Hello!

Well well well, Christmas is over. I had a good time. It was supposed to be a quiet day, for months I had prepared to not have anything to do on christmas day and i wasn't really going to celebrate it. But just like thanksgiving, america turned it on for me again!

It was hard not being with the family for christmas, but i had a great time speaking to many of the family on the phone on what was christmas eve here, when they were all enjoying their christmas dinners. When it was christmas day here, i had a pretty quiet morning, got up, opened my presents, put some coffee on and played some festive music. It was a hot day here so I went for a walk down this nice track that runs along the south platte river, just a little ways from my apartment. It was sad not to have a white christmas, but felt a lot more like home having warm weather on christmas.

In the afternoon, Cindy's family was kind enough to have me around for christmas dinner. Cindy works at my work and asked me if I was doing anything christmas day, and if not would i like to come for dinner. I almost said no, the thought of intruding on someone's family christmas was unappealing, but i was so touched the offer and so happy to have something to do on chritmas so i went! And man was i glad i did! I had barely got through the door when i was being offered beer, wine and strawberry daqiris. Her mom cooked a really nice meal and afterwords I played a game of texas hold'em poker with her dad, brother, and her dad's friend who's a real life cowboy! I lost $5, but i had such a good time it didn't matter. Poker was the real winner on the day. I kept laughing to myself in amazement when i looked around at the movie scene i was in - playing poker with these characters wearing cowboy hats, cigar smoke rising from the table, with a big pile of cash in the middle.

I gave up on poker after that and watched 5 episodes of CSI in a row (thanks to somebody getting a DVD box set for christmas), still having that christmas feeling inside.

Was back at work today, still don't much like my job, but I'm home now, the music is on, and i'm so happy i'm dancing around my apartment between paragraphs. I know it will all work out, seems everything nearly always does.