Very, very slowly, I'm crawling out of my holiday cubby hole.

The struggle, of course, is that the holiday cubby hole is power-packed with really fun things like fireball spiked egg-nog and deviled eggs, and seven rounds of Euchre, and cute nieces that you only see every few months. It's got the occasional game of pool, mug of hot chocolate, and Home Alone on repeat for just about forever.

It's pretty tough to come out of that kind of cubby hole.

Last Tuesday night, like, seconds after I got out of work, Ryan and I hit the road for Lansing. I made Ry stop at the McDonalds in Cadillac, because I was obsessing over the egg-nog milkshake, which I don't think I've had since I was ten, but for some reason, craved like I remembered what they taste like. Anyway, I really wanted one. Too bad for me, they were out. I got over it pretty quickly though, because, well -- Christmas.

And Christmas delivered -- not an egg-nog milkshake -- but still.

Puppy Presents -

Aliya was bored on Christmas Eve, so she legit wrapped Ralpher's bone and tennis ball. Then she put a  beautiful bow on the whole thing, wrote his name on it, and stuffed it under the tree.

Ralph was touched by the gesture. Or just overjoyed by the stuff, whatever.

Please note the blur right there around his tail. That's Ralph sweepin' the floor, which is how we know he cannot contain his excitement.





























This face. So much gold. 

Food Prep.


Real surprise. 


Jack. 

On Christmas Eve, I reminisced cheerfully about last year, when he ran the hell away on the Eve of Christ's birth, and showed up on the 6 o'clock news. That did not happen this year, thank you sweet baby Jesus.


























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Today, Jackers had a little surgery done on a tiny cyst that he's had for a while. I scooped him up a few hours ago, and although he's a little messed up still on the anesthetics, I think he's a little upset with me. I dropped him off, without warning, at 8am to this surprise place that probably gave him a few treats, but also gave him a slice in his head. Anyway, my point is that when I picked him up this afternoon, he was not excited to see me.

I gave him a bone and we might be okay again in a few hours. We'll see.

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I'll dig myself out a little further tomorrow. I have resolutions to think about!

Cheers to 2014!