Our trip back to Ohio delayed our Christmas spirit a bit and we are just now getting into the holiday preparations that the season beckons. Our tree was purchased late last night and we are waiting for a day or so before we decorate it so that Bob can participate in the festivities. His work schedule is a bit more awkward than usual, as to be expected, when it is both the Christmas season and having taken two weeks off. We are finding that having an extended time period when we are all awake and together will take a day or two.
The kids and I are almost finished with our Christmas shopping for loved ones and friends. We are hunkering down here as the weather is a bit chilly. It is funny how accustomed one gets to the warm weather. What once would have been deemed nice winter weather up north is considered too cold down here in the southwest. I am okay with staying in doors for the time being.
The sun is shining brightly - something I missed desperately for the past two weeks. From the moment we left our house until we were about an hour from home on our way back from Ohio the weather was, for the most part, overcast and gray. It bothered me immensely and made me appreciate living here that much more. I wish that I could share our sunshine with my loved ones up north because I think that they would appreciate and see just how hard it is to live in a constant state of overcast skies.
One of the first things I did upon coming back to New Mexico was to hike in my beloved Soledad Canyon. That place is really a Godsend for me. I am so thankful that I know that places like that exist in this world. That place is one of the best pick-me-ups on this planet.
I think that everyone had a good time back in Ohio. I got to go New York as well to see my extended family, but especially my grandparents. I was only there for about 36 hours, but it was one of my favorite parts of my whole trip. I loved seeing my grandparents. They are chicken soup for my soul. Saying goodbye to my grandfather was really, really hard for me this time around. It is always difficult, but this time it was more so. I couldn't stop going back to say good-bye to him one last time. I just needed to make sure that he could feel my love. I needed to feel that unspoken love between us radiated through our hugs. And I did. I love that man with every piece of me. He is one of the best things that has ever happened in my life and his impact on my life is immeasurable.
There was a communication mix up between Bob and myself and I did not get to say good-bye to some of my loved ones and I did not get the chance to catch up with an old friend. One of the good things about loved ones and old friends is that they understand when mix ups happen and are forgiving that all did not go according to plan. It is funny how when you plan a trip you think you are going to have all of this time to see everyone and then you realize once plans are made just how jam packed your days are trying to squeeze in time with everyone. Each of the kids had friends that they were not able to see this time around as well. We will be back though and will be able to see those we missed this time next time.
The kids and I are going to do school work through the holiday season since we took the first two weeks of December off. We will take Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then New Year's Eve and New Year's Day off, but other than that we will be working on school. It is good for us to get back into a routine. The kids flourished under the family management system I implemented a few weeks prior to us leaving for Ohio. I plan on picking right back off where we left off once we finish getting some Christmas boxes put together. We should be done with those tomorrow or Thursday and can mail them off promptly.
We plan on going out to eat at this really good Italian restaurant (no, not the Olive Garden) this Christmas Eve. It is the same one that we ate at last Christmas Eve. Then we plan to keep it pretty low key on Christmas Day. It will be nice.
Santa is going to be picky this year about what he delivers to the kiddos. We have a playroom full of stuff that was most desired by the kids in the months leading up to Christmas that quickly became abandoned shortly after receipt. I am tired of Santa using resources that could be used elsewhere on gifts for kids who don't really desire the things they seek. This may mean there will be some disappointed faces after all of the gifts have been opened, but I hope that this will allow us to open up a dialogue about consumption and what we really need to be happy.
Josh will begin practicing soccer again tomorrow. He is itching to get back on the field. He misses his teammates and the game very much. It will be good for him to get back into the routine of soccer. He tends to drive me a bit batty when he doesn't have soccer practice regularly as he gets bored, and when he gets bored he likes to drive his siblings crazy which in turn drives me crazy.
I enjoy this time of year because life naturally slows down. It is nice to huddle up by the fire with the kids reading a book or snuggling up in front of the tv to watch a movie. (Polar Express is my most favorite Christmas movie ever.) The sun shines all winter long and it makes my heart happy.
Life truly is good in Las Cruces.
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