New York Here We Come

Tomorrow evening my SIL, Deb, niece Kacy, and I will be viewing this beautiful tree in person. We will be leaving at 5:26 A.M. for the Big Apple. We were really excited tonight as we watched the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center knowing that we would be there tomorrow.

Actually, I guess I shouldn't be saying tomorrow. I went to bed earlier, about 10:30, set my alarm for 3:40 and laid in bed, and laid in bed, and laid in bed, my eyes wide open. I turned from my left side to my right; then from my right to my left, tried my back, back to my side. I guess you get the picture. About midnight I decided that sleep wasn't coming soon so I got out of bed and came downstairs. Since then, I've paid my bills, read all my emails and Facebook posts, played solitaire and now I'm posting here. In about an hour I'll take my shower and make coffee for the rest of the clan

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What is it about these nights? This doesn't happen to me often, maybe twice a year. But it always seems to occur when I really, really want to be fresh and raring to go the next day. I am really quite frustrated, but knowing we have a 6-1/2 hour train ride to the city helps. I know I can sleep a few hours on the train. The frustration in that is that I was looking forward to sharing Kacy's first train ride with her. I guess I'll just drink caffeinated coffee and try to get through the day. I think the adrenaline will flow once we get into NY.

I'm hoping to take lots of pictures and post them when we return home. I have been remiss in posting about the happenings in my life recently.

We had a great Thanksgiving. I left my camera home and am waiting for Kacy to email me some pics. Hopefully, that will be soon. I want to share the great time we had with Kacy's cousins, Mason (age 8 months) and Garrett (age 5). Not having boys of my own, I am totally fascinated and enamored of little boys. Garrett is a really bright and outgoing lad and we had a delightful time together.

Upon our return home, we busily decorated our house for Christmas (once again, pictures to follow) as I knew this week would be a busy one.

On Monday, my friend Shelly, who was in the terrible automobile accident in November, had a hysterectomy. Can you believe what these people have been through? She came through the surgery well and is recovering. It is amazing the advances they have made in technology for surgery. She had a laproscopic surgery using something called the DaVinci Robot. She was literally hopping out of her bed the following morning. The doc did find a malignant growth which he removed. We are waiting on the pathology report, but the doctor feels it was a very early stage tumor and self contained. In many ways this accident was a blessing as they found this growth because of a CT scan they did at the time of the accident. As I'm off to NY, she is recovering at home in the very good hands of her friends and family.

We had an inch or so of snow on Tuesday, but it was quickly gone as the sun shown and temperatures rose to near the 50 degree mark. It was a gorgeous day today with temps in the mid 50-s. It's hard to believe that it is just three weeks until Christmas. I don't know about you, but I have much to do before then.

Jim has been busily baking our Christmas cookies. I am so grateful that he is willing to do this. If not, we just wouldn't have any this year and that would be sad. Cookies are such a big part of our Christmas celebrating. I've pretty much decided not to send cards this year. I think I'm going to wait until Valentine's Day and send a valentine to everyone on my Christmas card list.

I talked to my Gretchen today and she said if it wasn't fun for me to make and send my cards this year I absolutely shouldn't do it and I agree. So if you don't hear from me in December, look forward to February.

Well, it's now 2:23 A.M. and I doubt it would be worth my while to go to bed for an hour. Guess I'll raid the cookie jar.

Until I return from NY, remember to "Be Kind to your Chuthers."

~Hippo Hugs~

P.S. Blogger hates me tonight. It won't let me double space between my paragraphs. So, please blame Blogger and not my excellent English teachers.