And it's over for another year!

The decorations are even put back in the shed! Well other than the lights outside of the house - they're not taking up space in my living room, so they shall remain up another few days.

Christmas breakfast ended up being the least amount of drama possible for that crew of people. It wasn't entirely horrid so that was something.

We ended up going to the Christmas Eve service at the church - a nice small little celebration of Christ's birth. We then came home and ate junk food for dinner, took the dog on a walk all together as a family, and watched Horton Hears a Who. (After trying to watch Fred Clause and realizing the disc was cracked! UGH!)

Christmas morning was rainy and cold. We all had colds on top of that too! But we opened our presents and had cinammon rolls and hung around doing not much all day. Two sisters came over that evening and we played Rock Band. Our Christmas was low key and relaxing - just the way we like it!

We took the kids to see Bedtime Stories the day after Christmas, and the day after that we did our regularly scheduled trip to the library.

Sunday we took dd for one of her presents - a trip to go horse back riding. A trip I am content to never repeat. She has a love of horses - I do not. I'm not a huge animal lover - maybe it's just that animals don't really love me. Hmmm! Anyway, it was quite an experience and I'm glad it's over. ;-)

DS gets his last present this Saturday - a 1/2 hour on the ground flight lesson and a half hour in the air flight lesson. I think it finally hit him yesterday exactly what it entailed because he asked me if he was actually going up in the air - um YEA, that's the point. LOL! Should be fun - less stressful than the horseback riding I'm thinking!

Tomorrow is the last day of 2009. I can't believe it.

What happened in 2008 - I didn't lose any of the weight I wanted to lose - oh well, there's always next year. (In fact, I'm hoping I manage this year because I've loosely told myself I'd get the tattoo I want should I manage to make my goal!) We did get the dog I'd been promising the kids forever - so that's one thing checked off my list. I quit my job - something I was contemplating at the beginning of 2008, had decided wouldn't happen by about spring, and then actually did this fall. I was able to go to Africa - something I would have never thought would happen in my lifetime. I want to go someplace else international in 2009 - no prospects on the horizon though so we'll just have to wait and see what God puts in my path. The kids grew (several inches and then some!), things are starting to kind of "relax" around here, my kitchen is organized (woooohooooo!).

That's about all I can remember of 2008. I'm excited to see what 2009 has in store for us. DS is going to go spend the night at his friends again for the New Year - he did that last year and we took DD to the movies to see Ella Enchanted. Not sure what we'll do this year. We don't have any plans.

1 more day until the new year, 6 more days until the kids return to school!

2 down, 1 to go

We've now had two of our 3 Christmases - Saturday night was with my Father. It was the usual - pizza, one sister two hours late, one sister not talking to another sister, gifts of $, toys for the kids - one Christmas runs into another with him. :-)

Christmas number 2 happened last night with MIL. It was held at the royal restaurant - La King of Burgers - aka Burger King. It was a low key celebration. We ate food, the kids ran around the play place - presents were handed out and we went home.

Tomorrow morning will be breakfast with my Mom and then we will be done with having to GO someplace for Christmas. I'm sure this last one we have to go to will be drama - I will be doing my best to sit at the end of the table with my children and as far from the drama as I can get.

For the first time ever in my lifetime, I will not be attending Christmas Eve with my extended family - it feels weird and nice all at the same time. If you see my last post you will see part of why this decision was made. And yes, I will be enacting the "no comment" rule at this breakfast - although most likely I will be silent or change the subject rather than actually SAYING "no comment." I'll probably be THINKING a lot worse things that that! hahahaha

I'm looking forward to hanging out with the kids for Christmas - we've got new video games to play and we still haven't watched Horton Hears a Who!! Maybe I can convince every one to watch it with me on Christmas Eve - maybe Horton can be our new Christmas tradition - he does embody the spirit of the holiday at the end. LOL!

Only TWO more days until Christmas!! YIKES!!

