Christmas Haps

I'm on the fence on this one, so maybe you can help me out. Is it better to be sick while you're on vacation, and can therefore use your time off to rest up (and not worry about annoying your boss by being out sick for several days in a row), or is it better to be sick during real life so that you don't have to spend your precious vacation days grumpy, in bed, and with no appetite? I suppose the answer doesn't really matter, since no matter your preference, it's not like you can choose when you're sick. Except mental health days. Which I fully support.

The good news is I made it through the festivus weekend with the extended family before illness struck. And what a weekend it was. M had flown home with me and spent a few days in my hometown, and then we headed up (along with my parents and brother D) to my grandparents' house a few hours north where the larger family group gathers each Christmas season for our caroling extravaganza.

Once M left (a red-eye putting him back in the Cleve the morning of Christmas Eve), I got super sick, which is how I came to spend the majority of this week in bed. Not sleeping. Because I can't breathe. Of course it's been nice to be away from work (and the snow that finally showed up in Cleveland) regardless, and I've gotten quite a bit of writing done. I also had my diamonds final exam proctored at the public library yesterday. These gem tests are beasts to study for, as there's so much material being covered, but I'm happy to report that I passed. A few Christmas pics for you:

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