A bittersweet day.

Today I attended the Christmas luncheon at Matson, the company I used to work for. I received the invite last week from Gina and ever since then I have been looking forward to seeing everyone again. I think I might have even woken up this morning with a smile on my face. It was so wonderful to see my friends. Jackie has taken to the position like a pro, Sean is still trying to get Natalie to vote democrat in the next election, Kelly was napping in his office, Gina is so fun and full of energy, Joe is the kindest man, Greg busted me for accidentally flinging turkey fat onto an unassuming engineer, Bobby gave me the auto lot update and everyone else was just like I left them. The sad part is I don't really belong there anymore, I am a visitor.

When I was deciding whether or not to return to work, it wasn't like I was making a choice between good and bad. I was choosing between good and better. I know I made the right decision for my family, I need to be home with Natalie. It just makes me sad to know that by choosing her, I was also choosing NOT to return to the best job I've ever had. Anyhow, I digress...

It was great to see everyone. Joe bought Natalie her first Santa outfit, ADORABLE! I can't wait to see her all decked out in red velvet. The food was delish and the company was fantastic!

We are now settled into our new place. The move went off without a hitch, thanks to Parker's army of friends. You know the first morning when you wake up and look around, and it's almost overwhelming. All of the boxes and bags that need to be unpacked just laying around. Well, it bothers me to look at it, but it REALLY bothers Parker. The next morning Parker said to me, "So, are you going to get the kitchen unpacked anytime soon or, should I just plan on it being like this for a while?" What he meant was, "Please unpack the kitchen first, I would like to cook some breakfast." But, it came out wrong. Luckily, we've moved enough that we can typically refrain from big blow outs during the whole moving process.

Two exciting things about this place are the doorbell and the staircase. Both are firsts for us as a married couple, which may be no big deal to you, but we thought it was a little bit exciting! And as embarassing as it is to admit, my calves are killing me after running up and down the stairs so many times during the day while I'm unpacking! Maybe by summer I'll have the legs of my dreams? Or, maybe I just won't be such a wimp!

We leave for Mexico on Saturday and we are just giddy with excitement! It's time to start getting packed and that's making it more real for us. There will be 32 family members there at the same time. I'm sure there will be some drama but I'll take my chances if it means we can all be there together for Christmas!