Notes from my holiday vacation...or apparently you can get good eats in North Dakota

- I actually dig my mom with no hair. She's grown accustom to the look and says it's quite liberating. She's over the chemo-already-dead look and her color is good. I was prepared to be shocked and horrified, but it was really rather cool. She didn't quite appreciate me calling her "baldy."

- This year was no different, mom left the entirety of the Christmas decorating to us when we arrived and was bugged by my less than enthused execution of the task. Well, it was a bit different in that she got to use cancer as an excuse not to do it herself. An excuse that would have totally held more water with me if she hadn't left it for me to do every year since I left home.

- Ryan managed to enjoy most, if not all, the food he ate while visiting (unlike last year where it seemed everything he ate somehow sucked). He had sweet potato fries for the first time and is planning to return to California to open a place that serves only those. He was shocked to find a place that serves decent falafel(sp?) as well. For the most part, our eating out was 1000% better than the last time he was here. Also, I mention with pride, he thinks I make great coffee, great French toast, loves my bacon wrapped shrimp and my lasagna (which admittedly would only be mediocre if anyone with Italian blood happened to taste it).

- The dog has graduated from sleeping in his box at night to taking the place of several stuffed animals in my daughter's bed. He is still, however, eating his own poop. :(

- I still have not mailed out most of my Christmas cards. They will now be referred to as Post-Holiday Season cards.

- I think I am officially old. We went out New Year's Even and had a very good time but as soon as Midnight hit we couldn't get home fast enough. If it hadn't been New Year's we probably would have been home before midnight.