Gratitude

Really brief (yeah, right)...hoping to download pics in another day or so...still decompressing from this past week....

I'm grateful for:
1) Les's grandma, who gave me the plane ticket money so I could go see Nanie home.
2) The home, however messy and broken down, that Les and I've made for ourselves (because it's really nice to come home to).
3) The snow that started falling as we left the church to head to the cemetery with/for Nanie, which continued all day, giving CT a foot of the white stuff and a true winter wonderland feel.
4) Being back in Florida, which I realize now that I bitch about way too much.
5) The Christmas bonus, however small, that my company saw fit to give out this year.
6) Generous relatives who fulfilled several of my Christmas gift wishes.
7) The look of love in my mommie's eyes as she cares for her new puppy.
8) The epiphanies I had about my health while on my travels, after days of arthritic pain and mouth breathing from exertion, barometric pressure, etc.
9) Having a job to come back to.
10) Paying $1.39 at the pump on the way home yesterday (SC).

Connecticut was exhausting and sad and blissful and different...I haven't seen snow like that since 1985, and Meara's never seen it fall, so we diffused our grief quickly upon arriving back at my Uncle Dan's by going out several times to play in it. We took picture after picture, she made her first snow angel...it was really amazing and did my heart good. Thank goodness I brought my red wool coat, because it was perfect for the conditions outside...the snow started to pour right when we arrived at the cemetery and naturally the little canopy over the gravesite couldn't fit everyone, so I was standing on the outskirts and even in a dress, wasn't cold at all.

South Carolina was harder, quite a bit of family drama there, but we made the best of it. I think it was harder for me just because the trips were back to back...got one night in my own bed and then it was back to sleeping on couches and being what people needed me to be. Got back yesterday, dropped our stuff at home, and went straight to Mom's for Christmas dinner with Meara, Cyril, Alice, Hunter (his face is changing! 8 years old, my foot, he looks at least 10!), and the new puppy Chloe, who is so frickin' adorable it defies explanation.

Back at work, glad for the weekend...came home to a broken fridge and a needy cat. Looking forward to getting back to normal.