Sorry to be keeping everyone in suspense of how my Christmas Break went, but as many of you already know, school started back on Monday of this week. So, as you can probably imagine, I haven't had too much time to sit down and blog. Well, to make up for that, I think I will finish up the narrative of my Christmas Break, hopefully in a way that doesn't take hours to write, and read for that matter.
I think when I left off at the end of my last post, I had just gotten back from our trip to Nashville. I was back to work the very next day, and I continued to work about five days a week for the rest of my vacation. Now by the time we had gotten back, it was just a few days until Christmas, so the rush-rush-rush was all around. I however didn't get into the big secular Christmas as many people do, so I was never rush-rush-rushed in anything I did. Up until Christmas, everything was normal for me, and I was content to go on that way! I just worked and spent some time with my family just like any other time of year.
But on Christmas Eve, that's when the whole Christmas season really started to sink in for me. We were invited to a little get-together over at Greg and Janie's house, which would consist of snackies and desserts, and of course, good company. We had decided to go to Midnight Mass, which is something we haven't done in many years. (If my grandparents are reading this, they probably remember the last time we went; they were there in fact! What a memorable evening, but that's a whole other story...) So, what we would do was go over there around 8:00 PM and stay until it was time for Mass. So, we went over and had a great time with Greg and Janie, and also some other friends of ours Pat and Sandy, and their kids Charlie and Jimmy. We shared some good times, some laughs, and of course some food, and it was an enjoyable experience. An added bonus was that I got a Christmas gift from Greg and Janie, which actually will come in handy up here in the cold. It was a reversible vest that is actually very good against the wind (and it's been very windy up here lately). One final treat was that Janie read some stories she had written, and I had no idea she was such a great writer! It was mainly about her mother and some memories she had as a child, and she tied in humor along with some of the more serious aspects...very good stuff.
We left Greg and Janie's around 11:00 PM and headed over to the almost packed Church. As usual on most holidays, we did get there before everything started, but had to sit up in the balcony due to a shortage of seats, once again. Everything was so nice and the Church was decorated very seasonably, which really did add to the experience. We got home at around 1:30 or 2:00 AM, watched a couple of Christmas movies on TV, and headed to bed. It really was a great day for us, but then again, it had also been a very long day. It was nice to be able to sleep in on Christmas Day and really enjoy the day.
Between Christmas and New Year's there really wasn't anything significant that happened, except of course that I worked some more. For New Year's Eve I actually went over to a friend's house, since my family really wasn't doing anything special (my mom was actually sick that night, so I got permission to spend the evening with my friend, who wasn't sick). I met over at his house around 9:00 PM, and we went over to the store to pick up some snackies. We got some chips, sodas, desserts, and the makings for some very delicious nachos! We got everything ready and ate to our hearts' content! Up until midnight we watched a few movies and some TV, and also surfed the Internet a little so that I could help him set up a Facebook account. (Facebook is a website for college students who are interested in finding people they went to high school with, and also to make new friends from their college. It's very similar to Myspace, which is marketed more towards high school kids.) Then at midnight, all of us watched Dick Clark on TV and toasted the New Year with some sparkling cider. I stayed for about an hour or so after midnight, and it really was a good way to start 2006.
After New Year's, again there was some more working, but also a few other interesting moments. We had actually decided to distribute Christmas gifts on New Year's Day, since most of us hadn't had time to get anything for anyone before Christmas. On the 5th, my friend (the one I visited on New Year's) had a birthday get-together, so there again was an opportunity to have some fun! We met over at a restaurant in Downtown Knoxville called Calhoun's on the River, and let me tell you it was delicious! There were about nine of us, that included him, his mom and a co-worker, a girl he works with, his brother along with his girlfriend, and then Emily, Connie, and myself (the three that went to middle school together). I had a steak and potatoes, and it was most excellent! I later had a dessert with ice cream, chocolate sauce, and chocolate cake, which also was very good. A few of us went back to his house after dinner and spent some time watching movies, TV, and online once again. That night ended a little bit earlier, but it was definitely an experience to remember.
The very next day Aaron, Emily, and I went over to the mall for lunch and "hanging out" before I had to be at work. We actually didn't get to do very much, since it was already after 2:00 PM when we were done eating, and I had to work at 4:00 PM. We walked around a little bit, shared a few laughs, and returned some clothing items we had gotten. I then drove to work and got there right before 4:00 PM, for once again, more work. But, this would be one of the last times this visit for me to work, so I made the most of it, of course. Saturday was the last night I worked, and boy I was glad to go home and not have to work for a while. But the one drawback was that I would have to leave for school on Sunday, and this would be my last night at home for this trip.
So, Sunday was family day for me. After Mass and a little bit of lunch, we just hung around the house and got all my stuff ready so that I could leave. But, before I could leave, I had to take down our Christmas tree. It was after all the 8th of January, so it was about time to come down anyways. I took all the ornaments and lights off and put them away, and my mom assured me that the rest would be taken care of. Around 6:00 PM, we loaded up my car so that I could leave, and that was a very hard thing to do. Someone had told me before I started college that going back after Christmas Break was the hardest part, and boy was she right! I really was not ready to leave, but it was time. So, my mom and I said our goodbyes (my dad had left for work already and my brother was out of town, so it was just the two of us around) and I went off on my way. This trip took a little bit longer, since I actually stopped and ate a real meal on my way up, and I got to school around 11:30 PM. The trip went very smoothly with no traffic (but a very gusty wind the entire way). I was back, and it was time to return to school.
Well, since this post is as long as it is, I won't include the pictures I was going to share in this one. I'll put up another post right after I publish this one so everyone can see. Oh, and pretty soon I'll put up a post about my first week of classes this semester. Anyways, I hope this post satisfies all those out there with appetites for blogs (that's you Adrienne!). Until later, enjoy the weekend and have a great 2006!
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