Christmas Up North

Yes, I am at my parent's home in the great North (aka, frozen tundra). I flew in on Thursday and we have been on-the-go since then. On Friday, we were supposed to have special company, but then they had to cancel at the last minute, so that was a bummer. My brother came up in the early afternoon hours, anyway, so we just hung out and enjoyed each other's company.

On Saturday, I went with my dad on one of his Nursing Home visits. He & Buddy (the dog) are part of a "Therapy Dog" program and they go visit local Nursing Homes and hospice patients a couple days a week. Dad thinks that Buddy brings some happiness to people, so he likes to share her. Yesterday was a local Nursing Home and in the spirit of the holidays, we spruced Buddy up with some reindeer horns. Plenty of the residents got a real kick out of them. Buddy, on the other hand...not so much. :o)

After we got home on Saturday, we packed up and headed south where we went to a surprise Anniversary/Retirement party for my aunt & uncle. I was able to see all of my aunts and uncles on my dad's side, with the exception of one. It was a great time! But guess who forgot their camera? ME! :(

We came home Saturday night and then on Sunday, we headed out for a church meeting that was more Special than most, and I was able to see LOTS of friends and family there, too. This weekend had plenty of events where I was able to see a lot of folks at one time. It was great!

After Sunday AM meeting, we went to visit a dear friend who is battling cancer. She has been given 6-8 months to live and that diagnosis came about two months ago. I wanted to make SURE to see her on this trip home.

After visiting her, mom & I went to my grandma's house for a visit and we spent a couple hours there. It was nice to see her since we hadn't had time to get over there since I'd flown in. She fed us lunch and then we just sat around and chatted. I love my grandma! :)

After that, we came home. Dad is making spaghetti for supper and we're just hanging out and watching football on the TV (the Packers, of course! :). I have no idea what's planned for this coming week, but I do know that there is something penciled in on the calendar for every day! Sheesh. These retired folk just never slow down! I thought I came home for a vacation, but they just never stop going!!! ;o)

So, I'll keep you updated when I can. There are lots of things to come and I'm looking forward to it all! I'll sign off with a picture of the flowers that my dad got me for my birthday. Aren't they gorgeous!?! They have some pine boughs mixed in there and it smells fantastic. I love it!

Oh, and one last thing...I earned an "A" in my Spanish class! Wahoo! Turns out that when I posted the other day about my grade, she still hadn't entered some participation points. Once she did that, my final grade was a 90.2%. Yippee!! :o)