The past 6 days have been a whirlwind, but full of wonderful things. I feel rested and healthy and truly loved. I have mixed feelings about going home.
My brother and I drove down to my parents place in NJ on Friday once I was done teaching. The drive was smooth and we made it to my parents place by 7, right in time for dinner. Anyone who knows my parents knows that they show love with food which means that you eat well. We had a great dinner and then just relaxed for a bit before bed.
Saturday was Christmas Eve which is my favorite family day ever!! It was a little different this year, as it has been since my parents moved to NJ, but it is still a favorite. This day started well, 9 hours of sleep! I can't even remember the last time that happened!! Mom and I went and got our nails done which was a special treat and then did a little shopping which was unexpected. I ended up finding 2 nice dresses, once for church that nice and one for Christmas dinner. When we got home I helped do some cooking and then changed before a family from my parents church came over for dinner around 4:30. Dinner was delicious as usual, rib roast, with garlic mashed potatoes, butternut squash, green beans, salad, bread, and all sorts of cookies for dessert! Christmas Eve church services are always a favorite of mine with the carols and the Christmas story being told, not to mention the candle light. This year was no different. My parents church is bigger than what I am used to but they are happy and it is a nice place. After church we went over to one of their neighbors houses for drinks and dessert. It was nice to meet the people that my parents are spending time with, but it made for a very long night. By the time we got home we had one more family tradition left before bed. Every Christmas Eve we open our stockings before going to bed. We've always done this since we were little and my Dad always did it when he was little. It's just another reason why I love Christmas Eve!!
Christmas Day was just as wonderful! Busy, but wonderful! I got another good nights sleep, but my body still knows it's Christmas and I was up around 8. Once the rest of the family woke up and we made the traditional fire in the fireplace and everyone got coffee we opened gifts. Everyone loved theirs! I love watching everyone open the things I find for them. I was also blessed with some wonderful gifts as well! Once we were done opening presents we made Grandma's waffles. Now these are basic waffles but we put french vanilla ice cream and strawberries on top of them. So delicious, even when they are gluten free! After breakfast, which was really around lunch time, we talked to my grandparents on the phone and then took turns getting dressed and ready for the day. My parents made a few things to take with us to dinner. Then we were off to one of my parents friends houses for dinner. This is a childhood friend of my dad and they have stayed friends since that point and now that they live close to each other they hang out more often. They had a few other families over for dinner as well, a total of 14 people for dinner. It was a lovely meal! We were there until after 11 just talking and socializing. It's kind of funny to watch my parents interact with other adults, and then to be involved in some of the same conversations. Odd what growing up can do.
Monday brought time to relax but also meant saying goodbye to my brother. He had to fly back home because of work. I'll see him once I get back home, but my parents were sad to see him go. My Dad brought him to the airport and my Mom and I went shopping. We had to bring a few things back from Christmas so we went to a few different places. Once we got home we had dinner with Dad and then watched the first of the older Star Wars movies. My Dad got all 6 on Blue Ray for Christmas, so it just seemed right to watch some of them!
Tuesday was another relaxing day. I got another 9 hours of sleep. All week as been at least 8 or 9 each night :) We had a lazy morning and then Mom and I did a bit more shopping. We went to the mall, just to spend time together and look at things. We were looking for a few things in particular and were able to find them which was quite nice. We got home and had left-overs for dinner and then watched Empire Strikes Back! Yay more Star Wars!!
Today was super relaxing!! We did next to nothing! My Dad wasn't feeling great, just kind of fighting a cold, so we all just kind of vegged out. We watched tv and movies all day. And we did watch Return of the Jedi tonight, so we got all three of the older Star Wars movies in!
The plan right now is to drive home tomorrow and spend a few days there before spending New Years with a few friends in Albany. I'm not sure if I'm ready for the reality of "real life" after being here for almost a week. It's been nice not to have any responsibility for a little while. Oh well, life always catches up with us, and I know I needed this time off. I still have a few days of not working, hopefully I'll be able to limit all the thoughts in my head and just continue to relax and enjoy everything.
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