The Whirlwind Holidays

The holidays are over. Bah-humbug! It's back to reality and back to the daily grind. We had a jampacked Christmas and New Year, I didn't even have time to sit down and write down any of it. I did finally get to update Raine's multiply site. Family and friends are welcome to check it out.

The festivities started pretty early for our family. There was the red-letter despedida de soltera for my sister-in-law where we all discovered Raine's dancing skills, my brother's last birthday as a single guy, my father-in-law's 60th bash in Negros, my own dad's 66th celebration, the arrival of our relatives from the U.S., my brother's wedding, our 3rd wedding anniversary, reunions left and right and of course New Year's Eve. Whew!

Now it's all over. The gowns and party clothes have been put away, the visiting relatives have left for their homes, we're on our last vestiges of leftover party food. I love the holidays and the anticipation of it all. I now see it through Raine's eyes and delight in the many gifts she received as if they were for me. She got to watch her first fireworks display at the Fort on New Year's Eve and she was in total awe of it all. I look back at the hundreds of pictures taken this past month and realize how time flies. In 2007, we were celebrating an ultra-quiet holiday season in Marshall Islands.

This 2008 was the total opposite. 2009 promises to hold more surprises for all of us. Stay tuned!