And Terrible the Cat wasn't too bad...
Callie and James both made it on time with no hassles or bumps along the way. James arrived early on Christmas Eve, and we went straight to fight the hordes at Publix to buy a turkey and other stuff for Christmas dinner, then went to pick up Joe for a trip to the Daytona Cobb Deluxe to see Rogue One, which wasn't as good as The Force Awakens, but it was okay. Then we went to Wal Mart so James could buy the kids a gift from him. Then back home to enjoy a quiet and relaxing Christmas Eve night.
On Christmas Day, we decided to wait until Callie arrived at 6:30 pm to eat and open gifts. Aidan had to work at 4:00 pm, though, so she opened a couple small presents before she left. One thing I got all three kids was a bonsai tree that they could cultivate and trim the way they liked.
Anyway, the kids loved all their gifts. James got me a Ninja Gingerbread Set, and some nice clothes. I got him a "tactical pen" that can also be used as a weapon and some lens attachments for his iPhone camera. We really had no idea what to get each other because we don't need anything material. I didn't ask for anything, and he didn't ask for anything. We agreed that the kids should come first, and by making them come first, we all were blessed.
Anyway, as I was saying, we took it easy most of Christmas Day, sleeping in until about 10:00 am, when I had to get the turkey into the oven. Then, we let Joe open the Lego set James bought him to keep him busy until it was time to get Callie. James and I turned on the TV and curled up on the couch to watch a movie. Well, I had to choke him at least once. Lol...
Then, around 5:15, we left for Orlando to pick up Callie, which went without a hitch. It was wonderful to talk to her and catch up on the way home. She's doing so well, and I'm really proud of her. She started a writing club at school, and she's already an amazing writer. I can see her being published before she's 20. Lol.
After we ate Christmas dinner, we gathered around the tree and opened the rest of the gifts. The "big" gift this year was for the family--a piano keyboard that teaches you how to play, eliminating the need for lessons. Joe played his first song, and everyone enjoyed taking turns playing it. Especially me. James had to practically drag me away from that thing to go to bed that night. Lol.
Yesterday, we slept in a little, then got up to take the kids out. They wanted to go to Cracker Barrel and the mall. But first, we stopped by the Dodge dealer to test drive a Challenger. James wants to upgrade his old Jeep, and is "building" his own Challenger. It'll be Jazz Blue Pearl with a graphite racing stripe, leather sport seats, and a lot of other upgrades. He's going to put in the order this week, and have it delivered to the dealer down here, so I can drive it until he moves to Naples in January.
His house in Seattle is on the market, and is expected to sell for more than he's asking for it, so he'll have a really nice nest egg once it sells. We want to start a new business, but are still working out the details on it.
Then we went to Best Buy, because we wanted to look at MacBooks. One thing James and I want to do is a YouTube Channel, and the Mac has some good starter video editing software. I was amazed at how much such a small computer could cost, but it didn't seem to faze James and he bought me a MacBook Air and a wireless printer (I'm typing this on the Mac). I can't wait to get started making some videos! It'll be so fun...
Anyway, after we left Best Buy, we still had an hour before James had to be at the airport to catch his flight home, so Joe suggested we go to Barnes and Noble. That place was amazing! I hadn't been in a bookstore in years, so was surprised at how well the store had adapted to the times to stay in business in an age of digital books. They had tons of unique toys, puzzles, puppets, and a little bit of everything, along with books.
The kids used some of their Christmas money from grandparents to buy little things, and I used part of the $100 James gave me to get a few things. I bought James a notebook where you write in your Bucket List, and I bought Callie a journal she liked, and Joe wanted a book about history. I bought myself an abbreviated version of The Art of War by Sun Tzo, a little book of poetry, and Bullfinch's Mythology. I also couldn't resist these two little things:
A Ninja
And a little wooden Japanese girl whose name means "Joy."
And all that didn't even take the whole $100...Barnes and Noble is hereby declared awesome. :)
But alas, all holidays must end, and this morning, the house is quiet as I get ready to get ready for work. I'm in x-ray today, and the first day back from vacation is usually brutal, but I'm prepared.
I did not see the choking coming as I was distracted by the wonderful kitten. I will be more prepared for attacks come the new year...it's on my bucket list. ❤️