Getting Back into the Swing of Things

After a very strange month (well, a very strange year if we're really getting picky)....I'm finally starting to get back into the normal swing of things. December is a bit of a haze. Surgery went well -- the doctor was very pleased with the cosmetic outcome, as well as with how everything went in the Operating Room. In fact, there were all types of blessings in the operating room that allowed them to do the easiest surgery with the easiest recovery time. Pain wasn't a huge issue -- more the soreness, which necessitated as little moving around as possible for the first 4 days or so. By the 5th day, I was really happy to be released from the hospital and home with Jessie and her family.

It was also a huge blessing to spend so much time recuperating with Jessie. We haven't had that kind of uninterrupted "girl time" since college, and we both slipped right back into the habit of jabbering while completing the tasks around the house that needed to get done. It was like we were back in Grossmont Hall (only with babies and husbands and health issues now dominating the conversation instead of who we thought was cute). It was fun to get to know her baby, see her pull herself up for the first time, and get to know her husband better. They were truly hospitable and made me feel like part of the family.

It was great to spend Christmas with my family in Hemet. We haven't done Christmas in California since Christopher was 2 years old. The kids had a blast with their older cousins, in particular, and Cate's dream world is still full of dreams of Colleen and Jessica. In all, it was a blessed time.

That said, I'm terribly grateful to be back home and getting the house in order. After 3 weeks with me gone, it was in need of a little TLC. Don't get me wrong, Greg did a MUCH better job than expected with keeping the house in order, but there's plenty to do to get us back into a regular routine -- with a wider variety of groceries in the house, laundry clean, a new batch of library books to pick up for the kids, and things picked up a bit, etc. I might even work on finishing that painting project in the office today (new color: Cinnamon Spice!). Kids back in school today to give me a bit of time to devote to household chores.

Here's a few photos from Christmas.