"Go home and take the rest of the day off"

Well, here I am, with no more guests, laundry to do, a house to clean, presents to wrap, cards to fill out, gifts to mail, people to call, and emails to return . . . but I don't care at the moment because I'm going to take the rest of the day off. I'm just plain old tired. Not necessarily that sleepy kind of tired, but the kind where you are just worn out and need to sort of take a mental break. So, per my Mom's instructions, that is what I am going to do for the rest of the day.

This morning we got up early (as usual) and got ready to take my Dad to the airport. On our way, we stopped and got some yummy malasadas, which are Portuguese in origin, similar to a doughnut, and very popular in Hawaii. My Dad said it was "the best baked item" he has ever had. So if you ever come to visit, remind us to stop and get you one (or a dozen if Brian is around). Then we headed over to the Navy Exchange to burn some time before my Dad's flight, and while we were there we ran into Santa. As soon as I pointed him out, Charley immediately got the "deer in headlights" look, as if she was thinking, "Please God, not again!" I'm hoping that with a little more explanation and rational discussion over the next couple weeks, we can get her prepped for our annual Santa photo session so that we don't have a repeat of the last two years, which as most of you know involved pure hysteria. So, after the Santa spotting, we headed to the airport to drop my Dad off, and for the first time, Charley cried at the departure of a grandparent. It was pretty sad, but it makes me happy to see how bonded Charley is to her Grandpa, even though the distance makes it hard to see him more than a time or two a year.

After wiping a few tears, we headed off in the direction of the Navy Commissary because I was completely out of milk for the kids and knew I HAD to go, even though I didn't want to. Somehow I took a wrong turn and ended up being forced to enter Hickam Air Force Base instead of the Navy Base, but then I remembered this base had a store too, so I stumbled around the base until I found it. I tortured myself with a brief grocery shopping trip (the kids were tired and hungry so therefore NOT on their best behavior), and then headed home. So here we are on this gray rainy day (which is a nice change), sitting around being bums for the rest of the day. And for just today, I don't feel one bit guilty about it.