IT...IS...DONE

I love Christmas. I'm also glad it's over with.

This year was great but we were a bit out of sorts. With no little ones in the house to wake us up early and the fact we were having the family over for breakfast at 9am meant that we didn't even open presents until after 12 o'clock. By the time we wrapped that up (reverse pun intended), my mom and Miss Amy came by and we anxiously awaited Jake's call from Ecuador.

As usual, Christmas Eve meant Rod's most excellent potato soup, our white elephant present switch, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas game, and reading of the Christmas story out of Luke. The highlight though, as it is each Christmas Eve, of course was the old wooden game of Skittles. This is where we spin a top and attempt to shoot it up through openings in the 2 foot by 3 foot board game and knock over small bowling pins for points. We play 3 rounds (spins). Of the 8 participants, I rocked the game and won handily. Tiffany and Cindy came in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Today, I manned the stove and cooked up a pile of pork - sausages and the always delicious bacon. Carolyn and Cindy operated the waffle irons (they still have those? We use Eggo's). We had about 20 people over which was about 2/3 of what we've had in the past. Rod's clan was spread out all over the country and it was just Jordan this year. We loved having our house full of people and enjoyed the spirit in our home.

The brood began arriving about 9am and we had the traditional waffles and pork smorgasborg, the kids opened presents, we laughed and watched some home dvd's of Janae and Carolyn's hookie lau dance in Hawaii '91, ice skating and sleigh rides in Utah of '92 and '94, and Jake's 2 year effort to toss every toy he had over the fence at the Borla house. Some seriously funny stuff.

I received a beautiful engraving of "A Fathers Prayer" from Alec, Tiffany and Jake. Janae got me some cool men's stuff; clothes, golf balls, cologne, shoes, and what not. The highlight of Christmas though, my best present, was Jake's phone call. We have done this drill in the past with Alec while he was in Peru for 2 years but Jake had been out a year and we'd talked to him last on Mothers' Day. He was able to talk to both of his grandma's, his brother and sister-in-law, his sweet Amy, me and his mom. He is doing great in Ecuador and said to me, "Dad, it's amazing how fast the past year went by." He also said today, "This place is awesome. I love the people." He's enjoying his time as a missionary, but I also believe he's enjoying himself. On the phone today I gave up a significant sports update, and we laughed and did impressions like we always do. Same old Jake. So far he the mission hasn't made him weird but I'm convinced only weird kids come back weird. Sort of like the old computer axiom, garbage in garbage out. Jake was cool before his mission and he'll be cool when he returns. Quod erat demonstrandum.

We surprised my mom with VIP seats to Donny and Marie. She'll sit in the front row and get to have a meet and greet with them after the show...pose for a photo and get to wear her Neil Diamond dress. To psyche her up, we also got her a karaoke machine so she can practice before the show and sing along with Marie. Janae will be her escort since I'm just not that into D & M.

The day is winding down. We're tired and will arise tomorrow where we'll be greeted with no shopping to do, no presents to wrap, or people to host. I do have to pop in the office for a spell but that's life for "The Hardest Working Man in the Insurance Business."