323. Opening gifts one at a time in order to talk about them, enjoy them, and think about the giver of the gift
324. Five delighted faces
325. Beautiful gold earrings, a gift of love from my husband and son
326. Technology that will allow me to transfer my childhood home movies onto DVD!!!
327. He remembered that I like a chocolate orange in my stocking!
328. Christmas afternoon spent with our closest friends in Florida
329. That Piper, Bubbles, and Sunny have good friendships here, evidenced by their interactions with the other girls at our friends' party on Christmas
330. Comments from the girls that prove they understand the true meaning of Christmas
331. Hugs of gratitude
332. Our first whole family session with our therapist
333. The verdict is in: we do like her!
334. My husband's help with packing for our trip
335. An uneventful, 15-hour drive to Washington DC
336. Five kids who napped in the car
337. Two portable DVD players
338. A reliable car
339. My iPod with its 800+ hours of music
340. GPS
341. A big atlas, because it is fun to study maps
342. The hospitality of Matt's Uncle Ron and Aunt Michele
343. The sleep number bed in their guest room
344. That two of Matt's cousins and Matt's grandpa were all there at the same time
345. A dusting of snow for our Florida children's delight and entertainment
346. A whole day spent relaxing with family
347. A 3000-piece puzzle
348. Uncle Ron's generosity
349. A car freshly tuned up, oil changed, tires rotated, and diagnostics done...gift from Uncle Ron
350. Fresh strawberry cheesecake
351. Watching the older cousins interacting with the little cousins
352. Grandpa's camera click click clicking away as he captured the faces of his grandkids and great-grandkids
353. Board games with our cousins after the kids were in bed
354. The understanding of our extended family when one of our children (not the usual culprit) had a whopper of a tantrum for 2 hours at bedtime
355. Warm winter coats, purchased on big sale or at consignment stores before we went to cold central
356. Cute, warm hats and gloves for the kids
357. A fun day in Washington DC
358. All the men and women represented on the Vietnam Memorial
359. The wonder and awe of our kids as they experienced the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument
360. Cheap hot cocoa bought from a street vendor, relief from the 20-degree windchill and gusty wind
361. The unexpected gift of time with dear friends who moved to Pennsylvania a year ago
362. Getting to see the beautiful 100-year-old farm house which is now their home
363. Dinner at a lovely restaurant in the heart of Amish Country
364. The fun of seeing the Amish people driving in their buggies, and the conversation is sparked that allowed us to explain to the kids about how beautiful it is for all different kinds of people to have the freedom to worship God in their own way
365. Listening to old favorites via Grooveshark via my phone plugged into the tape deck
366. Flexible extended family members
367. That Pepper isn't squeamish over losing teeth. He pulled out two this weekend!
368. Breakfast in Richmond with a sweet friend
369. That we were able to easily find a hotel room when I felt myself starting to get sick
370. A comfortable hotel in Savannah, GA
371. An attentive husband
372. Advil and Tylenol Flu, for when my fever hit 104
373. Access to cold compresses
374. That we were able to control the fever and keep it below 101 for the drive home today
375. My own bed
376. My own pillow
377. Long phone calls with my cousins John and Daisy today
378. My friend Kathy who made and delivered hot chicken soup for me
379. That my husband already unpacked all the suitcases and cycled all the laundry from the trip
380. A doctor's appointment scheduled for 8:15 to confirm my suspicion that I have mono, or else diagnose me with something else.
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