So it was the week of MLK Holiday. Scott was off school and busy studying for his upcoming midterms scheduled during the week. They would start testing on Tuesday and run to Friday with half days. He still had Boy Scout planning meetings scheduled and was busy making phone calls to Merit Badge counselors to plan for the upcoming camping trip in Feb. as well as the weekly meetings. Since MLK was a school holiday, Scott was assigned to work. Fortunately since Tom and I were at work, Allison was able to give Scott a ride. She decided she had better travel back to school since it was a holiday and there would be less traffic. Also in order to beat the returning crowds of students as Spring term started the following week. She loaded up her Toyota Fit with her new coffee table that we got for free from neighbors, along with all her winter clothes and Christmas goodies. After dropping off Scott, she drove back to school. She was pleased with the outcome of her midterm exam and recent debate from her online class and was busy finishing up her last debate and preparing for the final exam. The class was over that Thursday night. That is a quick semester! At least she had some fun at home. She and Tom headed up to Hershey PA again on Saturday night to catch a Hershey Bears Hockey game while Scott and I were busy at the roller rink. And I was glad that she made it back to school before the big storm. It was fast approaching that Friday night. Fortunately, the Eastern Shore  and Salisbury does not get as much snow or bad weather like we do here. But better to be prepared.

I sent Allison out to buy a lantern and some bottled water. She will often lose power or sometimes the water has to be shut off at their condo. I also recommended she pick up a snow shovel in case they could not get out their front door! I am sure the condo would be responsible for plowing the parking lot and shoveling sidewalks, but you never know when or how much.  Plus Allison forgot to pack her ice scraper for the car. She managed to find a lantern and water. No snow shovels left. And it took several trips to find an ice scraper. All the students were back at school by Thursday night and Allison says it was crazy! We had the same experience here in EC. I went looking for an extra snow shovel(just in case). The shelves were well stocked the week before. Since our weather has been so mild lately, all the winter items have been put on sale and were still sitting on the shelves. Even our plants had started blooming! My daffodils were coming up and the leaves on the bushes were budding. And the cherry trees were blooming in DC! Anyhow, no more snow shovels or ice scrapers or salt here in EC. And the food shelves were almost empty. The stores were crazy busy! Everyone was preparing for a long stretch stuck at home(and hopefully not in the dark without power or heat).

We actually are fairly well set for storms with our gas fireplace for heat and the grill for cooking(if you can get to it). Plus lots of camping gear. Even Mom B is well prepared at her apt complex. They have a generator, tons of food, and plenty of staff that stayed overnight. Actually, we have considered staying with them in a big storm! I did pick up another propane tank and lots of groceries just in case. I love having my Fridays off from work. I do a lot of errands. Including last week when I took Mom to the broker to sign more papers for the new Family trust(notary required). I also love to get in my water aerobics class in the morning. Fortunately the snow storm held off until late Friday afternoon, so there was time to do the shopping and go to exercise class. Unfortunately, school panicked and closed for the day. They were only going to open for a half day to finish up the midterm exams. Now Scott has two more tests to make up when they go back-math and government. As it is, we had a small snow/ice storm on Weds night that caused a 2 hr school delay on Thursday. What a headache.

The Winter Storm Jonas(Jonas Brothers as the kids called it)was heading our way(and Baltimore was the Bullseye!). It started snowing Friday afternoon and did not stop until Sunday morning. When all was said and done, we had about 3 feet of snow on the ground. Tom and Scott took turns over 2 days snow blowing and shoveling. What do you do when you are stuck in the house? Cleaning and cooking and baking. My oven and crock pot were in overload with chili and cookies and apple crisp. I actually would have been happy being stuck in the house for about a month! I have lots of closets to clean out. I always keep busy with dishes and laundry(plus added snow clothing). I did manage to reorganize alot of Christmas decorations. Now I just have to get it back in the attic. Looks like no school for awhile.

Our Big Snow!

 Shoveling Out.

So Allison figured out that she could stay at home and complete her online class(at least for 1 week). I love having Allison at home! So does the rest of the family. Tom was busy working out in Denver. My workplace was still busy, so I offered to put in a few hours on Sunday. I also put Allison to work helping with housework and dinner. Scott loved having Allison at home since she picked him up after school. Allison had a midterm online and another online debate to complete in her class.

