Wrapping Up the Year

Christmas is over and the new year is about to start.  

I've never been so exhausted and stressed around Christmas.  Granted, it was mostly the weather which made it so stressful.  Visiting our families was great.  Tromping through feet of slush was not great. 

Stephen and I visited his parents this weekend, which I think was my favorite part of all of our Christmas outings.  Going to their house is always like a weekend vacation for me--getting away from our cold, dark, lonely apartment into a whole house with lots of people and lots of lighting and warmth, inside and out.  It's a blessing.

I was anxious about leaving our cat alone, so I felt like I was ready to go home on Sunday, but as we left I got really sad.  Didn't really realize why until Stephen and I were back in our cold, dark, lonely apartment at 7:30, wondering what to do with ourselves.  

Genevieve was okay.  She wasn't mad at us or scared of us.  She wasn't sick, thankfully... I think I was mostly worried about that.  We did discover she'd resorted to drink out of the kitchen sink while we were gone... That cat just WILL NOT drink out of a kitty bowl proper.

She was a source of comfort as she snuggled and purred and rubbed and kneaded our sweaters, but it still didn't stop the sadness of our apartment and knowing we're back to the daily routine from setting in.  

I'm glad 2008 is coming to a close.  I'm pretty sure this was the most insane year of my life.  It started with a lot of excitement and anticipation; it's ending with a lot of fatigue from all the events.  Next year ought to be calmer...We hope.

Prayer requests for us:  That the year will be a year of renewal.  That Stephanie will get a job--and the motivation to go job-hunting after being discouraged several times.  That our finances will sort themselves out, especially with all of Stephanie's needed dental work in January (a root canal and two crowns).  Pray that our health will continue and that we won't forget that God will take care of us.

The Holidays

Our first holiday season as a married couple. We dealt with the juggling families last year too, but last year Stephen's parents were still living in our area. This year, the family moved away because Stephen's dad got a new job.

This year we spent Thanksgiving day with my aunt's boyfriend's family and some of their mutual friends. My grandparents, who live 6 hours away, were able to join us, and my mom and sister, who live in the area, were there too. It was a big party, and Stephen and I got tired and left kind of early and had a little Thanksgiving outing for two to the theaters. We saw Quantam of Solace.

Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, we went to his grandmother's house. She still lives in the area. His parents drove down to spend Thanksgiving there, so we got to see them too.

It looks like this year we'll be going up to my mom's house for Christmas Eve like we did last year, spending a little time with my aunt and her boyfriend on Christmas, and then driving to Stephen's parents' house to visit them for the rest of the weekend. It's nice that Christmas comes on a Thursday this year, so Stephen gets a four-day weekend.

We won't get to see my grandparents or Stephen's brother and sister-in-law this year, but I imagine in the new year we'll have opportunities to visit with them. In the meantime, we'll enjoy a slightly smaller Christmas and try to form some new Christmas traditions of our own.