So much for trying to post more often - it hasn't worked well so far!  This week I was even on vacation (part of it at least) and I still didn't post.

I had my last Civil War Quilt club meeting last Saturday - I got the last of the material needed to finish the quilt, and haven't touched it.  Since that meeting is at my normal grocery shopping time, and the stores are madness now, I skipped my normal shopping on Saturday, and went on Sunday morning instead.  After shopping, I started cleaning up the leaves on the lawn and driveway.  I got most of the driveway cleared, and it started raining on me.  Bummer (sort of).  I didn't want to, but I needed to, clean up the leaves.  Since I couldn't finish that job, I went in and started my Christmas Baking.  Needless to say, I didn't finish it all on Sunday, so Monday morning, I finished my baking.  I was able to put my cookie plates together and distribute some of them - to Margene and Dallas, and to work.  That pretty much filled my day.

Tuesday and Wednesday, I went to Sacramento for a conference - leaving at 6:00 on Tuesday and coning back at 5:00 on Wednesday.  Two days of conference to learn how to fill out a 3 page form,  Wow!  It was a true line-by-line training session.  Very long and drawn out, but very needed as well.  It was the new Integrated Mortgage Disclosure that is effective next August....which means I may have forgotten it all by then!  It was a good conference, and a fun trip, but it sure broke up my vacation.

Thursday, I drove down to San Francisco and picked up AJ.  His flight was scheduled to arrive at 11:23, so I was planning on leaving here around 7:30 or so.  As I was piddling around after I put Alli on the bus, I checked his flight.....he was landing an hour early!!!  (That was some tailwind!)  I pulled myself together enough to not scare the other people waiting in the airport (it was SFO, so it would have taken a lot to scare people, but still.....I needed to do my makeup and hair!)  I hit the road around 7:00 for the scheduled 3 1/2 hour drive.  Let's just say that the map app on my phone was overly optimistic about the time it would take to get there.  I hit the toll booth stop-and-go traffic a couple of miles before the actual toll booth.   By the time I made it out of there (and into more traffic on I80 and 101) AJ had landed.  I shot him a quick message saying I was on my way, but was stuck in traffic.  His reply?  "Don't hurry - we can't get off the plane until our normal time to de-plane."
He actually got off the plane after I made it to the airport (which was later than the original plan).  Then he had to clear customs and pick up his luggage.  He landed at 10:21, and we left SFO around 12:45.  But...he was home!!!  I had a nice ride back to Redding listening to some of his adventures.

Not long after we got in, Dallas came down, and life was back to normal in a hurry.  I was cooking for an army once again, and telling the 'boys' to quiet down so I could go to sleep.  Nice!

Friday was the annual Christmas Breakfast at work, and I was assigned to bring a quiche, so I was up at dark-thirty to get it in the oven, get Alli ready, and me out the door.  I left for work before Alli got on the bus.  Breakfast was served at 7:00, and officers get to be there early to get everything ready.  Luckily I only had to bring a quiche - the 'guys' were there at 5:00 to cook sausage, bacon, and potatoes for 75 people.  It is a fun tradition, but we are getting so big it has become a big burden to prep for it.  After breakfast, I did the grocery shopping and I "think" I finished up the last of my Christmas shopping, came home and sat on the couch and read,  Period.  I fixed Alli some dinner, but that's pretty much all I did.

Tonight is the Bank's Christmas party, and I will go in at 9:00 this morning and help decorate the country club for it.  Then I need to come home and do some house cleaning/straightening etc.  Alli is going to daycare for the evening tonight, so I'll need to have her fed etc. by 5:30, and be dressed and sparkly myself, and then off to the party!!!!