Scott was busy wrapping up his last full week of classes and preparing for midterms. He also had to meet with his school counselor and teachers to put together a class schedule for next year! And on top of all that, he was  busy organizing the weekly boy scout meetings as well as assisting with the planning for an upcoming scout camping trip. He had to contact multiple merit badge counselors to help organize their winter camp-in scheduled at the end of February. He was also busy working on the weekend at the roller skate rink.

And I got to join him! My previous Girl Scout Service Unit sponsors a yearly roller skating weekend event at the end of January. I have volunteered to assist with running the program since my girl scouts were in high school. I continue to get a phone call asking for my assistance. I don't mind since I know the routine, and Scott now works at the center. So I get to spend more time with him! Our schedule was off this year with the new management bumping up our program earlier in the month. No matter. We had less girls sign up since the upcoming MLK weekend was the following Monday. That actually made registration and check in a lot easier. And a whole lot less injuries too! Scott worked our event on Saturday night, but left work before our Sunday evening program. After the skating event, I usually volunteer to collect all the cleaning supplies donated by the troops to drop off at a local charity. So my van was packed with paper towels, windex and bleach. The only thing is I would have loved to spend some time roller blading myself, but I was too busy assisting with the paperwork and managing the participants.

Tom had returned from Denver early so we had Friday to spend together. When he is not busy at work, he is usually busy with his first online PhD class. He has spent quite a bit of time already writing papers. We took a break and spent the morning at a movie. We decided to go see Hateful 8(a very intense Quentin Taratino movie). Although  pretty gory and violent, Tom and I still enjoy his movies.

We also enjoy spending time with my Mom. We spent the afternoon packing up Mom's Christmas decorations, putting them in storage, and taking the entire family out to dinner. It is wonderful to be able to spend time together.

Scott working at the Roller Rink

 and planning organized activities at Boy Scouts(group ski races!)

So we returned  from Florida and were back on our busy schedules. Scott was back to school and running the scout meetings. He also was back to his robotics team meetings to start designing and building their new robot for the upcoming competition in March. He was also back to work at the roller blade rink on the weekend. School was busy wrapping up the 2nd semester, so he had some tests and assignments to keep him busy. And we parents were asked to attend a meeting at the high school to discuss the kid's classes for next year! The administration wants to make sure we are pushing our kids to take higher level courses in order to improve their chances on getting into the colleges of their choice. Scott will be busy with extra engineering courses next year, so he is thinking of trying his hand at guitar as an elective(can't talk him into staying with choir). He will also be busy with Chemistry, Calculus, World History and English. Right now we just need to get through 10th grade!

Allison meanwhile was back at school figuring out her online course. She discovered that it was strictly online and that she did not have to meet with fellow class members at all. She was busy running around getting all her books the first few days and then busy reading them. Her first assignment was a debate. She was assigned to a group and they had to present their side of an argument. Most of the topics involved business practices, simply put, big business should provide a portion of their profit to charities, or executives should/should not be paid big salaries.  Allison was not too thrilled with her group's level of participation, but she did not get to choose her classmates. The group pulled out a B+ on their first debate. Fortunately things only got better as the class progressed. But Allison discovered that she did not need to be stuck at school to take her class. One of her roommates returned from home, but Allison felt she could not get as much work done with her friend around. And so Allison asked to come home to finish her class. Since we had dropped her off at school she did not have her car. So on Saturday afternoon, Tom drove out and picked her up to bring her home.

I spent our first weekend back at home busy running errands and getting my car worked on. I had hit 100,000 miles on my van so I needed an overhaul. Fortunately there was not alot that needed to be done, and Tom planned on doing some of the work himself(like changing my brake pads). He dropped the car off for me in the morning and then picked it up after driving to Salisbury to get Allison. Then the two of them headed up to Hershey to catch a hockey game. Scott and I were at home so I could get him to work. I did not have much time to get things done on the weekend since I had to work on Friday. One of our staff members injured her back and was out on workman's comp. So I went in to help out the staff. That left me with Saturday to catch up on my errands. On Sunday, Tom was headed out to Denver for a business trip. I took my mom in for a hair appointment and got Scott to work. He had a busy weekend preparing for his upcoming midterms.

Our weather was fairly mild here in Maryland over the Christmas holiday. The first weekend back home we had a rain storm and the first double rainbow I have ever seen while picking up Mom B from her apt on Sunday afternoon. Amazing!

So we left the train station on Christmas Day in our very own van and headed to Disney World! We arrived around 10 am only to discover that Disney was sold out! Apparently that is one of their busiest days!  Instead, we detoured to Epcot and bought a 2 day pass.

