what a week

This past week has been an interesting one. I had my last day at lifeline on Wednesday. I will admit there are some people there I will miss. But I do feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I also started as a nanny for my cousins three girls. All under the age of six. They are cute. But the best part about this week has been the birthdays, it was Alex and Adam's. I got to spend time with them and have fun. It's great to be able to do that.

the night the ball dropped

Get down and party on! New Years eve was spent at a party thrown by the lovely Shell. I had fun. Though I did feel a little out of my element, I haven't been to a party (a non-family or non-ward party) for so long. It was nice to see some people that I haven't seen for awhile. There were some people that I had met at the concert there, which was nice to see. I felt kind of like a party pooper since I left a few minutes after midnight, I get worn out so easy. But I really wanted to say till midnight and I did. I have no pictures from that night, I forgot my camera since I was rushing with a million things. But what can you do?

magical time

While I have had a hard time with deciding on my favorite holiday, I think it is Christmas. I love the magic. I love how low key it is for my family. We hang out with each other all day, it's great. And we always stop opening our gifts to see what the other one is opening. I just enjoy it, and I didn't realize how much until this year. I don't know if it was appreciating things more or it was seeing the magic for Alex or a mix. But all I have to say is it is wonderful.

Christmas Party Hop

December is full of parties. I went to my fair share. The first one I ventured to was the ward Christmas party where I got to get up as part of the entertainment. I joined the young women (as part of my new calling) in a lip sync. What a walk down memory lane that was! Then the work party, good food. The extended family breakfast was next. Food, family, the usual. My favorite was when Santa and Mrs. Claus came, who isn't excited to see Santa? I loved seeing the little kids light up when they came in. They were captivated when Mrs. C read them a story, a few cried when it came to sitting on laps, others had to show them what they got. I loved the magic. It was also funny to see Ben sit on Santa's lap-for the last time. Right before Christmas I went to my aunts to see more family where something unexpected happened. Two people were there I did not think I knew. It was Santa and his Mrs. They were giving gifts to the little ones and taking family photos. The magic was there. As they were leaving Mrs. Claus came, gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, "Lacey, you don't remember us but we remember you. We were Charles friends." Then Santa comes up and says, "Hello Lacey! Surprised I know your name? I know these things," he hands me some candy canes, laughs and leaves. Now this took me aback. My Uncle Charles died when I was five. I only have one or two memories. How could they remember me from so long ago? I mean he had seven kids, my aunt had eleven, and they remember a five year old? Crazy! The last party I missed. Christmas eve, I was in bed with the stomach flu.