Year in Photos

Tag: christmas tree

  • December 28

    December 28

    I ran four miles this morning like it was nothing. Not that long ago, I wouldn’t even have attempted it, it would have sounded so ludicrous. But I did it and it felt good. I just have to stop and acknowledge all that’s gone into that feat. It’s a big deal.

    After that, the girls and I went clothes shopping. Christina wanted a nice outfit to wear for her birthday. She didn’t end up with much that’s different from what she already has, but she did at least seem happy with it. Robin and I rummaged around Goodwill and found a few things for ourselves. I bought a dress for Friday as well, and a pair of jeans. I bought sizes that I wouldn’t have believed any normal person could wear, and they fit. Comfortably. More for me to stop and acknowledge.

    This year has literally been transformative for me. I don’t know what light bulb switched on, but I’m so grateful it did, and that I’ve been able to keep it lit for as long as I have. We also went food shopping, and then I passed out because my throat feels scratchy and I’m exhausted all over my body. I haven’t been sick in years either… but maybe that streak is ending. I’m going to try to sleep it off. Maybe I can head it off at the pass.

  • December 24

    December 24

    Everything is ready for Christmas at last. I spent the afternoon making cannoli cake. It’ll be hard to top salted caramel apple pie cheesecake, but I’m going to try. We had our traditional dinner of cold cut sandwiches and that was good as usual. Right before we go to bed on Christmas Eve always feels like the quietest moment of the whole year. I find it almost as hard to sleep as the kids do.

  • December 10

    December 10

    I am teetering on the edge of being too productive this week. It’s not good to set these precedents. I have a good reason to back off, too, because I have not been sleeping well for a few nights now. I wake up into a half-sleep around 3 or 4am, stuck in a dream where I’m trying to solve an unsolvable problem. And it’s hard enough to try to do that when you’re awake… doing it while you’re sleeping is exhausting! I’m trying to figure out what it is in my life that’s making me feel stuck like this. It probably has more to do with the fact that I DON’T have a problem to solve right now that my mind is inventing things for me to solve in my sleep. I’m lacking inspiration and motivation in general, which is only exacerbated by my lack of sleep. So let’s see what happens tonight. If I can get some rest, maybe I can come up with something more fun to keep my mind occupied.

  • December 7

    December 7

    We got our biggest Christmas tree ever today, literally the first one we saw. It touches the ceiling, but it’s nice because there was actually room for all our ornaments. Only one broke this year… seems every year we lose at least one. Now it feels like Christmas.

  • January 6

    January 6

    I finally stopped turning on our Christmas lights yesterday, even though it makes me a little sad. I love Christmas lights. It feels like Christmas only lasted 20 minutes this year. And when it ended, it just ended. We’ll at least have our tree until the weekend, anyway. Then I guess it’s time to move on and see what’s next.

  • December 24

    December 24

    We did a lot to celebrate Christmas Eve, but we forgot to read T’was the Night Before Christmas! Seems like everything worked out just fine all the same.

  • December 12

    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.

  • December 11

    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.

  • November 29

    November 29

    It doesn’t really feel like Christmas to me yet. Maybe since less than 24 hours ago it was still Thanksgiving.

  • January 6

    January 6

    Christmas is 95% over. One ornament is in triage, the bins need to be put away, and the furniture needs to be moved back and then that’s a wrap. Also today: fully finished the Lego building, started and finished a jigsaw puzzle from Mount St. Helens that we couldn’t remember ever doing before, and ate a delicious lemon poppyseed cake made by a friend at church for Christina’s birthday.

  • December 16

    December 16

    Christina’s dance performance at Deck the Chairs was cancelled thanks to weather, but the studio was able to find space for them to perform for their families tonight anyway. It was adorable! I love watching my kids do their thing.

  • December 4

    December 4

    Sometimes things hit me suddenly without warning or explanation. But I kept on knitting hats for Kindermarket.

  • December 3

    December 3

    Bought and put up our Christmas tree. The girls participated in the beginning but then lost interest, which kind of ruined it for me. Decorating the tree was always one of my favorite parts of Christmas, and it was always a thing we did together as a family. It makes me so sad that it doesn’t have the same meaning for our kids. I’m trying to make the most of it anyway.