Monday, November 29, 2009, Nashville, TN., 4:56 a.m., C.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

Hello, all!  How are you?  I am well; certainly glad that the holidays are upon us once again.  It is my very favorite time of year!

It was great having Anh, his fiancee', Thu, Steffi and her boyfriend, Tank, Dwerlina and her family, Melizza and Dianna, and Richard home; they left yesterday. I already miss them.  We still have Johnny's older brother, Erick, and his girlfriend, Kimberly, here; they will leave later this afternoon.  Then the house will be all ours again; things will be back to normal (if such a thing were possible)!   LOL

The kids were a big help; it helped take some of the load off their father and myself; Bill and I actually got some time to relax and enjoy each other. 

One good thing about Thanksgiving:  we didn't have to lift a finger to cook.  No, siree!  We let Golden Corral do that.  LOL  We took the family for Thanksgiving lunch at Golden Corral; we really enjoyed ourselves immensely (don't know if the employees did, but we sure as heck did!  LOL).  The food was fresh and delicious; we stuffed ourselves. 

Johnny must have been hungry:  he had four plates; everyone else had two at the most.  LOL

Richard had him beat, though:  he had eight.

Never knew a kid could eat so much!  LOL

After we got home from the Corral, we watched the Dallas Cowboys make turkeys out of the Raiders.  Dallas whupped on 'em pretty good; it was a great game!  We then sat around, and let our bellies rest until we hit the sack by nine.  We had to:  we were going shopping bright and early the next morning; we wanted to be at Wal*Mart by four/five a.m., when the doors opened.

We got out of there by nine; we then hit the mall, where we took the littler kids to see Santa.  More buying ensued. 

We are all done now with our shopping:  all we have to do is wrap the gifts and put 'em under the tree once the tree is up.  (First, though, we have to get a tree.  LOL)  I will also have to do our annual Christmas newsletter and get the cards ready and sent out.  Also have to make Christmas cookies and sweets.  *Sigh*

Seems I'm even busier during the holidays.  *More sighs*

The kids know that Christmas is quickly approaching, so they are trying their level-headed best to be on their best behavior, which Bill and I really appreciate.  Now why can't they be this good all the time??  LOL

Even with the busy-ness of the season, I still love Christmastime.

It is one of my very favorite times of year, as I alluded to earlier.

I love the scents of pine, cinnamon, holly, and berries permeating the air, and the Christmas music takes me back to a happier, simpler time, like when I was a child growing up in Cajun Country in Louisiana.  I love the twinkling lights, and seeing the smiles on people's faces.  Yes, Christmas time is definitely a happy time for me and my family.

We have our Cantata in a few weeks at our church, so in addition to all of the above, we have that to look forward to.  The choir has been busy practicing; in two weeks is our rehearsal before "the big concert".  I pray it all goes well, and pray that people who come have their hearts touched with the message we are trying to convey.

I got the Christmas portraits of the children last week; they are beautiful!  Now why can't my kids look this good all the time??

We had the portraits done at Wal*Mart; they had a sale.  They did an excellent job.  We used to use Olan Mills for our pictures, but they got way too pricey, so we had to go with something cheaper.

I will have to send copies to family and friends, so they can see how much the kids have grown.  They'll be surprised!  Seems like only yesterday when they were tiny or itty-bitty!  *Sighh*

I will also have to scan 'em and put 'em online, so I can send copies to the adoption community I belong to. 

On Saturday, we went downtown, where our city threw its annual "Parade of Lights"/Lighting of the Christmas Tree; they had special music (I and several members of my family performed; we had a great time), speeches, tributes to our military men and women overseas (as well as a moment of silence for those slain at Fort Hood in Texas, earlier this month), and of course, a visit from Santa Claus.  They even had fireworks, which were spectacular!

We will probably have our Christmas on Christmas Eve or after I get home from work.  Yes, I am scheduled to work on Christmas this year.  Hospitals don't close for Christmas:  people get sick or injured; they need treatment.  Help has to be available, so places like fire stations, police stations, or hospitals must remain open, even on weekends or holidays.

Next year, I will be off Christmas and work Thanksgiving.  I alternate every year.  One year, I work Christmas, and am off Thanksgiving, the following year, it's opposite.

It's something I'm used to; have done it now for over ten years.

Even with working on Christmas Day this year,  I am still filled with the spirit that is Christmas; in fact, I try to live it every day of the year.  Am not always successful, but I do try.  :)  I try to instill this in my family; sometimes they do a much better job at it than me.  LOL

Well, I'd best get ready for work; have to be there in an hour and a half (work 7 to 7 today).  I will write in here another time; until then, this is Louisiana saying so long!  May God bless you always and may you have the happiest of Christmases!

~Love, your friend in Tennessee, Louie.  :)