Happy New Year to All

But I'm just not ready to go back to work...

The winter break was so nice -- I even managed to forget what day of the week it was for about 6 or 7 days. Truly restful. My batteries are feeling generally recharged, and it's even a huge weight off my shoulders to have successfully made it through the holidays -- as strange as that may sound. There's always so much pressure on getting together with family and trying to be joyful and cheery with everything -- it's just @exhaust ing sometimes (shameless plug).

That being said -- my family seems to be one of the good ones these days, surprisingly. Growing up, there was traditionally a bit of turmoil around the holidays. Money stresses everything -- but now things are a bit more secure, and everyone managed to relax a bit. Stayed local this year, and had inlaws come for a visit -- which was also great. There were times that it was a bit challenging -- having 7 people and 5 dogs in a one bedroom apartment for a makeshift Christmas dinner was a bit stressful, but everyone fit better than expected. I even managed to make a trip out to catch a World Juniors Hockey game (Switzerland v Russia), and it was awesome. Front row seats, intensely overpriced beer, and a whacky double penalty shot!

However -- I'm home again now, and back at work, so I'm going to have to spend some effort making sure I make the best of my time. I had some lofty goals for things I wanted to accomplish over the break -- get some stuff done on @exhaust, get back in to climbing, help @caitycat with her new website -- and I didn't really managed to even start on any of it... Time was spent relaxing with the dogs, socializing with friends, or getting together with family. Here's the the new year, and all the joys that 2019 are sure to bring if you open your heart and mind to them!