Greetings on Christmas Eve
Merry Christmas! It is Christmas Eve and I just finished wrapping gifts for my family. Good thing we don’t open gifts on Christmas Eve or I would be in trouble! Oh, I am listening to “Happy Holidays from W44th St” while I write this, too. (Thanks again, Robin.)
Here’s what’s happened since Friday:
On Sat morning Heidi and I drove to Ohio. It was a beautiful drive and it snowed most of the way. (Everything was beautiful at this point b/c I knew I had 2 weeks away from school and work ahead.) Once we reached Ohio, we stopped to see Heidi’s dad and step-mom for a couple of hours, then went to her mom’s. Apparently her mother wanted us to feel like we were in NY b/c it was so cold in her apartment that I slept in my toboggan. Really. That’s no exaggeration. I slept in my toboggan. I hope I didn’t make her mad, but it was darn cold. Also, the AC adapter for my computer died while I was in Ohio. (Maybe it froze?) I thought I was going to have to go an entire week w/o my dear laptop but Valerie from MacMall was able to send me a new one directly to my mom’s house in NC and it arrived today. Thank you, Valerie.
Monday I flew into Charlotte during an orange alert “panic attack.” Security checked every car that entered the airport parking lot. It was a mess. Then traffic on the way home was even worse. It took us an hour and a half to go less than 5 miles. We finally ate lunch and tried to take some back roads which were jammed even worse. Argh!! (Still 2 more weeks away from work and school. Ahhhhh!)
Yesterday the family met at my Aunt Hilda’s house for Christmas. It was not the same without Aunt Brice. There were even a couple uncomfortable silences during the meals. Still, everyone made the best of the situation and tried to have a good time. Also, yesterday my neck started hurting. It does this right before I get sick. It feels as if my head is going to fall off my shoulders. While this may sound like it hurts pretty bad, it is even worse than it sounds. Hopefully a little rest will help.
Today I tried to rest some in hopes my neck would feel better and so maybe I wouldn’t turn into the Grench tomorrow. I also administered Sheila’s SSG (State of Sam Gomez) driving test. She passed. This means I will let her drive the car that I just inherited from Aunt Brice – a beautiful 1990 Chevy Lumina. Yes, the insurance is incredibly expensive for a 16 year-old driver and I fear for her safety, but I want her to be able to be involved at school. This will give her a way home when she has to stay after school. I know Aunt Brice would have wanted this.
Tomorrow the family will come to my house. It is funny how things have changed since I was a kid. I am still very excited about Christmas, but in a much different way. I am really looking forward to spending some time with my family and watching them unwrap their gifts.
Ok, enough sappy crap. Must go to bed so Santa can come.
