Keeping pace...

I don't know how but I seem to forget from year to year a couple of things! First, that I get no sleep in December. It's worse this year because now I exercise every morning so my days start earlier than previous years! I figure right now I'm averaging 5 hours a night. The pace of each day is non stop! There are just so many things to do that you don't dare let a moment go unused. I'm forced to now and then because every time I sit still for a minute or two I fall asleep! I believe in power naps! Last Saturday it was snowing so beautifully - and I LOVE SNOW-that I just wanted to sit home all day and watch it snow. But no, I couldn't afford to let a whole day go. I only have Saturday's and evenings so I couldn't justify staying home. So, I went out into the storm and did get a lot done. I had to scrape snow off my car 3 times and I'd sure like to know who took the scraper out of my car! I like snow but scraping with your bare hands is not fun! I also had trouble with the gas pump and so I stood extra long in the blizzard that had developed trying to get the cold, hard, metal pump to work right! Finally I was done and got to go home and snuggle down for the rest of the day. It was good.

The other thing I forget from year to year is how strung out on anxiety my kids get! It's getting slightly better as they grow up but Sally especially can hardly stand the build up and the wondering what she is going to get. I can't get either one of them to think about what they want to get for others. Christmas anxiety makes them even more selfish than kids typically are! Text-guy is starting to break out of that a little. His little girlfriend told him she 'already had his present' a couple of weeks ago so he figured he better get her something. He found it when we were waiting for family pictures-Build A Bear! So earlier this week he took Sally (as a cover so he wouldn't feel silly in the Build-a-Bear store) and they went and built her a bear. It turned out really cute and I think he's excited about giving it to her so maybe there's hope for turning around the selfish attitudes! What makes me the craziest is that the Christmas anxiety makes them pick at each other and fight more! They just keep at it till they 'hate' each other and I am at my wits end and then we each go to our rooms and cool off. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, the season doesn't always bring out my best qualities either! My patience with the kids wears thin and fixing meals is the last thing I want to do.

Anyway, enough whining! We got our tickets for the Las Vegas Bowl (Joel and Brian's main Christmas present) and got our reservation in Mesquite so we are set for our little get away next weekend. It should be fun. We'll drive down on Saturday to Mesquite and check in and then Bri-guy and Text-guy will go on to Vegas for the game and Sally and I will hang out at the hotel and go to dinner with my cousin and his family who live there. Then we'll drive back on Sunday, stop home for a minute and then head for Morgan for the family Christmas party. Sunday will be a big day but it should be fun too. It will be good to have some family time, just the 4 of us-no friends! I'm sure we'll have a good buffet in Mesquite, probably one for breakfast too! Last week we got a new DVD player in the van so that will make traveling nice. Maybe I'll finally see Pirates 3! I realized when we bought the DVD last week that I had never seen it. Don't know how I missed it but I haven't. I also bought HP 5 for Christmas and will have to decide whether to break it out early so we can see it on the way.

The thing I'm worried most about is leaving the dogs! Last Sunday we went to Morgan and didn't get home until about 11:15 and we had a message (at 10:10) from our next door neighbors asking us to bring the dogs in because they were barking so much. I don't know why they were barking so much but I feel bad that they were disturbing the neighbors. She was really nice about it which makes me feel even worse! I've got a plate of cookies I'm taking over tonight to say we're sorry. So, we'll have to have someone let them in about 10 and then out again in the morning. I hope it works out okay.

I've rambled too long. Some Billy to finish on....'In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep, through the mountains of faith to the river so deep. We all end in the ocean, we all start in the stream, we're all carried along, by the river of dreams.' Here's to sleep walking-if I ever get to sleep!