Gettin' Ready!

This year was the most fun Christmas I've had in 5 years.

See, 5 years ago was the last time both my daughters and their husbands were all at our home here in Victoria, TX. Older daughter Christina was carrying my grandson Trevor, who was born the following April.

And that year we had a magical Christmas Eve snowfall of almost a foot! Now you've got to put this in perspective . . . I've lived in Victoria for 24 years, and it has NEVER snowed in all that time. Much LESS acculmulated! But in 2004, despite global warming, etc., we went to bed on Christmas Eve thrilled to have seen light snow falling and starting to actually stick to the grass. Imagine our delight and disbelief Christmas morning to have a foot of snow on the ground! (I've got HUNDREDS of pictures to prove it!) Snow had not even been in the forecast!

No. I'm sorry. You CAN'T imagine it.

Anyway, no snow this year. But both daughters, their husbands, and my grandson all spent 4 nights and days with us before flying back to home and work.

What fun to have a house full of people for a change, and to watch the thrill of an almost 5-year-old on Christmas Morning! This is the best of times for him. Santa is very real, and of course we spoiled him terribly before giving him back to his parents to take home to Tampa.

Anyway, I just hope any of you reading this had even HALF as good a holiday season as we did.

But now the decorations are put away, the house is clean, and we're gearing up for the NEXT family tradition . . . THE EARLE FAMILY SKI TRIP!!!

I've reserved our lodgings, airline reservations are made for the Florida contingent, ski lessons are reserved for Trevor, discounted lift tickets are purchased, lockers are reserved at the mountain, reservations are made at the Denver Macaroni Grill for our Farewell Dinner . . .

THINGS ARE FALLING INTO PLACE!

Next, Carol will begin baking COOKIES, preparing and freezing dinners, the car will be loaded, and I note from Weather.com that there is LOTS of SNOW out there.

So, excitement is running high. We are (as the title of this post says) "Gettin' Ready!"