Today I am back to work. The anticipation of break being over is always hard to take, but once I am back, I slip right back into what I do - teach.
The first two days of the year have been wonderful. After a great birthday on New Year's Eve, I had a relaxing day. The house was mostly clean and there was plenty of food that could be heated up for meals sitting in the fridge.
Ellie and Ariana showed up at our house rather early as the eletricty in Golden had gone out and the girls were cold. I made them a nice breakfast which provided them with the fuel to go ice skating at the lake in Evergreen. I was happy to see that she was able to get on the ice again.
Ethan slept in and spent the day doing his own thing. Larr read and I worked on finishing the Putz buildings. I am quite happy with how they came out, though they were much more work than I had anticipated (as most projects are.) I learned a lot in the process which I will write about on another day. I also cut out a new skirt, did some knitting and watched "Mansfield Park" on my netbook computer while sitting in the glow of our Christmas tree. Sipping tea, knitting, watching a movie and having my family about - it was almost magical.
The next day the kids were off to school, but I was not. I spent much of the day with my mother, by myself - a rare treat. We went to Sam's Club and to see "Hugo." It was a really wonderful film. I will have to own it once it is available on DVD. I may even go to see it in the movie theater again. I'm certain that my boy would love it, too.
We hurridyly picked up Ellie as we had friends coming over. Iris, Maxl, Pam and Stephen were joining us for dinner. The kids would hang out and play video games. We ladies ate at a leisurly pace and visited. It too, was wonderful. The boys were sad to go, but we promised that they could all get together again soon.
I resisted going to bed, even though Larr, who is still feeling ill, had already headed up. The time to take the tree down has come. I always hate that - it is like saying goodbye to a friend that I will not see again. I know the cats will miss it, too. However, it is also a nice feeling to have the house free of the clutter of holiday decorations, no matter how festive they are. It is time to move out of the holiday season and embrace the possilities of the new year that is ahead of us.
