Whew.

I know. I’m a total slacker. Everyone has thanksgiving day posts and comments and me? I’m still wallowing in the “Whew!” stage. heh. But here we go – since I know ya’ll can’t possibly live another second without hearing about my weekend so far.

Shut up. It’s my journal, it’s my dream. *shining grin*

So – Wednesday night I was feeling icky, so went to bed early. The girl turned off the light for me and tucked me in and kept her sister quiet not just that night, but the next morning as well, when the only disturbance I had was a 9am whisper “Mom! the parade is on!” I woke up and listened to them listening to the parade, and then when mom called, sent the boy down to get the Stuffing that needed my oven to cook in. Drug myself out of bed and dressed, and then I supervised the girls first attempt at making greenbean cassorole, and generally relaxed while the boy went down to help set up tables in gramma’s living room. Noon had us all filling her house and her table as my sister’s fam., me and the kids decended with noisy mayhem.

Dinner was fabulously yummy, and man, 4 adults, 1 teenager, 1 pre-teen, and 4 kids ages 1.5-9 sure can do a LOT of damage to a 21+ lb turkey! And stuffing and noodles and potatoes and greenbeans and rolls and pie! mmmmmmmm. pleasantly full we all were. The Pup even set up a little play and song that she directed, and of course starred in with the Girl and Ladybug. While Ladybug got shy and wouldn’t say anything, the Pup was CLEARLY in her Diva best. *L*

The Bug’s took off and went to the inlaws house, while The Boy, the Girl and I helped gramma clean up. Afterwards, we decided to take a ride with Papa in his van to “deliver some pull tabs” – by this time, the Boy was suspicious and had figured it out, but the Girl and pup were a little slower. I had told them that Harry potter was sold out ALL WEEKEND LONG and that they’d just have to wait, knowing all along that Papa Moosie had 6 tickets with our names on them in his pocket for the 4pm showing.

We drive up – and the Girl starts bouncing excitedly, the boy went “i knew it!” and the pup went “Yay! Chicken Little!” – uh. whoops? *L* She was convinced that we weren’t seeing chicekn little and that we WOULD see it at a later date, and we all went in to watch HP. Now, I haven’t read all the books. I know, bad Lessa, however – I have one damn question:

WHY DIDN’T ANYONE WARN ME ABOUT THE BLOODY FUCKIN’ SNAKE???

Ahem. Phobic Lessa was NOT VERY HAPPY! and watched the screen though her fingers for a while. Stupid snakes. Grrr.

So – after that, it was back home, a bit of teenagery hormonal bs, and finally everyone settled down and went to be relatively early and easily that night.

And then – Friday! The biggest celebration in our little town, Christmas Comes to Kenai! Bright and early we were up and ready to go – no not to the stores (What, you think i’m CRAZY? hell no.) but to the Visitors center where Santa arrived at 11:30am (ok, bright and early for ME!) via a big firetruck. We waited for him outside in the cold, then followed him inside and through the line in order to get our requests in early. There were LOADS of people there, but while we were waiting, the Girl was very bouncily happy to be interviewed for the local Newspaper! The pup was added in as well, being as she kept inturrupting and all, and I even got my request in for a vacation. *L* Then a phone call was made to brag to Gramma about getting interviewed. I was impressed with the reporter because she asked ME before she spoke to the children. That gave her BIG time points in my book.

Then, FINALLY we got to see santa. Requests put in, and pictures takn, and we finally took off and headed home where I was gonna relax before picking up the boy and his best friend for the light parade/fireworks. Instead! Gramma called and invited us to lunch, and to the Crafts fair, where we scored a couple of gifts for TBF’s mamoo, and then saw all that there was to be seen. Then it was home to unload the camera, and bundle up – then out to get the boys (The boy’s best friend had never gone to the light parade/fireworks – so we drug him with) and off to find a parking spot for the parade. A good, if cold! time was had by all, and we watched the parade then went over to a prime parking spot for the fireworks, and then waited 1.5 hours for the display, and listened to the buglet laugh and laugh and crow his delight at the fireworks.

Then! to blockbuster for last minute movie picks, and home to watch em all. A very tired Lessa went to bed early, and slept clean through until 11am this morning. Today? Has been MUCH quieter. *L* thankfully so.

As for the emotional me – it was made better by family, and by the closeness we’ve always had, but there is a great gaping hole inside me where he should have been. Little things – how he loved the crafts fair and would have BEGGED for one of the walking sticks we found, as well as the crystal table, where he’d have gotten new crystals for the necklaces he made. How the last time we saw fireworks, we were together as a complete family in California, oohing and aahing over a ‘real’ display in Disneyland, and how the biggest thing missing this year was his laughter – he always put aside the irritations and had a good time with lots of laughter and love on the holidays. No one was there to demand beer, and steal the moonshine from tim’s flask… While thanksgiving was wonderful, it was still missing that unique spark of Kevin. I ache with it. I know this year will be the hardest, but right now, it doesn’t seem as if it will ever get better. I miss him.

Anyway – Picture sets:
Thanksgiving – Christmas Comes to Kenai

And to the asshole who put “Fatties!” on my son’s pictures? Grow the fuck up. You’re the proud new owner of a “block”. It’s not like we don’t know what we weigh, or anything. There’s just no point in being a dickhead to people you don’t know. That whole Golden Rule and all.