Happy New Year! What are you going to do?

It’s that time of year again!  The TV is overloaded with commercials with diet products, dating sites, and ads for organizational products.   People are starting to realize bathing suit season is right around the corner and maybe eating the entire container of peppermint bark given to them by their sister (Thanks Tina!) might have been a bad life choice.  That’s right!  Resolution time is here!  I’ve long given up on the idea of serious resolutions.  I think being healthy and happy beats being a size 4.  My husband would probably be opposed to my dating.  Instead, I have come up with five New Year’s Resolutions I might be able to stick with.  Some are serious and some not so much:

1.       I will spend more time listening to my boys giggle.

2.       I will use the phrase, “AWESOME SAUCE!” more often.

3.       I will be a better friend.  Yes, I am busy with my husband and 3 kiddos, but I need to set aside time to call    friends more!

4.       Once a month, I will take a night for ME.  I will leave Aaron with the Kids despite the tears (from Aaron,       not the kids) and go shopping, see a movie, or eat out with friends.

5.       I will go on more dates with my husband!  He might be okay with me dating him!

What are yours?

Disney Surprise- Part 2

Animal Kingdom was the first stop on our Disney adventure.  Since it closes around 6 pm on Sundays, we decided to do it first.  We figured it would give us time to come back and unpack at the resort, go to the pool, and do some exploring!  If you've never been to the Animal Kingdom, think of it as zoo meets Disney. We took the safari rides, looked at the animals, visited the dinosaur land, and ate stir fry in the Asia section of the park.  We even went into the Finding Nemo show.  The boys hated it!  I thought it was okay.  It had music, dance, and puppets.  Apparently, everyone else felt it was twenty minutes of their life wasted! Honestly, they have no appreciation for the arts!

Around 4, we headed to the resort to unpack the car and get settled in.  We stayed at Port Orleans- Riverside.  The rooms were roomy and well laid out.  My favorite part was the curtain separating the sink area from the rest of the room.  As the only girl in a family of boys, this came in handy getting ready in the mornings!  The boys insisted on going to the pool when we were unpacked.  We did need a few things from the store for Tyler, so he and Aaron took off to go find the nearest Publix.  I took the others to the giant pool with a water slide.

We had Magic Kingdom on the agenda for Sunday.  There are very few moments I feel bittersweet about not having a girl.  Visiting the magic Kingdom is one of those times.  No matter how many times you beg, Little boys do not want to see the princess shows or visit the Bippity Boppity Boutique.  Oh well!  We did not get to about half the attractions because we had plans to meet our niece and her boyfriend for dinner.  We drove to Smokey Bones where our neighbor's son works and had a great time visiting with everyone!  No matter where we go, we can't get away from those Miller's!  Our plan was to go back to the Park for the fireworks.  However, we were all pretty tired after dinner so we decided to call it a day.  

Do you remember the Campagnone's plan their vacations around food?  Yep,  Our Monday at Epcot was planned entirely around dinner.  Aaron found this German Buffet inside Epcot when he was planning our trip.  He talked almost nonstop about it in the weeks leading up to it, made reservations way in advance, and planned our Monday around it.  So while Epcot is easily one of our most favorite parks, the decision to do Epcot on Monday was based ENTIRELY on Dinner!  

We entered the park and headed straight to our favorite attraction.  We love Souring!  It is a great ride that makes you feel like you are hang gliding.  I think it is easily Tyler's favorite ride out of all the parks!  Joey's favorite ride at Epcot was Mission Space.  He has talked about it at least once a day since we got back!  Logan loved the Phinneas and Ferb Secret Agent mission.  You pick up Cell phones as you enter the World Section of the park.  Then as you walk around the different countries, you get calls that lead you on a secret mission.  It is a big scavenger hunt and Logan had so much fun.  He even let Joey help!  All in all, it was a great day at Epcot.  And dinner?  It was pretty tasty.

