Well, I am back at work... vacation is over.  Let us have a moment of silence (shhhhh) Thank you.  It's not that work is not good and all that, it's just that vacation is better!  I actually had a "staycation" as I didn't actually go anywhere.  (Kerman doesn't count)  I have deconstructed Christmas and it is sitting patiently in my living room waiting to be nestled away, snug in it's bins until next year.  We saw the movie "Marley and Me" and it was really good, but not quite what everyone expects. So if you have small children who want to see the "funny doggie" movie.  Think twice!  I saw tearful little ones leaving the theatre.  I was one of them.  Anyway, got to make lunches and get ready for work.  

Update - 2 Shopping Days Until Christmas!

Ok, so I have most of my shopping done.  I credit this to the invention of the gift card.  This may not come as a surprise, but I am no longer qualified to purchase clothes for my children.  This decision came naturally for me when my son had to write down the store, size, color, make and model of a pair of pants for me.  I went to Hot Topic and presented the sales clerk with the paper and advised him, "I need a pair of these, can you please find it for me?"  It was over at that moment. Gone were the days that I could walk into a store and think, 'oh, Jared would like that', and be correct.  The funny part is that I just had a student in class at work, who managed a Hot Topic.  She said parents came in droves presenting their scraps of paper and looking like they had been transported into another universe.  Nevertheless, even if I am buying more gift cards than actual presents, I still LOVE CHRISTMAS!  Rich, Jared and Lyssah and I will enjoy family communion and candle light service on Christmas Eve at Lifebridge, then on to my Dad's.  I am excited that I will have pictures to post because we will be having a huge family get together because my Grandpa Shuey is 94... so everyone is converging on Kerman, CA for a Christmas Reunion of sorts.  Anyway... I am off to enjoy my last day of work until January 5th 2009.  Then I will enter the whirlwind of pre-christmas preparations - cooking, last minute shopping, decking the halls, etc.

Merry Christmas

I have just spent longer than I care to mention trying to figure out how to upload pictures to my blog.   Oh yeah... and what's the deal with everyone else having a Christmas background... where did that come from.  I need to download "Blogging for Dummies" directly into my brain.  This is supposed to be easy and fun... are we having fun yet?  Ok, so I just figured out how to upload pictures to my blog and I am going post our Christmas Pictures.  

We went to River Park to have the pics taken. And wouldn't you know it - drizzle!  But we weathered the light rain like troopers and managed to come away with some nice pictures.