Xmas Eve Eve

Two years ago I arrived in Dallas the day after Xmas and it was lovely.  Last year I got to Dallas on Christmas eve and it was snowing like crazy.  The year, thankfully, I arrive into Dallas in mild weather again.   I appreciate that there are people who enjoy the romanticism of a traditionally white Christmas and I can be one of those people - so long as I'm not traveling.

Mom and Me

I was up at 4am yesterday to make it to the airport for my flights.  It was my first experience with Harrisburg being my "home" airport and everything went fine.  I think I beat the Holiday rush by a bit and things weren't too crazy.  The planes were full but other than that I was both happy and relieved to land in Dallas and see mom's friendly face there.

We had a very pleasant day.  She had some errands to run so I helped with that.  We had a nice dinner at Outback.  We even ended up at the mall last night and I can't say the same thing about avoiding craziness about that.  The parking lot was insane and I wouldn't be surprised if there are still people there (a) looking for their cars or (b) still stuck trying to get out.  Yeesh.

In the bigger picture the President signed the repeal of DADT in Washington DC yesterday and needless to say I'm thrilled about that.  Several of my friends were there to attend the signing but honestly, I wouldn't have gone back to participate even if I could.  I recognize the historic nature and I'm sure it would have been a thrill but I'm very clear about where my priorities are right now and having the opportunity to spend time with Family and special friends over the Holidays is time that is non-negotiable.

Speaking of family - it's 6am as I type this and I'm about to get ready to hop in the shower before driving down to Austin to spend the day with my son.  The traffic on I-35 can be horrible, especially near the outlet center about 60 miles from here, so I'm going to try to beat the worst of the traffic today.  We'll see.  I'm just looking forward to seeing him, to having a chance to hang for a while, and to spending some time with the dogs.  I'm sure I'll have something to share about it a little later.

As for now - onwards.  It's Christmas Eve Eve.  So much to do - so little time.  :)