A very happy new year to all! Please forgive my absence from posting updates while I was on Christmas break. I took it to mean a literal Christmas break and did not blog for the entire two weeks. As you may imagine, much has happened in those two weeks.
Foremost, I spent a great deal of my time at home with my family. What a novel concept! I don't believe I was away from home for a single evening over the entire break, with the exception of a Friday and Saturday night for the closing of It's a Wonderful Life which, by the way, was a great success. I had a good deal of fun and derived a great amount of satisfaction from that production. We had a hit! The Sunday matinee was good too, and I did stay to strike the set until upwards of 8:30-9:00 p.m., but that was okay. We were to celebrate at a cast party after the strike, but postponed it until the following Monday at our co-director's house. So, the cast party on the first Monday night of Christmas break was our first family outing. We all went and I played my guitar a little and harmonica some, and sang a bit too. Early that morning Marian and I arose at the alarm's sound around 1:15 to view the lunar eclipse. We watched for a while, but it was cold and we only stayed out to watch for a half hour or less.
The days I spent playing with Jack and Leo and generally trying to herd them away from Mare to give her a break from them. I think, perhaps, Marian ended up taking care of three boys, rather than me giving her a break and making her life a little easier.Together over the break we worked together to make over 10 dozen cookies and close to 40 quarts of caramel popcorn. Marian and her mother worked together to make a number of dozens of sugar cookies in the shape of stars, candy canes, and bells.
The house received a thorough cleaning from floor to ceiling and all the laundry was, well, laundered. I used some hardwood flooring pieces I removed from our old bathroom to use as a coat hanger hook in Jack's room; a towel hanging bar in the kitchen above the sink; and as an apron hanger in the kitchen opposite the kitchen window. They're nothing fancy, but I made and installed them for the price of a few aged, and weathered pieces of oak hardwood flooring I had laying in a small pile outside wanting for a use, and a few dozen drywall screws of varying lengths. I think some people might actually pay big money for the aged, weathered look found in these pieces. It gives them character. The screws, I guess, could have been improved upon, but I maintain it gives them character; and they're easily removed and replaced for any length.
We drove to Humboldt one of the days to visit with my two grandmas. We spent the afternoon with them and then we spent part of the evening with my mom and dad. Of course, it was a pleasant experience to get to sit and visit with my grandmas. They're truly special people. They had Christmas presents for all of us and that made it a fun visit, seeing the excitement in the boys. Since we were unable to be present for Christmas day, this was a good second option.
One day after Christmas we loaded up and drove to Pomona Lake to Wolf Creek Campground. The temperature was fairly mild for a December day, and the sun was out. We took along provisions: snacks, drinks, blankets, warm clothes, one big dump truck, a tricycle type thing, and a red wagon. The campground was in its off-season mode and we were the only ones present. Wolf Creek Campground had installed two new playgrounds, so the boys had a ball exploring that and climbing all over it. Mare and I sat nearby at a camp spot and watched. We kept a cheery camp fire going from the sticks we could gather on the ground easily while we played Yahtzee. The lake was still frozen on the surface so we all walked down near the edge to get a better look. I showed the boys how the rocks stayed up on top of the ice when they were thrown. Jack loved walking in the mud lakeside.
On another day I arranged to rake leaves from the yard of a nice elderly widow. It was windy as all get out that day, but I mowed her yard to cut down a great deal of them. Then, with the help of Jack, Leo, and especially Marian, I bagged about a dozen 55 gallon sacks full of leaves from around her porch and flower beds.
I managed to get out on my bicycle three times over the break. The first was to fetch a free pizza from Casey's as we'd saved 10 proofs of purchases from previous pizzas, which entitled us to one free large. I pedaled fast so it would not get cold on the way home. The next ride I took Jack and Leo with me to the Dollar General Store to fetch a few small items. Don't worry, they were bundled and comfy with blankets too. Lastly, I rode again to the DG ( $ Gen.) but, before I went there I rode a familiar circuit out northwest of town to the train via duct; then due West of town to watch the Marais de Cygne flow over its dam; from there I thought "what the heck!" and I went ahead and pedaled by the aforementioned elderly widow's house to see how the yard looked. They weren't big rides, but it felt good to be out and active.
Speaking of bicycles, I spent one late evening over break applying reflective tape to my bicycle. Yes, it took all evening because I was trying to stretch my six feet of reflective tape as far as it could go. This meant I cut the tape into eighth inch strips and applied it over almost all the surfaces in about one inch intervals. I think it kind of looks cool and sporty. Marian thinks it looks home made.
For Christmas day we were joined by Marian's mother, father, and brother. We ate a wonderful lunch of lasagna the girls made. We had a great time eating, talking and opening presents. I think I've got about the best in-laws around (except of course for Marian's in-laws).
We also drove to Lawrence to pay a visit to Marian's granddad, her dad's dad. Rick and Sharon joined us for a lunch of pizza there, and Rick's brother and his nine year old daughter too. It was a short visit, but pleasant. Following that, we retired to Rick and Sharon's house for darts and conversation.
For new year's eve, the nine year old cousin of Marian's stayed the night. Now that was fun! There's quite a bit of difference between a nine year old girl and a three year old and one year old boy. Luckily, there was still some overlap of interest and the three of them had a blast, and Marian and I found it quite enjoyable as well. They ate spaghetti, popcorn, made smores on the oven, and drank hot chocolate. They played trains, played hide and seek, and watched cartoon videos. After the boys crashed, she stayed up with us to play Yahtzee until eleven o'clock. We hope she enjoyed herself as much as we enjoyed having her visit.
We made a second trip to Humboldt to see the grandmas and my mom and dad again. This was a shorter trip, but still enjoyable. The end of break was looming before us. We spent the last day, Sunday, slowly picking up the house. We'd picked up the house about three or four times over break, and each time it only took about one hour to get it back into a condition we refer to as "wrecked". I spent the Sunday mentally preparing myself for a return to school and to reality. I must have been successful, because I made it through my first day back already.
I'm thankful for the time I was able to spend with my family. Time is precious. It is fleeting. These years will be gone before I want them to be. I made a conscious decision to try to spend time with my family to make memories. I love them all, and they're all dear to me. Family is what made the holidays special. Here's to a great year in 2011. Let's make this the best year of our lives to date!
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