It's over!

The holiday season is over! I don't count New Year's Eve as part of the holiday season because I don't really celebrate it. I often try to, but it seems like it gets thwarted every time. Last year, we were supposed to celebrate at Busch Gardens with Sadia, but Meg's flight was delayed and we got there really late. It was an incredibly special night for my future husband and me anyway, but New Years wasn't a big deal.

This year, Meg is in Seattle. My New Year's Eve date from last year is now my husband. Jack was born. Every single part of my life has changed. If you think about it, New Years Eve of last year really was the dawn of a new era for me.

I don't have resolutions. I think they are ridiculous. I do have some hopes for this coming year though. I hope that the seeds that we planted this year will continue to be nurtured into something that will be enjoyed later (and I'm not talking about the seeds from my dead tomato plant.) I hope that the decisions I made throughout the year will continue to be the right decisions. I hope that all of my friends will stay healthy or get healthier.

I hope you have a fun and safe New Year's Eve. Have a drink for me. Use a designated driver or call a cab if you need one. (If you have to ask yourself if you need a ride, you do.) Don't forget to stake out your midnight kiss ahead of time and be in position when the ball drops. I'll be living la vida loca at home most likely.

A New Holiday Tradition

As many of you know, earlier this year I got married. When I got married, I had never met my husband's family and I had never really considered the implications that this union would have on the holiday season. Anyone who knows me knows that no holiday is ever simple. This is probably true for most people, but I have a blended family and that means that I have to work together with all the many members of our different family groups to try and make sure everyone feels that they had the best holiday possible. Getting married added a whole lot more family.

One of the things that has made the holidays doable for me has been the fact that the vast majority of my family lives in Central Florida like me. I can reach the majority of my family in any number of directions in about an hour. My husband is the only member of his family who lives here and that has changed things up a bit. This year, for the first Christmas ever, I'll be away for Christmas. Can we say road trip?

I'm nervous for a number of reasons including and not limited to:

• New people that I have to like. When I was married before my husband had a grand total of ONE family member. This is a lot of pressure.
• Traveling with a baby who is just over two months old. I'm not sure how to make this work without ruining his sleep schedule.
• Introducing my husband to my father. My dad and my grandparents live in North Florida so we get to visit them too, but my father has never met anyone that I dated.
• Integrating into the previously mentioned new family. My husband apparently told his family I would help with the cooking. In my family, despite the fact that I am thirty years old, I'm kind of a junior member. By the time I arrive everything is finished and if I do bring anything it's either dessert or drinks. They have the whole routine down and they've been doing it since I was a baby, if not before then.

I'm sure we will figure it all out, but right now it's kind of in the planning stages.