On Tuesday, we went to Hollywood Studios.  We usually do not do this park because it doesn't have a lot for small children.  However, as I am CONSTANTLY reminded, my children are not so small anymore.  There are no more toddlers in our house and we entered the strange world of teenagers this past year.  Additionally, Hollywood Studios boast one other key attraction- Star Wars!  Our boys, especially Joey, are totally in for all things Star wars right now.  They thought the Star Wars ride was amazing.  Afterward, Logan and Joey built their own custom light sabers in the star wars shop.  Tyler chose not buy one of those.  Later, he did find an R2D2 that lights up and makes ALOT of noise he had to have!  Even I have to admit, getting a custom built light saber is pretty cool.  They also register them so if a part breaks, you can call up Disney and they will look it up and send you a replacement.  Yeah, like that will ever happen at our house.  :)

Since there are four parks and we had passes for five days, we decided to let the boys decide on the park for the fifth day.  Surprisingly, everyone wanted to go back to the kingdom.

All in all, it was a great trip.  We LOVE Disney. (Yep, we drank the kool-aid!)   The employees honestly try to make the experience as wonderful as possible.  No matter how many times you visit, there is always new secrets to discover.  They also give us a handicap pass for Tyler so we skip the lines!  It wasn't super hot when we went which was a bonus and the crowds weren't too bad.  Is it too early to start planning the next trip?  

Disney Surprise- Part one.

It has been a hard secret to keep.  I slipped up a few times.  Aaron and I took the boys on a surprise trip to Disney World over spring break.  We have been to Disney a few times.  It is really a magical place, especially if you have small children.  It is work to get there and it takes some planning, but it is totally worth it.  This trip was different because of the amount of time we had to plan.  We decided to do this last month so four weeks is all I had to get things in order.  I know there are families who can pick up and go on vacation on a moments notice.  Having a special needs child and a planner mom prohibits us from this. We booked online, but called to make sure we had a ground floor room and a fridge for medications.  Then, the frenzy began.  There are several things I do before we go to Disney to save on money.  Buying Disney items in the park always cost  more.  The first thing I did was make the boys autograph books.  The run you about $20 each in the park.  $60 was more than I was willing to spend on that item.  A trip to the dollar store for notepads and pens and a little hot glue was all I needed to make some pretty cute books!  I even attached the pens to them by a ribbon so we didn't have to dig around to find one!              

I also stock up on glow sticks.  The kids always beg for these when we are at the park at night.  Another Dollar Tree run provided them with plenty of glowy fun!  We bought the boys pressed penny books a few years ago.  Genius!  It provides the kids a keepsake everywhere we go.  The love to hunt for the machines and collect pressed pennies.  Aaron made a trip to the bank for a few rolls of quarters and pennies.  We put them in an candy tin where we could easily reach them whenever they were in demand.

 Last time we vacationed at the magic kingdom,  Logan asked about the trading pins.  These are pins usually worn on a lanyard around your neck.  You can collect them and trade them with others in the park.  The pins cost anywhere from $10- $200 a piece.  That is more than I wanted to spend last time in order to let Logan "try out" this little hobby.  Especially since I knew they would end tossed around and lost the week we got back. A couple weeks before, I looked on Ebay, bid, and won a lot of 30 Disney trading pins for $9.  BAM!!  I took my trusty mom van to Walmart, bought some Disney ribbons, and made the boy's each a lanyard.  Then, I divided the pins and packed them away.  I am so glad I did.  Logan and Joey had a great time running to the Disney cast member to trade pins.  (It is the week after Disney and I have no idea where they are right now. The pins, not the boys.)

I know some of you are thinking, "Gosh! She sure is thrifty!"  Don't worry!  We still spent the fun money!  The boys got a few big treats at the park.  I just tend to get the smaller things that can eat up what we budget for spending money.  Speaking of budgets, I could go on and on about the little system my incredible husband uses when budgeting our money for vacation.  Yes, it keeps us on budget.  Yes, we always have the money we need when we need it.  Yes, we usually have money left over because of this nifty little system.    What is it?  All I am going to say is it involves ALOT of little envelopes and a very complicated organization method.  I hate those envelopes.  I know it works, but it makes me CRAZY!  (Apparently, Aaron shares this enchanting method of budgeting with his sister- must be genetic.)

