Christmas and other varioius items

It's safe to say it's been a while since I updated. I've been... busy. I had Christmas Performance, then my trip home, then my trip back and some semi-brutal jet lag which I overcame yesterday.

So I'll begin at the beginning. Christmas Performance. I was really proud of my kids and I feel like they all did their best, so that's all I really care about. After the show, I got a bunch of flowers from my kids (one bouquet was literally the size of one of my kids) and felt like Miss America between the flowers and the million pictures I took with my class. Pictures with each kid, each kid and thier mom, a couple kids, a couple kids and their moms... Gah. Anyway, I guess that's the price you pay for looking nice and teaching the same kids for over a year. After the show, the teachers all went out to Pizza Hut (the principal wanted to take us ous somewhere but we all hate her and had already made plans) and had a nice lunch. Nothing really outstanding or special to report, so here are the pics. A couple of my class in costume on the stage. I think they're singing "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas" in this one.

And this is Pitt, Jenny, Grace and Lucy singing "We Three Kings."

Finally, one of me and a few of my kids and their moms (and my new supervisor who snuck in...Balls!).

I love Lucy's mom (second mom in with the white shirt). She is UBER cute and makes me earrings. Fab.

Now onto home... I don't really wanna talk to much about it because then I'll start to miss everyone again (I didn't feel how much I missed them until I saw them, funny enough.) and I just want to live in the memories for a little bit longer. But anyway, here are a couple of pics from my trip.

I spent Christmas Eve with my dad's family (like we always do, and it was great) and I ate Cuban food and it was SO GOOD. Seeing everyone again was great, although it was a one-time deal 'cause they all went to Florida soon after the New Year. My cousins are nearly ladies at this point; they've grown so much in a year and a half. Anyway, a picture of Abita with Lancelot, whom EVERYONE loved.

He's such a good baby and he LOVED all the attention.

Christmas Day at home (monkey bread, mmmmmmm) and then to Mema and Grumpa's. It was pretty sad, though, not having Grumpa there but I understand why Mema decided not to bring him home. We did go visit him around dinner time, so Mema could feed him and we could all see him. It was pretty sad to see him the way he is now, compared to how he was when I left, but he's doing the best he can. He didn't know me at first, because of his bad eyesight he couldn't see me, but after he did he goes, "Hey, I love you." It was really sweet. Everyone knows I love HIM more than life, so I was just happy to see him and hug him again. Here's a picture of Mema, Grumpa, and Lancelot, who cheered up a lot of people at that care home.

I love that my dog's the only one posing. lol

Um, the rest of break was a whirlwind of seeing friends and eating and laughing and remembering. A couple more pics, then I'm calling it quits. Here's one from the Fab Reunion, the first time we've all been together since Annie moved away.

I'm not really sure what I'm about in that one but oh well. We haven't shared pictures yet so this is what you get. Also, I haven't stolen pictures from Facebook yet either, so you're stuck with these couple from New Year's Eve weekend. This is one of all the usual suspects at the Y.J., home of my old friend the Pink Drink. I felt like I was in college again.

And here's a last one of the VanCooter family. We're gonna use it for Christmas in July cards this year, or so I hear... ;)

Don't we look happy and functional? LOVE the Christmas sweaters. They were all extremely bad in such a good way.

In a lot of ways, I wish I didn't have to leave. I feel like I lost a little bit of my steam when I came back, and now I'm just... blah. But I paid in full for my trips to Australia to New Zealand, so I really have to go now. All I need now are plane tickets and a more concrete plan for China.

I'll see you all again in a couple months!

Much love.