It is an interesting trip when you take along someone in a wheelchair or scooter. I had rented Mom B a portable scooter in order for her to get around long distances like Disney or Epcot. You get to park in handicap parking, closer to the door(good thing). We rolled right into Epcot and had a beautiful day exploring all the different countries and riding a few of their rides. Even Mom B enjoyed the rides(but we had her skip Fast Track and Soarin!). We loved all the Christmas decorations and strolling past the Living Christmas tree concert. And Christmas dinner was in Mexico. We were getting the hang of the scooter thing until someone scooter jacked us. An elderly couple were given Mom's scooter by mistake by the staff in the restaurant when we parked it to  go eat. Who knew that every key fits every scooter! After I just told my mom, "It will be fine. We can leave it here. No one is going to steal your scooter!" Little did I know! Scott tracked down the culprits(an elderly gentleman) and we were able to swap scooters and be on our way!

That was Friday. On Saturday we thought we would take our chances at Disney World. Tom and the kids got up early and drove the van over to the park. They had hit several rides before Mom and I were dressed and having breakfast. Then Mom and I took the hotel van over to the park. I had to locate the van and unload the scooter. But I drove it up to the entrance and loaded Mom onto it. Then we took the ferry to the front door and made it into the park before it closed again-filled to capacity! We entered just when a Christmas parade was coming by so we sat and enjoyed the show until the kids and Tom met up with us. Disney is so handicap friendly. Even though many people have taken advantage of the system in the past, they have altered some of the procedures and it was still very impressive. Allison downloaded fast passes on her phone so we could catch specific rides at certain times. Mom and our gang also received Fast Pass Plus which allowed all of us set times to board with mom along. She enjoyed The Haunted Mansion, The Jungle Cruise, Winnie the Pooh ride(twice), The People Mover, The Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress, and the Tikki Room. Everything else was just too crowded or too fast paced. We had a wonderful day and Tom, Scott and Mom headed back to the hotel at dark. Allison and I stayed behind to catch the firework show and light parade as well as a few more rides. Sadly the Pirates ride was down. And we missed the 7 Dwarf Mine Ride(ran out of fast passes). But another wonderful day with perfect weather in the 80s!

On Sunday we packed up and stopped into Downtown Disney shopping plaza(now known as Disney Springs). It is a small shopping plaza with lots of restaurants, entertainment and condos on a small lake. We stopped into Ghiradelli for a hot chocolate and the Pin Store for Allison to swap Disney pins. She lucked out and bought a mystery package with Star Wars Pins! Luke and Leia! We also toured the Legos store. Then we were on our way to Venice. We stopped into Tom's parents house for a quick visit and to stroll around their community checking out the Christmas lights. Tom was staying with his parents, and we were at the Hampton Inn. I decided to get a suite for my mom and I so we could visit with the rest of the Bozyk family when they arrived. Dan and Sheila and their kids, and Dave and Sandra and their two boys were there on Sunday. We had a quick visit with Dave and Sandra, Chris and Nick on Sunday. On Monday we were busy getting ready for the service we had on Tuesday for my Dad. We also had a family outing to see the new Star Wars movie, and then take out Pizza Hut for our whole family back at the hotel.

On Weds, Dan and Dave's family headed out. Dave and Sandra decided to take their family to Disney before driving back to Houston. Dan and Sheila had to drop their daughter, Caroline off to the airport for a scheduled ski trip and decided to keep going. Before Dave and Sandra and their kids left, we met my Uncle Joe and Aunt Kathy for breakfast. They had driven all night to arrive in Venice at their rented condo so they could visit with us before we all left. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and visit with them, even looking through their son Ryan's wedding album(of which we were in many of the photos from last Sept!). After breakfast we stopped into Tom's parent's house. I took Mike on a bike tour down to the beach. We loved spotting the gopher tortoises along the route.

We then left Mike and Mom at the hotel with BBQ carry out as Tom and I, Scott and Allison, and Tom's sister Susan and husband John headed up to Tampa for a Tampa Bay Lightening Hockey game. We arrived a bit early so we had time to walk the Tampa River Walk and eat dinner outside on a patio at a nearby restaurant. Later we discovered that the Arena has a large patio with food trucks and tables as well as several stages and live bands providing entertainment. The hockey game was incredible, even though Tampa Bay lost to the NY Rangers. We were especially impressed with the light show from the Tesla coil in the roof shooting out lightning bolts. We'll have to go back and spend more time visiting the Tampa area-lots to see and do.

