Mark picked up Rachel and Jana from San Francisco Airport on December 19th...well, actually, it was the 20th as the flight was delayed a few hours, and after dropping Rachel off and getting home, they finally got to bed around 3 a.m.

Erin picked up Shannon at work and brought her to our house so we could all be together to start our Christmas festivities around 1 p.m.

Grandma and Grandpa Dalton joined us at 3 p.m. and Eric, Rachel and Gracie came at 4 p.m. Gracie was old enough this year to really get into ripping the paper. She pulled off the first bow and put it right on her head!

Jana had to leave for Portland on Sunday. I wish we could have spent more time with her.

On Monday Skip Wett and his wife, Betty, came to visit. Skip and his family lived right across the street from us when I was growing up. His mother, Neva, was my babysitter and his sister, Mary, was my best friend. I haven't seen him for 33 years! We had a wonerful visit...for six hours!

Erin met us at Mark's parent's home on Chistmas Eve where we joined his brother, Don, and his family, his brother, Dennis, who came up from Southern California for the first time in five years, Uncle Tom & Aunt JoAnn and Aunt Laura. We had a really nice visit, shared gifts and munched our way through the afternoon...you know, the usual Christmas Eve-type-thing!

Christmas Day Erin came over and we watched a six-hour mini series Mark taped, “Angels in America”. Again, we munched our way though the day. Ahhhhhh, the Holidays! Back to eggs on Monday!

On the 26th my cousins, Roger & Pat, came down from Seattle for a visit. Cheryl, Matthew, Anthony and Juliana came over later in the day and opened gifts.

It was over all too quickly. By next weekend the decorations will come down and all we'll have is pictures to remember the love we shared over the holidays, and to hold me until we can do it again in 2004.