Merry Christmas

Christmas in Hawaii got off to a very rough start, unfortunately. After a fun Christmas Eve spent hanging out with Grandma, Elise went to sleep in her “nook” in the hallway only to wake at 7:00am on Christmas morning with a nasty stomach bug. Her spirits were good initially and she was able to open a few presents (she got art lessons from Santa), but the flu intensified as the minutes ticked by, which quickly put an end to the Christmas excitement.

She became very ill and spent the remainder of the day writhing in bed, completely inconsolable. We did our best to keep her comfortable, but there was only so much we could do – the illness needed to take its course. Needless to say, it was a very unfortunate way to spend Christmas and we were all housebound because of it. Regardless, we made the best of each other’s company, opened our presents and said silent prayers that the flu left the rest of us alone. Stay tuned…

Santa and Archery...

Elise had her school Christmas concert last night and a good time was had by all. There was a bake sale, pictures with Santa and a silent auction before the show, and we had fun mingling with the other families. The school put on a great play and we enjoyed watching Elise get up on stage and boogie to the class song. She was eager to sit on Santa's lap and, after much deliberation in the car, asked him for art lessons. As she jumped off his lap, I asked her how it went. "Good", she replied. I wonder if she'll get her art lessons?

On a rainy evening last week we went to the local rod and gun club for archery night. None of us had ever shot a proper bow before, so this was an interesting activity (and an interesting cultural experience). Elise thoroughly enjoyed it and actually hit the board on a few occasions. I found it tough to aim straight and missed the target repeatedly, but Pam made a few good shots. We'll go back, I'm sure...

The countdown to Santa has begun...

Readjusting...

We've been back from Spain for close to two weeks now and have quickly fallen back into our old routines. I always find this rapid adjustment after a lengthy trip somewhat unsettling. The memories from the adventure are still crystal clear, yet in a strange way it feels as if the trip didn't actually happen, or if it did happen it was a very long time ago. It's a bit hard to explain, but I imagine the contrast between where we were and where we call home is so great that it's hard to mesh the two "existences" together into one cohesive picture. I'm sure Elise doesn't experience this, but Pam likely knows what I mean...

Regardless, we have a couple of weeks before we head off to Hawaii for Christmas vacation to visit Ron and Sharon, and we are busy catching up on work, reconnecting with friends and skiing. The winter has started well up on the mountain and Elise and I enjoyed her first day out last Saturday. She skied very confidently on her new skis and we both had a nice time. She starts lessons after New Years and we are all anxious to see how she likes them.

For the month between trips we signed Elise up for taekwondo, an activity she had personally requested. You pay for one month and then attend all the classes you want (there is one each evening). I think she went three times last week, and that was only because we had engagements on the other two nights. She really seems to like it. The classes are playful yet disciplined and she seems very drawn to her teacher, a martial arts expert the kids simply refer to as "Sir". How long her interest will last is anyone's guess - she's six after all -  but she claims, somewhat convincingly, that she wants to get a black belt. Time will tell...