Christmas Break

It hasn't been that long since we worked and I'm already on my old stay up late and wake up at 10:00am schedule--that has to go quickly.

I'm in a rush to get my page totals read before the end of the year. I've got a hundred pages left in one book and I will have beaten last year's total. Ellice's total is hopelessly out of reach at this point, however, so no dice on the competition. I've got her on the number of books read, but that's not as big as the page total. She's beaten me every year thus far.

Saturday- UK won handily against Tennesse Tech; Legion is transferring out to Illinois. Good riddance I say--if you don't want to play for UK and can't appreciate the program, find something else. Went grocery shopping at Walmart.

Sunday- Church, Andi came over to learn to cook pork loin; good, as usual

Monday-Christmas Eve. We went to the evening service at church, then my grandparents. We got a bunch of clothes that didn't fit and a great gift card. All in all, it was fairly painless, except for the allergies. They acted up terribly.

Tuesday-Christmas Day. Evan joined us for a conference with the Chick parents, then we all went over to my parents for lunch. I got a bunch of books I liked, Ellice got gloves, a set of books and two musicals on DVD she really wanted. Not to mention we got cash, which went to buying more DVDs and miniatures. Most importantly was the family atmosphere. I don't think we were all ever so content as a family as we were this day. We prayed for the Chicks, including James in Baghdad, who is undoubtedly having a difficult Christmas overseas. We settled in and watched VH1 marathons the rest of the time.

Wednesday-Made the trip to Walmart to return gifts and went to sleep at 5:30pm. I think that's a record for us.

Thursday-Went to the Metcalfs for dinner and games. Good times, good times. Got in way too late and slept in the next morning.

The High King by Lloyd Alexander
This is the fifth and final book in the Prydain Chronicles.

Thus ends the tale of Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper of Hen Wen, the oracular pig. This is the longest book in the series. It is geared toward a younger audience, but holds treasures for lovers of fantasy of any age. While I won't give this one away, I will say that things are wrapped up very well in a neat and exciting package. Warning-this one has several moments that may bring tears to your eyes. Old events and minor characters in the four previous installations are brought to the fore once again, and as to be expected when the final conflict comes, some characters will not survive the entire book. That the characters bring enough emotional impact that we care whether they live and die is a mark of good writing. I think it is the best book in the series, and well worth the read. ***1/2