Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to Me!

Lynae N.

December 27, 2009 - 10:42 PM

I tell you what, this break has been the most relaxing and enjoyable time I can remember for several years. There has been a perfect balance between rest and activity. This has allowed me to completely unwind without feeling bored or frustrated over a lack of things to do. Even with all of our traveling there hasn't been any havoc or mayhem to deal with.

We started out by bundling all of us up into our little car with bags and boxes and packages heading for southern Oregon to visit Brian's side of the family. We rolled into town just in time for dinner with his Dad and his wife, to open presents, and play games before crawling into bed. We woke up the next morning and had a leisurely breakfast and headed off for equally enjoyable visits with his Sister and her family and his Mom.

Then on Wednesday we ended our time in southern Oregon when we dropped Shae off with her Mom. We walked her to the door and she was antsy as she typically is when she goes for a visit. She always loves and enjoys them, however, she still has a very interesting process leading up to and coming off of visits. Shae was met at the door by her Mom who was carrying a brand new baby puppy the family had just adopted. Needless to say for a little girl who loves her Mom and puppies, her jitters melted away and she was no longer concerned about being away from home.

Up to Eugene we went, now without Shae which was the only part of this week which was not perfect. We spent the days leading up to Christmas with my parents and my brother, his wife, and their new beautiful baby girl. What a fantastically fun time! My family is quirky as any other you'd ever meet, but we are one of the healthiest and functional quirky families I've encountered. We watched movies, ate food, walked the mall, and played with the baby. Christmas morning we opened presents and laughed and shared memories about growing up.

Christmas ended and the next day I turned 24. I used to hate having my birthday the day after Christmas as a child because my friends were always busy. But what I used to think was a horrible injustice has turned out to be something fantastic. I have a chunk of Christmas and birthday money and after Christmas sales to hit. My husband and I went shopping together this year. We had so much fun and we really got some good deals; shirts for less than $2 and the hottest bright red leather stilettos for $10. Even with these prices we blew through our spending allowance, but thankfully we made a list and for the most part only got what we needed and weren't tricked into buying unneeded items because they were priced well.

Now we are back home and we get to pick up our baby girl tomorrow. I am so excited to see her and miss her so much. I started playing some of her favorite music today just because and it really made my heart start to ache for her. I am blessed to get to be a part of her life and blessed to have had such a fun break. I hope your holidays were/are as merry as mine.