The boys had some pretty strange requests for Santa this year. Wells asked for a flying shark, and Graham wanted a space station. They also wanted advent calendars and a menorah (we aren’t Jewish). To keep things under control, we implemented a “three gifts from Santa” policy when W was a baby. It makes sense, right? Jesus only got three gifts… he was the Messiah, AND it was his birthday. We celebrate Christmas morning at our house on Christmas Eve Eve. Stay with me. We go out of town on Christmas Eve to be with family. If we didn’t do it early, the boys wouldn’t have any memories of Christmas at our home. If we waited to go out of town until after Christmas morning, everything would be rushed, and they wouldn’t even have time to play with their new advent calendars. Doing it a couple of days early allows us to hang out in our PJs, eat breakfast casserole (which SK finally confessed he doesn’t like) and enjoy watching the kids play without rushing out the door. Plus, come on, Santa can’t realllly go to that many houses in one night. He knows which children have been especially good (cough cough), and he delivers their gifts early.

How crazy is that shark? I received word from a less than jolly elf that it was the most complicated toy assembly to date. The shark is remote controled and filled with helium. He is such a creeper. One minute I am alone in the kitchen cooking dinner and then BAM, there he is. I have peed myself screamed more than once. Did I mention that he looks real?

For those of you who don’t know her, this is Donna…

Donna is one of my best friends. I know that term gets thrown around a lot and half the time people don’t even mean it, but I do. She is such a sweet person who knows exactly what she believes and why. She will give you her honest opinion if you ask, and is extremely fun to be around. With some friends, you never know what mood to expect from one day to the next. Not Ms. Donna… she is consistent, which is one of the most important qualities (in my opinion). She and her hubby Jonathan are also very adventurous and moved to Denver, CO on Christmas day.

So now you get where this is going. (I’m sure some of you are disappointed that wasn’t the lead in to announcing I finally got a sister wife.) I am extremely happy and excited for them and know they are making the right decision. I am, however, sad that she is gone, and I miss hanging out with her. She was my mani/pedi partner. Will I ever wear sandals again? She forced me to go to the gym with her at least weekly for the last year. I’m likely to double in size. These are real problems, people. Before she left, I called in G to put her in his patented “where do you think you are going” grip…

But, I decided to let her go because if she is happy, I am happy. And, she is a special one who will keep in touch and always be my friend no matter where she is in this world. Good luck, Donna, and thanks for being you.