Update Since Christmas

Sorry that I haven't been writing anything lately. With final preparations for Christmas, Christmas activities, and a nasty bug that I have had since the day after Christmas, I really haven't felt like doing anything besides laying in bed for the last few days.

We had a very nice Christmas both at home and at my Grandparent's house. We went to Christmas Eve Communion at our church and for the first time in several years, I sat with my family in the congregation rather than singing in the choir. For some reason, I just wanted to sit with my family this year and it was a nice change.

After church, we had Almond family Christmas. It was just my parents, my Uncle, and me, so it sounds a little silly to call it "Almond family Christmas", but that's what it was. I received many wonderful gifts including quite a few surprises I was not expecting. Everything was wonderful, but I would have to say the highlights are my new professional-like digital camera, a flat screen TV for my bedroom, and the Martha Stewart Cooking School cookbook. I can say for sure that I am quite spoiled. I also got some wonderful kitchen gadgets like a sandwich press that I'm sure will be used for so much more as well as some Pyrex that I really needed as well as wanted. My Mom sure does a good job in listening to my wants and needs and remembering them. And she claims to not have a good memory!!

Christmas morning, we went to my Grandparents and opened our gifts there and our stockings. I got some very nice clothes for work and I'm quite excited to get all the alterations completed so I can start wearing all my pretty new things. We also had a huge lunch where I ate way too much. I guess my body knew I was starting to get sick and made me eat up while I was still feeling like eating! : )

One of my best friends was in town Christmas afternoon, so we got to visit before she and her Mom had to head home to Tennessee. It's so sad that I have seen her more in the past month than in the year preceding that. We'll only be living 45 minutes away for much of the Spring semester, so I'm hoping we can continue our trend of seeing each other more often. We have been friends since middle school, it seems like forever really, and have somehow been able to maintain our friendship through phone calls all through college. She's done and planning her wedding, and I'll admit I'm a bit jealous, but I'm happy that I'm able to offer advice and be a part of her special day!

Since then, I haven't done anything interesting at all. My family went to Haleyville for our family Christmas there, but I stayed behind in bed with Emma. That's pretty much all I did yesterday too. Today, I migrated to my parents bedroom where we have On Demand movies, so I'm keeping myself occupied with that. The House marathons are over, so On Demand is all I have, I guess.

Both of my parents have had to leave the house today, but will both be home by late afternoon. I don't really need anything since I have Miss Emma to be my nurse-maid. She's so very content to simply lay in bed with me and sleep. That's the only way she can get her 23 hours of sleep per day, I'm afraid!

I'll try to post some of the pictures I took of Christmas with my new camera soon. I think Emma is going to become the most photographed puppy in history if I keep up like this. I'm just making up for the nearly four months of her life I didn't have a camera that could capture any of her features! : )

If I don't write again before Thursday, I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!