Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "home"

Being a former police reporter and having lots of friends in law enforcement has its advantages. For one thing, you learn a lot about human stupidity.
No, I'm not talking about stupid cops (although there are thousands out there). I'm talking about your average, every day, run of the mill citizen.
You know, the person who brags about their intelligence and proves just how smart they are by doing something absolutely brilliant -- like posting all the details of their upcoming trip (including departure and return dates) on social media sites. Or leaving valuables in plain view when contractors are in the house. Or leaving their car unlocked and then complaining when their purse, wallet, camera and electronic devices are stolen.
If I had a dime for every news article or police blotter item I wrote about someone being victimized due to an utter lack of common sense, I'd be a multimillionaire.
Keeping all of that in mind, I didn't do a blog post last week. You see, I had absolutely positively no intention of letting anyone other than close friends and family know about my weekend trip to Virginia. But now that I'm back, I can say that I had an absolute blast.
I returned to Warrenton (where I lived for more than eight years) for the annual running of the International Gold Cup steeplechase races and to catch up with old friends (most of whom are cops). Because I was only there for two-and-a-half days, I didn't get a chance to see everyone who became my extended family when I lived in Fauquier County. And I didn't get a chance to spend as much time with the people I did see as I wanted to.
But when I walked into the convenience store across the street from the Great Meadow Field Events Center in The Plains on Saturday afternoon, I knew no matter how long I've been gone, or how infrequently I'm able to visit, the rural community approximately 40 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., will always have a special place in my heart.
Hey, honey. It's great to see you again! the clerk exclaimed. Welcome home!
Until next time, "That's life..."

As I write this, the TV is providing the background noise I need in order to be productive. Aside from that, the house is quiet, so if I hit the "mute" button, I could literally hear myself think.
After 10 days of upheaval verging on chaos, that's a welcome relief. Finally, there's no banging, no scraping, no roar of an industrial-strength vacuum. There's just peace and quiet and time to think.
And as I pause to reflect on recent events, I can't help but think of the similarities between renovating this old house and writing/publishing my memoir.
Both activities are labors of love. Both projects have been put on hold from time to time. My memoir, "Truth Be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey," took years to complete. The house is still a work in progress.
Both projects have tested my patience, caused some frustration and more than a little stress. Both involve making decisions with lasting ramifications - so both have resulted in a bit of second guessing.
Both have involved peeling back damaged layers and smoothing rough patches. Ultimately, renovating the house is about restoring it to its former glory. Writing my memoir was about restoring my spirit.
Until next time, "That's life..."

There's something about the holidays that inspires creativity.
They've influenced literary types, film makers and musicians. They've influenced the designers tasked with creating festive window displays at some of the largest and best-known department stores in the United States, and homeowners responsible for the indoor and outdoor decorations.
Personally I have always found that decorating the Christmas Tree is a wonderful creative outlet.
It's something I started doing when I was little. Back then we got a real tree. When I got married, I opted for practicality and bought an artificial tree. No matter. I was still in charge of decorating it.
The tradition continued when I lived in Virginia and came home for the holidays and when I came home for good in 2012.
Last year, I decided to create a new tradition. Inspired by the "alternative Christmas Tree trend" I decided to "make" and decorate an eco-friendly, DIY, "Charlie Brown" Christmas Tree with sticks and branches from my yard. The new tradition continued this year.
I started by finding the perfect tree limbs and a vase to put them in (pictured here).

Then I added some ornaments. Since I've been a fan of loft living and industrial decor since before it became trendy, I decided to give this year's tree a bit of an edge. In addition to traditional ornaments, I decided to use some ball and chain I had sitting around as garland. The work in progress can be seen in the following photo.

On Christmas morning, added the finishing touch by putting all of the presents around the tree. The only thing that's missing is some sort of tree topper (like and angel or a star). Oh, and my cat. For some reason he didn't feel like joining in the festivities this year (he was sleeping). In any case, I like the final product.

What do you think? Let me know in the comment section below, on Twitter or Google+.
Until next time, "That's life..."