The Christmas Shopping is Done!

As usual, I saved my Christmas shopping for Mimi until the last moment! As of 2:30p on December 23rd, I am officially done!

I know - I am weird, but I actually enjoy hitting the stores at the last minute and picking out Mimi's Christmas gifts. I usually have a rough idea of what I am going to get her, so it is does not take that long. Good thing since I normally despise shopping! However, during the last minutes before Christmas, I do enjoy the energy level in the stores, the kids are all jumping around, and I like the people watching. I was a little surprised about how laid back it was this year. The malls were busy, but not crowded. I did not have to do "combat parking" - I actually parked very close. The sales were not as good as I expected - have the stores figured out that the people shopping at the last minute are desperate? However, I found everything I was looking for. How good is that?

Well, I am going to put my feet up and see if I can find a football game.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.......

The Christmas Party

Our annual Christmas party is a major event for Mimi. It is not unusual for her to start planning several months in advance. She spends countless hours baking and decorating cookies, planning a full buffet, and decking out the house. Many of our friends are scattered around the metro area from Warrensburg, VA to Annapolis, MD to Martinsburg, WV. This is our opportunity to see friends we only get to see once or twice a year.

This year, Mimi got a special treat. Her mother, May, arrived on Tuesday to help Mimi get ready for the party. It was perfect timing! Mimi was in class all week and was not getting home until after six. Mimi had done a lot of prep work (i.e., making cookie dough, etc.), so her mother took care of baking during the day and Mimi continued her efforts after work.

Friday and Saturday were the typical frantic days. Mimi took off work and went into high gear. With the help of mother and friends (and some help from me!), everything was finished and we were ready for the party on Saturday night!

We had a little bit of a scare with the weather. Possible ice and sleet was predicted to roll in about dusk. I had visions of eating leftovers for a month! Luckily, the Weather Service was wrong and we had a great turnout. I think there was somewhere between 45 - 60 people that made it this year. For a brief moment, I thought we might run out of food! OK, it was only a brief moment. It was probably the closest we came in a quite a few years!

Everyone appeared to have good time. Old friends, some new friends, co-workers, and neighbors made there way here and gave Mimi her "party fix" for another year. As much as we enjoy it, I am glad we do not do it more often. I was beat the next day.........

It is easy to get caught up in the trappings of the season, but there are certainly some nice benefits. Spending time with our family and friends is certainly at the top of this list!

I have been busy!

It has been extremely busy since the last time I posted to the web site, so I will try and catch up! I sent the week of November 25th in San Diego for a manager's meeting. The weather was great and we managed to keep the meetings to eight hours a day, so we were able to enjoy the city in the evening. Had some great sea food and enjoyed seeing the harbor lit up for Christmas.

The real fun started on the 30th. I got up at 4:30 am to catch an early flight home. Arrived about 3:30pm. I took a cab from the airport to Budget truck rental. I rented a van and drove home. Mimi was waiting for me. We loaded up the truck and went over to the Wakefield Rec Center to set up Mimi's booth for the craft show. Finished about 8:00pm, went and got a bite to eat, and then came home. What a long day!



Mimi worked at the craft show both Saturday and Sunday. I did not stay the whole time - went in to spell her a couple of times and did a little Christmas shopping. On Saturday night, we decided to rearrange the booth since we did not like the way we set it up.
On Sunday morning, we completed setup. Mimi and her friend Deirdre worked the booth and I went out to get the Christmas tree. The craft show ended at four, so I went to help Mimi breakdown, load/unload the truck, and return the rental van. All in all, Mimi did really well and made a dent in her inventory.

The week of December 2 was fairly uneventful. I spent time on several projects at work. Nothing exciting, but interesting enough to make the days go by fast. This weekend, we went to see the move Enchanted, went to the Sugar Loaf Craft Festival, and spent the remainder of the weekend getting ready for our big Christmas party next week. Will give an update on the party next week.

Well, I better get back to work! I need to pay bills and then go see what my next assignment is - I think quality control testing the cookies Mimi is baking should be my top priority! Till next time....