December!

 And just like that, it's December! Another year almost finished. I was hoping 2021 would be a better year than 2020, and maybe it was just a bit better but there is still lots of room for improvement. Maybe 2022 will be that turn-around year our world needs!

The end of every year is a time I really need to work at improving in my life. It always begins about November 10th, which is my birthday. People feel the need to celebrate with me. I appreciate the thought but in these past few years I find myself wishing everyone would just celebrate without me. This was the last birthday I get to be sixty-something, next year begins a new decade! Joy!!

From there life morphs into Thanksgiving. And the ham and turkey leftovers aren't even finished when Christmas begins to take over our lives. We have quit giving material gifts for Christmas as everyone has way too much stuff anyway. And, honestly, our family has gotten so large with in-laws and a couple generations of grandkids that it would be exhausting and cost-prohibitive to purchase gifts for everyone. But we still enjoy spending holidays with family and always try to arrange a time to get together, which becomes a lot of work to provide food and lodging for that many people. But it's worth it!

Then, to add to the chaos of the end of the year, we always plan to leave for Arizona as soon after Christmas as we can to avoid as much of our northern winter as we can. That's usually 2-3 days of intense packing to be ready to leave as well as handling all the last minute details of leaving Nebraska and our home for 3+ months. By the time we get on the road we are stressed and exhausted but so ready to get going. It usually takes most of the trip to Arizona, usually three days, to decompress and begin to relax.

People often ask me us what we do while we are in Arizona, and my standard answer is "as little as possible". Some people look at me with envy and other's just shake their head like they can't believe that would be any fun. It's perfect for us! Warm sunshine, projects that we have taken with us to work on, reading...it's my dream vacation!

So as I am sitting here this morning, Mike is preparing to bring the motor home over so we can begin loading up some of the things we can load early. And I am so excited to be heading south in the next few weeks! 

I would invite you to like my Arizona Facebook page so that you can keep up with us when we are down south. It's called Mike & Sandi's Big Arizona Adventure. If you like it I will have to accept you then you are in. (I keep having people ask to join that I don't know...not sure why they would want to know what we are doing down there but I always deny their request!)

We hope to do some hiking this year on some of the various trails they have. This will provide more photo opportunities and hopefully I will be able to share more pictures of Arizona with everyone. It's a beautiful state!

 I also hope to find more time and inspiration for blogging down there. I appreciate all my readers and love hearing how you enjoy it. 

If I don't get back here before Christmas, merry Christmas to each and every one of you. And prayers that we all have a great new year.