Found some time for quiet and reflection...

Thursday night, I went out with my friend/neighbor/walking buddy (Hi, Lauri!). It was a really nice time and as I said to our pastor later in the evening - it was a night that was good for the soul.

After dinner and after the kids were finally tucked into bed, I left Rick to hold down the fort and Lauri and I headed off to a local eatery/bar where we prepared ourselves for meditation and reflection on the longest night of the year. We decided a Buddha's Hand Cosmopolitan would be just the ticket. The cosmopolitans were quite good and we also enjoyed a shared plate of fried calamari with spicy dipping sauce. It was so relaxing to just hang out and chat and enjoy good food and good company. My soul was needing that!

Once our "period of preparation" was done we headed off to church where they were holding services for the longest night of the year from 8:30-midnight. The deacons were reading passages at each half-hour interval after which they played some pre-recorded musical selections. Candles were set on the altar and anyone who wished to could go up and light one. Folks were invited to come and go as they wished during any part of the three and a half hour vigil. When Lauri and I showed up there were only a couple of people there aside from the two deacons and the pastor. We arrived at 9:30 - just in time for the reading for that half-hour and we stayed about 20 minutes. It was peaceful and calming and just what I needed during the hubbub and crazies of the season. I lit a candle and said a prayer in honor of loved ones and friends who are no longer with us. And during that quiet reflection I thanked God for my many blessings, of which there are too many too list - but among the most important are my family and friends, my health, and the health of those I love.

We are now in full-swing with the holiday celebrations. Yesterday, we had a big dinner at Rick's parents' house because some of their family had come down to visit for the day. And Rick's brother and his son arrived from Virginia on Friday and will be here through next Wednesday for the hoilday celebrations. The girls are having fun playing with their 3-year-old cousin, T, although A said to me this morning that T likes being "kinda too active"! Yes, boys are very different in how they play and in our house full of girls we don't get much exposure to that kind of rough-and-tumble play!

This morning I made pancakes for breakfast (since I doubt I'll be awake enough tomorrow morning to make them...and we'll be having a big lunchtime meal anyway) and I made the girls a pancake in the shape of a Christmas tree and another in the shape of Santa's head. They were not much more than blobs coming off the griddle, but a bit of frosting detail goes a long way and the girls thought they were the cat's meow!

After breakfast, Rick ran an errand to Wal-mart for a last-minute gift and I baked two cakes for desserts for tomorrow - a gingerbread cake and a marzipan cake. Yum! They smell great and I can't wait to dig in tomorrow!

Tonight we have church service at 5:00 - the girls need to be at church early for choir as they will be singing in the choir - and then we will go over to Grandma & Grandad's for a Christmas Eve dinner. In the morning, the girls will wake us (probably earlier than we'd like!) and it will be gift central for a while. The girls are getting VERY excited about Santa coming, but amazingly they are not really bouncing off the walls just yet (Thank God!)...bedtime tonight might prove interesting. But, at least we have all the presents wrapped and ready to go! I feel like I've received a gift from the girls already today because they have been doing a great job of keeping each other entertained and not getting on each other's nerves. I don't think I've heard any fights from them today at all - a small miracle in and of itself!

This past week has been insanely busy but the big payoff for that 'busy-ness' is the fact that we can now just sit back and relax and enjoy the holidays. Rick's family will be here tomorrow for the Christmas feast so that will be a bit hectic to get ready amid all the gift-opening but it will all work out fine, I'm sure.

Christmas is upon us and my brother-in-law and nephew are on their way over to hang out with us for a while. So, I will end by wishing you a very Merry Christmas. Peace, joy and love to you all.