Happy New Year!

I would have posted this yesterday...but we never made it home. We headed to the festivities Wednesday afternoon and never quite got motivated to leave. We met some new friends, made (and enjoyed) a fabulous dinner and before we knew it...or even had time to pop the corks...it was New Years Day.  The Big Guy and Miss Thing were trying to prop their eyes open with tooth picks, but finally gave in and wrangled up the Wild Ones and tucked them in. Mean while Papa Elf and I decided to make a trip to the garage (the unheated garage I might add) for a little puff of smoke...NO not me-I just had to supervise...you know I can't miss anything...and ended up in one of our life altering, change the world debates...I mean conversations...until 4 in the morning. The Big Guy popped out to give one last attempt to get us in bed and caught us in a compromising situation...or so he thought. You see Papa Elf gets a little excited, impassioned (rightious??) and let's just say in your face...the Big Guy asked us what we were doing and Papa Elf turned and hissed, "Chatting." The Big Guy knows when to walk away and didn't see me again for a couple of hours until I snuggled my icy ass up next to him to thaw (and not one word of complaint from the saint). Morning came all too fast and just as I was ready to head home...there were waffles to eat, kitchens to clean, games to be played, pizza to cook, football to watch, Nerf wielding crazies to avoid, more pizzas to order, more football to watch and more stories to be told. That is when I sat back and reflected on the wonderful friends that we have made...how lucky to have friends that not only don't kick you out, but make you feel so at home that you can lounge in your jammies and go through the fridge as if you were at your own house. I finally peeled the Big Guy off the couch and into the car...as it was nearing bedtime...for fear that we would never be invited back (only time will tell). Welcome to 2009...The Year of Happiness.