Christmas was pretty good this year, minus the driving.  Mr. W and I went to my parent’s home in Tennessee.  My brother flew there too, so we were all together.  We played lots of board games and watched some movies and ate lots of sweets.  This reminds me–my body is crazy.

I can go a week and do everything right–work out every day, eat lots of vegetables and not snack, etc.  Even though I do the things I “should” I can also gain a pound during this week.  But then you take last week… I didn’t work out at all, two entire days were spent on the road, I ate lots of sweets and desserts.  Today I weighed myself to see that I have LOST a pound in the past week.  This makes absolutely no sense to me.  Crazy is the only viable option here.

We have Samantha, my step-daughter, with us for the next two weeks.  We picked her up “on the way” back to Chicago [which is actually not on the way at all].  The second we arrived in Missouri, it started to rain.  It never stopped raining, giving us a lovely five-hour drive back to Chicago.  I don’t handle driving in inclement weather well, thanks to my first car which my mom calls The Fudgemobile.  Even though Mr. W was driving [I drove the first half], I was getting pretty tense.  About an hour and a half away from Chicago I told Mr. W that he should not freak out if I suddenly start hyperventilating.  About 30 seconds later, the panic attack hit.

It wasn’t too bad, to be honest.  I have had them before so I knew it was coming and knew how to get through it.  I was just more worried about freaking Mr. W out while he was driving.  He talked soothingly to me and held my hand while I concentrated on breathing.  It only lasted a couple minutes.  The second one lasted maybe one minute.  [I don't know why, but panic attacks hit me in twos.]

So all in all, had a great Christmas with family but am really glad to be home.  The weekend after New Years we will have to drive Samantha back [please please Teri can haz dry day?] and the week after that I get to experience the joy of having three wisdom teeth extracted.

My new year is one big hootenanny, I tell you what.

I can’t believe it is almost time for Christmas.  We have only just put up our Christmas tree.  I thought “holiday tree” as I typed Christmas tree and pissed myself off.  I hate when people call it a holiday tree.  Like renaming it is going to fool a Muslim or Jew into having one.  Just call a spade a spade, for crying out loud.  We don’t call menorahs “holiday candlesticks”.

The Christmas tree is pretty depressing this year.  It is the same three or four-foot tree I have had since college and reminds me a little of the pathetic tree in that Charlie Brown Christmas special.  It was starting to look happier, once all of my pretty decorations were hung to mask its pain, but then the cats refused to leave the tree alone and broke one of my more treasured ornaments.  I packed up all the other ornaments that were breakable [which was most of them] and the tree is back to looking depressed.

I also have lots of on-line present shopping to do as  Mr. W is the only person I have shopped for so far.  His present is awesome, by the way.  I just may be the best wife ever.

My own Christmas list this year consists mainly of clothing items for work.  My ten-year-old self would be so disappointed in me.  But she probably just wants Barbies, so what does she know?

We had a Halloween party at Mr. W’s store last weekend.  I went as a witch.

Which, coincidentally, is the same costume as when I am a vampire.  Minus the hat, of course.  And good Lord, why does it look like I have a bajillion fingers?!?

I took pictures of other friends who were there and wanted to post pictures of my two favorites.

Ryan, who is also in our DnD group:

And Rocco, who came in costume as Mr. W:

We played “Are You a Werewolf?”, which is one of my favorite party games.  Basically everyone gets dealt a card.  The card either says “villager,” “seer,” “werewolf,” or “Moderator”.  No one knows what card each person has.  [The moderator doesn't play, but controls everything.]  Every round is a night where everyone puts their heads down.  The two werewolves look up and point to a victim [they have to agree], then put their heads back down.  The Seer puts his head up and points to someone to ask if they are the werewolf.  The moderator shakes his head yes or no.  Seer puts their head down.  It is a new day, everyone puts their heads up to see who is dead, and the villagers discuss amongst themselves who they think the werewolves are and picks one person to burn at the stake.  Night falls again and the whole process is repeated until the villagers kill both werewolves or the werewolves outnumber the villagers.

I love this game because, when I am the werewolf, I am really good at it and usually succeed in eating all the villagers.  I am one sneaky woman.

Here is my usual strategy:
1. Let the other werewolf pick all the victims.
2. Inevitably, this other werewolf will create suspicion for themselves.
3. Help the villagers kill the other werewolf.
4. Pick off the other villagers by myself until I win.
5. New game starts, I am killed by villagers immediately.

I love traditions.  I look forward to partaking in them and reminisce about past ones.  Traditions are how I know the event is here, if that makes sense.    It seems like as I get older more and more traditions get broken and I’m not creating new ones to take their place.  I told Mr. W that we needed to come up with some traditions of our own, but I have no idea what they should be.  For the past few years I’ve gone to Christkindlemart and purchased hand-made ornaments, so I’m going to try and keep that one going.  I’m open to any other suggestions.

Speaking of, this year for Christmas Paige got me a hand-made wooden ornament.  It’s a wood burned ornament–two love birds on one side and the back says “Our First Christmas, 2010″.  It’s very sweet.  And made me think of something.  Anytime anyone wants to get me a Christmas gift, consider a hand-made ornament.  It doesn’t have to be hand-made by you, but by someone.  I love these kinds of ornaments.  Oh!  Maybe every year Mr. W and I could make an ornament together.  And date it with the year.  I love that idea.  Making ornaments as a tradition is full of win!

On an unrelated note, to anyone and everyone who sent us a Christmas card this year:  I am very sorry not to have returned the gesture.  I couldn’t quite get things together in time this year, but fully expect to have a nice Christmas card list next year.  I’m making that my New Year’s Resolution–to be better at reaching out to people on birthdays and holidays.

Man, see how this laptop has helped already?  Two posts in one day!  Amazing!  It’s cause I want to play with it, basically.  My new toy and all that.  Mr. W has been playing Alan Wake all day and I’ve been sitting here next to him watching.  This game is seriously a heart attack waiting to happen.  Each chapter of the game is called an “episode” and is set up like a television episode [like each one starts with a "previously on..." with a show recap].  Cute concept.  Usually the beginning of each episode is during daylight (read, non-scary) hours and I play for a little while until it gets dark and then I throw the controller to Mr. W to take over.   I can’t handle the stress.  I started playing the whole time in the beginning but would start to freak out and panic when a fight started.  Couldn’t stay alive.  In my defense, the primary weapon is a flashlight.  That warrants a little panic.

Mr. W just had to fight a Darkness-possessed harvester machine with said flashlight.  I just know I’m gonna have nightmares all night of being attacked by various farm and train equipment.