An Epic Tale - The Conclusion

Let's see.
The shed was finished on a Thursday and Christmas was the very next Sunday. We came home from my parents' house to be busy right away with Aunt Richie's Christmas party (it was a little weird to be a guest with the people I work with every day on the other side of the table serving me) and also rehearsals for the program at church. I was very excited about having Tarzan's parents and AuntReese involved. Not the least because Gamma offered to accompany most of the singing thus sparing me the lack of enthusiasm Tarzan has for learning new music. Also, she is much better at convincing him to practice than I am, and she knows what areas he needs to improve and I do not, so it was a real help to have her with us.
And when it all was done, the program went off with no obvious hang ups. One performer did not show. We skipped his acoustic guitar piece - probably the one I was most looking forward to and the most worried about - and the a Capella soloist went a little off-book but he did it well, so no harm, no foul. The youth chorus was probably the strongest; Tarzan and I sang with them. The missionary piece - We Three Kings - should have been fantastic. Gamma brought a really awesome accompaniment and AuntReese was exceedingly great improvising with her violin. The missionaries though, just didn't sing very loud. Though they had done okay in rehearsal it was tough to hear them in reality. The Primary were adorable as usual - the seven of them who were there; I guess it was Christmas - and the Elder's Quorum group was very good. Love me some bass/baritone harmony. So it was all alright.
After church we headed down a little south to see some family for dinner and sing some really old Christmas carols, really loudly with some personal interpretations, mostly by Tarzan. And that was Christmas Day.
I call the next four weeks My Month Of Airports. I am pretty sure there was a week near the end of December where I was at an airport every single day, dropping someone off, or picking someone up. Christmas Eve I fetched BHB to take her to our parents' and then the day after Christmas I fetched her back. (She got shafted on her holiday vacation this year, mostly because she broke her ankle and was on paid leave for a month in July.) M2, PIT and their children flew in the day after THAT; tickets from The Other Side Of The World being much cheaper that way. (My family had delayed our 'Christmas' until they were in town.) My brother and his family were down as well and the kids were just darling together. They were all enthralled with the roof coming down on my convertible so I took them each for a spin and PIT has some shaky but really hilarious video of them screaming from the backseat. My favorite part was LittleJ exclaiming his hair was coming off. (I wasn't going that fast.)
We stayed in for New Year's Eve - couldn't imagine needing things to get crazier - and I had to teach Relief Society on January 1st. I had not been to Relief Society in 15 years.
It was weird.Everyone was nice of course but it's much different than teaching the children. For one thing, if the kids misbehave I can pick them up and carry them down the hall to their parents. Not so if their parents aren't nice and won't let their neighbor finish a sentence. Again, a whole 'nother post.
BHB came back into town as soon as the new year opened - new year, new vacation schedule - and was with us for a week before she flew home with M2, PIT and Co. for a week there:(That's ATL, PIT, M2, BHB, Ecru in the stroller, Rosey on TOP of the stroller and Squishy to the right.)
When she came back from The Other Side of The World she was with us overnight and then flew out again, home.
Tarzan's parents flew home sometime in the week BHB was gone and then back in to do a fireside about Family History for our ward congregation. He's been at this for quite a long time, has visited a number of countries and has some amazing war stories to tell about his adventures. It was a very entertaining fireside with some colorful side notes from Tarzan and Gamma, clarifications when they thought MusicMan was getting to dramatic. But we had many positive comments from those in attendance and regret from those who missed out. The Stake is talking about having him come again on a larger scale. Then they were off again, home and to see other of their children.
That takes us through the middle of January.
By then I was too far behind to catch up in a short little post, I was swamped with things I "had" to do as Relief Society President - I didn't really but I didn't know that yet - we were neck deep in Academic Decathlon preparations - of which I did post a little - I was working crazy busy hours at Aunt Richie's and taking some side gigs with her daughter, Tarzan's cousin Stingy, and February slipped away. Even the 'extra' day we got didn't help me much.
Then BOOM, here we are in March and I hadn't posted in so long it was ridiculous.I almost decided to quit this blogging thing - several times in fact - because then the guilt might go away but at the same time I would take pictures or make notes and think "That needs to go on the blog."
So I repented of my wicked ways, spent much too long composing that first post back, and only now am getting back in the posting groove. The weather has been unpredictable but milder than previous years.
I hate the time change but I'm loving the sun up so late already.
This Relief Society thing is trying to kill me, but it'll get better, right?

This is me and that is my epic tale. And where I was for the past three months.