I chose to pack everything in 2 huge storage bins, instead of carting 5 suitcases.  It saved so much space!  I did pack an overnight bag with a change of clothes for everyone so we didn't need to unload the van for the first night since we would be stopping to get a hotel room on the drive down.  I also brought along our handy dandy backpack to carry when we went into the parks.

After days of anticipation, the time had arrived.  The van was packed. The boys thought we were just going to drive to the beach for a few days.  They have lived with us their whole lives so they thought nothing of their dad packing up a billion envelopes (GRRR!) or their mom checking things off of her huge checklist.  I had packed the glow sticks, trading pins, and autograph books in a gift bag without them knowing and it was hidden away in the back.  Movies for the trip and a cooler full of drinks were in the front and we hit the road!  I love traveling with Aaron.  Driving allows us a moment to talk bout things going on in our lives, to discuss current challenges we are facing, and to dream about the future with minimum distractions.  I think I may look forward to that aspect of the trip more than the actual destination.

Traffic wasn't too bad and we made it to a little town about 20 minutes away from Disney Friday night.  We stayed at a hotel that I am pretty sure we had to cross a time vortex into the 80's to get to.  It screamed 80's decor down to the wood panel Lounge where we ate breakfast the next morning.  However, it was clean and convenient.

Saturday morning, we got back into the van and headed on our way.  We had informed the kids we would be traveling through Orlando on our way to the beach. Tyler figured it out first, I think!  As soon as he saw signs pointing the way to Disney, he started bouncing up and down in his seat with a huge grin on his face.  Turning back to him, Logan sarcastically commented, "Sure, Tyler, sure.  Mom and Dad are taking us to Disney."  Turning to Joey, I said, "Did you hear what Logan said?"  Logan's head jumped up in amazement and he screamed, "Really?!! We are going to Disney?!!"  I certainly love surprising my babies!  Even better, we got the whole thing on video!  Aaron ran in to check us in and I gave the boy's their gift bag while we were waiting for him to come back;

(To be Continued.........)

About Court....

The following was written by my husband:


