Christmas Eve

Did I mention that my niece Allison and her new husband Jason were in town yesterday, on their way to spend Christmas in Houston?  When we were all together in New Orleans last month, they were among my most devoted and supportive family members in regards to committing to the five mile walk every day we were there.  So I wasn't surprised when Allison insisted that we do the same yesterday. 

Our plan was to walk to church, which is 2.7 miles from Lynn's house, and back, for Christmas Eve-eve services.  It was a good plan, but we underestimated our ability to get back to the house by 4:00, after a 1:50 showing of "The Life of Pi" at the Westgate.  En route, we frantically abandoned the plan in favor of driving to the Wells Fargo parking lot at the intersection of Barton Springs (or is it Riverside?) and South Congress, and then took off.  We started off on foot at 4:30 and got there, a little late, at 5:05, and that was going FAST.  We walked back, checked to make sure the cars hadn't been towed, and continued walking up the hill to Perla's for a seafood dinner, an extra ten minutes up and back -- a perfect five miles. 

Today was a retro piecemeal walk.  I walked to Lynn's house and back (two miles) with my laptop, hoping Jason and Allison could help me figure out a softward problem (they couldn't), dropped Banks off at the house, and continued on for two miles around the neighborhood. Today is so beautiful it's a crime to be indoors, especially since the temperatures tomorrow drop to close to freezing, and are going to stay frigid for the rest of 2012.

Have you seen "Pi"?  I went into it with no expectations whatsoever, and little interest, and was just blown away.  It's been one of my favorite movies all year.  Beautifully written and acted, the type of film you find yourself thinking about all that day and well into the next.  I don't usually see movies twice, but there was a lot of symbolism that wasn't sprung on you til the very end, and I feel like I need to go back and take it all in again.

After lots of fun and activity over the past weeks, the boys and I are going to have a quiet, low-key Christmas eve and dinner tonight. Merry Christmas to all of you.