It has been one of the most hectic and exhausting weekends of my life. I'm not sure what makes it so (I mean, apart from not going to bed until 4 and 5am most nights and getting up by 9am), but it's been a good time.

I'm a bit disappointed. I feel like there's been so much running around and not enough talking to people. Catching up with several dozen people is a tough thing to do when everyone is always together in a huge group and you're overwhelmed with really awesome food and drink and music and activities... I love it, but I feel like we've gotten a bit excessive. Maybe next year I'll suggest a weekend in Tahoe, entirely catered, so no one has to do anything but relax, hang out, and socialize.

Saturday was a flurry of grocery shopping, napping (oops), cooking, basketball games, more cooking, trying to curl my niece's hair, my hair, trying to pack the cars full of people and food an gifts, heading over to my aunt and uncle's house for (literally) mountains of food, carolers (yes, real live singers at the house), white elephant gift exchange (I lucked out with some decent stuff, I have to say - makeup and face wash and nail polish, oh, my!), and just general insanity. It was fabulous. Today we did another grocery run, a mall run, stopped past the old house (that is still for sale) so I could say hello to my piano and we could look around the house, and came back to my brother's to make cookies. It was weird to stop by my big, empty house. I miss living there. If only I could pick up the house and the property and plop it in California, I'd be a happy camper. It was suggested to me that I should take a look at the cost to ship the piano to California and try to find it a temporary home... it's just sitting there in the house and trying to find someone to purchase it in this economy is nearly impossible. We've been trying to sell the piano for months and the house for years. It's just not happening. I might be the happiest person alive if I can figure out how to make that work somehow. We'll see. I also got to talk to my friend Matt from grade school. Turns out he's living in Denver now, working for the same company all my friends work for (small, small world), and seems to love traveling as much as I do. It was an interesting, but kind of awkward conversation. After not talking to someone for 12 years, you have to expect it'll be a bit strange, but still pretty cool. Part of me wishes I was staying here a bit longer so we could get together and chat, but maybe I'll try to catch up with him next time I'm in Denver to visit family instead. Anyway, 14 batches of cookies later, here I am, applying for more jobs after midnight, taking my stupid tests for the temp agency (how do you make a word italicized in Microsoft Word???) and contemplating going to bed at a reasonable hour.

Tomorrow, I'll be heading out to have lunch with an old friend, Rachael, and I am pretty psyched to see her. It's been a long time and a LOT of things have gone around for both of us, so I can't wait to go hang out! I'm headed back to Cali and out of this frigid weather tomorrow afternoon and I wish I could just pack up my family and take them with me... wouldn't that be easier? Seriously, it's 1 degree here. That's just wrong.

I can't wait to go home. To California. It's going to be a pretty weird week, but I think it will be okay... I hope it will be okay. I promise I'll try to be more upbeat and perky about this week, but no guarantees. :-)

Cheers and Happy Holidays - Cleveland Christmas pictures to come.

Labels: Cleveland, family, friends, holiday stuff