Home for the Holidays

I went back home for the Christmas holiday and to celebrate my birthday. The trips home seem like they fly by in a whirlwind, and I don't get everything done I hope to. It's always good to be with my family and see friends, and of course I love cuddling up with the dog who remains glued to my side for the whole time I'm home. This year posed a unique problem for Christmas baking. An ice storm had hit Canton on Friday and reeked havoc on a lot of electrical lines and in the process burnt up the control panel on my mom's two month old stove. The stove worked fine, but you couldn't turn on the oven. I still managed to put out a delicious Christmas Eve meal of lasagna rolls, fried cheese tortellini and garlic bread. All with a toaster oven and skillet. So the big day came (not Christmas, my birthday...) and the whole family went out to dinner. I got up the next morning (3:40am) to fly back to Denver. Dan picked me up at the airport and we went to LOLA'S for brunch (technically it was breakfast, because it was WAY earlier than we would normally ever get there. In fact, we were the first customers through the door that day!) Dan made me the most delicious and beautiful cake for my birthday, it was sooooo good and I still have a couple pieces stashed in the fridge. New Year's Eve came and we went to a great little party with lots of interesting characters. I have to say that this New Year's Day, I feel more focused and driven in my life than I have in a long time. I think that this time of year we all reflect on our lives and maybe partly for me at least turning 40 had a little to do with it. As I go into 2009, I am confident in what I want, I know the things that are important to me, the people who I love and I'm focused on creating new opportunities in all aspects of my life. I know this will be a great year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and I wish you all the best in the coming year!