We did our Christmas food shopping and Christmas baking today, and now there is officially nothing else to do until Christmas. And please god no more spending money. It is astonishing how much we spent on groceries. Dinner better be amazing on Christmas. At least the cookies are pretty good!
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December 21
Today was a lazy day of doing nothing, followed by the Run Santa Run 5k. The girls did the one-mile run (which we walked) and then I did the 5k. I beat my Thanksgiving time by almost five minutes. It was a chilly night (under 50 degrees!). My Santa jacket wouldn’t stay on and my pants kept falling down and I couldn’t fix either because I had my phone and car key in my hand. I ran with Monica, who goes much faster than I do. We hung in together for two miles, but I finally had to set her (and me) free. I think she’s a big part of the reason I finished with such an improved time. We did 60/30 splits, but her running pace during the 60s was over a minute per mile faster than my usual pace. I am so glad I did it, I’m so happy the girls did it, even though Christina was mad at me for not letting her bring her iPad and Robin was too cold to enjoy anything. I feel so good right now, like I can accomplish anything. I kind of already have.
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December 20
Finished all my elfing for the week and now there’s nothing left to do before Christmas except run a 5k, go food shopping, bake four cookie recipes, and cook a three-course Christmas dinner for eight people. I do not know what will occupy my time after December 25.
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December 19
These are but some of the bites I suffered at the mouths of the angry ants I disturbed yesterday. The pain has subsided and now they are just itchy and ugly. And also my entire ankle is swollen. Otherwise, all good!
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December 18
We put up Christmas lights today and I almost died. Apparently I stepped on the home of some very angry ants. I have approximately 35 bites that occurred in a matter of seconds. I had such a violent reaction that I almost passed out right there on the front lawn. I am in so much pain, far worse than when I broke my ankle and needed nine pins and a plate to repair it. But… the house is beautiful. Also the moon got in on the action. Thank you, moon.
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December 17
We made a last-minute decision to build gingerbread houses. The girls, oddly enough, were the most successful. Billy’s house collapsed in an earthquake. Mine was structurally sound, but terribly boring. Robin made the bakery and Christina made the toy shop. I think both are beautiful.
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December 16
Now that I finished knitting Pinot’s sweater, I need a new project, so I started a pair of socks using some yarn I got last Christmas. Christina thinks I’m going to give them to her when I’m done. We’ll see.
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December 15
I finished this sweater today. I was worried it would be too big, but it fits pretty perfectly. I wish you could read it a little clearer, but it’s pretty cool. We had dinner with Rosina and Dion and it was a lot of fun.
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December 14
I don’t know how Christina saw this rainbow. It was straight up in the air. Right after this, we got ice cream while Robin was at a cheer party. She had a lot of fun, which just makes me feel so good.
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December 13
I’ve been having some pretty good days at work, which I don’t get to say often. But now I’m ready for another week off to prepare for Christmas! Bring it on!
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December 12
I had four straight hours of meetings in which I was an active or leading participant, and by the middle of the last one, I had to pee so bad I really thought I was going to die right there on WebEx. I had also developed a steadily worsening headache. It was so hard to care about what I was teaching to the new hire class I was helping train. I ended the call exactly on time and although I wasn’t capable of running to the bathroom in my condition, I waddled over as best I could. I am still recovering. But I did win Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza twice. I always want to say chicken instead of cheese. I wonder what that means.
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December 11
I worked out at the gym, worked at work, took Christina to dance, took Robin to cheer, came home, ate dinner (thank you, Billy), and instead of knitting or reading or doing crossword puzzles or paying bills or anything else, I watched crappy pointless TV for an hour. It felt like the biggest waste of time, but I needed the break.
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December 10
Tuesdays are my easy days. No dance, no cheer, no reason to leave the house at all. We ate pizza and I knitted and watched Santa Claus: The Movie. It’s not the best movie out there, but I have some great memories of watching it when I was a kid. It felt to me then like the most likely version of Christmas and the North Pole. When I watch it, I get to be that kid again that is so immersed in the magic of Christmas that no other explanations for it seem plausible. Now that I hold the strings, it’s a different kind of magic. But it’s only possible because of that six-year-old me that climbed into this movie and lived in it for seven more years. I love Christmas.
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December 9
I went out to the garage to take Robin to cheer and it looked like the sky was on fire. Also today, I dropped Christina off for dance and left to pick up Pinot from the groomer, but got all the way to the library to drop off books before I remembered that what I actually wanted to do was pick up the dog. At least I did remember.
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December 8
We put up our village and it looks so quaint, I want to live inside it! Billy got railroad crossing signals that flash, and I think other than the Penn State firehouse and the Christmas countdown, that is my favorite thing on the table. I’m sure there will be more pics to come.
Year in Photos 