Surving Another Christmas

Funny to be blogging this minutes before I board my flight to Portland. This Christmas came and went so fast, I thought I'd better blog it before I forgot.

Christmas for me started out, very much like an Amazing Race episode. The one where my Project Manager tells me our flight was delayed 3 hours. My right hand was on my desktop keyboard confirming that, indeed, the Alaska flight was delayed, while my left hand was on my laptop furiously looking for any available flights to Burbank. I was in luck. There was one flight left, that had one stop - in Oakland - and I was on the phone and booked it while my PM was just trying to reserve another flight on United. A few minutes I printed out my boarding pass. Group C. It'll have to do. I packed up another 5 minutes later and wished everyone at my client a very, Merry Christmas!

When I arrived at the airport, I put on dancing shoes. As soon as I arrived, I picked up my car from valet (yes, my one little luxury during my weekly commute up north) and drove straight to Pasadena to catch my favorite swing/blues singer, Barbara Morrison! She was fantasitic that night, and I got to dance all my favorite songs she croons oh-so-well!!

My first and probably the best present of the night came from my friend, Jason, who hand-built me his competition winning robot ornament - and out of Legos, mind you! For those who know me, there is nothing more I love at Christmas than hand made ornaments. (Thank you!)

No fancy decorations or holiday mingle parties this year. Everything was low-key sharing Christmas moments with Family and close friends. The highlight would be my little nephew, Aidan, who was the official gift opener at the family secret Santa exchange. At four years old, he’s ripe for the holiday spirit and eagerly ripped open presents for us. We just had to remind him who the presents where for.

My only, constant worry over the holidays is for my grandmother - who is only visited by less than half of our family because the other half, well, don’t really care or harbors too much ill will from the past against her. It’s really sad. We’re not here to tell them their business, but the reality is a poor, old woman in nursing home desperate for her kin to visit. I do my best each weekend, but it’s emotionally and logistically hard to bear at times.

With all that, it was still a very nice Christmas. I am reminded of how blessed I am with my family and friends. I look forward to a year of new friends, never before been-to swing camps, awesome dancers, better health, traveling to another, hopefully new, country and poker wins!