The Four Fans of Christmas

It was a Very Fandom Christmas at Chez GamersBabes this year. The older girls can now get their own gifts for people, and so there was a lot of giggling over gifts. Lee got me a Thor mug, for instance, and my mom got Abby a Supernatural calendar (well, that one was more squee-ing that giggling). Abby got me a Doctor Who-themed necklace, and a girly-scientist kind of book for Little Miz Liz.

A good time was had by all, in spite of me (and the older two kids) white-knuckling our way down the hill from my aunt's house on Christmas Eve (as it was a White Christmas for the first time since, um... 2008, I think?) Lizzy actually slept through the whole ordeal; that may be the first time she's fallen asleep in the car since she was about three.

So, here you go, for the enjoyment of all:

Twelve SPN pix,
Eleven fandom shout-outs,
Ten-year-old a-sleeping,
Nine pairs of earrings,
Eight silly reindeer,
Seven chocolate candies,
Six appetizers,
Five Funko Pops...
Four silly clothes,
Three BrickHeadz,
Two boiled eggs,
And a renewed sense of Weight Watchers nee-ee-ee-eeeeeeed.

Once Upon a December

Not this one, although that role is in Abby's Top Ten list.

So, for those of you who thought that this would be the New Normal, be at ease. That one is simply for the purpose of making - as the URL suggests - a blog that is entirely safe for work... and more importantly, for potential employers.

But here we are, in December. Abby is fifteen (can you believe it?!). Lizzy is ten. We'e been through a lot this year, here at Chez Gamers' Babes, and in general we're doing okay. I'm unemployed, but confident in my ability to get work that will suit everyone. Abby got a role she really wanted at Studio East and Lizzy is being tested for the Highly Capable program in January (and getting a few test-taking accommodations for the process; her IEP allows for this).

I've learned that I have a lot more relevant skills than I thought I did, that the kids and I are doing pretty well in spite of the usual suspects of money issues, school problems (not a lot so far this year, thank Google), and the lingering effects of grief and loss.

In some ways, the holidays are considerably easier this year than last; it's been sixteen months now since Laston's death. Neither I nor those trying to support me are in shock and barely able to manage ourselves, much less support others. In other ways, it's a lot harder, for the same reasons. We're not in shock, so we're feeling it all, and some people... well, some people think we should be "over it" because it's been more than a year.

But this year I am more able to cope as well, presumably because the stressors are different; as an example, except for the past two nights, I've been sleeping well. The insomnia is now an unusual thing, not the day-to-day. And I find it very interesting that even though I really need a job, I haven't had a single migraine since leaving AT&T. That speaks volumes to my mental and emotional state while there, don't you think?

In any case, and in spite of my government doing its best to screw over the populace at large, life is pretty okay for me and mine right now.