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Hope everyone had a great a holiday!
It's Sunday and I am at the Denver airport, waiting to check my bags. I have a 7:45pm flight, and got here at 2:30. I wanted to get some time to work on the journal, and have net access. The dial up at my parent's house was killing me!
I am so early that I can't check my bag for another hour. Guess you can only check in 4 hours before your flight. So I have to wait another half hour to turn my bag in. Doi!
My god, there are a lot of screaming children flying. If the Flu hadn't reached epidemic proportions already this week, it will for sure after all these weekend flights!
The Denver paper was saying today was going to be the busiest day yet for the airport, and warned of long wait times and lines. It's not been bad at all, though I haven't been through security yet, so who knows, it might still take me a bit. The line looks pretty intimidating.
I did however find wireless connection AND a power outlet, so I am sitting pretty for the next hour or so.
NO…get away..MY power outlet! MINE!
The week was pretty standard.
I flew in on Christmas Eve day. Got here at 7:30am. My parents drove up to pick me up, and we went to breakfast and then over to the mall.
I had already gotten my sister some Willie Ray figurines, and I got my mom a couple of these extra fluffy teddy bears. So, I had a few things to buy yet. Just my Dad's stuff from Galyan's. I got him a pair of knee-high rubber camouflage boots and a shirt- very fashionable amongst the hunting community. I also got my sister's girls some gift certificates to some local stores.
Never know what to get them. Sarah is 16 now, and I don't want to make the colossal error of giving her something too immature, and both her and Hannah have it pretty good. Not spoiled, but they definitely get what they want. My whole family is that way- you want it, buy it. Not leaving too much for gift giving. It's hard to buy anyone anything in our family.
This year we basically said ENOUGH. We all just did single gifts, and really tried to make 'em count.
But the girls, I am way lost, hence the gift certificates. Can you tell I feel guilty about the impersonal nature of the presents?
We also stopped by Michael's to get some picture frames. I printed out a couple of these antique treated photos of our recent family get together in Burlington, and they needed just the right frames- So I wanted my mom to pick them out.
I also had two pictures of the girls that turned out pretty nice, and framed them for my Dad to put in his office. Dad's are extra hard to buy for aren't they?
Thursday was Christmas day, and my parents and I opened up our gifts that morning.
My sister and the girls arrived around 2pm for a big 'ole dinner and more present unwrapping.
My sister really liked the family portrait, (I got her one too) and flipped over the photos I had of the girls. She asked me to print out several more for herself and everyone in her family. Yeah! I gave something to someone and they really liked it!
Shelli is giving me a donation to the bike ride, so that was my present, and my Mom got me a bunch of sweatshirts from Colorado State University, and my Dad's Iowa State school.
I also got the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen from my mom, and I gave myself Legally Blonde 2.
I bought myself LB2, cuz I figured the girls and I could watch it after presents. Sarah had already seen it, but was willing to sit through it twice. We both agreed it wasn't no where near as funny or polished as the last one, but it at least was a movie we could all watch together.
The girls and I hung out all evening while my Dad and Shelli's husband watch football.
My dad did the house up really nice this year, and the gooses are still making an appearance after so many years.
My mom, as always, made a ton of yummy candy, and we were all relieved when Shelli's family showed up to eat some and take some home. We might have eaten it all!
Friday we did some more shopping and tried to take advantage of the sales. None of really scored much, but I did find a really cool mini light box that fits over my flash. Hoping it will help reduce hard shadows when I cover events.
It was sooooo cold! The mountains kept pushing some evil looking clouds, but they never let lose any snow. Just some light flurries. But it was cold!
We then went to go see The Return of the King. My parents couldn't wait to see it, so they went last weekend. The movie is loooooooooong, and really doesn't have the energy as the 2nd one. I'm not sure how my Dad sat through it twice. He said it was too long too, but he did say he caught some new things.
I think for the first time in all these movies that I would actually like some of the stuff cut out. Yeah yeah, I know, most of it was important to Tolkein fans, but even I got restless in my seat.
Frodo climbing mount doom was tedious, and I got tired of watching Elija Wood have to act all sick and tired like. Poor guy really didn't have much acting to do.
Golem was of course amazing.
We came home and I started printing out a dozen or so 8x10 for my sister
My parent's don't have a fence up yet, so whenever they can they bring Zach with them. Zach has his own bench in the back of my Dad's F150, but that was my new home, so he had to ride in the back. He has his own bed, but he likes to just stick his head through all the time and say, “Love Me!”
The back seat is coated with Zach fur. The hair situation was driving me a little crazy. Finally on Saturday I whined and asked if we could just leave the dog home so we could take my mom's car and I wouldn't have sit in mounds of dog hair.
Saturday I went to the gym and tried to work off all the candy my mom had made this year. After that we had lunch, looked at the new Fords (too cold to stay long) and then drove down to Colorado Springs to shop there,\ and meet my sister for dinner at California Pizza.
The mall down in the Springs had some different stores, and they even had an ice rink.
We met up with my sister, her husband and Hannah at the pizza place. We delivered the photos and a make-up case that Hannah had left behind.
Today, Sunday went quick as I packed up and finished some changes for the 2004 version of the fotojournal,. Nothing new, just have to make a new 2004 button and 2004 thumbnail page.
I called Kristin, who has been watching Kitty!, to let her know I was going to be home tonight. I asked her if she could drop her off in my backyard so she would be ready to greet me when I get home.
My dad's dog Zach is really nice and all, but I sure did miss Kitty!!
Well, that's about it. Things will probably be light over the next month or so, as I have don't have much going on in February
Oh..and..If you wanted to make a tax-deductible donation before the end of the year, better hop on over to the Hill Country Ride site and make one now! (Yeah, I'm broke after the holidays too!)
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