On The First Day Of Christmas My True Love Gave To Me...

1 Year,  34 Weeks.


How does one quantify happiness?  Or maybe I should put it this way:  Do we mentally record our moments of happiness and rank them based on significance?  If that were the case, I can easily remember the many times in my life that I can truly say were the most happy.  Some of these would include:

• The evening Tangie said "Yes."
• Our wedding day
• When we found out we were expecting
• The births of our children
• Touring Great Britain with the SAU symphony orchestra
• Traveling with Tangie;  Going on cruises.
• Getting my first set of golf clubs
• Playing golf at the Isleworth Country Club (where Tiger Woods used to live & play)
• My first round under 100; Also, when I broke 90.

So yes, it was another moment of happiness, and one of complete surprise, when last Friday evening Tangie gave me an early Christmas present and had me open it...

"...On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a brand new MacBook Pro laptop..."

I was stunned.  Speechless.  Not quite sure if this was really happening or just a cruel trick.  I blankly stared at the box for a moment, trying to process what I had just opened up.  What in the world...  I was dumbfounded and flabbergasted.  How could she have pulled off such an awesome surprise?  It never occurred to me that she had been secretly conspiring with my brother across the country and together had chosen to get me this thing of beauty as my Christmas gift.  I mean, I know I've been complaining about our old computer forever, but I never expected...  Wow.  Unbelievable.  You know, people say that "Once you go Mac, you never go back."

Yeah, I'm okay with that!

One of the first purchases we made together as a married couple, our desk top PC has been a frequent cause of headaches and frustration, as more and more times it has shown its age in its lack of speed during application processes, if it doesn't freeze up all together, as I always expect it to.  Especially when it comes to writing and uploading pictures/videos on this blog.  So you can imagine my euphoria when I realized that gone were the days of waiting and waiting for pages to load, the moments of constant annoyance sitting idly by, hoping the computer wouldn't stall and keel over in the middle of something important.

Consequently, this will be the first post entered from the new laptop.  And it feels AWESOME!

Giddy as a school boy.

So while I continue to learn the various intricacies of this new system, I'll share this past week's adventures.

My parents came up for the weekend to help us with the children, as Tangie and I had an outing planned for Saturday night.  They arrived Friday evening, just in time for a supper of Vietnamese Pho that I had prepared, and played with the kids until it was time for the twins to go to bed.  After eating we went outside to the pergola and put on a cozy fire, where we roasted s'mores and some chestnuts Tangie had gotten from Publix.  "Chestnuts roasting, on an open fire..."  Soooo good!  Braelyn enjoyed hanging out with Lolo and Lala on the hammock, as we caught up and talked about plans for the holidays and their upcoming trip to help my brother and sister-in-law in California when their little boy arrives late January.  It was after that, once we went back inside, that Tangie gave some early Christmas gifts for us to open, with Braelyn getting a Leapster Explorer (that was given to us by some good friends Cy & Devi) and I getting my new "baby".

The twins wanted to see what was so yummy.

Enjoying the hammock with the grandparents.

Chestnuts + Fire =

Roasted Chestnuts.

She was happy too, can't you tell?

What is this...?

We attended church on Sabbath but it was only Lolo that accompanied us, as Lala hadn't slept well the previous night and wasn't feeling so good, so we left her to take a nap while we were gone.  We had prepared lunch of Indian cuisine which we ate on the patio, enjoying the cooler weather of the season, with the children playing in the backyard before their naps.  Later that evening Tangie and I attended her company's annual Christmas party, this year at the Hard Rock Cafe in Universal Studio's Citywalk.  It was nice to catch up with her fellow co-workers and the partners I have gotten to know over the years, as it was 13 years ago she had asked me out to be her date on her very first Christmas party with the firm.  And I guess the rest, you can say, is history!  Actually, there were so many new faces and new employees we actually had to go around introducing ourselves to some people.  We ended up sharing a table with twin Chinese American sisters, one of whom works for E & Y, and enjoyed seeing and hearing about the special bond they shared growing up.  We are hoping Maddy and Kohl will be as close when they grow up!  After the party, with a full night of freedom, we had the opportunity go or do anything we wanted.  Go to a movie perhaps?  Or resort hopping to see the Christmas lights?  Nah.  Let's go to Babies R Us and go shopping for the children!  We are so boring...and we love it!

