Where has 2009 gone?

I just can't believe we are one week away from Christmas 2009 already. I've said it before - the older we get, the faster the time clicks away. I hate that.

But I do love the Christmas spirit and season. I actually decorated again this year! Yea for me! Zippy loves to lay underneath the tree...maybe it's the warm lights keeping him warm. Like he needs help with that will that fur his has!

As you know, I had a Great Blue Heron steal two of my koi this summer. Thanks to a very dear friend of mine, I had one of my "fish" replaced today. Albeit - it was a beautiful glass blown goldfish - but nevertheless. It is beautiful and I thank Thing 3 for that.

Hope everyone has their shopping done (not me) and their gifts wrapped (not me) and you are ready to just slow down a bit and enjoy family, friends and good cheer.

Happy Christmas

I hope this finds everyone ready for Christmas and that no one has lost their minds getting there. I've posted before about how hectic the holidays are and how we try to cram so much shopping, eating and fellowship into just a few weeks. If only we celebrated our birthdays that long!

I really wanted to let everyone know that we (spousal unit, crazy cat, senile dog and 6 happy fish) extend our best wishes to each and everyone of you. We hope your holiday season is full of happiness, peace, sanity and family (can you use sanity and family in the same sentence?). We are sure that you, just like the rest of us, has had a very rough year with the economy and can only pray that with a new administration in D.C., something is bound to change.

With that in mind, let us not forget what all the retailers would like us to - that Christmas isn't really about the economy, black Friday or Cyber Monday. How much we spend or save, how many good deals we get or how much we spend on one another. It's really about letting those that mean the most to you know how much you love them. I love my entire family - from my wonderful husband of over 20 years, to my wonderful Mom (aka my best friend), to the sister I never had to my nearest and dearest friend from childhood (and you know who you are).

I love my brothers, my Dad and their significant others. I love my countless friends at home and those at work. Those friends who have moved away and those who are still here. It really sounds so cliche, but we are nothing without our friends. Those friends who are always there - who will show up when you ask, regardless of the time of day, or how trivial the matter may seem to them.

It truly is a wonderful life - but we are here for such a short span of time. Make the most of your wonderful life - tell the ones you love just how much you do love them. Make the most of your wonderful life - take time to plant a flower, talk to a child or be with someone who might be alone. Make the most of your wonderful life - forgive someone who hurt you in the past or maybe, just forgive yourself for something.

Make the most of your wonderful life.

Be happy - have no regrets - smile.

Merry Christmas to All. May you have lots of love in your heart and friends on your doorstep. We wish you a wonderful, happy and healthy new year.

Tis The Season...

To have entirely too much to do! Why do we wait until December to try and cram everything we want/need to do into one month's time? I guess we never learn, do we?

There is just entirely too much hustle and bustle in the month of December - shopping and gift-giving and parties to attend - oh my! I still think running away to the Caribbean would be the ideal thing to do (reminiscent of the current movie that's out - 4 Christmases).

I'm not sending out the normal array of Christmas cards this year - I hope all of our friends read this and know that we're not ignoring anyone. I will send a few special ones out, but I have other things to put my time and energy into this year. And I've missed my own imposed deadline of the 10th - which is today.

The family Christmas Eve dinner this year will be held at my house instead of my Mother's. It's just become too much work for her to take on. So we'll save her energy and peace of mind and have it at my place. As long as everyone gets together, it's not really important where.

I'm off to take another dose of sinus/cold/I feel terrible medicine. I came home from work to try and sleep it off but it looks like I'll need more Nyquil after dinner.

Brrrrrrr......

Baby it's cold outside! Yesterday's weather was such a tease. We had a warm wind and the temps were hovering near 80. But today, BAM! Winter (or at least Fall) has arrived. Windy, blustery, and cold. Definitely a stay inside kind of day. I'm planning to finish up some work in the art room on a few Christmas gifts. Maybe slip in a quick nap then watch the final Nascar race of the year. I think we already know who the champion is going to be but nonetheless, I'll be watching. Then I guess I'll have to fill my Sunday afternoons with football. Or - maybe I'll get lucky and find some West Wing or NCIS marathons.

The picture was taken at the outdoor nature trail at the Flamingo Casino in Vegas last month.