A different Christmas

Altho I didn't have to put up with the ridiculously long drives that Katy and Corey did, I know what Katy means - this was the first year I didn't wake up in my old bed at my parents' house (we slept in our apartment), and even tho our morning at the Askeys' was lovely, I just didn't feel Christmasy because I didn't have my comforting tradition of waking up at home, stockings followed by breakfast followed by presents, then Gommy visiting, and a lazy afternoon of Trivial Pursuit with Hannah.

I think next year I'm going to start a tradition of Paul and I spending some time just the two of us at our place on Christmas morning, and also eliminate one stop on the Christmas schedule: Going to Askeys, Killians, and Snyders all in one day was just too much moving around for Christmas, even tho they are all close by. Now that the Askeys are obviously a necessary stop, I think it's time to eliminate the Snyders for dinner on Christmas day. I need more quality time with my immediate family. Next year, I want to wake up at my apartment, do a little bit of private Christmas time with just Paul and me, and then split the rest of the day in half between Askey and Killian time. We do the Lechner Christmas on a separate day, so I think it's time to move the Snyder Christmas to another day as well. Let me know what you think, Killians.

Another idea would be to spend the afternoon of Christmas Eve with the Askeys since we go down there for dinner anyway, and then spend Christmas Day with the Killians, but I'm not sure if that's fair to everyone...altho it does eliminate an extra trip to York two days in a row, so Mother Nature would probably thank us.

On the up side, Kelly and Reed's wedding on Saturday was amazing and perfect, and I loved seeing the PREP girls so much; I played bells with my mom (the bell choir was SO in the zone, "Masters in this Hall" was amazing!) and sang in the 11:00 PM candlelight service at Trinity, with Hannah and Paul in attendance (had lots of fun singing all the carols, except for Silent Night being ruined by a rogue choir member); I got to see Crystal, Jo, and Henry yesterday; spent some time with Hannah last night; and I got some really nice things: a beautiful, long, black, wool pea-coat and a really nice electric wet/dry epilator/razor from Paul (he picked the coat out all by himself!); a coffee maker, cute bracelet, jewelry box, and some other cool stuff from the Askeys; a chia pet from my mom (laugh if you want, but I'm excited, I've never had one!); a pair of espresso cups with saucers from Lebanon; and enough Victoria's Secret gift cards to cover the cost of a really nice gel push-up bra that I've always wanted to have but never wanted to spring for (they're expensive!!).

So that was my first Christmas as an Askey...it had its ups and downs, but we'll do better next year. I'll be able to have people over to our place more, because we'll be finished with painting and updating the kitchen and furnishing and unpacking and organizing, and I want to get a real tree and decorate the whole place and the porch too!

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. Congrats to Kelly and Reed, I hope they're enjoying Christmas in Barbados!!

Christmas morning!

For the first time in my life, I just woke up Christmas morning not at my parents' house. It's not the same warm fuzzy feeling...but I'm OK with it. It had to happen sometime.

We're actually headed to York first, so I won't see my family until early afternoon. But it's Christmas, and I have a tree with wrapped presents under it (as of 9:00 PM last night), and I have thoughtful gifts picked out for all of my immediate family members (including the new set). I'm excited to watch everyone open their presents!

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Christmas wedding

Kelly D gets married tomorrow! I'm going to do lots of happy crying. Managed to avoid anything more than a few well-ups today at the rehearsal etc. I'm so so so so so happy for her! And Reed! Aahhh...I love my PREP girls. Tomorrow we'll be half married, then 3/4ths married by the end of May 2008. I love my girls so much...*sigh*

December 11

I can't believe it's almost Christmas.

I got up at 7:00 AM this morning because I was thinking about all the cleaning and organizing that needs to be done at our place...I wish I could stay home today and work on the house, but I have an FPPFS due today, I need to finish re-vamping PMO allocations and confirm my initial evaluation of our new method plus make a working spreadsheet so my trainee can do the allocations on her own, and if I don't start working on IPR slides and the associated updated and new EACs today I'll never get it all done by Thursday.

So why would I rather spend my day pre-Christmas cleaning than going to work? A lot fewer acronyms for one thing...also, I crave some physical activity. I was all psyched out to clean yesterday evening, but then I didn't get home until 7:30 and it legitimately took me two hours to catch up with e-mail and updating my Google calendar. Once I'm done with this post in a few minutes, I'll get an early start to work, and stop at Giant on my way to get some lunches for the week, so hopefully today I'll get home at a much better time.

Actually, I'd better get home in time to clean today, because tomorrow is bell choir rehearsal (but hopefully that'll be short), and Thursday is choir rehearsal (which better be shorter now that we don't have all the concert stuff to practice). So maybe I can get some cleaning done those days too, or at least some physical activity. But of course, my other main priority is finishing the wedding thank-you cards and Christmas cards to go with some of them - the anti physical activity if there ever was one. I also crave some craftiness, preferably crocheting or knitting (there's a knitty pattern (or ten, but one in particular) I want to try, and Paul needs a better hat), but I feel I can't let myself start anything in that vein until I have those cards all mailed and off my chest.

Good things this week: My new wireless mouse to go with my new laptop at work (both very cool), and the poinsettia Paul's mom send us via Pearler's. It's one with variegated red-and-white petals, and it's sitting happily on the dining room table. Also, I have cookies, hopefully a Christmas tree, Hannah coming home, and Johanna (and Henry!) coming home this weekend to look forward to...altho I'm thinking I won't see J & H until the next week, since they're flying in on Sunday and I suppose J's mother might want to hog her for a day or two (I can't imagine why, it's not like it's been over a year since they've seen each other or anything).

Alrighty, time to head to work and keep chipping at all that acronym-laden, sit-my-ever-fatter-ass-in-an-office-chair-all-day, paying job kind of work. Have a good one, everybody.