The Shortest Holiday Wrap-Up Ever!

Last Updated on: 17th December 2013, 10:06 am

Well holy crap, it’s another year starting. Each year seems to go faster and faster. Before we know what hit us, Christmas will be here again and I’ll be repeating the same stuff. I don’t think this holiday update will be as huge as they usually are.

I’m happy to report that unlike last Christmas, there were absolutely no trips to the ER in either of our families. Also, although Steve has caught my bastard of a cold, I can’t imagine him needing to visit an ER or chamber of fate anytime soon. This is very good. I have also survived my first four Christmas dinner hop. It was definitely busy, and kept us hopping.

Despite my best intentions, I did not whip that cold into submission. I apparently looked like death warmed over at Steve’s family’s Christmas Eve due, but I made it, and thanks to Buckly’s cold and sinus pills, I didn’t feel quite as bad as I looked. It was a good time, and the kids made it fun for sure. Damn are they getting big. I feel old.

Then it was Christmas Day, and I think the calmest day of the bunch. It was just the immediate family who hung out, and we spent the day snacking and opened presents when Steve’s sister got home from work. I got some cool stuff, including more clothes I can wear to work, which is always appreciated, and lots of candy and fun stuff. Steve got a new office chair, which he has been enjoying quite a lot. For dinner, we had ribs, wings and stuff like that, to break up the monotony of turkey, turkey, turkey!

The next day, I started to wonder if I was a jynx in terms of power outages. Although last year was an exception, the two years before that, the power has gone out for my parents while I was home at Christmas, and this year, even though there were no storms or icy conditions to speak of, the power went out on Boxing Day, right before we were supposed to eat.

Steve’s stepdad’s family were all there. The turkey was merrily cooking and we were getting ready to put the vegetables on, when bammo! Lights out! We first wondered if we blew a breaker, but oh no, a phone call from Steve’s sister who was working told us this was no breaker. She said the whole town had lost power. Hmmm! That puts a new spin on dinner, doesn’t it?

Luckily the turkey had finished cooking, so it was turkey on a bun with stuffing for all! It was kind of funny watching people try to navigate in the dark until we got the candles lit.

For the next while, we played games by the fireplace. Thankfully the power came back on five hours later, so we didn’t have to use the fireplace for heat through the night.

The next day it was off to Steve’s dad’s for another Christmas dinner. The poor guy, I think Trix terrorized him for most of the day. I don’t know why she was so fascinated with him, but she would not leave him alone! While we were there, I played with the old Apple with that silly Echo voice, and made a recording of it which I’ll put up soon. It’s not the best, but maybe it’s ok. That was really weird to see that old computer. It felt odd just flicking the off switch when we were done with it. I kept thinking “Um, don’t we have to shut it down?”

Then, we came back here and tried to find homes for all our new stuff. You should see our little patio table. It is seriously stacked high with chocolates and other junk food. I’m sure we look weird.

So that was Christmas. For a while, since I didn’t go home to my own family, I had a hard time believing that it was in fact here, and gone, but it is. Now it’s on to the new year.

What a year 2011 was. From the news front, holy upheaval batman! Lots and lots and lots of uprisings and protests and earthquakes and tornados and death and change and…a whole lot of stuff that I’m probably forgetting. I can hope that maybe it felt more overwhelming because I was hearing about it super fast on Twitter, but I really think it was a pretty intense year.

As for me personally, it definitely had its fair share of ups and downs, but it sure ended on a high note with my new job. I look back on last year’s wrap-up, and how I wanted to figure out how to do more of this accessibility stuff, and yea, I got my wish! I think this year will be a year of expanding my brain. I have a whole lot to learn. Now I just need to figure out the most efficient way to do it.

Really, is that all I have to say this go round? I think so. Happy New Year, and I hope this year brings us all nothing but good and happy things.