Doorbells and sleigh bells.

Once upon a time, I got on an airplane, flew home to the wild west (including an all too pleasant four hour layover in wi-fi-less Houston) and promptly dropped off the face of the Earth. Well not really, more like I fell into the black hole of Albuquerque, where I filled my days with fighting sweetly for the first spot in the middle school parent pickup lane (someone has to pick my 14 year old, taller-than-me, refuses-to-cut-his-hair brother up from school) and consuming entirely too much food from Flying Star (an establishment better known amongst our high school crowd as 'home of pie and free wi-fi').

Let's not forget the little fact called 'jacket-less'. Yes, you read that correctly. In my hasty packing (aka throw all my dirty clothes into a suitcase, zip) combined with the fact that I took every final in a t-shirt and shorts because Alabama was a balmy 80º in December, I left every jacket I own, at school. Keeping my closet nice and warm, while I freeze every time I step outside. Answer? Don't leave the house. Practical.

The HSBs gathered for our mini-Christmas party/gift exchange, complete with gifts from China, courtesy A, who has been there all semester, and goes back in January, and time spent with L and S, meaning I actually got to be physically in the same room as three of my favoritefavorite people in the world at the same time. A Christmas miracle. 

It's good to be home and unwind to the tune of The Sound of Music, curled up on the couch, surrounded by family, cruising my way through books - just for fun. 

(If this sounds too good to be true, be assured that all is not calm. My brother's favorite show is Rocket City Rednecks, so that has become the soundtrack to my pleasant evenings, I forgot that it's so dry here I feel like a lizard with bloody noses, we dress the dog up in reindeer antlers, and my parking of the large truck I drive when home has not improved since July.)