This site has been on the fritz again, so I haven't been able to log in for an update. Which is really a shame, because having so much time to think about things and talk about events always proves detrimental to the details here. But I'll give it my best shot. Christmas this year was wonderful. A few fays before Christmas I came on here and, I don't know if it was on purpose by accident, my entry about Christmas last year popped up. I read it, frowned, kind of chuckled to my self, and then got a little nervous for this year. I remember Christmas in 06 very well, especially when I go back and re-read my memory of it. I remember about the tv being turned on, turned down, turned off, turned on, turned up, turned down, and so on. There was no of that this year. This year, was very..."Christmasy". Christmas Eve was a bit...well, not as smooth as we had hoped. We found out last minute that our reservation at the restaurant for 5pm would be delayed until 5:30 when the restaurant opened. Kris, mom and I had to be at church at 6:15. So we sat down, ate, chatted, and once the main course came, we wolfed it down and ran. We didn't get to church until almost quarter to seven. Tim was disappointed that we had to rush through dinner. It's a nice place, with special value to him because it's where he and Jackie got married. So we felt bad. Church went well. Mom played her bell part in Carol of the Bells perfectly for the first time, and what better time to get it right than during the performance? We rang, we sang, and at the end, the Sloans and Dollanders dashed for the doors. Grandma and Mackenzie were both tired and cranky, which meant dad pulled mom's arm to the car to get home and Jackie and Tim hurried home without even saying goodbye. So I, the remaining Sloan, remained with my other family for pictures. Like most couples, Kris and I have a struggle during the holidays to spend equal time with both our families. So even after we had dinner with my family, after church we joined his family for fancy dessert at Denny's. : ) We sat and talked for a long time, and I was happy that we were able to do so. Back up the hill, we walk into my parent's house to find Tim, dad, and mom in the den, watching (or snoring through) My Cousin Vinny. Christmas morning we all rose about 7:30. The real excitement flourished over Mackenzie's first Christmas. Dad made her a circus wagon like the one Jackie had when she was little. He painted yellow bars and gold trim, complete with animal stickers at the corners, a tiger in the cage, and Jocko the monkey driving the wagon from a small chair at the top. It's really adorable and Kenzie just loved it. All the gifts were great, very thoughtful and purposeful. After French toast, Kris and I went to his parents' house for dinner number 1, gifts, and singing carols. I had never spent Christmas with them and although it wasn't their usual Christmas because the company was so different, it was really nice to see how his family celebrated. Back to my parents house for dinner number 2. All, delicious. Afterwards the grandchildren dusted off their musical knowledge and rehearsed the Christmas music Kris and I had put together. It wasn't quite as smooth as we planned, but no one cared. Everyone was thrilled to hear us play. Kris on drums, me on flute, Matt on saxaphone, Kelly and Justine on piano, and Jackie and Mackenzie covering shakers and bells during Jingle Bells. It was our gift to grandpa, since he was a drummer and is always talking to Kris about drums. He calls Kris Para Diddle Jo. It's very sweet. A long time ago he even offered to give Kris his drum set, which is really something because grandpa loves his drum set. I got a very nice photo of the two of them behind the snare. I'm going to frame it for gramps. He'll like that. The evening mellowed, but in a good way. My family seemed far less stressed out and testy than last year. Dad even helped clean-up without being asked. People talked and yummmmed over the desserts. When everyone had gone, Kris, mom and I were the last ones still up. We talked and kidded like we always do. And that, was our happy Christmas 07. Carrie