The following is very long, and boring, and sad. I wrote this the afternoon after we got the verdict, while I sat in the bedroom and tried to process everything. It jumps around a good bit, and it leaves out lots of stuff that may make it hard to follow. Sue me….haha! As I have just found out, the odds are you will lose!
As many of you may know, my family and I have spent the last week and a half in court. After 5 long years, we finally had our chance to present our case in my mother’s wrongful death lawsuit.
We are NOT the type of people who would sue without good cause, and this was never about the money for us! I say that not to sound superior or to justify, but because it’s the truth, and those that know me and the family know we struggled for months before we made the decision to go forward 5 years ago. We were very lucky to find Brandon Taylor. From day one, when we contacted Brandon he was up front with us that this was a long, uphill battle. Through the last 4 ½ years of depositions, meetings, and finally court, I can say that I have not found one single point where I have disagreed or thought Brandon had done the wrong thing.
When mom passed away suddenly in April of 2008, we felt very strongly that she did not receive the correct care in the hospital. If you come into the ER for very bad flu, and they find a VERY low blood pressure and decide you need to be admitted to MONITOR that pressure, you would assume that part of that care would be the monitoring part! This lack of care led us to research (and eventually contact) Brandon. Over that first year, we had a number of meetings and conversations with Brandon and learned a lot about what actually went on over the 36 hours mom was in the hospital. As more and more details were revealed to us through the medical records and then depositions, it became clear to me that we had made the correct choice in pursuing this.
As I discovered as this process wore on and on, the legal system moves very, very slowly. It took over a year to get all the medical records, and it was into the second year before the first depositions were taken. We then had about a year where nothing really seemed to be taking place. In reality, Brandon was researching, finding expert witnesses, taking depositions on them, and doing even more research. It was not until March of last year when it seemed that real progress was being made. In March, everything was completed and the initial motions, and filings were brought to a judge. At that point, we were directed to take part in a court ordered mediation. We had the mediation in May of 2012. We all thought that that would be the end. Again, we were not looking for millions of dollars, we were looking for admission that there was something done wrong. To us the evidence was clear, and we thought they would offer a number, we would argue, and eventually settle. Unfortunately, the defense had no intention of settling. They did not TELL anyone this, and allowed our lawyer to hire a very well respected mediator, and have Tina come up from Florida for the mediation, only to sit in a room for about an hour while the mediator discovered they were only there because the judge said they had to be!
With mediation behind us we had the court date set in late summer. Feb 11th 2013. We thought that was it, sit back and wait for Feb. Well, as with everything else, we were wrong. There was a sudden phone call from one of the attorneys wanting to see if we were open to a settlement, but that never actually went anywhere….though it got our hopes up!! Then 2 weeks before trial, the hospital lawyer called and decided they DID want to settle, and we ultimately took the offer. The offer was not very much but in our minds it was an admission of guilt. The settlement removed the hospital and two nurses from the lawsuit but still left the two doctors to be resolved. This brings us up to the actual trial.
This last week and a half has been one of the most horrible periods in my entire life. Having to sit in that court room and relive that 36 hours in exacting detail all over again was very hard. Tina summed it up well with her comment that it was like ripping off a band-aid that had just started to heal. Over the last 7 days of actual court proceedings (we took off a day due to schedule issues) I had to listen to “experts” say that mom was ELDERLY (come on, no one who knew her would use that to describe her!!). I also heard how she was basically dead the second she came into the hospital, that the “die was cast” as one witness put it. I listened to the defense lawyer blame everyone NOT in the case….the nurses (who the jury did not know settled) the ER doctor, the grand kids. Yes, that is right, Tyler, Logan and Joey were the cause of moms death. You see she ultimately died of a viral infection of the heart muscle. It has a name, and I can pronounce the name, but damned if I can spell it….myocarditis is phonetic at least. In any case, the lawyer kindly pointed out in mom’s medical chart under her patient history that there were no other sick people in the house, but that her grandkids had been sick with a viral infection the previous week, and that may be where she got her flu. So, what really happened is she went to the ER because she thought she had a really bad case of the flu. When asked if there was anyone else in the house who was sick, she said, no, but my grandkids had the flu last week, and maybe I got it from them. If that one was not hard enough to sit through, there was more to come. I got to hear testimony from the doctor who was on duty overnight say that “no, he did not recall Gloria Campagnone, she was not remarkable.” He didn’t say this once, but multiple times, over and over when asked