Life is Good

Yesterday was such a great day. I don't think it could have gotten any better if it had tried. We had our staff Christmas party and that was just so much fun--filled with great salads and yummy rolls with this butter that surprised me with its twinge of sweetness and then two kinds of pasta and two desserts so of course I had to eat them both and a special punch that is to die for. Yum. And we sat at a table with the Littells and the Gonzales fam and the Stolenmeier's so that was just a kick as they are all great people and we laughed and talked and laughed some more. Every year since we've been here at Pisgah they have the Christmas party at the Country Club. It is in a remote area that twists and turns up a winding road past gorgeous homes. We get lost every year, end up backing up, turning around, Is this it? No...I think it's that direction...Wait. Is that car up ahead part of our party? Let's follow them...and finally we make it.

We do that every year.

Every. Single. Year.

We finally make it, and when we walk up to the country club--those large double doors looming in front of us-- it leaves me breathless. The blinking lights, the  Christmas decorations, marbled steps--it is all exquisitely decorated. It feels so rich and we are wined and dined as though we own the world. For two hours we get to pretend like this little slice of heaven is life as we know it and it's a beautiful thing.

And then we came home and life smashed me in the face as I had to finish cleaning the guest rooms. You know--pull the sheets out of the dryer and make the beds, fold the towels, clean the toilets, etc. No more May I hang up your coat for you?

Once Jace was in bed, I decided to email my very favorite Aunt Peggy.

Aunt Peggy is my mom's youngest sister and she's simply amazing. When I was a little girl, I remember going to my grandma's when Aunt Peggy visited and listening, awestruck, to her stories. She mesmerized me. Her life seemed fascinating, so different from the rest of us. Aunt Peggy  was a career woman that blazed trails in cities like Milwaukee rather than sticking to the Oklahoma countryside like the rest of us. My ten year old brain had a difficult time wrapping itself around that idea.

One of my Aunt Peggy's most admirable traits, in my opinion, is her love of family. She is inclusive of all of her nieces and nephews, taking time for each of us. She visits and texts and calls us. She gets to know us.

And so, after I sent the email, I decided on a whim to send her a text and see if she was available to skype...and whattayaknow....

She was.

And so for the next hour I skyped with my very favorite Aunt Peggy. We laughed and we talked and I cried (because I always cry) but it was so much fun and it was a perfect ending to an already perfect day.

So today? I am giving my freshman a final at 10:00 this morning and then I am officially done with class for the semester. I still have some grading to do and some paperwork before I can "close shop" and turn off my office lights for the final time and officially declare the beginning of Christmas break. But that's okay. I am relishing every moment.

So today, December 17, 2013, Savana is home and the Christmas tree is blinking and my house is warm and cozy and life is good at 190 Academy Drive in Asheville, North Carolina.