Beyond heartburn, bad bellies and hangovers brought on by overindulgence along with some dredging up of the past, button pushing, hurt feelings, vaccination arguments and an unruly dog, the family holiday was actually quite nice. To substantiate that claim please note the following highlights:
-Although heavy snow predictions didn’t manifest we still enjoyed a white Christmas.
-Baking and decorating cookies with my newly married niece and her husband.
-Taking time to experiment with new recipes including delicious homemade marshmallows.
-Enjoying all the holiday fare including smoked salmon, beef and turkey at my brother Mark’s house along with the tamales my sister Sandy brought from CA.
-Playing games is always a hoot and I learned a new card game.
-Putting together part of a new puzzle but I swear there were missing pieces.
-Strolling around downtown Flagstaff and visiting a few brew pubs with family.
-Watching my youngest niece with a good job spend money willy-nilly.
-Trying out all the new Christmas gifts especially the lotions and potions.
-Finally, did I mention chocolate in all its many forms: hot, cookies, filled candies, kisses, covered cherries, peppermint bark, toffee, etc.
Anyway, hard as it was to say goodbye, I am basking in the silence and the nearby hum of the washer/dryer. I desperately want time to recover but tomorrow we pack up and leave for California to do it all over again with the rest of the family. Joy To The World!