Making clip clop sounds with the clip clop sound makers.

Re-enacting the shepherd scene.

The grandkids smother Lala.

Lounging in the backyard.

Date night at the "ard" Rock Cafe.

Busted!  Shopping for the kiddos.

Can't pass up a good deal, especially on clothes.

Early Sunday morning I did the lawn.  It hadn't been done since Thanksgiving and was starting to show. Meanwhile, Tangie had the children and managed to start the laundry and pick up around the house.  After naps we ventured out to Sea World, where we took advantage of their holiday fun pass deal for 2012, as mentioned in last week's post.  So we packed our gear, including pj's and pacifiers, for we knew it was going to be past their bedtime when we headed back home from the park and they would be fast asleep by the time we arrive.  We also packed 2 big golf umbrellas, as the forecast for the evening said there was going to be a 60% chance of rain, and sure enough, it rained...100% of the time we were there!  I mean, as soon as we parked and got out of the van we started to feel raindrops, and by the time we had redeemed our online tickets and cleared the gates at the entrance, the deluge had completely enveloped the entire park!  We spent a good half hour waiting under awnings and inside shops while the rain continued to pour.  When it finally subdued to a light drizzle we figured that was the best it was going to get and pulled the canopies over the kids' heads, popped open the umbrellas, and off we went.  One of the main reasons we went in the evening was to see the Christmas lights they have around the park but also their Elmo Christmas show was on so we wanted the kids, especially the twins, to see it.  And loved it they did, especially Kohlden!  It wasn't too crowded because of the weather but it did make for some frantic fast paced walking around the park.  At least we burned some calories, but oh, our thighs and shins were so sore the following day(s).

So dark, this was around 4 in the afternoon.

Kohl was tired of waiting in the stroller and wanted out!

In line to tour the North Pole.

Touching the ice wall:  Brrr!  Shiver, shiver, shiver!

Getting ready for Shamu.

Yes, she was exhausted.  This was Maddy by the time we reached the car.

I certainly am enjoying this time of the year so much more than in years past.  At least, I have a much different outlook and perspective on the holidays.  Perhaps it's because I'm not dealing with demanding and high maintenance customers. Or maybe it's because I'm not being constantly pressured to exceed last year's numbers.  Or, on the flip side, maybe it's because I'm spending more time with the children and doing things with the family on the weekends.  In any case, I think I have much more of an appreciation with the meaning of Christmas and the holidays than I ever had before, not focusing on materialistic things, rather, on moments that I will cherish and remember for years to come.  As they say, it's better to give than to receive...unless, of course, it's receiving a new Mac computer!  Okay, let me stop.                                                      

               

                            

Maddy and her sideways glance, playing at the park.

It's not what you think it is;  Braelyn's class made "snow".

Just woke up from their naps!

Waiting for Santa to drive by the house.

Fascinated by all the birds for sale.

Dish of the week:

Beef Pad Thai.

Randoms:

Saw this Saturday night when shopping for toys:  An updated version of a timeless classic, now with electronic banking!  Look at the caption:  Cards, not Cash!  Gone are the good old days when cash was king!

Did you know Santa and Mrs. Claus did their shopping at Costco?

Couldn't they have just rounded up to a whole number, say like, 12?

I was picking Brae up from school and was trying to get her excited about Santa Claus visiting the subdivision on top of a fire truck from the Ocoee Fire Dept., which happens each year at Christmas time:

     Me:  "C'mon, we've got to go home so we can be ready to see Santa tonight!"
     Brae:  "I know that.  Daddy?  Why is Santa riding a fire truck?  What happened to the sleigh?"
     Me:  "Um...it's broken.  He's riding a fire truck while they fix his sleigh."
     Brae:  "Why doesn't he ride a taxi?"
     Me:  "Because it's too expensive."
     Brae:  "Oh."

Can you just imagine...Santa on a taxi?  Maybe in New York City!

Strange white bearded guy resembling someone familiar handing out candy canes to small children.  
He even had the jolly "Ho Ho Ho" down pat.  Hmmm...Santa?  Is that really you?!?  But the best part is the pallet of Bumblebee Tuna acting as the backdrop!

Have a great weekend, and a very Merry Christmas!