Merry Christmas

Christmas.  In two days.  Wow, that went fast!

It's hard to believe that in two shorts days it will all be over. The preparation, the presents, the over indulgence of food(back to WW after the new year for me).

 I love the holidays but they are such a whirlwind of activity and sometimes stress.

It's rainy and cold here.  Downright stormy even, and I love it.  I probably wouldn't love it if I lived here and it rained all the time but for Christmas it's cozy to stay inside by the fire while it rains outside.

It's our version of snow I guess.

So I suppose by the weather you have now guessed that we are up North again, visiting my sister and the kids.  We tried something new this time. Instead of our usual four a.m. wake up call and getting on the road by five, when Joe picked me up last night after an appointment he said "How about we leave right now?"

It was eight o'clock at night.  I was skeptical but Joe wanted to do it so we gave it a go.  I drove until midnight and then Joe took over. We made it here at around three thirty a.m.

I am not a fan. I cannot sleep in the car but I was too drowsy to drive the entire way, like I do when we go up during the day.  Me not sleeping all night after a day of work puts me up for 22 hours straight.  No Bueno.  When we got here I slept from about 4 am to 9:30 am, so about five hours sleep. I felt like crap.

It's funny because usually I would go to bed at eleven and get up at four, which is also five hours sleep and I feel ok.  It's the way the time is broken up I think. 22 hours without sleep is brutal.   I could never work the night shift.  I just don't think my body would ever adjust to that.

But we made it here safely and it actually was really nice to wake up on Saturday morning and be here already, even though I needed a nap later in the day.

In the afternoon we found ourselves at the Apple store so Lisa could get her phone fixed. It was packed, as usual.

While Lisa waited for her genius at the genius bar(that's what they told her when she checked in for her appt.  "Have a seat at the genius bar and your genius will be right with you".  LOL), Joe and I had a look around.

Of course when you go into that store you immediately start lusting after things that you can't have(afford). Envy starts to set in when you see other people buying the things you wish you could have.

Judging by the Apple store, the economy appears to be improving.  One woman walked in, picked up an Ipad and said "Honey, can I have this?  It's six hundred and fifty dollars".  To which he replied "Yes you can. Go ahead and take it".

Another family bought four Ipads, one for each of their kids.  FOUR. IPADS.

It boggles my mind, especially when I am struggling to pay rent and my husband has no place to live.  That is a whole other blog post and one that I will probably never write.

So we are in the Apple store three days before Christmas drooling over all of the toys that we want.

I was looking at the Ipods. I would love to have one to listen to music to when I walk,  because my cell phone is so outdated I can't get it to play music.  But hey, it was cheap!  :)

 I'm looking at Ipods and Joe is looking at computers.  He comes up behind me and sees me eyeing the Ipods(haha...EYE-ing the I pods).

He puts his arms around my waist and says "If I had a job I would totally buy you that Ipod".

It almost brought me to tears right there in the middle of the Apple store because I know how heartfelt that statement was.  I know that he meant it.  He really wanted to buy me that Ipod and it pained him that he couldn't.

Isn't that what  they always say?  It's the thought that counts?

Usually when I say that or hear it said it is with a touch of sarcasm.   People don't really *mean* that.  It's just something you say when you didn't get what you wanted.  Usually you mean the opposite, that you would much have preferred to have the item than the thought that someone might have given it to you.

But in this case it was completely true.  It was the thought that counted.  The thought that he really wanted to buy me that Ipod was just as good as if he had bought it for me.    I wanted it but I don't need it.

I guess in that way this Christmas I am struck by the real meaning.

It's not about the gifts.  It's about spending time with your loved ones and reflecting on how blessed you are with what you have.

I truly got that this year.


I am blessed.


I have much to be thankful for and I am not in need of anything.

 P.S. I am not lacking for electronic equipment.  I have a macbook. It is eight years old but I have one.  I have an Ipad.  Only through the help of family members,  but I have one. The Apple store brings out the I WANTS in people, including myself.  It's one of the reasons I don't go there very often.