"Are you EVER going to post again?!"

Yes, I am... just not a long one for a while. Oh, and Happy New Year!

Work has been uber busy. I was hoping that by the time I left my job to run away with the Navy our slow season would be almost over and I would miss the hectic stuff. No such luck- our client moved the whole planning season up about 4 months, and we're crazed. Since I do most of my posting at the office during lunch or after work, I haven't been able to fit it in. And I'm sorry, but I don't want to sit in front of a computer and type when I get home.

Christmas was great. Every year I enjoy it more. (Though Greg is going to have a hard time ever topping 2005's Christmas... I'm not expecting diamonds for Christmas again for many years to come!)

Greg's family (who shall be known from now on as The S.'s, since I've decided to take last names off my blog) all came to our house for Christmas Eve again, which was lots of fun. And they came bearing wonderful gifts: pretty gold earrings and some fun kitcheny stuff (including an monogrammed apron from our Williams-Sonoma registry... my first "S." thing!!) from Teresa and Hap, a fantastic coffee table book on Broadway musicals from J.J. (who I never told but seemed to channel the fact that I collect coffee table books on musical theatre!) and a web cam from Paul. (Paul gave Greg a web cam, too- a most thoughtful gift for a couple separated for long stretches of time!) I had fun finding gifts for Greg's family this year... though both Paul and J.J. seemed strangely relieved when (after Teresa and Hap had each unwrapped Lizzie-made scarves) I promised that their gifts contained nothing knit. :-)

Greg saved his gift to me for last. He told me that it was in the dining room, and that he was not going to carry it into the living room for me- I would have to go and get it myself. I got into the front hall (which separates the living and dining rooms) and couldn't miss the package. It was wrapped in bright green paper... and was about four feet tall. Quoth the Lizzie: "What in the world did you get me?!" My question was answered soon enough- inside the box was a brand new guitar! Hooray!!!! Greg knew that I wanted to learn how to play, but practicing on my Dad's very large steel string guitar was too difficult. It was a very, very thoughtful gift, and I absolutely love it. (If you're ever over, ask me and I'll play The Beatles' "Yesterday" for you... very, very slowly!)

Both the P.'s and the S.'s were most patient and sat through not one but TWO masses to hear me sing. We had dinner in between the two and champagne afterward. The singing went really well this year- in fact, I think it might have been my best year at St. Augustine's yet, though it is likely to be my last for a long while. (Though the choir did joke about flying me in from Hawaii!)

Christmas morning brought more singing: three more masses. I really did sing a lot this year- 8 out of 9 days leading up to Christmas. Highlights included a concert at the Juilliard Theatre, (in which I finally got to sing in a small group,) Carl and Mary's Christmas party (which is my favorite party of the year, or maybe ever), several caroling things at the yacht club, and soloing at church.

After Christmas morning mass(es), my family finally got to open gifts around 1:30. (Yeah- I'm looking forward to having Christmas morning back- I've sung from 9:00 to 1:00 for the past four years!) This year's givings included a new set of hurricanes (the pretty glass cylinders that go over candlesticks) for my Mom, (Greg, Dad and I actually gave them to her together,) a "scholarship" toward a new pair of dress shoes for the wedding for my Dad, and a shirt and makeup brush for Allie. Gifts I received include some fun little things like a pretty blue colander for my soon-to-be kitchen, a ridiculously hard puzzle (my favorite kind!), a pretty sweater and vest, Kate Spade Scrabble (from Allie- who else?!), and a really pretty gold necklace from my parents (it has charms with Greg and my names.)

The most special gift of this Christmas, though, was one I've received every Christmas for longer than I can remember. My Dad (both of my parents, really, but it's always been a Daddy-Daughter thing) started Add-A-Pearl necklaces for my sister and me when we were babies, with one pearl added for every birthday and Christmas. My sister and I have unwrapped the same square red leather boxes our whole lives, with the strings of pearl inside slowly getting longer and the gold chains slowly getting shorter. This year would have been 50 pearls.

Well, when I was getting ready for church on Christmas Eve, I went into the kitchen to ask people's opinions on a necklace to wear with my new dress. My Dad said that the one I had chosen looked nice, but that maybe I should consider wearing a different one, then produced an unfamiliar, flat, rectangular box. I unwrapped it, and in silky folder inside found a full string of pearls with a pretty gold clasp that I wasn't sure how to work. I thanked him, saying that they were beautiful, but was a little disappointed. Clearly these were to be worn at the wedding, but I had wanted to wear my pearls, as I had for almost every special occasion for my whole life. I even planned my dress around them!

But before I had more than a few moments to think about it, my Dad told me that he had had my necklace finished for me. I knew that he had planned to for the wedding, but with the new clasp and box, and the complete lack of gold chain, I hadn't even recognized it. I know it sounds silly, but as I gave my Dad a big hug, I couldn't help but cry. The necklace has always been something special for us, having grown with me. And now it's finished, and I'm grown up, and I'm getting married. Okay, now I know I'm really sappy, because I'm getting a little teary typing this.

Wait- wasn't this supposed to be a short post? Oops. Okay- I'll wrap it up.

We drove down to Pennington Christmas afternoon and visited my Mom's parents for a few days. I had fun visiting with my cousins and got the only thing I asked for this Christmas: a game of backgammon with my grandfather.

Christmas was followed with more wonderful things, including a trip to Mystic with Greg and New Year's in D.C. with the Branford gang, but I think those will have to wait for another post. I promise it will be sooner this time, though- less than a month, and maybe even before the end of the week. I'll also put up some photos- I have some great shots from all sorts of Christmassy things. I hope Blogger will allow me to post sound files someday, because I have an MP3 of O Holy Night that I'm quite proud of.

More soon. In the mean time, Merry Ho and Hoppy Gnu Year!