Feliz Navidad!

Just another sunny, 67 degree Christmas day here in California! After Wilson ran up the hill and picked up mom this morning we got started with our Christmas festivities so that we could get mom back to bed at a decent time.

And the Tour de Force gift....

A special Starbuck's tumbler that allows me a free grande espresso drink EVERY DAY in January. Don't think I'm not cashing in on that action!

We didn't make any special Christmas meals, though we did do a seafood Christmas Eve dinner full of scallops and shrimp. Instead we made Wilson take us to Ginger's for Chinese dinner.

We weren't the only family with that idea - the place was rockin'! The paper had printed repeated lists of the few restaurants open on Christmas, so they were one of the few gigs in town.

After filling our bellies with MSG, we headed back home for our on-going Scrabble rivalry.

Much to everyone's surprise, especially myself, I finally won a game (out of 3)! I mean, I only won because I used all my tiles first and after the other losers had to deduct the tiles on their racks I barely had the highest score, but I'll take it! It's hard to win when Wilson brings home all of her big city, made-up college words.

Now we're settled in on the couch, ignoring each other with our respective electronics - just like any other American family!

Blast from the past

Had a completely surprising and random phone call from my uncle today (mom's brother) talking about old family photos he had and wanting to know if I was interested in some digital copies of ones that I was in. How could I turn that offer down? Here's a few that he forwarded me today for grins and giggles;

My Aunt Dona, Uncle Bill, and Grandma in the back row, my Dad, cousin Reuben, and Mom holding me in the front row at my Grandma's house in Stirling City.

Me helping my Grandma cook.

My cousin Reuben and I (he's 2 yrs older than me).

Me sporting a sweet bohemian dress.

Realizing early on that a future in art was not in my cards.

In the kitchen and barefoot....

Mesmerized by all the sweet, sweet candy.

Some of the photos I already had, but some were new to me. He's going to keep going through his archives and hopefully find some more gems for me to share!

Trimming the tree

After Thanksgiving we drug our tree out of the closet to add a little festivity to the place. While in Germany I did pick up a new ornament for the tree that says Merry Christmas in German.

Now we just need some presents! Today we stopped at Big Lots and picked up some new outdoor lights - blue icicles for the outside of the courtyard fence. Who was excited to get to untangle them out of the box?!?

We didn't have any snow last night like was threatened. I even checked during my regularly scheduled 2 a.m. potty break, but P-town got all theirs and then some. I talked to some co-workers this morning who were out running the plows. Suckers, that what they get for living in town!

We already went out and ran our errands today so we have the rest of the day to relax, except for me - I have to finish the November reports for church tomorrow. Ugh. Thankfully, somebody else in church has volunteered to take my treasury job from me starting in January. Yay! Because if not, Chris was going to drive the laptop and printer to the church and throw it in the front yard come January 1st. Seriously. It's been sucking up all my weekends for 3 long years, enough is enough.

Looking forward to 2014, no more treasurer work for the church, Bunko has come to an end after 13 years, and the bookkeeping I do for my missionary friends will be over by June. If I give up singing too I'll really be footloose and fancy free....and probably bored out of my mind. We'll have to take up a couple's activity like karaoke or MMA fighting!