Nothing to do...well, almost

And now we enter that time of year where there just isn't as much to do...well, comparatively speaking. I was thinking it was going to start Jan. 2, but unfortunately no elves showed up to take all of the Christmas decorations down and put away all of the new toys and whatnot and return things to the stores. Now that I have completed those tasks I am free as a bird and have nothing to do...well, not nothing exactly, just not everything. Which is a very nice feeling. Of course my parents will be arriving in town in a couple of weeks (for a two month stay--NOT with us mind you) and Rachel's birthday is Feb. 11, so my "I have 'nothing' to do" status will come to an abrupt halt quickly enough. Probably tomorrow.

Our trip to Chicago was a success. We had still had five children when we returned home. None of them were pushing the envelope either, so it was a pleasant trip for the most part. It was nice to be with our families for Christmas and our kids got to experience their extended family on Christmas for the first time (for most of them). Sam's sisters have a way of extending the gift opening process through a verbal exchange regarding their gifts that is unlike anything I have ever witnessed. You almost feel like you are at the store with them making the purchase. I have been telling the kids about this gift opening process for years and they finally got to witness it firsthand. My job in all of this mayhem is to lovingly poke fun at it as I marvel over the wrapping paper and bow (that are of course the exact same hue) and note how the shirt is just the exact color of my eyes and will naturally go perfectly with the bracelet and how many stores did you go to to find this ensemble? They hammed it up a little more this year in my presence because they know I find such joy in it. I don't know what they do when no one is around to appreciate it like I do. My poor brothers-in-law have to endure it on their own most years without my side commentary.

The drive to and from Chicago was L-O-N-G. The kids did fine but in a very weird switcheroo they didn't have much interest in watching movies. Apparently the ones I packed weren't exciting enough or something because they watched a couple but weren't interested in a 27 hour movie marathon. On the way back we had two Nintendo DSs (one having been acquired Christmas morning) and so they played a lot of that. Apparently you can play with one another on the same game so there was some sort of competition going on between them and it kept their interest for quite a long period of time. I was probably the only one growing tired of sitting in the car for that long because my joints get stiff after about a half hour in the same position, but everyone else seemed fine. The joys of growing old...and taking medicine for leukemia I suppose.

Speaking of that, I have joined a gym in an attempt to rebuild my stamina. I have an appointment with a trainer tomorrow to find out what kind of exercises I can do at first that won't kill me. It should be interesting. I am certain my workouts will be incredibly short at first. The little 19 year old giving me my gym tour clearly thought I was exaggerating when I said I had the stamina of an old lady. Of course he's 19 so he probably thought I was an old lady. :-) I'm thinking maybe I'll join some of those classes for the senior citizens. That's about my speed these days. Wish me luck.