Christmas Escapades

So Christmas was pretty good. The previous few days leading UP to Christmas were pretty hectic, but Christmas was good. lol

Last Minute Shopping

I managed to get into work an hour early on Friday so I could take advantage of the free hour offered by management, and go home with everybody else. So Mom and I got off of work at the same time, and decided to brave the mall to grab some last-minute gifts for Boomer, as Mom insisted he couldn't NOT have something under the tree. Now see... there's a reason family tradition has dictated all avoidance of the mall within a week of Christmas... preferably within a month, but some things can't be helped. And that reason consists of two words: "Mad" and "House".

It was a narrow miss, but we managed to emerge unscathed. Mother, of course, will not let me live down the inconvenience for a while, but that's okay. I accept full consequences for my li'l impulsive decision, and I do so happily. It's been really good to see Boomer again after 12 years and, though I know he still wasn't entirely comfortable sharing somebody else's family Christmas, he also knows he was welcome... and not just by me. Some military traditions never die, no matter where you are or how long you've been a civilian.

Wrapping Duty

Amway, I ended up spending all of Friday night fastidiously wrapping Christmas presents, per usual. I'm afraid I'm incapable of NOT fastidiously wrapping packages. It's a curse. I could really have done with getting things done a li'l more quickly, as I finally finished up around 1:30 am... and then HAD to finish the movie on USA through to 3 am. (About a Boy... strange but interesting movie) And, of course, Ms. Pukesalot had to assist in the process, though her actual assistance was questionable.

Running Late... Per Usual

Saturday was cleaning day. Again, more anal attentiveness abounded, so I didn't get out on my way to the airport to pick up Boomer even remotely near to the time that I'd hoped to do so.

My 2-hour drive to St. Louis on Christmas Eve was not the most pleasant, as it was dark and raining with intermittent fog, but I survived. Since I'd started out so late from Columbia, he had already landed and picked up his luggage by time I was about 15 minutes away from the airport. So instead of parking, we decided to just meet up in the pickup area... which I had an interesting time locating (they are evidently on several different levels) but we finally found each other and all was well.

I have to admit, though, that after 4 straight hours of white-knuckle driving, I was pretty happy to get out of the car back in Columbia. Plus I was just a li'l relieved that I managed to avoid my holiday curse once more. (Every accident I've ever been in has been on either a holiday or the eve of a holiday) We managed to catch my new favorite li'l Chinese place just before they closed, and they hooked us up with some take-out. By time we got home, eaten and got him established in the guest room, it was pretty much time to crash.

Christmas Day

Boomer has had to adjust his body clock a li'l, as he's a night owl... usually staying up til about 3 am, and getting up sometime early in the afternoon. But, barring the option of going to my folks' place for Christmas morning then coming back to get him when he woke up, he managed to rouse himself early enough that we could get there around 9 am.

As mentioned earlier, Boomer received a warm welcome... as I'd expected. I think he enjoyed himself (as best as can be in such a situation) and it was a generally good day for all. After the opening of the gifts and dinner, we ended up laughing over Apples to Apples with Gram til early evening when Pop took her home... then proceeded to spend the rest of the night completely ignoring the rules for the new family game that was a gift for everybody, Scene It, and just scrolling through the trivia. It ended up another late night (at least for me), and I finally had to cry uncle and suggest heading home around midnight.

Oh, and I not only got what I asked for for Christmas (a new vacuum cleaner) but it was purple to boot! You CAN'T beat a purple vacuum cleaner. *grin*

And The Rest, to Date...

The rest of Boomer's trip has been a mixed success. The day after Christmas was great... we didn't get much accomplished, but did manage to work in lunch at IHOP, a trip to the grocery store, then caught a movie (The Producers... VERY cute movie). Mom and I had originally planned to do a movie together the day after Christmas (since Pop had to work), long before we knew Boomer was coming, and we decided to extend the invitation to him as part of our Christmas gift to him. But she ended up with a migraine that day, so I treated him to the movie on my own.

After that, the evening was the first we had to just sit and relax... Ms. Pukesalot finally crept out of hiding into the calm to meet Boomer, and we had a pleasant evening just talking.

A Few Rocks

Yesterday was a li'l rocky. We are halfway through his visit and I have concluded that a week was probly too long. And it's not that I dislike his company. It's just that my anti-social side is beginning to go into withdrawal. Boomer's a great guy, and he definately has a very distinct and almost fiercely unconventional personality... but I need to be in a certain mode to be able to accept and/or handle that personality. And I can assure you that "anti-social" is NOT that mode.

He's been really cool, though... we are both quite analytical creatures, and we're well aware of the idiosyncracies that make each other tick. When I got home from work yesterday, he gave me some space to decompress. See, my home time is my "me" time, and he did his best to not intrude. Which was really nice, and I was able to return to quasi-hostess mode and enjoy another evening of conversation (and a little bit of tv... we're both fans of Law & Order: SVU). And though I recognize that he DID tone himself down, I still found that my defenses to his distinctive method of expression were a little low.

Learning Curve

But I think this visit has been good on all levels... even being a little too long, because it's given me an opportunity to learn these things. About myself... about him... about how we regard each other, and what we want out of our connection. I think I've concluded that I'm perfectly happy continuing as we are now... and that if I'm ever ready for something more, it's certainly not now. I'm not entirely sure exactly what he wants... or if whatever his inclinations have been are changed with this trip... but I do know he will completely respect MY inclinations, and I'm fairly sure that it won't affect our friendship.

Of course, I reserve my right to change my mind at all times. *grin*

The Rest of the Week

So we have few plans left for the rest of the week. The girls at work have insisted on meeting him... pretty much because he's male, he's visiting, and they're nosy. So I suggested he pick me up one day this week from work for lunch. That will probly be tomorrow. I've also arranged to take off a couple hours early each day this week, so I can get home before dark and not COMPLETELY ignore my guest through the work week.

I believe Mom's planning dinner for Saturday (New Year's Eve)... plus another possible movie, depending on her head. Then, Sunday, Boomer and I have discussed possibly heading to St. Louis for the purpose of checking out St. Louis (as opposed to going to and from the airport). Since his flight is an ungawdly time Monday morning, I'm seriously considering just getting a hotel Sunday night and avoiding 2 extra trips back and forth.

Tonight, I hope to decorate some... something I can do with my guest and help me avoid my grumpy anti-socialness. This whole trip was my idea... including the amount of time. I don't want to make my guest suffer for my lessons learned, and I don't want him to feel uncomfortable or unwanted. Yesterday was a learning bump for me, so I hope to do much better tonight. :)

Amway, it's 3:15, so I'll need to wrap up and head home soon. I'll be sure to report back in after the New Year. :)