Google document to prepare. Multiple sheets.

Waking up before nine. convincing Jeff to do the same. Picking up M.

“Oh hey, what are you up to?” asks Mom.

“I’m at Costco,” I say.

“Oh, fun!!” she replies. (only my family…)

Costco. The Saturday before Christmas. One week. Old Navy. Long sleeved shirts, and sweaters, because the high in MI is 26 on Tuesday. 26. “You can’t have that,” followed by, “I know, but you can’t have that.” More jeans for Jeff. More shirts for M.

In-n-Out. Fries.

Back in the car. M’s place, drop off the newly purchased TV. Hi Hector. Hi Charlie. Off to our house. Goodbye to Jeff for some hours.

Target. Traffic, so slow. I wonder why? Because every person in LA is going to Target on the Saturday before Christmas. Cheap socks, tissues, hair product, hair ties, leggings, coffee filters.

Almost.done.lines.shortening.we’re.almost.there and DID YOU KNOW that Finn dated Taylor Swift? The girl in front of us in line didn’t know, either! (We pay for parking.) (We don’t rush.)

And then, M says, “So, can you direct me to the post office?” And I remember that we must go there…

…to the longest line ever. Because. It is the Saturday before Christmas.

wait.in.line. for a half hour. wait. “Does any body have a stamp? Just one stamp?” And I happen to. “How much is a stamp, even?” Don’t worry about it. It’s a stamp. I am glad that one of us didn’t have to wait in the line for a stamp.

Half hour later. Mail mailed. Home again. Mike and ikes. GF, because they’re good like that. Relax. Coffee, and newly purchased non-dairy creamer, by way of MAC because she wanted the French Vanilla (but not the Hazelnut, silly Costco.)

Relax. Chat about life. Life chat that was much needed. Jeff comes home. Wrap his presents in the bedroom, continue to chat, while Jeff is satiated by the mozz sticks I let him purchase. (Silly Costco.)

Presents wrapped. Presents sent. Presents purchased. Presence required. In the kitchen. Time for dinner.

Chicken, roasted Brussels, roasted potatoes. Delicious.

Oven on, warmed house, cookbooks out. Meal planning, and mind-blowing by way of cheese sauce, by way of necessary kitchen items, by way of we have a lot of options we’re not exploring and I’d like you to. By way of roasted garlic and garlic aioli.

Two cookbooks on top of each other. A computer on top of that. “You just need a food processor” as an acceptable statement. Because you just do.

Clean up dinner. Clean up her blog. Straighten it out. New photos. Search for puzzles. Search for interesting puzzles. Search for puzzles of crows. Search for puzzles of…the jury’s still out.

Watch a video. Watch a few. Laugh, laugh, laugh.

12:06. Best 14 hours. Ever.