Fun with the folks, Christmas' past, and big news

Happy Holidays everyone, how are you holding up so far?
I'm behind in my blogging (as usual), so I'm backtracking a few weeks to a visit from my folks for an early Christmas get together.

Here's my dad, hanging out at our house. This is after a long day of shopping, and Larry was ready for some down time!

My mom captured this picture of my cat, Marley. The cat has little tolerance for people, and this pretty much sums up her attitude about anyone invading her space. Marley was a 1997 Christmas gift from a girlfriend of mine . . . more on getting animals as gifts in a moment.

My dad . . . he's the best!

My mom . . . we are pooped after shopping (round 2)! I must take a moment to praise my father for his incredible patience when it comes to these outings. First, you have to understand that he's the only man in our little family. Second, it helps for you to know that in my hometown in Nebraska, there is no shopping. There are a few little ma & pop stores, there is a Wal-Mart and there are gas stations and grocery stores. That about covers it. You have to drive at least 90 miles to find someplace to shop, and that's really not that great. So, my mom and I go a little nuts when we go shopping together, and over the years my dad has become a pro "guy on a bench". You know what I'm talking about . . . the men at every shopping venue in the world, hanging out waiting for their significant others to find the perfect ____. Fill in the blank. It doesn't matter what it is, finding it always takes forever. My dad's been at this so long, if there was a "guy on a bench" hall of fame, he'd be in it. Thanks, Dad. Next time you visit, no shopping!
When my folks were here, we got to reminiscing about holiday gatherings of the past and I was inspired to start looking through old pictures. This is Thanksgiving at the Moody house, 1974. My cousins, Michael, Sean, Brad (holding me), Michelle and Nicole. I have a lot of fond memories of hanging out with this bunch. They were all like siblings to me, since I'm a "lonely only."

This is a photo from a Christmas that everyone in my family vividly remembers. 1976, or as we call it, "The Year of the Bunny!" I don't know why, but this particular year I asked for a pet rabbit. Not only did my parents get me one, my dad dressed up as Santa Claus to deliver it! My cousins Sean and Nicole were at our house that year, and my mom likes to say that the three of us were "all teeth and eyeballs" when my dad came down the stairs in the costume. What's tragic is we haven't been able to find any pictures of him! My mom will probably find some when they move this summer. Maybe I'll create a "Christmas in July" posting then.

Here I am right after the rabbit delivery. I think I look a little freaked out . . . probably because I wasn't too sure Santa was real until he showed up in our basement!

Here I am feeding the rabbit later that night. The family likes to repeat what my Grandpa Gene had to say about this whole scene, "It's a good thing Erin didn't ask for an elephant for Christmas." Yes, I was spoiled. Rotten.And here's more proof. This is a picture I found from the 80s, but it really could be any Christmas when I was a kid. Just a ridiculous number of gifts. Crazy. And now, my husband is just as bad as my parents were. Michael goes absolutely nuts buying presents, and he is a really great shopper. That brings me to my big news. He got me a digital camera! Any bets on how long it takes me to figure out how to use it? Don't hold your breath.

I've been dinking around with this silly post for way too many days, so I'm finally going to post the darn thing. I hope everyone's having a wonderful holiday season. Here's to believing in Santa, remembering the reason we have Christmas, and realizing that the greatest gifts in life don't have price tags.

Thanks for watching, reading and emailing . . . we'll chat in 2007!

Erin