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The two-and-a-half trip down to Kenosha County was nice. Kevin and I had plenty of time to talk and share stories, and he was kind enough to buy me a Big Mac and a Coke for lunch on the road. We got down to his house to pick up the Christmas present I'd purchased for Catherine in August... a computer of her very own. Kevin had helped me by installing a new CD drive for me. When we got to Mom's, the entire gang was waiting for us. Cathy gave me a huge hug on my way in through the door. Over the next couple hours we made small talk while Shelly was making supper and serving us cheese and crackers. Finally the kids were impatient enough to open gifts. It was glorious to witness, though I couldn't completely shake the feeling of smallness from having only two gifts to share... Cathy's computer and a game I'd bought Kevin a few months ago. In return, I received many pleasant things... a new tie from Cathy (which I'll wear my first day teaching), a beautiful sweater and a new candle from Mom, new coffee mugs from Lori and Tony, and a set of jellies and jams from Kevin and Shelly. Shelly's dinner was nice, a casserole of ground beef, tomatoes, corn, mozzarella cheese, and egg noodles. After supper we just took time to watch the kids playing with their goodies. The evening went by fairly smoothly in the comfort of family. The twins had a fun time taking turns running down the hallway head on into me while I would catch them and either tackle them, throw them up into the air, or tickle them. The joy in their laughter is something of which I'll never tire. Kevin and Shelly went home shortly after supper, and I went over to their house to visit for a while, then I was back to Mom's by 10pm. It must have been a long day for everyone as they were all sleeping when I returned... everyone except for Cathy. She turned off the tv when I got back, and we went into the bedroom to talk for a couple hours. In that time there were plenty more hugs and finally a bedtime story. She went to sleep shortly after midnight and I now have the peace of the house to myself. It was a very good day. Now, all I have to do for the next few days is to summon the courage to state that I once again need financial assistance, hopefully for the last time. It's so hard standing with hat in hand; I feel small and much less than a man. |