Christmas Eve Will Find Me. I Know It Will.

The stocking is hung by the plasma with care, in hopes that St. Beebs soon would be there. In less than a week we will celebrating the most anticipated, stressful, and fattening holiday of the year. Get out the sparkly stretchy pants and the tums! We of course will be observing with the traditional Christmas Eve party at Pops and Geeg's house. This year the old homestead is filled and covered with enough decorations to make Clark Griswold happy. They really went all out this year. We suspect our know-it-all 8 year old is about to bust out of the Santa's real mentality. Therefore, we are making  a spectacle this year. It's bittersweet to see it all come and go so quickly. Soon, we will be telling Hayden to put down his i pad and listen to us. Oh wait. We already do!

So, I can officially say, that tomorrow will be the month mark for not smoking cigarettes! Vaping is working for me where traditional methods have not. Eventually, I will stop this too. The ultimate goal is to get off the nicotine entirely. I rather enjoy my new non-stinky status.

In entertainment news, Facebook has been rather fun lately. Controversy, family intrigue, and cute animals and children are always present. But this time of year seems to bring special qualities out of the posts. The pets and children are cuter, and the drama is thicker. It's like reading little soap opera synopses. I think we should all agree that we should not be the writers of drama, just readers. It's much more fun this way.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas or Festivus, as it may be in your home. Post the pictures. Drink the 'nog. Wash your hands! (That's from my sister. She's the patron saint of hand washing and sanitizer.)

PS. No, really. Go wash your hands. Get under those fingernails. Eww.

Sailing The Smoke Free Seas

It's turkey time! The food holiday of the year is upon us and I am looking forward to traveling to the family deer lease to have a Griswold Family Thanksgiving. What says "giving thanks" better than ripping down the trails on a four wheeler? Not much in my opinion. 

Things have been extra busy around the house what with all the globe trotting and holiday ruckus. This month was busy. The cruise happened. Fun, sun, and drinks were had. I had some amazing experiences on the long strange trip to Mexico and back. I do not regret going, nor would I do it again. While three of the five days were excellent, the two spent at sea were awful. The ride home was like riding a rollercoaster you couldn't get off. 22 foot swells and 40 mile an hour winds made for an interesting last day. 

To all that said you can't feel the motion of the ocean on the giant floating hotels, ha! It didn't physically bother me. In fact, the extreme rocking of the boat was the equivalent of being rocked to sleep. I seriously had trouble staying awake that day. Many people on the boat had trouble keeping thier buffet food where they put it. This was not excluding staff that had been out to sea For 10 out of 12 months. But the shuddering crashes that reverberated throughout the breathtakingly large hull of the boat with alarming frequency was enough to keep you on edge. 

All of that aside, the beach. Oh my. Would I go back to Cozumel again? Absolutely!!!  Just not on a boat. I went snorkeling. I drove the boat that took us snorkeling. I saw a barracuda. It was mean looking. Starfish and the magic conch. I saw those. Screw the aquarium, go see the real thing. I got exactly what I was expecting in Cozumel, which was a great time. The drinks were cold, and the food was excellent. The beach was perfect. My only regret was that we didn't spend both days there. Progreso was a border town feel with a beach view. Very poor, beggars, overly aggressive curio hawkers, and tequila. We shopped till we dropped into a cantina on the beach and rushed back to the boat in the rain. 

All in all, we had a great time. We drank and ate our fill. We danced, sang, and met interesting people. We saw broadway style shows, a comedy act, a magic show and even a burlesque show. We were entertained. I have to say, I have some great memories to look back on. But I wouldn't try it again. Once was enough. 

In other news, it's been a week since I quit smoking. Actually, I have to say it's not only myself that quit. If you aren't sitting down, you may want to. Yes, the master of the Beebs universe has also quit smoking. While you absorb this news, I'll tell you how it was possible. There is this not so new trend called vaping. These magical machines use water vapor to mimic smoking and deliver pure medical grade nicotine. The act of taking a draw off my machine is as physically and mentally satisfying as smoking a cigarette. The even better side of it is the smell. It's missing the disgusting ashtray fumes. I don't stink, nor does the garage any longer. I can vape indoors. No more braving the cold or the heat to get a fix of nicotine. No more inhaling 3,000 plus cancer causing chemicals with each drag. I don't feel like I'm deprived by going cold turkey. I don't have to fill the void with food either. 

I think this is going to be it for us. I never believed we would both quit smoking and not risk our marriage. Two grumpy people withdrawing from a more than 20 year addiction doesn't make a happy home. We are both happy with the machines and our new smoke free lives. It's amazing how gross an ashtray smells now. It shocked me that even after only three days after quitting smoking how cigarettes and thier leavings turned me off. I'm pleased by the changes. I am more pleased that my newly 40 year old husband who smoked a pack and a half to two packs a day is sticking with me in this. 

So with all this, we are being dragged into December before we are ready. The last month of 2013 will be busy as well. Our 8th wedding anniversary, a wedding, parties and of course the holiday of all holidays. Have fun and don't forget your stretchy pants.