A few of my favorite things

Madeline (14 months) is joined by her cousins Maya and Madison (6 months)

The Christmas holiday has (sadly) come and gone, and now I'm sitting here, on a Sunday, dreading the return to my work week. Although, thankfully, I do have Friday off and three days next week. Nels will be exploring New York City with one of his good friends and a fellow photographer and then heading to Connecticut for a wedding photography conference.

I decided to take some time off, mainly because my PTO has joyfully been repopulated on my timecard (Happy New Year!) and I thought I'd spend some non-holiday-related time with my baby. Erika will be in school but I thought Madeline and I could do some fun things...like host a tea party, which is what we did yesterday with her, not one but THREE new tea sets she got for Christmas. Funny. She loves them all and is pretty funny to watch as she sips her tea.

I had more than 25 relatives over on Christmas Day, including five kiddos under the age of 5. Everything went very smooth and they're already starting to harass me about hosting it next year. Geesh! Not even giving me some time to forget about all the blood, stress and tears I went through to get ready for the big day.

Here are a few of my favorite things that happened during the holidays:

• Pregnancies! No, I'm not prego, but I found out on Christmas Eve a very good friend of mine is, after trying for more than a decade to get pregnant. So, so happy for her and her husband. They broke the news to their families on Christmas Eve and Christmas so I'm dying to hear the details! Also, my cousin Shannon had an ultrasound last week and had the technician write down the gender of her baby due May 1. They then opened the envelope on Christmas Eve, surrounded by family, and learned they were having another boy! Such exciting news!
• It was so fun to see how well Erika watched over and played with her little cousins and sister. It was also fun to watch her open up her new laptop we got her for Christmas. I don't think the laptop has been idle since Christmas Eve.
• We just enjoyed popcorn from my Whirley Pop popcorn maker. I love stovetop popcorn but Nels didn't like that I got the pot so filthy from making it. Problem solved. He got me this stovetop popcorn maker and it's fabulous. That thing is going to get a lot of use.
• Last but not least, I got to meet my twin nieces, Maya and Madison! They're six months old and came home from New York for the first time. So fun! Madeline was so sweet with her twin cousins but a bit wary, too, when they would start giggling at her antics. Those girls are going to have lots of fun as they grow up together.
• I felt blessed to be surrounded by family and good friends.

Hope your holidays went as well. Here's to a healthy and happy 2010!

Perspective

I always tell people that Christmas is my favorite holiday but really, I don't know why I think that way. The Fourth of July is much less stressful. Warmer, too.

Between trying to finish all the stories I have to write and getting enough work hours in before 2:30 p.m. Thursday, when I have to make it to the church service with my in-laws, and planning to host 21 adults and 12 children for Christmas at my house, I'm on the verge of a breakdown. Oh yeah, and the shopping. That totally sucks. I'm terrible at buying gifts. I'm working long days and then coming home and, like tonight, cleaning the bathrooms at 10 p.m.

I didn't see my 14-month-old at all today. Sigh.

Today I took a long break from work, and life, in general, and attended my friend Cindy's funeral. To my surprise, my 16-year-old wanted to go too, so I picked her up at school.

The streets were lined with cars but I found a semi-illegal place to park. As we were walking in, I ran into my favorite eye doctor, a genuinely nice man who is battling terminal brain cancer. We ended up sitting next to him and his family in the packed church.

It really put many things in perspective for me. As much as I'm dreading the holiday gatherings, and a few of my relatives, at least I'm relatively healthy. None of my family members are ill or dying, as far as I know, and I'm fortunate to be able to spend the holiday with my loving husband and two beautiful girls.

After the funeral, which was quite emotional for all of us, my daughter sought out Cindy's son, Danny, and gave him a hug. It was a thoughtful guesture and made me very proud of her.

I have a lot to be thankful for this Christmas. Here are two of those reasons:

Heaven gained one more angel

There are people in this world that you never expect to lose. You see them at the grocery store and stop and chat. Or on church on Sunday.

Cindy Ringstrom is one of those people. Sadly, she died unexpectantly because of an infection related to antibiotic use, on Friday. She was only 52.

Cindy's 16-year-old son, Danny, is friends with my daughter and she taught Sunday school for them for many years, following the class up each grade as they got older. When I started teaching the 3-year-old class, she taught the 4/5-year-old class and our little kiddos would often have music and activities together.  She also helped with Erika's confirmation class, serving as a mentor. She was so nice, so considerate and such an asset to our church - and community in general. If a volunteer was needed, Cindy was always there. I have many wonderful memories of chatting with Cindy while our little students worked on a craft or practiced for their programs.

I spent much of the weekend in tears, thinking of her, of how her family lost her just before Christmas. She loved her two little grandsons, who attend our church, too, and was excited about her new grandbaby due in March.

It's still such a shock. I can't believe she's gone. I just saw her last week helping with the children's Christmas program. And now her funeral is planned at the same church on Tuesday.

Life is far too short.

God bless the Ringstrom family as they struggle through this difficult time...and her many, many friends, whom I know are having a hard time accepting that Cindy is gone. Like me.