2017

"Welcome back, my Friends, to the show that never ends. We're so glad you could attend. Come inside, come inside"* It's good to go on break, tough to get back in the routine upon return, but satisfying to get back to school! I'm sure there are very few students who feel that way, but I always do! Christmas break was relaxing for the most part. During Week 1, my daughter and I went up to Redding to visit my niece, her husband, and two young boys. It's always fun to go there, but another niece,(her sister from Florida), was there as well. We had a good time catching up and playing with the boys, ages 2 and 5. Week 2 was spent recovering from Christmas (a sacred holiday, yes, but also one in which I eat entirely too many sweets!). My daughter gave my husband and I a winery tour as a gift. My husband and I eagerly participated at a beautiful winery in Solvang, built in the 1800s. Of course a trip to Solvang is not complete without hitting Olsen's Bakery for an eclair. More sweets! New Year's Eve was spent at the Pismo Beach Moose lodge where my husband and his band played until midnight! I think I may have burned off that eclair with all the dancing! Week 3 was getting organized and doing some cleaning. Not the most exciting things to do, but I enjoy "nesting" when I get the chance! My Christmas decorations are still up. It's always so hard to take them down. I enjoy the ambience of the lights, and everything looks so bare afterwards. Maybe just one more week! *Sadly, one of the members of ELP (I can't remember which -- Lake, I think) passed away right before Christmas. This is from one of their songs from back in the '70s. My husband spent his break binge-watching YouTube videos of them. :(