Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Christmas Observations

This Christmas, my husband and I discovered several things:

1. Our youngest dog, Bubbles, does not like my father and barks at him whenever he walks/stands/sits/breathes, when he speaks or if she looks his direction.

2. The Marines taught my middle brother about Honor, Courage and Commitment, but apparently not about keeping your room clean and offering to help out with dishes when you stay at your sister's place for a month, or how to stay away from toxic ex-girlfriends.

3. We miss our friends and family in California.

4. Giving truly is the best part of Christmas.

Don't get me wrong, I love the gifts I got for Christmas. I asked my husband for socks and he delivered! He also bought me a great purse by Baggallini and a hat, scarf and glove set that will look good with my burgundy wool coat. But I really surprised him with a gift that he really wanted. That is the best feeling!

There were a few dark spots on the holiday.

We went to my Grandmother's on Christmas Day and gave her presents. She did not remember that it was Christmas and kept asking how long my husband and I would be in town. (We moved back here in February, but she thinks we still live in California.) We left rather abruptly because I was no longer going to be able to keep the sobs from coming. She later called my mother and said that she was pleasantly surprised by the gifts that suddenly appeared in her apartment when she returned from dinner with my uncle.

I won't go into details, but my youngest brother is mad at my parents for making him be responsible, so he decided not to tell them he and his wife are having a baby. But he put it up on Myspace, and made my younger sister one of his friends...He heads to Iraq in February with the Marines. Maybe he'll get a clue.

My best friend discovered she has cancer. She starts chemo next week. She has a good prognosis and is very upbeat. She has a good network of support around her too. She told me last night that she's at peace about the whole thing. I told her maybe she will be a true blonde when her hair grows back! Thank God her sense of humor is still intact!

But now, it's a new year, and I have resolutions to keep:
1. Eat healthy.
2. Clean all the junk out of our apartment
3. Finish our Scrapbook.

That's enough to be getting on with. We'll see at the end of the year how I did!