Happy Birthday, Kid. You Get Overdosed with Turkeys When You Come Home To Celebrate

Well, Sunday, you came quicker than I wanted you to, and today is the Eagle's birthday - the Chitunga kid's celebration - and with this date comes his 23rd birthday.  It doesn't seem possible to think about how fast everything flies, but that is the beauty of this life thing. One second it is this way and POOF the next second it is another way.

Pam and Kaitlyn came over for Thanksgiving leftovers, which is good, because there's only so much these love handles can take of mashed potatoes, dressing, and bread. I told them, "You came to say Happy Birthday to Chitunga, and now you'll want to go home for a nap."

The tree is now put up, but as typical, the outside lights couldn't have a complete illuminated strand, so I ran errands to replace the ones that are dead. It's official - Mount Pleasant is completely decorated.

"Tunch" went out with friends for dinner and drinks, and I stayed home to bake him brownies and wrap his presents. Last night, he took me to the movies, which should have been the other way around (but I know how his mind works - he likes to show he's responsible, too, and I am 100% grateful for that) .

I'm heading to the office today to work on the $6,000 on my credit card to cover grant expenses, hoping the reimbursement will come back to me before the holidays (I've inquired, and the University insists this is how they do business...phew! right before the holidays, too).

I got my grading done, and I also need to prepare for the Literacy Research Association conference in Indian Hills, California. I can marinate on that for a while - the premiere literacy conference, post Thanksgiving and extremely expensive, in Indian Hills -- you can't make any of that up).

Tunga is hitting the road extremely early so he can have one last breakfast with an old friend, and I'm nerding out with the paper that needs to be written.

It is more tranquil, however, knowing that at night I get the lights and tree to come home to and that the kid only has two weeks before finals, and then the winter recess begins (um, okay - he's a little too much like me and he's spending his recess taking online courses).

Laundry. Check. Dishes. Check. Holiday gift bags and wrapping. Check. A fantastic 10K run accomplished. Check.

But here we are Sunday. It's all about celebrating this amazing kid (and yes, Nikki. I packed the record player in his car).