questions. Of course he did not see her once in his entire 12 hour shift, but what can you expect…she was after all “not remarkable” I managed to sit through all of that, and not once did I utter a single sound. I am very proud of the fact that at no time did the judge have to caution me or anyone else in the family to not disrupt court. I wanted to….I wanted to stand up and yell, and scream and punch the wall, but I did not. As the witnesses finished up, and we were left with closing arguments, I thought that we were done. There would not be any more lurid details of moms last moments, (She was conscious that morning and responding to verbal demands as they intubated and put in a central line) there would not be any more doctors blaming everyone else they possibly could. I was wrong. As the defense made its closing, and the lawyer walked through the record one last time, he brought up a point that he wanted to highlight. I am going to quote it as best I can, the words may not be 100% correct but the intent is there, and if Tina, or Alan read this, correct me if I miss speak.
“No one could have known on April 5 or April 6 how ill Mrs Campagnone was. After all, we heard from Mr Campagnone (Dad) that they were still planning on leaving town the day following her release. We heard from Aaron Campagnone, when he visited her in the ER, and brought lunch that she looked tired, but he felt OK to leave. In fact, he called and spoke with Mr Campagnone that evening and did not feel it necessary to return to visit her that night”
Up until that point, I was impressed that while the defense lawyers were obviously the “enemy” both of them had been professional and did their best to limit themselves to making the case, and not saying anything negative about us. I do not recall ever being angrier with a person and not being able to confront or deal with that person…ever! Fortunately for that lawyer, and for me ultimately we had a good 2 hours between that comment and a break in the proceedings. By that point I had myself under control and was able to walk out of the courtroom without assaulting him or making any comment to him. (again, those that know me well are probably VERY surprised that I was not in fact in jail for disrupting court!)
After 4 hours of deliberation Tue until 10pm and then returning Wed and deliberating another 3 hours, the jury did finally come back and found for the Defense. This was not overall a surprise to us. We knew it would be difficult to win in court, in this county. We didn’t go into this with blinders on, and Brandon was very up front with us that this was a long shot if it went to trial. As we left the courthouse, I was in disbelief over the outcome. I could not see how we did not prove the case, and just didn’t understand the verdict. Brandon stayed in the courthouse and cornered a couple of jury members that were still there to get their opinions and a better understanding of what happened. As we waited outside for Brandon to emerge, we were approached by the judge. He said he is not allowed to comment on any ongoing case, but now that it was over, he could offer his condolences etc. I will leave the rest of his comments out of this, but what he did say did help and bring me some closure. Brandon finally emerged with 3 of the jury, and the other lawyer from the defense. (not the one I wanted to physically assault) As Brandon stood with the 3 jury members, the defense lawyer slowly made his way across the parking lot to where Tina, Alan, dad and I stood. I have no doubt that that was one of the longest 20-30 yards that gentleman had ever walked, and I will give him full credit for making that walk!! It took huge balls. I can’t honestly say I could have done the same in his place. All through the trial, this particular lawyer was tasked with questioning the medical experts. His style tended to be long winded and he liked to go over the records and medical charts line by line by line. To say I did not really like the guy is an understatement, but again, he gained my respect and then some by making that walk. He extended his condolences and wanted to apologize if he said or did anything in the trial that we thought was inappropriate or disrespected moms memory. He truly did not, and I appreciated that he came over. Tina asked him a question, and again, I am not sure of the wording, but here is the essence of what she asked. The main doctor in our case had stated in his testimony that since mom, he had spent extra time trying to look for that mistake he made, trying to prevent another mom from happening. So much so that others noticed he was spending an unordinary amount of time with patients and on rounds. Tina asked the lawyer flat out if that was true, if in fact this doctor really had made that effort, and if he had changed. The lawyer said without hesitation that yes, his testimony was truthful and sincere.
This more than anything else since the verdict has helped me make peace with what has happened. Funny that the guy I had more respect for over the course of 6 days blew it on the 7th, and the guy I genuinely disliked for 6 days provided answer to what I needed to hear the most. We didn’t win, but we got what we wanted, a change to the mistakes made that day with mom. No, there was not some huge payout, which is what the insurance companies understand, but I think that maybe, just maybe there might be others out there who are still alive because of the lessons learned by this doctor because of his lack of care for mom.
Ultimately after talking with Brandon, it looks like the jury did think there was a lack of care, but that it was not to the level of it being negligent in a legal sense. We will have to agree to disagree on that one.

