Happy New Year!

Looking at the calendar turn 2005 seems so weird. That makes the fifth different year in which I have written entries for any of my diaries. Wow. Hard to believe we are already four days into the new year. It’s already flying by just as fast as 2004 did. Does anyone even know where 2004 went?

So I never wrote about Christmas. It was a bit of touch and go and first because the days before, Indiana got hit by that massive snow storm that paralyzed the Midwest. Indianapolis didn’t get hit too hard when you compare it to other places, but we did get ten inches or so. On the 23rd, I was waiting for the bus in the snow for a half hour until I found out that the buses had been pulled off the road. Eventually a coworker was nice enough to come get me and take me to work. But once I got in it was fun – it was our Christmas party and a nice relaxing day. Thankfully Travis was able to come get me and then it was on to Kokomo for our holiday weekend.

Christmas Eve was family time, which I spent mostly watching NFL football and helping her wrap gifts. I even got Travis to go shopping that day, since I had had quite enough of the snow and needed to get myself a good pair of snow boots. Yet another thing I never thought I would need, grrr! At least I got some really nice ones, and a pair of thicker soled hiking-type boots for about $34. So not too shabby.

Then Christmas morning we went over to his sister’s house to open presents. We got some stuff for our house – some memory foam bed pillows, a big DVD rack, and a pizza stone. I got a four piece set of luggage, just in time for vacation, and he got a drill set. We’ve spent so much money on the wedding – the trip, the rings, the ceremony, moving costs, etc. – that we decided to go easy on presents for one another; he got me South Park Season 2 on DVD and two other movies, and I got him a couple CDs he wanted. We each also got some work clothes too. It’s funny, I got two pairs of pants and three tops from Kohl’s, which I had to return because they were all too big. But after the exchange, clearance prices, and discounts, I ended up with two pairs of pants, five tops, two scarves, a hat, mittens, and a candle. So score!!

The down part of Christmas came from his grandmother, who did not want to leave her assisted living facility to share with the family, despite repeated offers to go get her. I thought that was rude and selfish, especially since we had gotten something very special as her Christmas gift. We had taken her husband’s flag and mounted it on one of those flag memorial cases with all his military memorabilia. But instead of her getting it in front of the whole family, we had to go to her place and present it there. That took a lot from the moment. I think it was wrong of her to not go with the family, because then she wallows in self-pity and makes other people feel sorry for her. Sure, she is in her late 80’s and doesn’t get around very well, but it’s not like she is a burden on any of us. There’s no reason for her not to participate. But that’s a subject that’s been talked about over and over, so it’s time to drop it.

After a long and pointless last work week, consisting of the general crap and uselessness of year-ends, it was time for another long weekend. Thank goodness for that; too bad it’s not something that happens every weekend. Thursday we went to West Lafayette to watch the Purdue men’s basketball team, who ended up blowing the game in the final seconds with a foul that didn’t have to happen. A Purdue player forgot the game had just been tied, and the foul allowed Baylor to come back and win. Yikes. It was my first game at Mackey, and while I thought the environment was decent, Travis tells me that was a sad excuse for a crowd. Yikes. Well, I’m not used to big college basketball crowds, so I wouldn’t know what counts as “good”; at UM basketball is a distant third from football and baseball.

New Year’s Eve we spent watching the Purdue football team lose, and my ‘Canes actually win a game! Thankfully that is the last game we will ever have to put up with Brick Berlin, so to him I say, good riddance! We ate at Smokey Bones that night and I had the chicken and black bean quesadilla. Last time I had that it was delicious, but this time it was too damn spicy and made me queasy. But I was well enough to go on to our evening plan, which was going to a house party with Greg and Lindsay. Apparently we were the ones to liven up the part since everyone else there was acting lame after getting drunk too fast. We made it fun for the four of us though, and that’s what counts. I know that by the end of the night when we were playing super Mario on an original Nintendo (classic!!) and we were happily buzzed that we had made an excellent choice. That makes two years in a row that we end up having so much fun on New Year’s eve, and from last minute makeshift plans no less!

Ten days. That’s the tiny bit of time left until Travis and I finally get married. Where has the time gone? I mean, I know I keep making that comment lately, but in this case it seems even more poignant. I know we have been seriously planning this wedding since mid-summer, but the past month or so, so many things have finally begun to fall into place, and just about the only thing left to do is wait for the ten days to pass. That really shouldn’t take too long, considering.

But wow, ten days. I’m not really sure if I can adequately express all of the things that I am feeling. Fear? Not for the wedding itself. It will be a relief to know that we are done planning it and we can focus on our lives together instead of the ceremony. I mean, yes it is probably the most special day in our lives, but it will definitely be easier on the stress level and on the pocketbook once it is over. Every day we are thankful that we decided to take this much easier route and not try to do the big wedding. Phew. I don’t know how we would have been able to handle that, not to mention how to pay for it.