Letting it out

Anybody who reads this blog (who knows if anybody does, it's for me so it doesn't matter I suppose!) would know that I use this for venting quite a bit. And after reading about depression and having to release your feelings without judgement or attaching stories to them, etc in order to not be depressed, I will be letting out a big huge vent - after that, I will be moving on into my year of "no comment!" (Not here on the blog - you can't shut me up that easily! LOL!)


2008 CHRISTMAS LETTER TO MY EXTENDED FAMILY

Thank you to all of you for making 2008 the year of drama. Without your drama I would not have been able to see what manipulative conniving selfish annoying people you really are. So thank you for showing me your true colors.

Thank you for taking every thing I ever said to you and twisting it around for your own personal gain. Thank you for believing the liars over the truth tellers. Thank you for showing me the way NOT to live. Thank you for helping me see how to not deal with my children once they are adults. Without all of your drama, I think I still could have figured it out, but thank you anyway. Thank you for showing me that you really don't care about me, my feelings, my opinions, my situations, my children, my husband, or anything else important to me since I don't 100% agree with you. Heaven forbid in this extended family we should actually listen to somebody and how they feel and take it to heart as a way to change or help or encourage, rather than a way to manipulate others for our own gain.

Please know that 2009 (commencing at this moment) will be the year of "no comment." Should you call me for any opinions I will be stating "no comment." Should you call somebody else to ask them what I thought or said, you should automatically assume that what I said was "no comment." Should you want to know if I'm attending an event or not - you shall call me directly and ask me yourself. I will be replying "no comment" to all invitations unless it is directly from the invitee. Should you call me and ask me what somebody else is doing, the answer is "no comment." Should you call me and ask me whether somebody else is going to an event or not, the answer is "no comment" while at the same time I will be thinking in my head, "call and ask them yourself you idiot!"

Should you call me to vent about somebody else, I will say "I'm not going to listen, you can change the subject or you can continue. Should you continue I will be hanging up the phone."

Should you call and ask me "how are you today," the answer will be "fine" and no more. Should you call and ask how my children are doing, they answer will also be "fine." Should you call and ask how my husband is doing, the answer will be, yep, you guessed it - "fine." I am not expecting to have to put this clause into effect, consdiering the chances of you calling just to see how we're doing is about the same as hell freezing over.

Your rumor starting, word twisting, manipulative personalities, and down right selfishness in regards to anybody but yourselves have taken away your privilege to interact with myself or my husband and children in any extended, deep, or even familial capacity.

2008 for my dh, ds, dd and I was great and 2009 will be "fine."

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Love,
No Comment

Thank you for letting me vent. Now I will be able to go forth without spewing on them what I REALLY want to spew. Instead all inquiries and interactions with them will be riddled with the phrase "no comment." Shouldn't take them long to leave me alone at that rate! hahahahaha They won't be dragging me into their drama that way. I'll just become fodder for their drama which isn't anything different than what is already happening! And at least I won't have to listen to it anymore and the only thing they'll have to gossip and manipulate is "no comment" - which I guarantee they'll figure out how to use for their own gain, but that's ok, it will fall in the "not my problem" category at that point.

Only 3 more days until Christmas!! Unbelievable!!

You never know what a day will bring

This morning I logged onto my e-mail to see if I was needed to do an art lesson and was met with unexpected news.

A friend who I've known online for 11 years and have met in person once (she spent a few days near my house and I was her "tour guide.") found out she has breast cancer. Her and a friend decided to take advantage of free mammograms at a clinic near their home just for the heck of it. She found out she's in pretty advanced stages of breast cancer.

Sure made me think this morning - what I take for granted - what we all take for granted. One day you're gettting a free mammogram on a whim, the next day you're planning for a masectomy and chemo and all of the things that entails.

I guess it's another reminder that you're suppose to do those self exams also - I never do them, always think "oh I'll be fine" - the doctor always scolds me when I go for my check up, always says "it's only a minute in the shower every day to do a quick check."

You really do never know what a day will bring!