Basking in the balmy glow of family

I have been here a week now, and starting to recognize how truly isolated I have been the past few months. It's a good thing I rouse myself weekly to attend knitting group, or I would have no social skills left at all.

Kellie and I had an incredibly busy day yesterday, braving the teeming hordes at the Fort Lewis Commissary.  We had of course forgotten that it was Saturday-before-Thanksgiving.  I think I saw more people yesterday in one place than I saw all of last year. And they were all in a shopping frenzy. Aisles were like bumper cars at the fair, tempers were somewhat short, lines were long.  We were working off of three separate lists:  Household (we were out of food), Kellie's Mom's list (neither parent drives anymore), and Wedding stuff. We bought two carts worth of champagne, beer and wine, two carts worth of food, cleaning supplies, paper goods and ephemera, a dress shirt and tie for Bill for when he shows up, swimming goggles for Jerry, headphones for Kellie and me to use at the gym, cutting board mats for Juli's wedding food prep. Then we were off to Michael's (which no longer carries party supplies), Kohl's, looking for giant salad bowls (marginally successful, I may take them back if I find something better), then home to walk the dogs in the rain.

Then, around dinner time, the power went out.  Jerry made a Chicken Chili and Brown Rice on the stovetop by candlelight, Kellie and I taste-tested the champagne we bought (!), and we played Scrabble with candles and flashlights.  Then it was off pick up Kellie's Mom, and travel 25 miles south to Centralia, to see niece Bonnie's play on its closing night.

Understandably, I slept really well last night.  My final thought before succumbing to the Arms of Morpheus was how nice it was to be with people I love, laughing and talking, playing games in the dark, and being part of a group of congenial souls.

I could possibly get used to all this togetherness -- it's pretty great.