It is over! Christmas is over!

So why haven't you taken the tree down yet? Beau keeps asking.

He has been saying it over and over and nagging me about getting Christmas gone since the 26th.

And here it is the 31st and I am ushering out the old to bring in the new. But when I gave Beau the boxes for his tree and ornaments (yes both kids have their own Christmas trees in their rooms. That way they leave mine alone) he asked why? Why do I have to pack up my tree?

And then was further dismayed, upon coming downstairs, that I have un-Christmas-ed the whole house. Even big fat blow up Santa that he has spent the last month stabbing with his sword and deflating is packed up.


It is over. It is really over.

Thank you baby Jesus. And heck no. I am not waiting until the Ephiphany to take my tree down. I am not Catholic but am a born and raised Southerner and my family says tree gone by New Year day; bad luck to bring last year into the New Year, or so I've heard it said.

Yeah, I don't know if I'll be having black eyed peas (with money in 'em) and collards tomorrow so I might be screwed anyway. Eh, nothing new there.

We did have a great Christmas! And I have included some pictures from Christmas day. Yes, Santa brought the kids a trampoline. And yes, Ryan and I are both really excited about this since neither Bubbles and Poppy or Pop and Lala let us one when we were kids. It has been great fun already!

But no I am not really ready for 2009.

Nor do I really want to look back and carefully assess all the 2008 foibles and follies.


I gotta say, it has been a rough few years for us and while I think maybe the rain has stopped, the fog lifted and the clouds are beginning to part and let the sun shine back into our lives it is still hard for me to leap into the new year with unbridled optimism. Having been so beaten down I, if nothing else, am a bit more cautious and dare I say it lest that too comes back to bite me in the ass, I might even be a teeny tiny bit wiser. So with baby steps I am inching into 2009, looking left, looking right, left again and back over my shoulder before I move a single damn inch. Definitely no leaping.

And no Carrie, per your phone call this morning; I do NOT have a New Year baby costume complete with diaper, 2009 sash and Champagne glass pasties.

If only I did though . . .


Hey! Maybe that should be my New Year resolution: To find an apropos costume for all holidays and festive occasions. Right, wait let me be more specific: A slutty, stripper like costume for all holidays and festive occasions.

Switching to the running gear it looks like it is going to be a big fat ready set go for me on January 17, 2009 at the Museum of Aviation marathon. I have successfully bumped back up my mileage in December and finished the month out at 215 miles-- complete with 2 21 milers and yesterday I ran a spectacular 24 miler. I even ran 63 miles last week and avoided injury. So it is yet again taper time and I will be keeping my fingers crossed and saying my prayers that maybe in 2009 I will finally run that 3:30 marathon that has alluded me in 2007 and 2008.

Have a safe and happy New Year everyone!