A Fleming Six-Month Catchup Part IV, the Last

Accept our fondest Happy New Year! and delete, or pull up a cup of Joe and read on . . . in four parts.

Part IV Our Christmas Present



John came home, slipping through Europe's clogged air passages, a week before Christmas. It was just all good. Period. We jumped into the Christmas rush with Santa, and enjoyed a beautiful, Traditional Fleming Christmas*. It even snowed.



(Kit and Gabby demonstrating the We-Pod)



*Note: Yes, that's Southside Johnny (from the south side of the Bayonne bridge, that is) singing Gaelic Storm's gentle lullabye, "The Night I Punched Russell Crowe in the Head," our odd children immersed in sugar and their favorite presents . . books.

Two days later we left for the snows of New Jersey, and were not disappointed. We had to dress the kids in full snow gear in the van, and bail out on a main road by Grandma and Pop's directly into three feet of the white stuff: kids, dog, luggage and all, and make our way to the house.




Una held family Christmas a day later in Bayonne, the entire Fleming family making it in on cleared main roads for the festivities, including both dogs. It was a blast.

All 12 grandkids, from the top: Katie, Deidre, Hannah, Michael, Fiona, Finula, Gabby, Jack, Kit, Bella, Joey (the oldest) and Cora (the newest).


John and I escaped to romantic Long Branch for a couple of kid-free nights away, with yummy dinners at warm restaurants along a snowy beach . . .



. . . then made it home to Bethesda on New Year's Eve, (out of car, dress everybody, back in car to make it to Lebanese Taverna to meet Fran and Roger and Bella and Finula . . . see? Who needs transitions? ).



John left a week later.

Today is January 28th. There are 68 days left until John's next visit home.

Kit asked me what my hobby was, and while a sad, little spark zoomed through my brain that it would be running outside if only I could leave the house, I said, naturally, "writing," as it's always been since I was her age (7) and wrote my first successful research paper on the duckbilled platypus.

So, ok, then:

2011 New Year's Resolutions
~consider taking a breath between events
~meditate
~do more yoga
and
~just write already


Happy New Year!