Recap, Or, Forgive Me But My Writing is a Bit Rusty

Today, and the return to life post-holidays, felt much like I had been unceremoniously dumped out of a tornado and back onto the quiet plains of Kansas. Make that the pseudo-suburbs of Ohio. And although I was dreading the switch back to life as usual, I have to say it actually feels kind of good. There are a million things on my task list still, but they’re the things I do all the time, so they’re the things that bring a rhythm back to our lives that we were sorely missing. The weeks prior to Christmas were filled with shopping, and planning, and knitting, and wrapping, and generally just running amok. And although Christmas was wonderful (oh, the joys of sharing Christmas with a child who is finally old enough to register anticipation and the beauty and magic of the holiday), and although I’m happy we did the things we did to make Christmas wonderful for our family (there’s nothing I like more than watching someone open a gift that I’ve picked out for them that I know they will love), I’m grateful for the opportunity to come up for that breath of fresh (and VERY cold) air that comes with the new year.

That being said, Christmas was, for the most part, truly lovely. Mr. Shoe, who grows more thoughtful each year, gifted me with several awesome items, including a DSLR, a beautiful necklace that I had mentioned I loved months ago, cold weather running clothes (although with the temps in the single digits with windchill today, even those won’t suffice), and a stovetop popcorn popper (thanks to my recent discovery of all the God-only-knows-how-toxic-they-are chemicals in microwave popcorn).

Mr. Shoe got lots of fun gifts, including a root beer brewing kit (if you hear that I’ve suddenly succumbed to food poisoning, you’ll know why). Santa and grandparents were extraordinarily generous to Sweet Girl, and we’re trying to ration the gifts so she can enjoy the newness and fun long after the lustre of Christmas is gone. We did travel over Christmas weekend to visit the in-laws per normal, and although it was stressful to travel on Christmas day, the only major downside of the trip was a long and snowy drive home that Sunday.

Then, before I knew it, New Year’s was upon us and we celebrated at a local Vietnamese restaurant where we’re regulars and got invited to their after-hours party. Lemongrass beef, shrimp, pork belly, calamari salad, OMG the food was amazing. Then we came home to put Sweet Girl to bed, and Arch Support joined us to watch the ball drop in NY. All in all, a very quiet New Year’s Eve.

You know, when I sum it up like this, it doesn’t sound like we did all that much, but it was all so very full, and I think so much more challenging because this is the first year we’ve had to navigate the holidays with a pre-schooler, which proved to be incredibly difficult.

Anyways, here we are in 2010, and I’m feeling hopeful and optimistic (funny how a totally irrelevant change in numbers makes us re-group, isn’t it?). I started running again a few days ago (with nothing but sore quads and frozen snot and appendages to show for it); we’re laying various travel plans for the year already; and I’m planning for some major life changes this coming year (hello, pre-school!). So yeah, life continues to be full and challenging, and it continues to trip me up on a regular basis, but I think with each passing year, I’m slightly better equipped to cope and come out stronger on the other side. So, a very belated Merry Christmas to you all, and a very happy new year, too.