On Thursday we met up with my Uncle Joe and Aunt Kathy at their rented condo, only about 20 mins away from Tom's parents. They have rented their place for the past several years and share their street with many retired Michiganders hunkering down in the South over the winter months. Tom, Mom, Mike and I and the kids stopped in for an afternoon visit on New Year's Eve after lunch with Tom's parents. I gave Mike and Mom a tour before lunch of Tom's parent's beautiful new Community Hall and Pool in their retirement community of which Tom's Dad was responsible for its being built. At Joe and Kathy's we were treated to an afternoon of kayaking and paddle boarding. Tom stayed at the condo with mom while we headed out to a nearby park on Lemon Bay. Scott had his first experience paddle boarding while Allison, Mike and I kayaked. Allison and I were treated to a SeaWorld experience with a show by the local dolphins as they swam around our kayaks and did flips in the air! What an amazing day! Afterwards we headed to Susan and John's house for a New Year's celebration. Sadly, we watched our poor MSU football team get spanked in their Fiesta bowl game. But we did enjoy putting together our yearly puzzle with Tom's Dad that evening. And Thanks to Susan and John for being such wonderful hosts!

On New Year's Day we were packed up and headed out to Busch Gardens in Tampa. (You should have seen my well packed van!). Tom and his Dad went out and bought a top car carrier for suitcases and a rack for the hitch to haul the scooter. We spent a beautiful New Year's Day at Busch Gardens and sent Mike on his way to the airport in the afternoon via taxi. Then it was off to Happy Hour at our hotel with dinner from our favorite Taco Bus(as featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives). Then we hit the road on Saturday-bumper to bumper traffic all the way to South Carolina. On Sunday we detoured in VA to the eastern shore to drop off Allison at school. She was taking a winter class and was not sure if she had to be at school or not since it was an online course. Better safe than sorry. Plus it gave us a chance to give Mom B a quick drive by tour of Salisbury U and drop in on Allison's condo. Then back home and dropping Mom off at her apt.

Christmas at Disney!

 Epcot Center

Magic Kingdom

 Lego Store at Disney Springs

 Mom, Joe and Kathy

 Venice Bike Path

 Sunset at Nokomis Beach

Gopher Tortoise

Tampa Bay Lightning Game w/ Susan and John

 Scott on Paddleboard

Allison and Mike in kayaks

New Year's Eve party with Mom S, Gus dog and Mike

 Puzzle mania with Grandpa S

Visit to Busch Gardens

So we headed off on our big trip to Florida on Thursday, Christmas Eve. We were going to Florida for one main purpose, my Dad's funeral and memorial service. I had decided that since my parents never made plans for their final resting place, that Florida was a good choice since most of my mother's family is buried there. I had contacted the cemetery and made arrangements for the burial and had decided on cremation for traveling purposes.  After speaking to the Deacon who would perform the service at the cemetery, I found out that we could schedule a funeral mass at the nearby cathedral. What a special opportunity! I thought since we weren't parishioners that we could not use their church. Instead, I was directed to a wonderful volunteer who helped me through the entire process of setting up the service over the phone. We could even have the mass said in polish if we wished! We just would not be able to understand a word of it! And unfortunately the coordinator had never heard of  a polish mass with accordion music(aka polka mass).   I also wanted to set up a place to meet afterwards for lunch since the whole family was getting together and the ceremony was scheduled for the morning. I did not want to worry about the hot Florida sun or afternoon showers, so I scheduled the service for the morning.  Turns out we had the most gorgeous weather during our whole trip there. I also figured we could find a restaurant easier for lunchtime than dinner.

