Merry Christmas

Well it is Christmas morning and I am awake, alone with the Christmas tree here in Michigan. 

I am the only creature stirring!

We arrived Wednesday night around midnight with no travel problems. Our huge suitcase was already at Kara’s, complete with new black smears to enhance all the airline added dirt from the past!  But the service had worked fine and that is most important. Kristin’s evening flight kept getting delayed so arriving within the hour of us kept getting extended.  She eventually rescheduled for Thursday. Pat picked her up when she arrived the next day.

Kara has been extremely busy with work and some medical visits for Bill so we just tried to stay out of the way and helped out when asked. I stayed busy wrapping all the gifts I had sent there, doing my best to remember who got what. I had taken time before we left home to write out all the cards and checks so that was out of the way!  We were invited to Kelly’s for dinner so we were all together. 

Our focus on Friday was to continue preparations to keep 13 people fed and where they needed to be. With 6 cars available transportation was no problem but having the cars with a car seat for CeCe kept us in a game of musical cars at times.  

We had a 5:30 appointment for a visit with Santa.  The whole entourage was there.  CeCe seemed so overwhelmed we couldn’t get her to smile  She told Santa she wanted a dinosaur (!), read a book and sang Jingle Bells, but no smile.

Afterwards we all returned to Kara’s for dinner #2. 

That night I was sick. Carol and Tracy, Bills SIL and a cousin, came for brunch on Saturday and to see me.  I was too whipped to get up. Finally all my “innards” had calmed down so half way into their visit I went downstairs to visit with them. It was one of those “get up, dress up, show up” moments I make myself do. I was so glad I did and after some tea and toast I was ready to carry on. 

  

We all attended Mass at Kelly’s church where Pat was one of the lectors. He looked so fine in his suit and tie.  Afterwards we headed out to dinner at Picano’s, our favorite Italian restaurant since 1985.  CeCe matter of factly asked the waitress if they had “skegetti” as if she ordered for herself all the time!  She cracks me up. 

I have to post two photos because Ally is hidden in #1 while CeCe looks up and Ally is visible in #2 while CeCe looks down!   

Sunday was Christmas Eve and another flurry of food prep.  My contribution was cutting up enough vegetables to fill a gallon bag plus one quart of peppers and onions for Ted!  No carrots or zucchini for Ted.

Kara and Bill attended church in his old neighborhood before attending his family’s Christmas party. Ted and I joined the others plus Pat’s brother for dinner at a bistro before going to church for Christmas. Ally and Bidkar were feeling poorly so we collected CeCe to have dinner. She fell asleep on the pew half way through Mass.  Their plans for gift giving for their family fell apart, Ted wasn’t up to snuff so we took Kristin and Cassie home while Pat and Kelly delivered CeCe back home and Dan to his condo.  We came home alone and watched Survivor we had missed on Wednesday.

Later on Sam and Morgan arrived back from their father’s where they had all attended Susan’s church, had dinner at their home and exchanged presents.  Bill and Kara had a great time at their party and they decided to open their presents to each other and the kids in the interest of saving time.  We elected to not give or receive gifts until Christmas when everyone was there. 

True to form our company came between 1 and 3!  A request of 1-2 at the latest meant little to them.  We refer to it as Duda time!  Kara had everything ready.

It took a long time to open all the presents and dinner was not until 6:30.  

We helped clean up and sent them on their way by 9 pm.  We were all exhausted.

Every household had someone under the weather or were exhausted so Tuesday was a Christmas movie marathon for us at Kara’s. We saw very little of Sam or Morgan that day.  Ted scratched all the lottery tickets the young kids had given him, coming up with two winners, $20 and $2.  When he went to turn them in, he used the machine to check them all and he had missed a $500 and $100 winners!  Those little pictures in bonus boxes were hard to see.  So he collected $622!  The kids were excited for him.

Wednesday night was to be Bidkar’s birthday pizza party but we opted to get to the airport hotel before rush hour traffic and order dinner in. Kara’s family bailed on the gathering because all were getting sick so the party attendance was cut in half!  Pat drove us to our airport hotel and after checking in, we walked next door to Bob Evans which sounded better than Door Dash, on our return Ted watched football and I fell asleep.

Our plane was on time, we boarded and I realized my black cross body was missing.  I had it when I got on because Ted had gone to the restroom leaving me with three items, a small carry on, my Canopy satchel and that small black crossbody,  so I couldn’t board until he returned.  

I had removed my charcoal coat and the crossbody and then it wasn’t there!  We looked high and low with the lady in the middle seat using her phone light like I was doing.  I assumed it fell and got kicked as people boarded.  Ted sat behind me, also in an aisle seat, and he checked the overheads around us.  Luckily there was an AirTag attached to my small wallet inside the bag.  It indicated it was on the plane.  When we pushed back and moved, the bag moved with us, it kept indicating it was within 6 feet of me but because the plane was moving it couldn’t zero in on exactly where it was.  I locked both my credit cards just to be safe.  They made an announcement that a bag was missing and to check around under your seats.

As soon as we landed I turned on my hotspot and hit the locator.  It indicated the same 6 feet. When I could stand up I walked forward and it indicated it was behind me so I turned around and walked past my seat and hit the sound button.  Ted said he heard it, the lady in the window seat in the next row said she heard it in front of her.  Everyone is looking in the direction and the woman in the window seat of my row popped up with “oh here it is.”  Ted said she pulled it from between her seat and the fuselage!  I think she knew it was there and was going to go through it or take it with her.  She could even have lifted it from my seat, sitting on top of my coat when she first arrived, while we put our things up above.  Happy ending!

The big suitcase had been picked up Wednesday morning and last I looked yesterday, it was in Perrysburg, OH based on an Air Tag and I don’t expect it until after the weekend. 

I have lots of things to catch up on but my calendar is not too full so I will take my time and in due time it will get done.

On to Happy New Year!