The confusion after Christmas

The week between Christmas and New Years is the best......and the worst!  Nobody knows what day it is, nobody knows what to eat or what to wear or what to do. It's wonderful chaos. 

I think these two graphics just about sum it all up. 

Jerry and Lois gave us this pine tree as a gift.  I need to do one thousand hours of research to determine the best location to plant it in our front or back yard.  I took this picture on the 26th to show its starting size so we can do comparison pictures for the next 30 years. 

We had a family game night with cocktails that evening. 

Michael and I left the kids with my parents and drove home (just for the day) on the 27th.  We had bought a new TV on the 26th and we decided since we were going up to the Valley anyway (I had a doctor's appointment) we might as well take a load of Christmas with us. 

We got on the road early, which is good considering I-10 was shut down AGAIN and we ended up going partially the back way through the desert. 

We stayed at home all day taking care of projects (changing sheets, cleaning all of the wrapping paper and ribbons off the guest bed, laundry, putting up gifts, etc.).  It was dark by the time we left to drive back to Tucson. 

The planets from Elliott's party are still hanging above the kitchen table.  I noticed they looked really cool in the dark as we were walking out the door.  I had to stop for a picture. 

Then I edited the lighting on the pictures.  WHOA!

We stopped for a little dinner on our way out of town and were looking forward to an uneventful drive, considering the last two trips had been a bit chaotic with the freeway shut down. Five minutes on I-10 later we came upon a brand new raging car fire. We stopped because nobody else had, I called 911, and Michael went to make sure everyone was out of the car. We tried to keep the driver calm until DPS arrived. Then officers pulled up and screamed at us to get out of the area as the car started blowing up. So, in summary, a nice calm drive to Tucson.

The burning car as we hurried away from it.  

The rest of the trip was actually uneventful. 

As we got back into Tucson we drove into a big rain storm.  It was also really cold.  That means......

snow in the Catalina mountains!

On Friday morning (the 28th) I climbed onto the roof at my parents' house to take these. 

The power lines ruin the overall effect though.  

That afternoon my friend Elisa came over to visit with her boys, Max and Theo.  Her husband, Ian, joined us a little later, but he didn't make it into any of the pictures.  Elisa has been my friend since the day I was born and she's never not lived in Arizona.  Now they are moving to Virginia.  It's the end of an era!