Blog Therapy

Next week is a week we have waited for and dreaded for a long time.  I am excited to see my sister-in-law.  I am dreading the reason for her visit.  Next week, we go to court.  Those who know my family know we are currently involved in a wrongful death lawsuit.  Let me start by emphatically stating we are not a family excited about suing, we are not out to “get paid”, we are not looking for revenge.  The decision to sue is one we struggled with. In the end, we decided this decision may help others in our community not have to endure the hell our family has had to go through. The lawsuit involves the untimely death of Aaron’s mom.  I won’t go into the details right now.  Mistakes were made.  Truth was covered up.  There was lack of care.  

It has been five years.  Our family has been on a roller coaster.  Hopefully, next week will bring us some closure.  I am dreading court.  I have tried not to remember the day Mom C died for a long time.  The events of that horrible day are too painful.  Can you see why I dread going to court?  I do not want to relive those memories.  I don’t want to hear excuses.  I don’t want to listen as our lawyer tries to put into words what was taken from us.  How can you explain the horror of listening to your five year old beg God to let his grandma live as you race frantically toward the hospital or the heartbreak of sitting on the kitchen floor trying to calm down your special needs nine year old because he just found out his grandma is gone forever?  How can you accurately describe what my baby missed out on because he will never know his grandmother who loved him so much the first few months of his life or of watching your strong husband completely fall apart?  How can you express what was so carelessly taken from us- a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend?  Each member of our family has their own story of that day, of when they heard the news.  The most horrible part about it is it did not need to happen. We shouldn’t have these stories, these memories.  

Pray for the Campagnone’s and the Arceneaux’s as we face the heartbreak next week.   

I Have a Dream!

For Stephanie-

Usually, Steph, I do not record my dreams.  However, the one I had last night was so strange!  Get ready….Here goes!   

You, me, and Matt were at your house in Belmont Farms.  We decided to go to the store.  It was a very pretty day, very sunny and warm.  We decided to ride our bikes to the store, instead of driving.  The only problem is there were only 2 bikes and three of us.  No prob! Matt found a small scooter (kick powered, the ones smaller kids ride) and decided to ride that.  So, there we are, riding our bikes down the street- Matt beside us looking utterly ridiculous kicking off on the little scooter.  We ride for hours.  Finally, we arrive at a small gas station and stop to ask for directions and buy water.  

Let me stop here and ask the obvious questions.  Why were we riding for hours to get to a store if our ride originated at Belmont Farms?  Why couldn’t we just get what we needed at the gas station?

Anyway, the clerk tells us the nearest town is twenty miles away.  Twenty?! !  We eventually complete our journey.  The next thing I know is we are sitting in a courtroom because YOU have decided to sue Mother Nature.  Your argument?  1-She conned us into attempting a bike ride by creating such a beautiful warm, sunny day.  2- She made natural landmarks causing developers to build the store too far away from your house.  In my dream, I am standing up with you in the courtroom even though I am obviously embarrassed by your ditziness.  (We have known each other since Junior high, I can call you ditzy! We all have our moments!)   Matt is sitting on the first row with his head in his lap trying to not be noticed by the news media which have gathered to report on this landmark case. 

The poor bewildered judge looks at you and asks how you expect Mother Nature to pay if you win this case.  You calmly reply, “Your honor, which is why I am also suing the Department of Forestry, Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Parks and Recreation!”

 Did I say ditzy?  I meant GENIUS! Oh, and my lawyers will be calling you.  I am suing the company who makes Nyquil because I took a dose last night.  I am absolutely sure it caused me to have such a disturbing dream!  Love ya, girl! 

UNDECK THE HALLS...

Christmas is magical when you are a child.  As you grow into an adult it is easy to let Christmas evolve into a stressful time of checklist, commercialism, and “must do” activities.  It is easy to lose the spirit of Christmas.  This year, I have truly tried to get into the spirit of the season.  We decorated, we put out the elf, and we drove and looked at lights.  I have baked cookies with the children, sang carols, and put out milk and cookies for Santa.  I truly could not fully get into it this year.  It is the stress, I think- the pressure to make the holidays perfect for my boys, to check the things off their list, to hit all of the traditions.  I even caught myself wishing we would skip Christmas Eve service so we could get things done.   As we sat in the service, I felt ashamed I wanted to deprive my children of the true meaning of why we celebrate.  I promised never would I think of skipping our church celebration of Jesus’ birth.  

