Christmas: The Great Delay

Do you ever look back at a week and thing, "Wow, that was rotten." Then think about your month, and think something remarkably similar? October kind of felt that way. November got a little better; which meant December was pretty fun. I love having my whole family together. I may complain and poke fun at our Christmas morning traditions, but secretly I don't mind. It's all part of the drama. (Just in case you don't know, we are not allowed down stairs until given permission by the Grand Po-Ba of Christmas, Dad himself. Presents must be arranged in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Christmas casserole must already be in the oven. Showers taken, hair fixed - this requirement may have evolved after a few years of unattractive photos...lol. ) Jenna made Dad promise this year that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING would be ready by 8am on the dot.

Hilariously, this year was the year that Conner decided not to wake up until 7:30am, delaying Kristen, Adam, and Connor's arrival until close to 9:00. Normally he's a spot on alarm clock for 6 am. I don't blame them at all. It actually gave me a chance to remember some of my "6 year old, itchy feet, can't wait! can't wait!" feelings of Christmas mornings past. This year was a year of pretty, useful things I really wanted. (Can you tell I still haven't gotten over some of the 6 year old habits of giving people a list of the stuff I got?) I got a leather ottoman the size of a coffee table that I've been looking at for 3 years. I love it! As well as a vacuum, a standing mixer, and a really pretty mirrored wooden advent calender. I tried to talk the Santa's into smaller Christmas' this year since my driver's license says I'm not 6 anymore, but apparently they weren't having it. It was a lot of fun. I hope you got to spend time with people you like and love too.

Slackers unite!

OK, so I've started a blog and now I'm committed...phewey. While this is a relatively harmless concept that I've bowed to the peer pressure to join the ranks of, it still causes twinges when viewed on the list of other things to do during my day. (See, right here some of you should be laughing as I lost my job last month.) But I will attempt to add weird cameo thoughts that pop in and out of my head on occasion. Please don't judge me too harshly.

New hobby

I think I've found a new hobby. Kayaking. I kind of love it. I'd canoed with family or at camp half a dozen times when I was younger, but last month when a spur of the moment family canoe trip produced uneven numbers ,I volunteered to take out a one man kayak...AND LOVED IT. Think 'choose your own adventure' in the water. No frustration with an inexperienced paddling partner, no uneven expenditure of effort, no middle back cramp after two hours due to your own poor posture. You select your speed and the effort required to maintain it (no guilty twinge when you want to slack off). You pick your own line and with a shallower draft, a kayaker I discovered, can go places a canoe with two occupants and a fully laiden cooler, cannot. (Sorry Dan and Tracy...) And the opportunity to get ahead of the group, into glassy water and quiet, was probably the biggest draw. Paddling quietly down the river with the group kept bairly in sight behind me, gave me the chance to see cautious wildlife before the munchkin chatter made then submerge, skedaddle, or scatter. (It may also have given me the chance to try to get rid of an annoying halter top tan line while in the sunny sections of the river...tee hee hee)