Learning a few lessons

The new year is in full swing now. I can hardly believe that tomorrow will be a week into the new year. It's been a busy week, and I've just had no time to write. I thought as I sat here on the couch chilling out (not much else I can do when my stomach hurts so! Hopefully just food not agreeing with me and not the bug.)

We had a great time in NY. We feel like it was a blessing in disguise. We had an opportunity to visit with friends, family, spent a bit of time at the "old" house (thanks, Melinda, for your help!), and just had time to enjoy being there. As we traveled home last Saturday, we talked about how good it was to be "home" in NY and how we felt that it has helped us to begin to let go. We both were glad to head home to IN. It was VERY hard to leave. There were many tears (and continue to be from Katy who misses Grandma and Bumpy) and sadness about leaving, but we knew it was time to come home.

Pardon my silence.... I’ve just started watching the new Grease show. It's an updated version of American Idol with a twist...or so it seems.

So back to the story.... There were several things that really hit me as I look back over our time in NY. We were literally counting the hours until we were able to leave for NY. (Then, on the end, Phil was counting the hours until we came back!) It was so wonderful to be back. We've missed it so much. All of us were pumped! It was a wonderful reunion - over, and over, and over again.

On Saturday, my friend Melinda and I went to the "old" house and cleaned it. She's getting to be quite a pro at this. We also ended up at Dunkin Donuts chatting and enjoying a beverage together...totally losing track of time as we talked, caught up, and learned a lot about each other.

POINT TO REMEMBER: you never know how moving can draw you closer! Melinda and I were friends, but after moving, we have been emailing about once a week and have grown to be good friends.

That afternoon, Phil and I went to the "old" house to do yard work...6 bags of leaves and dead plants later, we headed back to Big Flats...wishing there were snow on the ground to have hidden the mess.

That night, I spent time with my friend Laura. I value any time I get with her, as her life is so crazy. Laura is a soul mate and dear friend. She is one of those friends who know me better than anyone. I can talk to her about the deep, tough things in life and know she will listen, and then give the feedback I need (regardless of whether I really truly want to know what I need to know!). I also was able to get my baby fix with Leah! Isn't it funny how when you need a baby fix, only certain babies will do it?

POINT TO REMEMBER: A true friend will listen, laugh, and love, but in the end, it's not just those things - it's their honesty about the things you need to see that bring you even closer.

Each day we were there, we had things going on. Christmas was a lot of fun with my brother and his family (they have 2 boys close to the girls ages) and my mom's dad. (I'll try to post a picture sometime soon.)

On Thursday, we had a play date with a bunch of Lilly's friends. It was a lot of fun. Both girls really enjoyed the time with their friends. I'm so glad we did it. Thanks to Marci, Wendy, and Michelle for bringing your kids! It was so good to catch up on all the latest, hold Joy (the original!), and just have fun together like Kindergarten.

Phil and I went out shopping the day after Christmas because we wanted to see what kind of deals we could find, but also because we needed a Christmas tree. I am not a fan of the real kind for multiple reasons (allergies, cat, mess, etc). We gave our tree away (Freecycle) before we moved because it wasn't worthy of being moved and it's a good thing because we didn't have room for it anyway! My grandparents gave us a 2-foot tree, which we put up, but we still felt rather bah-humbugish without a big tree to enjoy (ok, so I did! I'm not sure Phil cared.) We weren't here to actually celebrate Christmas day, but still. The tree, for me, is part of the joy of the holiday. I also love my Christmas Village (if you ever run across Currier & Ives village pieces at a garage sale, get them for me!). We started out collecting a piece each year after Christmas, and at some point several years ago when each brand I would buy would quit being sold in our area, I got frustrated. I then found Currier & Ives at JoAnn Fabrics. Then, the next year, they quit selling them. This year we found them online after Christmas. We ended up getting 3 pieces because they were discounted and it was free shipping on $25! The box of village pieces arrived here before we did! I thought I timed it well, but their 8-10 business days ended up being only 3! LOL! I wish other businesses were that fast.

Oh, yeah back to the tree (sorry, I seem to be on tangents today!). We searched high and low. Our first store we went to was Lowes in Big Flats. They had one, but we thought we could find one that was nicer, so we moved on. We found some at the last store we looked at too, but the one that we wanted, they didn't have any left and wouldn't sell the floor model. So, we went home frustrated by that because I refused to go another year without a tree! So, thanks to good 'ol Al Gore (yeah, right...what has he ever done to my liking? let alone invent the internet!), I hopped online and started looking. I found several trees that were still $700! I choked. (That was at a 50% reduction of the regular price - which in the world needs a 7 ft, tree that costs $1400? That is a bit insane if you ask me...I mean, really, you could put that money to good use! As Phil would say, I could get a good flat screen TV for that price! GRR men!) Anyway, we did find a tree we liked online at Home Depot. It was going to cost me $12 for shipping and I, being the thrifty person that I am, HATED paying that, so I decided to call Home Depot in Painted Post. No, they didn't have any trees. So, now I'm stuck, right? NO! My smart husband, knowing how important this was to his wife said, "Why don't you call the one in Marion?" That is exactly what I did. They had it too! Their price as even cheaper then the one online and I didn't have to pay shipping. So, 1) I saved $, 2) I saved space because we didn't have to haul it back here in the van, and 3) I saved stress! The only thing the tree lacked was a box, and my mom, who is quite thrifty herself, pulled off an answer for that. She found a Rubbermaid tree bag AND got it half off! You go, MOM!'

We picked the tree up on Sunday, New Year's Eve, and plugged it in inside the garage to admire. It is REALLY bright. We liked it so much we hated to take it down. Phil said he thinks that the bulbs are LED bulbs. For those of you not technically brilliant like my husband, LED lights are more energy efficient so they save $. The bulbs are bigger than we would have picked, but they are about medium sized (not the large size like one of the trees we looked at). Phil thinks it will look really nice in our living room next year. We did get the tree apart and fit it into the tree bag. The tree looks very real and feels very real. That is what we wanted. Pretty good for not seeing it in person before buying it!

POINT TO REMEMBER: The grass can be greener in your own "front yard." (Home Depot here and not there!)