Our family decided to travel the fastest way down to Florida that Mom B would approve of-the Amtrak Auto Train! We talked about trying it for many years. This seemed like a good opportunity. You pick up the train in Virginia, south of DC and it takes you to Orlando! They drive your vehicle right on the train. We left at 4pm, slept overnight and arrived in Orlando at 8am! Before the train station was even open. We made great time. And we had a wonderful dinner in the dining car-fish, beef, rice and broccoli and cheesecake for dessert. Although the train is a bit bumpy and not easy to walk back and forth from your car to the dining car. They also have a lounge car with a bar and tv screens to watch movies. We bunked down in our own sleeping quarters. Mom and I shared a compartment, Scott and Allison next door on the lower level and Tom had his own space up top. The train has two levels. We were closer to the bathrooms which looked just like airplane toilets. Each compartment has two seats that fold down into a bed along with a small table. The conductor in our car made up the beds complete with pillows, sheets and blankets. I slept in the overhead bunk. It was a real pain climbing up and down to go to the bathroom. They had showers, but Tom said they were not very exciting.  And it is not a terribly restful sleep. The train starts and stops along the way to let freight trains pass, and it is a bit noisy and shaky, but it was fun to look out the window at small towns along the way all decorated with Christmas lights.  Mom and I even spent some time finishing up our Christmas cards before dinner. Allison and I had traveled by train in Europe on an overnight trip and thought this was much more comfortable. When we arrived, all the passengers sit outside the train station waiting for their cars to be driven off. We were on our way by 9am!

Our funeral service was scheduled for Tuesday which gave everyone a chance to travel to Florida. Dan and Sheila and their twins, Caroline and Clayton, arrived Sunday afternoon in Venice as did Dave and Sandra and their two boys, Nicholas and Christopher, all driving in from Texas. Their daughter Sarah drove in with her boyfriend Monday night from Louisiana, and Mike B flew into Tampa on Monday night as well. Unfortunately my Uncle Joe and Aunt Kathy had car trouble along the way and were not able to make the ceremony. But Tom's parents and his sister Susan and husband John were invited and joined us for the ceremony and lunch afterwards. I spent Monday getting ready for the busy day-calling the cemetery and the church as well as the restaurant to verify our schedule. I also treated Mom B to her first manicure/pedicure along with the rest of us girls-Allison and myself, Sandra and Mom Seitz. We all took a quick lunch break at the restaurant next door with Tom and his parents and then dropped Mom B off to get her hair done. Then it was time to get the extended family together to see the new "Star Wars" movie. Since we had such a huge group we decided to split up and enjoy dinner with the Bozyk clan back at our hotel. I had Tom reserve a suite in the Hampton Inn for mom and I and a room for the kids. That way we could visit with family members without crowding out the Seitz families in their Florida homes. We all enjoyed an evening of take out from  Pizza Hut and catching up.

We all arrived at the church on Tuesday morning early for a quick review of the service. Tom, Allison, Sandra and Sarah all graciously volunteered for the readings, and Scott, Clayton and Christopher helped out with bringing up the gifts for communion. Dan and Dave led our procession into and out of the church with Dad's urn. The priest offered a prayer prior to the mass over the urn as we all walked in together. I brought along some mementos per recommendation of the mass coordinator to display on a small table in front of the altar. I placed a photo of Dad, some Christmas lillies, a small Ford truck and emblem, his John Deere hat and some Florida shells as well as Michigan Petoskey stones. The church was beautifully decorated with poinsettias and a huge manger scene. They even had a banner on the altar with Dad's name and an even bigger surprise, the Christmas mass was said in his honor! We had the whole church to ourselves as well as our own organist and choir. The music and the service was wonderful. Afterwards we headed to the cemetery. We had a short prayer service and had a quick opportunity to visit the gravesite and the memorial headstone. Both my parents now have a joined plot among family members, primarily on my mom's side. After the burial, we headed to Sarasota for lunch.  I thought the luncheon went well-lots of food and drinks to choose from, but I was disappointed that they did not have a projector on hand to show off our slide show of Dad. Allison, Tom and I worked very hard organizing and scanning photos of Dad from childhood to present day. Allison even added beautiful piano music. They had a screen, but no projector available. Instead we played it on the laptop, but it is so much nicer on a large screen. Later we showed Tom's parents on their tv and brother Mike had an opportunity to see it. I thought it was very sweet.

So that was the most important part of our trip. After lunch we all took a family photo and then split up. I dropped into Nokomis Beach and watched a beautiful sunset with Mike. We then headed into Venice for ice cream at Kilwins!(just like Michigan). Allison needed to get her fill of  Superman ice cream. It was a very special day.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We were running around and getting ready for the holidays and our big trip to Florida.


Scott had one more full busy week of school with tests and homework before the holiday break. He also participated in his first, two Holiday choir concerts. His high school has so many talented students and groups that they had to hold a school concert over two evenings. Tom and I headed to Scott's concert Thursday night and enjoyed the first hour together listening to the choir perform. Then Tom took Scott home so he could finish homework and study for a few tests. I decided to stay on for the evening and especially enjoyed listening to the strings perform(all the violinists and cello players). You can tell most of the kids have been playing and performing for quite some time. On Friday evening, the kids were all back at it. This time I brought Mom Bozyk to the concert. They mostly played Christmas music and did a fantastic job-especially when they combined the entire choir and all the orchestras-strings and wind instruments as well as percussion singing Gloria. A fantastic job! And Scott finally got to wear his tux!


