Since Christmas and The Last Post of 2014

The problem with Christmas break is that I'm not keen on picking up a computer while I'm off work and also, most of the days are all the same and so there's really not a lot to write about. Alas, I figured I needed to churn out one last post for 2014. Can you believe this is it? The last day of 2014? I hope it was a good year for you and your family.

I never got around to posting anything about Christmas, but we had a good one. On Christmas Eve, my parents hosted their annual breakfast and we had some new faces and old faces in attendance. That evening we had Christmas with my granddad and then went out on the town to look at Christmas lights. Unfortunately, it was raining and so we weren't able to make a scheduled stop at the Tinsel Trail.

Christmas Day I went over to my parents' house around noon and the three of us had Christmas together. Justin wasn't able to join us because he is once again at The Way and had not been there long enough to get a pass home; but, we still had an enjoyable time despite being a family member short. I think everyone liked their gifts, or at least I hope so. That evening around 5:00 p.m. my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmother came over for Parker Christmas. We had dinner, watched the little kids and my grandmother open presents and played a game of Dirty Santa which was basically a gift card exchange. However, in a turn of events, we actually drew names for next Christmas which I'm really excited about because Dirty Santa has become kind of boring and I look forward to seeing what gifts people will choose for the name they drew. The rules are no gift cards and you have to come up with a gift without asking the person what the would like. So, it should be a fun and interesting exchange of gifts.

The day after Christmas I went out with my dad to check out the after Christmas sales and pick up some door prizes for our New Year;s Eve Party. We also knocked out some other errands including having one of my tires repaired as I had a nail or screw in it from my grandmother's new neighborhood where they are still building houses.

Saturday I ran some more errands and saw "Into The Woods" which was okay but not as good as I had hoped. I loved the music though. Sunday was church and that evening my dad and I made a quick trip to Pulaski and back. The grandfather of a friend had passed away and we went up for the visitation. While we were there we ran into some other people we know from the area because as it always turns out, we can't go anywhere without running into someone we know.

Monday I stopped by the grocery store and went to see "Unbroken". I also picked up some shoe bags for the back of a couple of doors and wow, what a great decision that was. I can now see the bottom of my closet and close the door and I can also see all my shoes. This decision came about because I recently came across two or three pairs of shoes I forgot I even owned and they had been buried in the deep dark depths of my closet for so long that they had mold growing on them which is unfortunate because they were great pairs of shoes. I should not have this problem again as I can now see all of my shoes.

Tuesday I put away the Christmas stuff and got the house back in some semblance of order. I went to a late lunch with my sweet friend Pat and we were able to catch up on all that is going on in our lives and at the church  I used to attend. Then I came home and watched copious amounts of football while preparing some dishes for the New Year's Eve Party.

That brings us to today, New Year;s Eve, December 31, the last day of 2014! All in all, 2014 wasn't a bad year. I wouldn't say it was a spectacular year, but it certainly wasn't bad. I traveled as far west as I've ever been back in March when I went to Hawaii with my dad and brother. I took a few road trips to Louisville for the PGA Championship, to Gatlinburg for a girls weekend, to Memphis for a Pearl Jam concert and to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. I saw the beginning of some great new friendships and the end of some older ones. I attempted to play softball after many years of not playing, and wrote my 1,000th post back in February and the fewest amount of posts since my first year of blogging - go figure. I threw out the first pitch at a Huntsville Stars game ( in their last season no less), I saw Sarah Palin speak and Pippa turned one and has grown up and settled down quite a bit. I worked the polls (five times this year), ran some races, and had knee surgery. Really, when I look back, I guess a lot happened in 2014.

I hope 2014 was good to you and your family and more importantly, I hope we all have a very good and fun 2015! Happy New Year, my friends!