What is wrong with this family? ;-)
Me: It's cold, I'm tired, you've drug me out shopping past my bedtime and you would not let me buy the 15" machete. What is wrong with this family? I grumble as we exit Walmart at 11 pm on Christmas Eve.
Roland mutters under his breath, We don't have that kind of time...
So Christmas was. We went to see my family. There was less drama than usual and less nephew time than usual (the aunt takes what time she's issued with gratitude when the kids are being tugged between divorcing parents). Mom liked her present - her children cooperating to pose for family pictures. Yes, that's a present in my family given we all despise pictures. I imagine that's because I've fought weight most of my life and just didn't like how I look in pictures.
Strangely, I got over that in the last couple years because I enjoy pictures of friends and family and realized I didn't want to get missing from them because of my body image issues. Now, starting 2014 much leaner, I mind even less. My mother spent her time alternating between giving my lectures to eat rather than starve myself and asking why I was eating between meals. (Because five to six smaller meals a day are much healthier. I eat constantly. I don't do hungry.) Roland rolled his eyes.
So Christmas was. My nephews were hilarious. My mom was generally awesome. There was the yearly foray into fried country ham and red-eyed gravy, but when the grandchildren weren't there to please, Mom let me cook as I wished (vegetables and lean protein!) and gamely ate everything from roasted squash to broccoli stalk salad to brussels sprouts. We broke her oven. Mom reminded us there was a fire extinguisher in the pantry. We set the microwave smoking trying to use the convection oven features. Mom again brought up the location of her fire extinguisher - which is fair since last year I set her mixer on fire and this year was going after major appliances. We managed passable microwave biscuits. We spent considerable time with the cousins - Bryan and I have both lived away from our small hometown, so we compared notes about how outsiders think we're making our family up. I learned new things about my great-aunt and bananas that were awkward to explain to young 13 year old Riley, whom I'd already educated in how to build her own zombie apocalypse team. We didn't get many presents, and I was so okay with that.
Work is stressful, a little for being overwhelmed, but mostly for being uncertain of the schedule. Tests moving constantly; waiting on shift schedules to plan your life; no solid launch date. Eh, life as a rocket scientist.
I'm still washing off the body glitter I dusted on for New Year's Eve, which was a smaller crowd and lovely because we actually got to *talk* to people. I feel so blessed for the last year, choosing a healthier lifestyle, meeting a ton of great people and I cannot wait to tear into 2014. Reconnection may be my thing - visiting old friends - if I can ever get a shift schedule in time to plan.
Roland mutters under his breath, We don't have that kind of time...
So Christmas was. We went to see my family. There was less drama than usual and less nephew time than usual (the aunt takes what time she's issued with gratitude when the kids are being tugged between divorcing parents). Mom liked her present - her children cooperating to pose for family pictures. Yes, that's a present in my family given we all despise pictures. I imagine that's because I've fought weight most of my life and just didn't like how I look in pictures.
Strangely, I got over that in the last couple years because I enjoy pictures of friends and family and realized I didn't want to get missing from them because of my body image issues. Now, starting 2014 much leaner, I mind even less. My mother spent her time alternating between giving my lectures to eat rather than starve myself and asking why I was eating between meals. (Because five to six smaller meals a day are much healthier. I eat constantly. I don't do hungry.) Roland rolled his eyes.
So Christmas was. My nephews were hilarious. My mom was generally awesome. There was the yearly foray into fried country ham and red-eyed gravy, but when the grandchildren weren't there to please, Mom let me cook as I wished (vegetables and lean protein!) and gamely ate everything from roasted squash to broccoli stalk salad to brussels sprouts. We broke her oven. Mom reminded us there was a fire extinguisher in the pantry. We set the microwave smoking trying to use the convection oven features. Mom again brought up the location of her fire extinguisher - which is fair since last year I set her mixer on fire and this year was going after major appliances. We managed passable microwave biscuits. We spent considerable time with the cousins - Bryan and I have both lived away from our small hometown, so we compared notes about how outsiders think we're making our family up. I learned new things about my great-aunt and bananas that were awkward to explain to young 13 year old Riley, whom I'd already educated in how to build her own zombie apocalypse team. We didn't get many presents, and I was so okay with that.
Work is stressful, a little for being overwhelmed, but mostly for being uncertain of the schedule. Tests moving constantly; waiting on shift schedules to plan your life; no solid launch date. Eh, life as a rocket scientist.
I'm still washing off the body glitter I dusted on for New Year's Eve, which was a smaller crowd and lovely because we actually got to *talk* to people. I feel so blessed for the last year, choosing a healthier lifestyle, meeting a ton of great people and I cannot wait to tear into 2014. Reconnection may be my thing - visiting old friends - if I can ever get a shift schedule in time to plan.