Back to the chain gang

We are back in the swing of things, mostly, from a great holiday break.  This is our first full week back and man am I feeling it on this Wednesday night.  We had a nice little weekend.  We zipped down to Colorado for some shopping on Saturday and used the giftcards I received for Christmas and my birthday on new clothes and some cute shoes.  Reina was pretty helpful - pointing out when a shirt looked like something a doctor (in surgery) would wear and when something else made my bottom look weird.  This is the kind of feedback I definitely need.  Will and Glenn came with us and shoe shopped and Grandma Hansen helped wrangle kids and shoes.  When we came home, Will had a bad cold and a fever so we had to stay away from Vicky's house and kiddos so we didn't spread germs for the rest of the weekend. 

I had a lovely birthday last week. I got the chance to go with Vicky to chemo and we actually had a fun time.  I can say that because I didn't have to deal with all of that yucky medicine.  I helped her pick out some wigs and we had a few giggles.  She was the spitting image of our mom circa 1989 in one of the wigs.  The cancer center is a beautiful facility and the staff does a great job of keeping a cheerful attitude, even though the patients are all facing tough battles.  We looked at seed catalogs and picked out plants for the spring.  We also talked about canning and looked at new recipes to try this summer.  Time sped by (for me!) and before I knew it, it was time to drive her home. 

The morning of my birthday, the kids and Glenn gave me my presents.  Reina picked out some jewelry featuring the letter L, Glenn gave me a generous giftcard and Will had ordered some Nike running tights that came in the mail yesterday.  I am all set to tackle my forty-something year. 

This month, Will has school and city basketball leagues.  Reina is back at dance classes and piano lessons.  Will has a couple of confirmation classes.  Glenn has to keep an eye on legislative action for his agency.  My work schedule isn't too bad but who knows what's around the corner.  We have some family coming to visit at different times this month and a lot to look forward.  Let's go January!