2011

I can hardly believe that the Christmas holidays are over. How time flys when you are having fun!!

We started off the holidays with my parents driving up from GA. We were so excited and waited patiently as they made their way. The boys absolutely adore their Grandma and Grandpa and I feel so lucky that my parents adore them as well. They stayed a day and promptly whisked the boys off to PA to visit with their Great Granny and Uncle M. They had a blast to say the least. Got spoiled rotten...just as kids should.

SFC and I took full advantage of our few days alone. We shopped and shopped and shopped...you get the pic right. I would like to say that we snoozed in bed until noon and drank hot cocoa by the fire but reality is that we both had to work. I was up and out of the house by 630AM and even worked late a night or two. All in all though it was nice to have a few days to just be together one on one. The one nice bit was not having to worry about what time we got home. We ventured out to Richmond and ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory...YUM...and shopped till we dropped at the mall.

My parents and the boys got back on the 23rd and the Christmas preparations were in full swing. Presents were wrapped and placed under the tree, the turkey was marinated and placed in the fridge, side dishes were prepared a day ahead and so were the desserts. We woke up Christmas morning and enjoyed a morning full of opening gifts and laughing. I don't know which was better the gifts or the laughter...OK I liked them both but the laughter was priceless.

I tried to keep the fact that this would be the last Christmas that SFC would spend with the boys and I before 2012 out of my mind but it just kept creeping up in my mind. In all the years and all the deployments I feel utterly igged out by this one. Maybe because I hate the fact that he will be gone for 365+ days. I'm not a whiner...really I'm not but for some reason this deployment looms like a dark cloud over me.

My parents left on the 27th to go back to GA. It was sad to see them go. How I wish that we all lived closer. The four of us decided it would be better to pack away the Christmas decorations so that they would not be a looming TO DO item staring at us everyday until New Years...well OK not the four of us I decided it and the other three had no option but to help. It took about an hour to wrap everything up and place the tree back in the box and store it all in the garage. After a quick vacuum the house was back to normal. Again the thoughts of having to do all this next year without SFC was trying to poke it's ugly head into my mind again.

We headed down to GA on the 30th so we would be able to ring in the new year with the family. My SIL is still in her pity me mode and decided not to come over at all. She likes to twist and turn prior events where she was in the wrong to her own liking in an attempt to get the please feel sorry for me vote. One has to know that you don't treat others children like dirt and get away with it. You got put in your place and now you have to grow up and move on without making those same mistakes. She doesn't get that...in fact her immaturity is down right ridiculous and just about everyone sees through it. Enough about her!! My brother did bring C1 and C2 and rang in the new year at my parents house. The boys totally adore their Uncle and their cousins so I am glad that we all had the chance to spend some quality time together. I felt heartbroken for my brother my blog is not the place to air out his troubles...I will just say that I pray he finds happiness in all that he wants and does.

SFC and I decided to drive back on the 1st due to the fact that I-95 would be a hot mess the Sunday before work and school would resume for most of the country. It was sad leaving but I was ready to get home to get the laundry done and prepare for my first day back at work. The drive was uneventful and the boys and SFC were glad to be back to have one more night to battle each other on the XBOX.

My hopes are that 2011 will be a wonderful year for all. For kindness and understanding to be felt by all and for grace and love to spread like a wildfire through your lives. I pray that 2011 goes fast and that SFC gets through this deployment with ease and speed.