Interesting Christmas

Well first of all let me say that I am glad Christmas is finally here! From November 13th through December 24th, I drove 6,264 miles in my Chevrolet Express Van. That doesn't include the occasional trips in the Sienna to pick up kettle when the van was being used. Our Christmas programs in Norwich are very tiring and I am really glad we have another season behind us.

A couple of notable things happened in the last month...

Extreme Makeover Home Edition Comes to Eastern Connecticut

The popular TV show came to Eastern Connecticut and The Salvation Army was asked to support the volunteers by having a 24 hr presence for the 6 days the home was being built. I managed to put in an all night shift and a few other 6 hour shifts. It was fun to be a part of this and meet some of the stars of the show. We also enjoyed a fun after party at Foxwoods. I even got to meet and have my picture taken with Miss Connecticut!

Mom and Dad come to Visit

Mom, Dad and Tracy came to visit the weekend before Christmas. They had tickets to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in New York and offered to do our meetings that same weekend. It was great to have them visit us and help us in so many ways! Dad helped take out kettles when my other drivers were snowed in and mom cleaned the house and got us caught up on laundry. They also took the kids back to Maine with them a few days before Christmas to give the kids a slight vacation and give us a break while wrapping up our Christmas distribution and kettles.

Fast forward to Christmas Eve...The kettles come in, the car is loaded and Elaine and I make the drive to Portland, Maine to join our family for Christmas. It was a smooth albeit, rainy trip, but I rarely had to cancel my cruise set speed of 75 mph. We made it in 2 hours and 50 minutes and enjoyed the traditional Cheese Fondue when we arrived.

Today was a great Christmas for us! The kids have wanted a Wii for a while now and we were able to get one this year. In addition to a few great games, we also got RockBand for it and have already played it together as a family, I on Guitar, Jay and Sam alternate on drums, Elaine typically on vocals. Its a great game and I look forward to advancing from EASY level and unlocking more songs.

However, perhaps the biggest surprise was a gift that Tracy got me. Ever since I was a child I have wanted the ship Millenium Falcon from the Star Wars movies. As a child, I never received it, and it became a running joke in our family. Well this year, Tracy got me the Falcon, or should I say she got it for Jay and me.

As I write this, we are relaxing and enjoying the day. The Wii has been set up, and as I type this, I am syncing the first of two iPods for the kids. Our Prime Rib dinner should be ready in an hour or so.

Merry Christmas!