Christmas 2005

Merry Christmas! Yes, I disappeared for the holidays. Simply too much going on and no desire to spend any time in front of a computer.

The holidays started last week when my parents arrived in Phoenix on Tuesday night. Unfortunately I ate seafood for lunch on Tuesday and apparently got something bad. I spent all day Wednesday in bed. Luckily it was only a light case of food poisoning. I went about 36 hours before I was ready to eat again, but by Thursday night I was back to normal. On Wednesday, these beautiful flowers from Chris arrived, just in time for the holiday. It was wonderful to have fresh flowers around the house!

It really began to feel like Christmas when Kristen and Chris showed up in Phoenix on Saturday afternoon. It was so fun having them around! We spent a lot of time around the house relaxing and a fair amount of time shopping. Of course there was lots of eating, too. Mom is such a good cook - we all enjoyed it a lot!

It was fun to spend Christmas where it is warm and sunny! The highs were in the 70's and the lows in the 40's. Everyday while the family was here was sunny and beautiful. We spent plenty of time with the windows open and even did the traditional Christmas puzzle out on the porch. Christmas day entailed far too many presents but it sure was a lot of fun! We are so spoiled.

The only downside to Christmas was that Karen and Jason couldn't be with us. They were in Germany together. We sent gifts and talked on the phone, but it wasn't the same. Unfortunately, Sophie, Karen's dog, wasn't in good health this year. She had surgery on Tuesday and hopefully is on the way to recovery.

Tuesday was Chris' 29th birthday. Kristen made it an Irish themed birthday so Chris got a shamrock-shaped cake and lots of Irish and Notre Dame gifts. Tuesday night the "kids" went out bowling and had a blast. It's neat to see how much fun Kristen and Chris have together. I'm so happy they are happy.

Now things are wrapping up and everyone will celebrate the new year apart. Kristen and Chris went back to California yesterday. I'm back at work today. Mom and Dad will go back to Texas tonight. I'm so lucky that they were all here to spend the holiday with me. It's been a wonderful Christmas.