My Christmas Vacation-- With Visual Aides

So I've been back in the land of the interwebs for a couple of days now. I love ya'll, but I wish I were still on vacation. lol

I had a great two weeks. I slept in, ate out, discovered and become addicted to McDonald's Cappuccinos (hazelnut and caramel are my faves) and indulged in my other addiction of Sonic's Java Chillers (mocha and hazelnut, fyi), scrapbooked, worked on crafts for gifts, shopped, watched television, napped, played with my girls--all in all, it was the best Christmas Vacation I've had in years.

I made frames out of scrapbooking supplies and gave the gift of Jana and Libby. heheheTo make it even better, my duplex neighbors left the Saturday before Christmas and didn't come back until Jan. 2! Peace on My St and Good Will toward Men. hehehehe In fact, this being a college town, a LOT of the folks on my street were gone for a couple of weeks. It was glorious. The DP and I got SO. SPOILED. ;-) It was so peaceful and quiet. Bliss, I tell you. Bliss. For the first time since I moved in I didn't feel like an intruder in my own home.

Alyssa discovers the little rocking chair at my apartment.>

Beyond that, I don't know what made this vacation so much better--maybe it was all the caffeine and fast food. Whatever it was, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Libby gets festive.
Sis1 and her family came in on Christmas Eve and we went to our local barbeque place for some pull pork and onion slivers before going out to the folks' house for the night. Sis2 and her family went to Goofus's mom's for Christmas Eve day and then spent the night at their apartment. We had fun at the folks' house, though. We ate something yummy which I can't recall at the moment and while Mama and Emmy baked Santa some cookies, the rest of us watched Jeff Dunham's Christmas DVD. (Hillarious, btw.) Emmy was in bed by 9:30 and the rest of us stayed up until she was asleep so that Santa could come. ;-)

Libby helps me pack for Christmas.

Christmas Day saw us getting up at around seven, or so. May have been 6:30. I can't really remember. Whichever, we weren't up long before Emmy woke up, ran to wake up her daddy and then discovered all the goodies that Santa had left her. She ooed and ahhed over everything but was proudest of her Nintendo DS which she had been praying for for months. lol An hour or so later, Sis2 and her family arrived to open gifts which, I gotta say, was really fun. This is the first year they've gotten to open gifts with us on Christmas morning since they married three years ago. Alyssa was more interested in the wrapping paper than any of her gifts. Except, she wanted to open her Mama's gifts. lol

Emmy gets a look at what Santa brought.
Emmy takes a peak in her stocking.

Alyssa likes the paper better.

We had a late lunch with my grandparents and cousins before going back to the folks' house for the evening. Half my younger cousins weren't there, though. That side of the family had been passing around a stomach virus so the sick ones got left at home. (With a parent, of course. hehehe)

It was nice, though. My cousin that lives further south from here came for the first time in two or three years. He brought his boyfriend but don't tell my g-parents that. They're still in denial. lol It was good to see him, though. (My cousin. Not the boyfriend. Boyfriend's kind of snotty.) Cousin made me feel good/bad--depending on how you want to take it. Somehow the subject of age came up and my mother mentioned me turning thirty in March and he bug-eyes and blurts, "Thirty! You're not thirty!"

LOL

Which makes me feel good in the sense that maybe I don't look my age but then he also explained that he'd thought I was his age--27. (Ah, the youth of 27, how I miss thee. hehehe)

Anyway, it was a good visit. Paw-Paw seemed to feel okay, though he's gotten worse since Christmas. He's back to using his walker. I think this last round of chemo has kicked his butt.

Emmy stayed in MS for the week after Christmas and spent Tuesday night with me. Then on New Year's Eve we did some painting projects and visited with Sis2 and Alyssa a bit before going back out to the folks' house where we ate fried Venison, mashed potatoes and corn and watched Hairspray while we waited to ring in the New Year. Party animals, the lot of us, no? ;-)

Emmy and Libby goof off at my apartment.
Emmy gets silly waiting for the New Year.

New Year's Day we made the treck to my other grandparent's town for that side of the family's Christmas gathering. We met up at their church fellowship hall where, Maw-Maw embarrassed the crap outta me. *sigh* She'd been telling me for a few months about their pastor--he's single, around thirty, etc. etc. She wanted me to meet him, marry him and have his babies. She didn't actually SAY that about the marriage and babies part but the gist was clear.

So while we were at the church for our family get-together, who should just happen by but the pastor. Now, I don't know that it was prearranged. I actually doubt that it was because Maw-Maw isn't that devious--I don't think--but when he came in, Maw-Maw was introducing him around while I was in the kitchen. I could hear here say very clearly, "And in there is Jana, the one I was telling you about." There's a pass-through window from the kitchen to the fellowship hall so I knew they could see me in there. There was nowhere to escape. So I finished drying the plate I'd washed and dutifully went out to meet him. Again, as I'm standing there in front of the and the whole room of family, "This is Jana, the one I was telling you about."

Somebody please, kill me now.

But I smiled, we dutifully shook hands and he escaped to the back of the room to chat with my uncles and I escaped to find Sis2 and plot Maw-Maw's demise. LOL

*sigh*

Other than that, the day was pretty good. Well, except for when folks kept "stealing" each gift I chose during the Dirty Santa game. I went through three gorgeous ornaments before coming to one that I finally got to keep.

I went home that night with the DP and vegged until it was time to come back to work Monday. And there you have it, folks. My Christmas Vacation.