Hope you all had a great Christmas (or Channukah or Kwaanza, or whatever you celebrate). Mine was pretty much spent in a car, but was still pretty good for all that. Some highlights:
The drive through West Texas was lovely, in the same sense that professional dental cleaning is lovely. Mind-numbingly boring, in other words.
Had Olivia's grandmom's famous chicken-fried steaks. Mm-mm GOOD!
Got to play with my 4 month old baby nephew, who has decided that he really likes my beard, especially to cling to with all his baby might until we could get someone to pry him loose.
Sat in on my first (and hopefully only) Baptist Christmas service. Maybe it's just me, but I really don't think that a Christmas service sermon is the time or the place for politics. The guy started in on "the tragedy" of the Ten Commandments being removed from courtrooms and government facilities where they were on very public display. HELLO, it's called "separation of Church and State"??!!
I learned that sometimes I don't show the best judgement in the world: my brother-in-law pointed out to me, during that same Christmas service that he didn't "mind talking religion with you, but not in a room full of Baptists!"
I also discovered that Baptists have a ton of money to fling around - the church we went to had it's own movie theater and bowling alley.
Olivia's eyes lit up and she was smiling ear to ear when she opened her main present from me: an electronic keyboard, something she'd been wanting for a while now. Man, that made the whole trip worthwhile for me.
Got to meet Olivia's cousin the next day in Kileen, home of Fort Hood. The folks out there really support their troops: many signs outside of fast-food restaurants and stores read "Our Boys Got Him! Way To Go Soldiers!" One of those soldiers was Olivia's cousin's husband, who just got back from Iraq on leave and arrived in Dallas today. This would be the first time she's seen him in nine months. They were keeping it a secret from their kids so as to be a belated Christmas surprise. Tomorrow, they'll drive down to her mother's house back in Kileen (where the kids have been staying) and say "look what Santa just dropped off!" Could not think of a sweeter holiday gift.
Olivia also made me a Christmas present that actually brought tears to my eyes: a scrapbook made up of all my baby pictures, along with pictures of the rest of my family. When I saw all the pictures of my sisters when they were little, I couldn't stop tearing up. I'm a softie.
Overall, we had a good time. Next year, it's Christmas in California with my folks, which I'm really looking forward to. My in-laws were great and everything, but sometimes, a guy just misses his mom.
New Year's Resolutions? Here's mine:
1) To start getting myself back into shape;
2) To find a new job where I don't have to wear a nametag;
3)
Really begin work on "Nametags", my nascent comic strip;
and 4) Finally get my art back up on the web.
Happy New Year, everybody!
Take care,
~Rob
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