Peace

[indigo_rose99]

This week has been more than the sum of its parts.  And the parts were perfectly nice enough individually -- birthday party, T's birthday, my birthday, Thanksgiving brunch with friends & a brother, setting up our Christmas tree with eggnog, sending out our Christmas cards to all but the difficult ones, wrapped the majority of Christmas presents, finished making the jewelry I had planned for Christmas gifts, started work on hemming my last too-long work pants, playing cooperative Guitar Hero, clearing hours out of the DVR, and... sleep.  Sweet, wonderful sleep.

My highlights include:

• standing at the stove cutting up hot brownies to be sent to my brother in Peru and T telling me that it was time to give me my biggest birthday present... him.  For a day.  He took vacation to spend the whole day with me, in any way I wished.  Starting with sleeping really, really late. 

• thinking about going to bed each night... and not setting an alarm.  I have been looking forward to sleeping each night with a delight that has practically brought tears to my eyes.  The whole concept of sleeping late in my own bed with my husband is...  Wonderful.  So sweetly wonderful.

I have come to an acceptance of my upcoming Europe trip.  I've started packing.  I've rented cars in both cities.  I'm mostly ready for the road trip that will be happening mere hours after I get off the plane on my return trip.  It was really... necessary... for me to have time to do this.  Yes, I am one of the more organized people you will meet in your life, but this sort of organization does not happen spontaneously or instantly.  I need time to make it happen.  And I have never been to England by myself, much less driven there. It looks like it will be much like driving in Ireland, but...  Change is challenging.