Thanksgiving, Birthday, Ballet, and Seasonal Depression

I haven't logged onto the blogging world in awhile.  It's been busy.  Life doesn't slow down.  Even when I find the time to sit and type I look around at a house that needs cleaning up and it makes me feel guilty to sit here and write when there is so much to be done.  But I love blogging.  I love having a place to jot things down.  I'm already realizing there's so much I'm forgetting and these moments I have with my kids I would hate to forget.  So, here I am.  I'm going to try really hard to update as much as possible.  Having this blog helps.  It really does.  Even if no one reads it.  I do miss Xanga, which was a blog that had a community of people who would comment and converse with each other.  It was nice.  But my main reason for blogging is for me.  I noticed a lot of people have stopped but I'm still going. 

It's that time of year where the weather is getting colder and we have to bundle up before leaving the house.  The Christmas decorations are up and we are preparing for the holiday.  It won't be long before we are celebrating a new year.  Oh my goodness, where did 2017 go? 

We celebrated Thanksgiving at the place where we had our wedding reception with my parents, sister and her family, and brother and some of his family.  It was nice and meant a lot to my parents to have everyone there.  With my mom's health who knows what next year will bring.  My kids had fun with their cousins.  There are no children family members here so they get excited when family visits.  It was nice for them but all the fun made them exhausted.  Then we celebrated our boys 11th birthday.  He decided to go to a buffet and then bowling for his big day.  I'm so proud of that boy.  He's doing well in school and is busy with scouts and playing trumpet with the school band.  In the spring he will start back with baseball. 

My daughter has been busy with dance classes.  Aside from taking three different classes this week she's been rehearsing for two different Christmas shows.  One was with Moscow Ballet Great Russian Nutcracker as a snowflake.  Moscow Ballet offers a Dance With Me program where they travel around the country and allow young dancers to be on stage with them.  This was her first year doing it and she loved it.  She took a day off of school and spent the day rehearsing and hanging out with her dance friends.  Then she performed in the evening.  What a great show!  The entire program was amazing.  She really wants to do it again next year. 

She'll be in another show on Saturday.  Then, maybe, life will slow down a bit. 

I actually don't mind being so busy.  Staying busy helps keep that depression away.  I can feel the depression seeping in lately.  It must be that time of year.  I am having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning and when I think about having to leave the house it makes me feel like I just can't ... but I do.  I fight through it.  I wasn't looking forward to volunteering in my daughter's class today but when I went in the kids cheered me up.  Then I was back in the same building to serve the kids lunch.  Being outside of the house and around others really helps to keep my mind off things.  Then I come home to a quiet house with lots of things to be done and all I can think about is laying around under a blanket and doing nothing.  It's a constant battle but I'm getting through one moment at a time.