Christmas 2009 is officially over. December was such a busy and hectic month for me that I don't know if I fully enjoyed Christmas like I wanted to. By the time the last few orders were rolling out of the studio, we were headed to New York City for a few days and then when we returned it was Christmas Eve with lots of wrapping and more wrapping and then on Christmas we drove to my moms for the day and then we had a day off and my in-laws drove in. See... crazy schedule. Next year I think a slower pace would be better, more relaxation and more simplicity. We did have a wonderful Christmas and New York was truly fabulous. We even had a little snowstorm in the mix before we left for the city, that helped put us in the Christmas spirit too but now that it is all said and done, I am beat. I hope to take it easy and do nothing that I don't want to do over the next few days.
I did have a week off from work and typically January is my slowest month but orders are coming in so I will be back to work in some capacity starting tomorrow. I also am not a fan of having the holiday decorations around for too long and I find that I get a 'spring cleaning' type of urgency to reorganize and clean at this time of year. Thursday is D-day for tree and outdoor & indoor decorations to come down. I cannot wait. In the meantime, I already cleaned out our master bath closet. I have literally wanted to do this for at least a year. It looks so much better now and every time I open that closet door, I smile. I also cleaned and reorganized my work office. I have a lot of friends that don't care for cleaning, they see it as a tedious chore, but I have always enjoyed it and once it is done and everything is looking the way I want it, there is no better drug for me. I have probably just labeled myself as a major nerd but I so enjoy it...I do tend to inhale those Mr. Clean chemicals a bit longer than I should...that must be the attraction.
NYC was a quick little getaway but it was wonderful. There is an energy about Manhattan that you cannot get anywhere else. Life, living, moving, breathing, experiencing. It all happens there. Ellie kept telling us how much she loved it all. The buildings were huge and her eyes were even bigger as she hurried down the crowded city streets holding onto my hand or Steve's. She was pointing out little nuances or landmarks that she would spot with a big grin on her face like we were trapped in one of those 'I Spy' books. The freezing temperatures helped us keep a quick pace as we walked to all of the points of interest that we had on our list. We spent some time in Rockefeller plaza looking at the tree and the skaters. We spent a fun morning at the American Girl Doll store. Ellie brought one of her dolls (Marisol) that needed some professional hair work and off to the salon we went. Emma who has experienced all of this years ago, had a good time too as she enjoyed reliving it through Ellie's eyes. We went to FAO Schwartz, Toys R Us, the M&M store, the NHL store, Macy's and many fine dining establishments. We took several cab rides and enjoyed our hotel room on the 49th floor. The elevator was so fast, your hair would blow up if you were standing too close to the doors. Believe it or not the city sounds of police sirens and beeping taxis could be heard all the way up in our room. We even had some excitement at our hotel as Rudy Giuliani gave a press conference there. It definitely was a whirlwind with lots of people and rushing around but I am glad we went. Steve and I would love to go in the spring, just the two of us, so we could see a show, hang out in a club or dine at some non-kid friendly restaurant and loiter around just talking. We will have to plan on that one.
Planning on working a little, relaxing a lot and drinking it all in over the next few days. Life continues to treat us well and Ellie and Emma are healthy and happy. Those are truly the best gifts for us this holiday season.
New York City ~ December 2009
