Pre-Christmas Update

- From the hours of 10am on Sunday to 6am Monday, I was awake probably only 5 hours....The rest of that time was dedicated to sleep. After going to the pool again at the hotel, after exiting the hotel and on the way home, and immediately after arriving home in the afternoon. That's what a sinus infection will do to you.

- During the hours of about 5pm and 6pm on Sunday night - I was awake - just in time to greet Leona and her box of goodness (i.e. - Christmas treats). I quickly snatched the toffee that only she can make with such perfection and hid it in the outside freezer to be feasted upon in Sunriver. Bless you, Leona - we love you!

- At around 4pm on Monday - the sinus issues abated. Up until that point, the pain was a dull nag....annoying me and slowing me down in my productivity - and then, it just kind of became a non-issue. Every now and then I find myself aware of how thankful I need to be on a daily basis for the health I do have - because, when I'm off - it really effects everything. Based on the eyes that are still puffy, I can tell I'm still not out of the woods, but doing significantly better.

- Michele and her kiddos arrived on the scene around 11am today. Ellie accompanied Michele and I on our annual pre-Christmas errands - much of which was devoted to preparing for items needed in Sunriver. We spent the afternoon slaving away in the kitchen with rotisserie chickens and baby back ribs doing all that could possibly be done in prep to make the meals in Sunriver absolutely scrumptious with the least amount of effort while we are there.

- My dear friend Julie is returning for a week from her adventures in Oahu, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel today. What an experience she's had - if you are in the mood to read about the amazing experiences she has had with Surfing the Nations, check her blog out here. Sadly, I'm not sure if our paths will cross on this trip home (before leaving again to return to Oahu with STN) - though she assures me she will be coming home again in the spring with a visit to us high on the priority list. =)

- Stephie got a clean bill of health from her back doctor today! Yippee - it's feeling better than it has since before April - when the problems began. Indeed, our hopes for her to have a healthy back and non-painful/tingly/numb legs by Christmas has happened!

- Our kids are so happy, but that equates to off-the-wall, crazy, obnoxiousness. Yesterday, I had to have a talk with Brayden about why it's not appropriate to try to use our printer/copier/fax to make a copy of his face (the amount of ink alone....grr!) - and Mikayla's word output per minute is at an all time high. Let's just say that having the Schilling kids here - even if it is just for 36 hours, is a huge saving grace to me!

That's probably more than any reader needed to know about how life is going, but it felt like I had let you down by not posting, so there you go.

Hope your holiday prep is going well!