My Top Five Holiday Memories

In recap, my visit home was fabulous. It was a day or so longer than usual, and so I didn't feel overly rushed immediately upon arriving. It was a really great visit, and although I didn't see everyone that I wanted to see, it was a special trip for me. Here are my top five 2007 holiday memories.

1. I am pretty sure everyone loved the gifts I gave them. There were a few slightly risky gifts, for instance, a butterfly house for my mom's garden, dad's design encyclopedia, or the creeper peeper bug kits for my nephews, but most of the gifts I felt really good about - a fairy book, a transformer, fancy clothes, etc. I am pretty sure I did good this year, and that pleases me to no end. I hate to sound cliche, but it really is the gift giving that I like the most. It just makes me happy to make other people happy.
2. I had some hard core time with my family. I didn't go out much in Ohio, but I kind of needed to not be pulled in 100 directions. I often spend trips home running around and seeing tons of people, but I didn't do that this visit. Instead my parents and I went to dinner, a movie, shopping, and just spent time together. That was really nice. Calm... and really nice.
3. In addition to core family time, I spent some quality time with my grandparents and my niece and nephews. Moments with these people are precious. It is so hard seeing them only once or twice a year, and the older folks and younger folks both change so much in that time. I got a lot of hugs in, so hopefully they'll last me for awhile. I guess they'll just have to, won't they?
4. I was able to regroup with some good Ohio friends and their kids. What fun! We haven't had the three girls together since two summers ago with Jodi (we missed you, Jodi), but it was nice to see BJ and Patrick, who I hadn't seen in a long while. It's unfortunate that Conner wasn't immediately taken with me, but I was glad that both Lily and Jordan seemed to love me. I feel pretty good about that.
5. And lastly, for the first time as adults I hung out with two of my cousins, Jen and Jonathan. They are my first cousins on my dad's side, and although we are close genetically, we didn't spend too much time together as children. In fact, I don't think we'd seen each other in about nine years which is just crazy. So last week we met up at a restaurant/bar and got to know each other all over again. We are the remaining single cousins, so it was a lot of fun to whine and laugh about that, and basically catch up on our entire lives. I'll definitely want to make sure I make an effort to reach out to them more often. They are obviously fabulous people, and how lucky am I to have people like that in my family. Thanks Jen and Jono - I can't wait to hang out again.

And with that, 2008 is right around the corner, isn't it? I'm already excited about what this coming year has to offer. I had some rough times in 2007, but I also spent the last few months reflecting on life, and gaining (or nearing) closure where closure was required. I'm not perfect by any means, but I feel more optimistic lately, and I think 2008 will be a great year for me. I am one blessed gal...