Still here but barely :)

Oh look I am still alive huh? I know you all probably thought that I had fallen off the face of the earth but rest assured I am still here, just more swamped with work and holiday activities than ever. B lost his grandmother before Thanksgiving which kind of threw us all off this year. It was a very sad time especially for me. I was not able to make it back to the Midwest with him to say goodbye and that was hard. Between 2 hunting trips prior to all of the family stuff and then going home to be with his grandmother in her final days and then the funeral, he had been gone a month. He returned to me and the dogs late last Monday and now we are desperately trying to return to normalcy while trying to prepare and finish up last minute details for our return trip back home for the Holidays. It definitely won’t be the same without Grandma Maxine this year but we are looking forward to spending time with the rest of our family and friends. Seems that this becomes more and more important to me each year, and I fully realize how precious time well spent with all of them is. Time passes too quickly and things happen so unexpectedly all the time. A reminder that life should not be taken for granted. In all the craziness though (and crafting which I am unable to post at this time), we did take a break and head up into the mountains for a Christmas tree. It was a nice mental break for me. Up until this point it really hasn’t felt like Christmas. It just came too quickly this year. I really needed a mental break this weekend and hiking around in the mountains just me, B and the doggies was just what I needed. I’ll share a couple of the cool photos I took from that trip just so I have something to post until life settles down a bit. I probably won’t post again until after the holidays, so here’s wishing you and yours a very happy, safe, and wonderful holiday season!
Cheers!
SJ