Thankfuls

The holiday craze is passed and the kids are back to school today, and I feel a bit dazed. Now to pack up the tree, take down the wreath and un-christmas the house. Whatever fun is in the decorating is reverse in the un decorating, although it does make the house feel less cluttered and decidedly cleaner when all of those holiday nick knacks dissapear and the house goes back to its regular self. But when is the best time to do it?
Usually I do it all myself and everyone gets home and then after a while someone will exclaim... " hey the Christmas tree is gone!".. or it will be little by little, dragging out an already slightly painful ritual. We love Christmas time around here so its a little sad when we have to say goodbye. But we can keep giving and singing throughout the year anyway!

We are super grateful to all the family who sent gifts and fattened the trimmings under the tree this year, it sure felt nice that Santa Clause was alive and well and sending gifts through the mail! I got slippers from Aunt Patty and a pedicure from Aunt Barbara so my feet will be pampered this winter! Aunties Rock!
Jon and I are so thankful to the support we have recieved from family members like Gina and Greg Wegis, Bernice and John Gonzales, Harold Appleton, Patricia Canfield, James Gonzales, Marcelina Gonzales and the whole Bakersfield Clan Gonzales, Behill, Ramos, etc. Kim Peterson, Chris Combs and Gloria Kitner and families, and to so many friends like Jennifer Weisbrich, Erica and Paul Solano, Megan Watt, Kimberly and Sebastian Stinson, Patricia Flora, Matt and Jennifer O'Donnell, Sue Davis and family, Michael Taylor, Michael Ratikan, friends from Elsie Allen, Ukestars, and so many more.
We are so blessed to have such a wonderful and diverse community here in Sebastopol and Sonoma County,( the allergies are the only thing I don't love). The ocean and hills and beautiful views are wonderful but it is the people who make this county a very nice place to live.  We are lucky to have been born here in North America, in Sonoma County and so forth, so we have a chance to show the world what happy cows can do (we are the cows).