Catching Up!

Wow, it's been too long since I've posted! People thought I fell off the blogging planet! Things were just crazy busy during the holidays and Katie, bless her heart, really hit a BIG rough patch a week before Christmas.

She leveled back out literally on Christmas Eve so we had a very nice family Christmas. We tried to scale way back this year on the materialistic aspect of Christmas and focus more on being with family and the things that are important. I think everyone who has been really paying attention to world event and the global economy did the same.

We have always done WAY too much for Katie at Christmas anyway. Which, has never been smart because she never really "wants" for anything during the year. But this Christmas was nice because she wasn't overwhelmed and she appreciated each and every gift, taking her time opening them, and talking about them.

Dad and Marilyn arrived mid-day on Christmas day. They went and picked up Gran and we all spent Christmas afternoon and evening together! We had a very nice Christmas dinner and there was a lot of laughter and fun. Gran was really zoned a lot of the day and not very conversational. It's very hard watching this happen to her... but we tried to tie her into conversations constantly and Katie engaged her all through the day.

I was very thankful to have Christmas with my dad. There was a time this past year that I was so concerned he might not even make it through the year. But, he seems to be doing very well, he's much stronger, his personality is back and the last PET scan didn't detect any cancerous cells. The doctors are still guarded but they are much more optimistic than they were late summer. When we took Gran back to Victorian Square Christmas night, we drove around looking at Christmas lights. All six of us fit comfortably in Don's big truck and it was a lot of fun.

Sienna, my best friends daughter, keeps Katie some and she is so awesome! She called me on Monday before New Years and told me that she'd keep Katie New Years Eve so we could go out for our anniversary. You know, when you are 24 years old... you think getting married on New Years Eve is romantic... not so much when you are 40+. There is nothing really "romantic" that you can do as a couple on New Years Eve. So, the next best alternative was to spend the evening with great friends. It had been MONTHS since we'd been out and had any fun.

So, we went with Lisa, Rick, Don and Shara to the Downtown Grill for dinner which was awesome. Then we spent the evening at Market Square! I have to say that Knoxville has finally started doing a GREAT job of revitalizing the downtown area. The "First Night" event that they had at Market Square was just awesome and we had so much fun.

I think one of the best things we did that evening was go see Einstein Simplified. They were hilarious and it was so good to laugh... you know the kind of laugh that almost hurts your tummy. We definitely plan on going to see them again soon. Don enjoyed catching up with Frank Murphy, who is part of the group and now lives in Knoxville but is originally from the D.C. area.

We didn't make it until midnight because of the cold. It wasn't just the cold... it was the wind really. I think I'd be fine in sub-zero temps if I was dressed warm enough... it's the wind that gets ya!

But, we danced in Market Square... we had interaction with a funny magician... we walked around and just had fun!

Time with good friends is great therapy for the soul! I hope we get together again soon!

Then, Friday we headed up to Kingsport to visit Don's family and help his Aunt Joyce with her new computer that Don helped her pick out. No surprise, it's a MAC. An iMac. Katie was literally counting the days to hang out with Blake and Hunter again!

We stayed at a hotel and we went to the hotel first to drop off our things and I don't think we had told Katie that was what the plan was and when we got to the hotel and Blake and Hunter weren't there... she was not happy!

We headed over to Joyce's house after we got checked in at the hotel. I have to say that it is just wonderful having Don's mom and other members of his family back in our lives again. We can't ever let "stuff" come between us again. Family is too important and especially when there are children involved. There is nothing in life that can happen that can't be worked out.

Katie has really gotten attached to them all. She calls Don's mom, GramSue. She has a Grandma (Marilyn) and a Grandmom (my mom) and a MomMom (my MomMom) and then Gran. So, Katie came up with GramSue to keep it different so she'd know who was who.

She also absolutely loves Joyce and Robin. Robin is awesome with Katie! I love being around Blake and Hunter because I always wanted a boy and a girl... and it appears as though Katie will be an only child so it's great being around Blake and Hunter. Robin is the same with Katie... I think she'd enjoy having a girl. Robin's fiance' David is great too! They are doing just an awesome job raising Blake and Hunter because they are great little guys and they are very patient and good with Katie.

We spent Saturday evening at this place called Fun Expedition. We had a blast! We did laser tag, bumper cars, rock climbing and lots of video games. Katie even got to build another animal... her room officially looks like a stuffed animal factory blew up in it.

Phew! What a holiday season! Now, it's time to focus on 2009. I hope it's less hectic and trying than 2008 was. I'm fixing to start a journaling scrapbook class tomorrow online by Ashley Wren called Love Myself in 2009. Taken from her blog...

Its scrapbooking, but its so much more.
It's even more personal this time.
If you want to lose weight, this is the class for you.
If you want to simply get in shape this is for you.
If you have goals for the New Year, and want some accountability - this is for you.
If you want a place to document your days, your journey, and your progress - this is for you.
If you want to have support all along the way - this is for you.
If you want to love yourself and to be proud of yourself

I didn't necessarily want to have "New Years Resolutions" because by January 31st... where are they? Usually long forgotten.

But, I do want 2009 to be a health, family, friend, business, fun and love focused year! I don't want to loose more weight because of vanity... I want to for my health. When I was so heavy, I could gain or loose 5-15 pounds and never tell it. Now, if I go up 5 or down 5 - I can tell a huge difference in how I feel and how my clothes fit.

So, welcome 2009. I hope you are a year full of blessings and happiness for me and all those I love and care about!

LA :)