I was hoping Tom and Allison would have been able to join us, as well as Allison's boyfriend Tyler. However, Tom was stuck at the pet store waiting for Cookie to finish with her grooming. And Allison was giving Tyler a ride home from school and his family was waiting for him for dinner. So Gma and I enjoyed the concert on our own. Afterwards though we all got together for dinner out a local restaurant and then I dropped mom off back at her apt. We had both spent the afternoon at the hairdresser. I decided to get a shorter cut for our trip to Florida and mom needed a perm.  On Saturday I was busy running errands and getting Scott to work. Tom decided to take Allison to a Hershey Bear hockey game along with friend John Dutton. I spent the time wrapping presents. We decided to have Christmas a week early since we were going to be traveling to Florida during the holidays. I decided I really liked having Christmas early. On that Sunday morning I had to go into work. I was making up an extra day since I would not be in on Christmas Eve. I worked in the morning and then headed over to Mom's retirement building to sing for the residents with the Girl Scout choir. We put on an hour long show and the resident's loved us! They said we provided the best entertainment of the season since we sang such a variety of songs, including a few Hannukah songs. After our show, I brought mom over to our house to enjoy an early Christmas dinner along with presents. When mom had opened all of her gifts, I dropped her back home after a quick drive through our neighborhood to enjoy the Christmas lights. Everyone seems to have gone all out putting up incredible light displays. I think because the weather was so nice this year. After dropping her off, I hurried home so our family could finish opening up our gifts.  We all got really nice presents; more than we expected. And Thank you to Susan and John  P. or providing our Christmas dinner!  The ham and cheesecake were perfect!  I even received an extra special treat when a secret santa dropped off a present on our front door Sunday night! An adorable snowman decoration. What a wonderful neighborhood we have!

Enjoying Christmas dinner!

 Tom and Allison head off to a Hershey Bear Hockey Game

 Scott and Gma at the HS Holiday concert

 Scott and friends at the cookie exchange party

 Opening Christmas presents!

Cookie does not seem to be enjoying the Spirit of Christmas in her new Santa outfit







Scott and I enjoyed a very busy Saturday together. In the morning we headed out with the Boy Scout troop to visit the NSA museum. We learned all about secret codes during war time, starting with George Washington all the way up to our recent battles during our private tour. I especially enjoyed doing some shopping for Tom in the NSA gift shop. Afterwards, Scott and I had lunch with one of his friends and fellow scout mom at a local restaurant. Then we were headed off to a cookie exchange party. But this was nothing like the ones I have been to before. This is a group of  Scott's friends and their parents from his elementary catholic school. The mom hosting the party not only had all of us provide cookies to swap(I had been busy baking all week), but she had an incredible amount of food(chili, soup, appetizers) along with gift bags for each guest. Her generosity was overwhelming. I really enjoyed myself and chatting with the other parents. And Scott and his friends kept busy with video games. But we had to leave since Scott had to get to work and I had to get  busy wrapping gifts.

I also enjoyed celebrating the holidays during the week with a Christmas party at work. We had a wonderful work luncheon and I even won an I-pad as a raffle prize! Our rehab team also went out to lunch for the holidays at a local crepe restaurant and exchanged Secret Santa gifts. Finally, I joined my mom after work for an Open House with lots of goodies and entertainment at my mom's retirement apt.

On Monday I was back to work and Scott was back at school. He was in class until Weds. At least he was done with his Boy Scout meetings. He had finished off the year with a wonderful last Christmas meeting. Allison was so happy to be done with her finals. She had a very successful 1st term in the school of business-lots of As and Bs. Scott still had a few quizzes to complete before Christmas. Even Tom, who was on vacation from work still had a lot of papers and assignments to complete before Christmas for his online Phd. program. Allison went out to see Star Wars with her boyfriend Tyler and roommate Jen. They all really liked the movie. It was still on our "to do" list. I was busy filling out Christmas cards each night, along with packing for our upcoming trip. I had to pack up a suitcase for my mom as well as my own and I had quite a bit of laundry to do. We managed to survive our short week and headed off to the train station for our trip to Florida on Christmas eve.