Holiday in Homer!

I started to write an entry for my blog while I was in JFK trying to get to Homer for Christmas but after I was delayed for 2 more hours and the battery died on my computer I decided it was a better idea to simply people watch and update my blog later. Today is Boxing Day. No one in our family really knows what it is except that it is celebrated in England today…so Happy Boxing Day!

My Christmas in Homer has been awesome! Once again I am amazed at how fortunate I am that I have such a fun, generous and loving family. It is a bit of a disappointment that I have been able to spend much time with cousins and my brother’s family but it makes me realize I need to get to Chicago to visit them during the year.

Margaret and I spent a day shopping in Syracuse for Jerry’s new bike. We got him a Giant Delay; a great starter bike and one that he will be able to ride for a long time. I tried to talk her out of the triple but she really thought Jerry would need it. L It was fun to shop as we also went to the mall 2 days before Christmas. It was a freaking zoo and so much fun to see all the crazy people. We hung out at Borders and got some books as gifts for each other and my father. The new Don Rickles book looked like something Walt would appreciate!

We also went to dinner with my father’s new lady-friend, Betsy. She is very pleasant, vital and clearly keeps my father in hand. It is a bit weird for me since we know so many of the same people in town but in a way it is comforting because everyone that knows her agrees she is a great lady. We had Mexican and Margaret drank a huge margarita! I have never seen her drink that much before! It was great!

I’ve been able to either swim or run every day. The Cortland YMCA is a very old Y but it has a clean pool and free weights that even I can lift! (I am such a wimp right now!) Running is always interesting with all the snow and ice on the ground but I ran all around Homer on Christmas morning checking out all my friend’s homes, the house where I grew up and climbed the only real hill back to my father’s house. Running through town reminded me of how very fortunate I am that I have the means to come home to see my family and that we have the means to live in a nice home and exchange fun gifts that none of us really needs. Homer has many families that live in rough houses on tough streets and the holiday always looks so dismal in those areas. I am so grateful for my life and the love of my family!

We spend Christmas afternoon at my Aunt Diane’s home with all the cousins who are in driving distance. This year there were only about 24 of us and that included a slew of little kids. Hillary has 3 boys, Amy has 2 little girls and Kristen has one of each. Anne currently holds the “youngest in the family” position which never seems to last very long. Family came in from Buffalo, Rochester, Philly, New Jersey, Connecticut, Chicago and Colorado. Quite a good group! For many years I have felt like the black sheep of the family as I don’t have kids or a husband and this year was about the same. I love all the kids but I realized something funny happens over time; people think because you never had children that you must not like them or you never wanted them so they say silly things like “leave cousin Beth alone” or “stay away from crazy aunt Beth” or “you don’t want to hold her do you?”. This always makes me laugh because I love kids and babies…I just never managed to have my own. I love babies especially my cousin’s kids! They are so cute and fun!

We had our family Christmas at the end of the day this year. We went back to my father’s house and opened gifts and hung out! It is always funs to be with the kids and get caught up with Scot and Angela! I really do miss them and need to see them more often in 2009! My sister was way too generous and now I understand why she got overwhelmed with buying, organizing and wrapping gifts for the family. We talked about picking names for next year but I don’t think we ever had the conversation! We should because everyone might get the gifts I bought them as birthday presents in 09 anyway! J

The last night I was in town I had the pleasure of spending time with Pop and his lady friend. Her kids showed up at Ho Beaus too so we had a drink and got caught up. She clearly makes my Pop very happy and she enjoys life and her kids and grand kids too. I also spent some time with Mimi and Rick and friends so that was a bonus too.

The trip home was another story….