don't put all your eggs in one basket...

it's the second day of the new year and we have plans to celebrate christmas with the family.  this is another alternate plan.  originally, we had plans to get together in mid december.  we even offered to take jane and jim, my husband's parents.   we thought it would be nice to travel the distance together and have some extra time with them.  they may be retired but they have busier schedules than we do. there was a blizzard that prevented the whole family from making it from a variety of states.

  we had big decisions to make regarding the planning of that party....our grace, the freshman, had recovered from her mono and had plans to go to a high school homecoming dance that night.  it would be a three hour drive out to horse country in new jersey, we would have to leave a bit early to get home for the big dance.  we had planned and replanned to adjust our lives so that the dance would not be missed.  after all of the planning, more planning and revising and coordinating, we had figured it out so our family would stay in tact and still let the dancing begin. 

things happen and schedules change and plans change....everyday.  on the friday before our december gathering, with all of the planning and decisions and teeange drama, i recieved a text from school....it was grace.  her text was to let me know that the homecoming dance was cancelled
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it had been postponed already.... from october because the swine flu had closed nearby schools.  grace was relieved at that news because that cancellation made her life easier....we were all planning to go to boston for the weekend....she didn't have to struggle with the choices.

the october dance was rescheduled to december and re-rescheduled to mid january. the downside is that the mid january homecoming dance appears to be only one weekend away from the winter formal.  these are all really just dances with fancy names.  in this day in age, it's really just an opportunity for girls to live life in the fancy  lane....not quite the red carpet, but everyone wants their moment to shine.

today is january 2nd, 2010.  today is our rescheduled date for our family christmas celebration, a date worked out when the blizzard began on december 18th of 2009.  we had planned to share our christmas gifts with everyone today....in horse country, in new jersey.....with our sister and brother in law.  they are a busy working couple with alot of scheduling involved in their lives.  they work really hard to keep the family together and love to host family gatherings since they are in an almost central location.  when the party is at their house, they go all out and prepare a feast and they don't even cook!

the phone rang last night.  my husband hung up and said, "we're bringing a salad tomorrow."  oh?  "to  jane and jim's"  huh?  yep....you guessed it.  the trip to new jersey, driving jane and jim, was cancelled.  everyone in new jersey was sick....sick with lots of wonderful food in the fridge.  which meant that we would not be driving jane and jim because we would be going to jane and jims....for our re-rescheduled christmas.  and that's unfortunate for our new jersey family, being sick and not even wanting to see food.

half of the family would not be able to make the trip.....too far.  we are only an hour away....it's kind of ...a relief.  and by the way, my husband is taking our daughter and a friend to a local concert.  so it's kinda nice to know we don't have that teenage time pressure!

there is a bit of a glitch in all of the planning and replanning.  once we knew we would be surprising the kids for christmas, with the news of our ski trip with friends, we knew that jane had one very significant present.  grace had asked for new ski goggles for christmas.  instead of receiving them in mid december, she would not see her grandparents until january.  christmas eve eve, my husband drove down to jane and jim's to rescue the ski goggles....to have at our house on christmas morning.

the other family that will be there already sent their gifts....we opened them on christmas morning.  t.j. has his grandparents to thank for christmas continuing through new years. grace has everything opened. the new jersey relatives have still not received our gifts...the kids are happy to have something to look forward.  ....we have lots more to give....if the plans get re-re-re scheduled for new jersey......and the relatives in virginia......

the gifts for virginia relatives and new jersey have been wrapped for months.  they won't be there.  jane and jim's gifts are mostly all wrapped.  we still have gifts lined up in the dining room.....all dressed up and no place to go....we have some gifts waiting to be wrapped.

with so much organizing for months, i'm not sure who has what and what goes with who.  i hope if all works out.  wrapping isn't all that it's cracked up to be anyway.  thank goodness that they make pretty colorful, christmas bags and tissue paper. even when i am organized, i can't be organized.

 i wonder if the homecoming dance and the winter whirlwind (my new name for it), will really happen in january.  oh, and that's grace's birthday month.  that always adds to the scheduling excitement.


we will finally have our christmas with family.

this is a great day for our kids to be reminded of the lesson......tis better to give than to receive. i think they have already learned that life is a little give and take.......they have learned to go with the flow...don't put all your eggs in one basket.....

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