Christmas Recap Part 1

FYI, I do not have a smartphone and therefore the rate at which pictures can be added to my blog is less than ideal. I would apologize and promise to get a smartphone soon, but that would be silly!

Here are a few highlights of the last few days.

• I got a Garmin for Christmas! (which deserves its own separate post)
• In-law's flew into town last week; we have been spending a lot of time with them
• Three separate shindigs with the same group of people (my family, my in-laws, and my MIL's sister's family)... I'm sure everyone is partied-out
• Tons of food (and leftovers), sweets, and fun
• Everyone is healthy, safe, and happy. Couldn't ask for more this Christmas!

Sipping my yummy caramel latte from Panera Bread as we wait at the airport:

Finally! We got to enjoy the balsamic vinegar we purchased back when we went wine tasting during the summer. DELISH and I'm bummed the bottle is almost out...

Shindig #1: Parents sitting around the dining table while the young ones played Mario Party. Major laughter and competition going on.

The End of the World

We made it to December 21, 2012. Hooray!

What a better way to spend what would have been the end of the world than with our families. Tonight will be a small get together with our nearest and dearest.

Heartbroken, hopeful.

Friday's tragedy at Sandy Hook has hit me really hard. I feel so shaken by the reality of what happened. A ton of thoughts flood my mind: the heartache of these families, the trauma of the survivors, the questions of the nation. There are two blog posts I read the other day, which I was grateful for because I share the same feelings and thoughts of these writers:

I'm sorry.

Now.

And the read that really made my heart sink was written by a mother whose son struggles with a mental illness. She wrote this piece so well and it looks like it has gotten around. There is hope that more and more people are understanding that there is a bigger problem our nation faces. Hopefully leaders are touched with these cries for help, causing them to bravely point their efforts in a better direction to prevent tragedies in the future.

Here is the link: Thinking the Unthinkable