Friday, November 30, 2012

By the Numbers

Twenty-five is how many days there are until Christmas. Aside from stocking-stuffers, and a couple of co-worker gifts, and a gift card for my mom, my shopping is finished. What has arrived in my house has already been wrapped and tucked away. I consider this a pretty huge accomplishment.

Twenty-two is how many days there are until Uncle Christmas. This has been a huge source of conflict this year, and I'm starting to wonder if perhaps it's an idea who's time has come and gone. I'm leaning a little more towards the fact that we've all had a pretty stressful year, some more than others, and maybe in the planning process we just forget that one of life's most basic rules is to be nice to others. Either way, I'm a little less stressed out about the food this year, and if there is a lot of complaining, I'm going to suggest that from now on we hold it somewhere else. Easy enough. It's a function in my house, and as far as I'm concerned, my safety and well being comes first, and if they can't deal with that then that's their issue, not mine.

Eighteen is how old my boy is going to be turning at the end of December. I can't quite wrap my brain around that yet, so I'm not really dealing with it right now. He wants to go skydiving for his birthday. So in the spring, when the weather is warmer, he and I, along with one of our friends, will head out and go on an adventure. More on that later. 

Fifteen is how many days, after today, we have left of school until our Holiday Break. I cannot put into words how in dire need of that vacation I am.

Thirteen is how many days until opening night of the Holiday Festival of Music. My girl has  a solo song in the show this year and we are so proud of her. The boy will be playing with the jazz band for the last time, and as we go through this year of lasts, its been a little bitter sweet. Not as sad as I would have thought, but perhaps that is because she is still going to be there for two more years.

Eight is how many days until my sister-in-law, her husband and my beautiful little baby niece come to visit for the day. I can't tell you how much I love this little ray of sunshine and what joy she has brought into my life over the past two months. I just finished knitting her up the cutest little hat, and will be bringing it to her on Sunday, when we get together to celebrate the second birthday of one of her cousins. What fun!

Six is how many nights I slept away from The Boy™ this week. Once on the couch, and then back again in the craft room on an air mattress. This has been such a hard year, yet we continue on, trying to grow and move forward from each challenge. Hopeful that eventually we will pull through to the other side, stronger and in a better place than before.

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