Almost Christmas...

I get to go back to my stompin' grounds for Christmas...aka northern Idaho. The land of mountains, trees, and very little traffic. Don't get me wrong, western Washington certainly has some mountains and trees but it is not lacking in traffic. But anyway, I fly out on Wednesday afternoon and I don't come back until Sunday afternoon. I'm looking forward to some time back with the family. I haven't seen any of them since July. I've lived here for over a year and a half and they still have never came to visit me! My friend Rachel's parents come to visit a lot. They're in a different situation I guess...it's just her mom and dad left at home and only her dad works, whereas my mom and stepdad both work and I have a fifteen year old sister still at home. But I believe the lack of desire for being in a city plays a big role. My mom cringes at the thought of driving around in the Seattle area and has no desire to spend time in cities, except perhaps Vegas. :) They'd all have to fly, which would be spendy...and ride with me, which would be stressful. I'm excited to go back, I hope it goes a little better than last year. I had a lot of people annoyed at me because I had started smoking last year and so I was smoking while I was home. A little drama ensued, nothing too major but it put a damper on my mood on Christmas Eve. I quit last January so hopefully nothing will do that this time around. Well, of course there are always things that can put a damper on your mood...I have a feeling it is going to be the last Christmas I will see one of my grandparents. She is actually my step-grandmother, but she's been married to my grandpa (mom's father) since before I was born. Anyway, she's had bad luck with health for a long time, but I guess this time it started with lung cancer and has progressed into other things. I'm not even sure what all at this point. My mom told me but I honestly can't remember, horrible as that sounds. I just know it wasn't good. But we'll see. I hope for the most part it will be a good trip home. There is always a lot of running around involved for my family on Christmas Eve and Christmas. No staying home either day, which makes time fly even more. Time flies regardless, unless I'm waiting for a microwave. Or a lot of the time at work...