Here it is, the end of a terrific week and tomorrow we head back to Colorado.

(Settle in, get a cup of coffee or cocoa, this is going to be a long one!)

We got here late on Saturday, you know that fun adventure, I don’t need to rehash that! Sunday after lunch, DCM headed out to see the kids and I hung back, to finish a few Christmas presents and wrap gifts, I was a busy bee! The cool part was that I wrapped almost every single gift with one roll of Muppets holiday paper! I found the paper last year and finally got to use it! Don’t you love that?

Monday came and after lunch, I headed out to meet JT for our annual shopping trip, to find gifts for his family. It’s something we started about five or six years ago and it’s become a tradition that I enjoy and value, I know he does too. Luckily for me, everything he bought was relatively small, so a carrying everything wasn’t too bad; I started bringing a rolling cart to carry everything, there have been some big items!

The fun thing is to talk about what everyone might like, I jokingly told him he should put from JT and JJ on the gift tags, I really do enjoy watching everyone open the gifts and flip over them and how much they appreciate what JT thought about for them. I think I already told you my other job is to show up early on Christmas Eve and wrap gifts, which I really enjoy. I’ve always enjoyed wrapping gifts from childhood, it was my job to wrap the gifts my sister and I would give, I en thought about getting a seasonal job wrapping gifts.

While we were at the mall, we ran into his dad and brother and after shopping joined them at Pappadeaux for lunch, which is always a good time. After lunch, I headed out to take care of a few things and then went to meet BG, JCT and her mom for dinner at one of our favorite places What The Pho, yum! It was so great to see JCT as I haven’t gotten to see her much this last year with her travel schedule and moving to Colorado. It was great to see her mom, a master at crochet, let’s just say, last year, I wasn’t the best student, but we laughed a lot!

Tuesday came and we hung out at the house until it was time to head to JTs for Christmas Eve. A good time was had by all!

Wednesday morning, as you might recall we went to KABs house to see her, JB and Baby A! That was so much fun! After, DCM headed to see the kids and I headed to SDLs to cook and eat and enjoy. So much fun!

Thursday was a treat, CKM was able to carve some time out for me in her way too busy schedule! We went to Moe’s, yum! It was great to catch up in person and relax and laugh, you know, the usual! After lunch, she had to do laundry, so I went along to keep her company and while the clothes were in, we sat in the car and watched Red 2!

After we parted company I went to see my friend BG and his son, JAG and his new apartment. We had some dinner and then played Mario Brothers in the Wii, let’s just say someone way shorter than me kicked my butt in the game, but I held my own and had a great time! Who knows maybe I’ll start to get into some of these games they keep talking about!

Friday, after breakfast I had some time, so I put all my movies into sleeves for transporting back to Colorado, boxed up some things that were still in the garage and took them to the Salvation Army on my way downtown to meet TS and her daughter KS at the High Museum of Art for their three exhibits: The Art of the Louvre’s Tuileries Gardens, Go West: The Art of the American Frontier and Witness: The Art of Jerry Pickney. All terrific! It’s always enjoyable to go to a museum with people who enjoy what they see and to discuss what we think and feel about it.

We caught up, talked, laughed, which was great because I haven’t seen KS in a long time and haven’t seen TS one on one for a while, we’re usually out with a group. After the museum we went to a cute little Italian restaurant, Pasta Da Pulcinella, for some yummy food, exchanged gifts and birthday presents, and then we decided to go catch a movie, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and you know how that was. What a great day/night!

Saturday was no less busy! Up before DCM, headed out to SDL’s to join her and Miss A for a drive out to Alpharetta for her hippo therapy, working with horses. This was the first time I got to see it and it was great! She loves the horses, especially Poppysead, who she works with most often. Hearing that laugh when she’s trotting around is like nothing else! After therapy, we headed to The Forum for lunch at Jason’s Deli, a nice treat to sit and eat and watch the place fill up.

After lunch, we headed our separate ways, I was meeting JCT for a movie, but first, I went to BG’s to pick up my iPad that I had left the other night. Turns out JT was there playing video games, Lego Marvel. I invited them to join us for the movies, we went to the Venture Cinema, which has gone from $2 to $3 per ticket! We watched Last Vegas, very funny the second time, check out my review!

After the movie, I took the boys back to BG’s for fun and games and headed to Starbucks to hang with JCT for a few hours. It was great! We talk about once a week, but we haven’t seen each other in about a year, so this was much needed!

This morning after I did a load of laundry, we had Waffle House, gotta get it in…we don’t have one that close to us in Colorado. Then DCM went to see the kids, I headed to SDL’s to help her get some stuff done around the house, the girl is amazing with a drill and some glue! I got to play with Miss A, while still getting things done.

Her parents got back from visiting grandpa in Florida and we headed out to SDL’s favorite Mexican restaurant, Agavero Cantina. JCT and her mom met us there for dinner. SDL hasn’t seen JCT or her mom in over a year, so it was time and you know they love Miss A! SDL’s mom and JCT’s mom could talk yarn as they both crochet and knit. Everyone admiring everyone else’s hand crafted scarves and hats!

After one last hug and kiss for everyone, we all headed out in our own directions, mine was home to write to you and wait for DCM so we could catch up on our days.

So, tomorrow we will take care of a few things and then head back to Colorado and get back into the swing of things, work, thereapy, life. I sit here writing to you telling you about my week which was wonderful and bittersweet, mostly bittersweet because it’s always hard to leave your friends, especially the wee tots who you adore. But I know it won’t be too long before I see them again, gotta love FaceTime!

I hope you had a wonderful week, great holidays, if you celebrated and I hope you have a terrific Monday! Happy almost 2014!