eye rolling and irritation, Gerry and I just don't know as much as twenty year olds, how we got this far I'll never know.....