So I'm back from my Christmas adventures. We did a few days with my folks in Napa and a few with Shawn's in Santa Cruz. That's what we've been calling "running the family gauntlet" around my office. A pleasant time all around.
The visit with my side of the family was marked with cozy conversations. We decided to forego presents this year, a first in my family. There are no younglings about (a fact that my sister and I are reminded of on a regular basis) so the youngest is me at 27. The big present scene seemed a bit much. We did stockings and chatted our way though Christmas day idly playing with slinkies and koosh balls and fighting over my grandfather's new Jimmy Carter book.
The DeArmond family visit was punctuated with a Narnia adventure, good games with excellent friends, and late night DDR competitions on Robert's x-box. (My sister-in-law has some serious DDR skills, I must say.) It's a different experience at my husband's family home were I'm suddenly one of the oldest rather than youngest, and among brothers rather than my very female-dominated family. Though this year with all three brothers now sufficiently coupled, there were 8 of us around the dinner table, marking what my mother-in-law pointed out to be the first time that there were an even number of girls and boys around the table in 28 years or so.
So now we're home. I have a new pair of rollerblades sitting in a box in my living room begging to be tried out, and rivers of rain running through the gutters. Sigh. I also have a few new books eager to have their pages turned so I guess I'll start there. Provided that the cats will allow it, we've been gone for 5 days and they've been tallying up the missing attention with interest. Meeko spent the entirety of last night crouched on my chest with her nose touching mine, purring like mad. It's sounds cute, and it is, unless you actually want to get some sleep.
I'm working today and glad to be back at it. I'm cradling my new teacup (a perfect two-cup teapot, Alliee - Thank you!) and watching the rain, rain, rain come down outside my office window, slowing wading through the map requests that piled up in my absence. It's quiet. Most everybody has headed home, hoping to beat the holiday traffic. (Another holiday?)
It's a good feeling, being home.