Today, I am taking down my decorations, returning my house to its PreChristmas state.  It is a little depressing to know this holiday is over so quickly.  I became a little depressed taking the ornaments off the tree.  It started with me thinking I really need to invest in some sturdy Christmas boxes next year and separate the ornaments into boxes according to who’s they are.  My mom did that for my sister and me.  As children, we became excited when she pulled out our box each year so we could decorate the tree.   When we started our own families, we got our boxes to put on our own trees.  Every time we received an ornament, mom wrote our name and the year on it.  

As I pulled the ornaments off the tree, I looked at the ones my parents bought me the year I was born.  They are a little shabby and worn, but I would never dream of not putting them on my tree.  I am so thankful to have such a wonderful mom and dad.  They made the holidays special every year.  I never take for granted they are here to watch their grandson’s grow and celebrate their achievements with them.  When things get tough for me, I know they are behind me.  

When we went to my sister’s house to celebrate, I found an ornament of mine.  It should have ended up in my box.  I have no idea how she got it.  (I suspect she STOLE it!)  It is and ornament with a picture of me from the second grade.  It really is embarrassing.  I have a short bob cut and large 80’s style glasses on.  I gasped when I saw it and loudly questioned her about it.  She calmly answered, “I put it up every year.  I love it.”  I hate that ornament and could have easily made it disappear when leaving. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.  It is her tradition, no matter how embarrassing.  (I may make one of her for my own tree! Christmas is at my house next year! ) 

 I pulled ones my children have gotten from my mom and dad, each with their name and year sharpie markered on the bottom.  I am so very, very thankful they have kept up the tradition for my boys.  What a gift it will be years from now when they put up their own tree to see their name written in their grandmother’s teachers script. 

I packed up ornaments made by my husband’s mom.  What a blessing she was to our family!  It saddens me she no longer is here to celebrate Christmas with us.  As I put away the ornaments from my husband’s childhood, I was grateful I not only was able to know his mom but felt comfortable enough to call her mom.  I still call his father dad.  Things have changed a lot since Mom C passed. Putting the ornaments on the tree gives us an opportunity to remember Christmas with her.  I delight when I hear my older boys telling Joey about things she did, like making cinnamon ornaments with them.  I am thankful they have such wonderful cousins and a great aunt and uncle.  I am thankful we have grown closer as a family every year.  I feel I inherited an extra sister and brother instead of in-laws.  

Then, there are our vacation ornaments.  We pick them up on family trips so we can remember every year when we put them on the tree.  I have ornaments from the Bahamas, London, Paris, and Germany.  I have Disney ornaments from our Disney trips.  How blessed we have been to show our children the world. 

As a child, I celebrated Christmas with grandparents.  Mema and Woodrow would come on Christmas Eve.  We would eat a great dinner prepared by my mom and open family gifts.  Mema would give us extravagant gifts.  It was not unusual to get jewelry, fur coats, and limited- edition porcelain dolls.  We were given things all little girls dream of.  She taught me so much about being a lady.  From her, I learned not to wear white after Labor Day, which fork goes with which course, and decorum.  Aaron and I stayed at the Ritz on our wedding night.  She is the reason Aaron looked at me and said, “I am uncomfortable dealing with this extravagances, however, you carry yourself as if you belong here.”  

We traveled to my other grandparent’s house on Christmas day.  Kristi and I were surrounded by loads of cousins, uncles, aunts, and distant relatives.  Most years, we were given gift made by my grandmother.  Because of her, I have embroidered pillowcases, bible covers, room decorations, and hand sewn clothing.  I think it is because of her, I enjoy making crafts and home-made gifts myself. I knew when she was making my gift, that despite our large family, she was thinking of me at that moment.  To me, that was better than the actual gift.  Who knows?  My family may hate my hand-made gifts. 

I guess depressed is the wrong word to describe how I am feeling.  I feel bittersweet.  I celebrate the wonderful holidays I have celebrated and feel sorry they are over and things have changed.  Yet, I am thankful for the opportunity to forge new family traditions.  I felt it was important to write this down, print it out, and pack it with our Christmas decorations.   Maybe this will help to remind me to slow down next year and savor the little moments.