Today I pulled out my band for the 44.

I stood on it and did alternating cross body bicep curls.  (No pictures because I haven’t been getting up at 5:00 for Chris to take the pictures before he goes to work and the boys aren’t really into taking pictures first thing in the morning – but I found a video of someone else doing exactly what I did!!)

Do you want to know something sad?!  I don’t really remember that much about a lot of the Christmases from when I was growing up!!  I remember a few small things but for the most part – nothing.  And, I don’t have any pictures!!

I do remember one Christmas though.  I was in 8th grade (a brutal year  – I went to 3 different schools!!!) and we lived in Rantoul, Illinois.  My dad was deployed to Korea for a year so it was just my mom and all 4 of us kids.

One day a couple of weeks before Christmas we received a really large box – 

It was from my Mema and Poppa who lived in Texas and were sad that we couldn’t come down for Christmas.  They mailed our gifts early.

About 2 days before Christmas, we got an much bigger and better surprise – Mema and Poppa came to spend Christmas with us!!!!  Talk about a happy thing (I’m pretty sure I’ve said before – all my happiest memories involve my grandparents)!!!!  

The box didn’t have our presents – it contained a large handmade, wooden church that someone had made for Sam & Mandi (the were 1st & 2nd graders) – 

(not the real thing – remember no pictures!)

I have no idea what presents I got that year or what we ate or anything other than the fact that the best part of Christmas was being with my grandparents!!!!

Now that I have kids of my own – I try to help them build up Christmas memories.  I hope that their memories will be less about the gifts and more about the special times that we share together!!!  (And, of course, there are pictures to help jog the memory!!!)

What is your best Christmas or Hanukkah or any other memory?  

Happy Tuesday!!!

Kim