Where the heck did October, November, and December go?  Are we really only a few days away from Christmas?

I have totally dropped the ball this year on Christmas.  Christmas presents will be arriving late to my loved ones.  This is the sucky part about living so far from family.  By the time the gifts are purchased, and shipped, you’re spending twice or three times the price than if you could just drop it off in person.

This is the first year I haven’t completed most of my shopping on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

This is also the first year we haven’t gone to California around the holidays.

I’m starting to feel a little bit home sick thinking of the fact that this is another year my parents aren’t going to have all three of their kids together under the same roof for Christmas.  The last time that happened was in our home here in Vegas in 2010.

However, this year we’ve touched more lives and impacted more families than before.  Starting with Thanks Giving where we opened up our home to multiple families and hosted a 20+ person dinner.  We’ve helped many friends in hard times.  I’ve pretty much adopted a second sister and her kids to join us for Christmas day.  I couldn’t be more proud of the work we’ve done, the love we’ve shared, and the lives we’ve warmed this winter.

This explains my absence for the last week or so from Blind Mom in the Burbs.  I’ve surrendered to my 75 day challenge.  I would rather publish more meaningful blogs each week instead of writing about just anything to get one out each day.

As we wrap up those Christmas presents, and wrap up the rest of the year, be thankful for everything that you’ve got.  Be thankful for your loved ones, your health, your home, and most importantly be thankful for your ability to choose and change if you happen to find yourself in a place you’d rather not wish to be.