Christmas

Sorry folks, but I forgot to take pictures at Christmas this year. It was a very emotional year for me because of all the changes this year. In sports terms, it's what we would call a rebuilding year.

For the past two Christmases, my younger brother was unable to come home for the holidays. He was stationed at Fort Irwin, California and had to work. We were able to visit him in 2006, but not last year. This year, he moved to Fort Hood, Texas and was able to come. Unfortunately, he had to work an overnight shift on Christmas Eve. We waited for him to make the 2 1/2 hour trip to our home on Christmas morning so that we could drive him the rest of the way (another 2 1/2 hours) to my parent's house while he slept. Obviously, we were all very excited to see him!

As usual, things couldn't go as planned. I had switched vehicles with my aunt the day before so that we could fit people, luggage and gifts comfortably. My brother pulled into the driveway around 11am and informed us that we had a flat. On Christmas Day. You've got to be kidding me.

He & Jason then went to the driveway and pulled the tire off to inspect it. My aunt had the tires rotated and balanced the day before, so nothing should have gone wrong. Meanwhile, I went in the house to feverishly search Google to find any auto shops that might have been open. Of course no one was open, not even Wal-Mart. I think we all know that if Wal-Mart closes, then everyone closes.

Luckily, Jason & my brother were able to figure out that the tire was flat due to a leaky valvestem. They found an o-ring and a cap, put it on and aired up the tire. Hooray! It worked! We then loaded our things into the van and got on our way. But, before we could go, I made my very sleepy brother take a picture of Jason & I in front of our Christmas tree on Christmas day. He had no patience, so I had to get it right the first time. Not bad, huh?


We then made our way to Woodsboro around 4pm that afternoon. My sister and her two girls arrived about 10 minutes before us and they had already discovered that Santa had paid a visit. In fact, my oldest neice was already riding her new pink bicycle. We missed the girls seeing what Santa left them, but we were able to open gifts as a family.

Afterward, we had the traditional Christmas Eve dinner on Christmas day: tamales, chili, beans and tortillas. Since no one was around on Christmas Eve this year, my parents saved our special dinner for us!

We had a wonderful time visiting our family and can't wait to do it again. We are excited about our new Dust Buster and can't wait to try it out on some cat litter in the hallway!

Thank you Mom & Dad!