For New Year's we were all pretty tired from the wedding and we went out to Amanda's place for a relaxing, game-filled New Year's. The best part of the night was from 2 am to 4 am when a smaller core group of us just hung out and talked and laughed.

This included three couples that normally lived far away and who add some indefinable quality to our group; they are catalysts, somehow, and make our group of friends greater than the sum of it's parts. When they are in town we have more activities and we have far more fun doing them. Even if we're just sitting around we laugh more and complain less. There are so many people that have moved away now that it feels like those of us who remain are just a shell, holding down the fort until the others come home for Christmas or a summertime wedding. The problem is, this year our group has no summer weddings planned. We may have to wait until next Christmas to be whole. Twelve months is a long time to go without your favorite people and it hurts my heart to think of so long an absence. The times when those special people get on the plane and leave puts teeny tiny holes in all of our hearts and I think that's maybe why we never do much as a group in January and February. We are all a bit curled in on ourselves, trying to rest and heal. Taking a break so that the contrast between life with them and life without them isn't so harsh. This year I'm going to try to suck it up and be brave, to plan parties and activities and fill the cold months with fun in any way that I can.

On that note, New Year's photos:








My gorgeous sister-in-law.












Amanda and the frame we gave her that Paul put together wrong, I affectionately called him a dummy, and Amanda laughed herself silly.



















The Spud Trooper that Paul got from Sarah to go with his Darth Tater.

















Chantal trying to teach us this tongue thing they do in Tanzania.














Melly trying to do the Tanzanian tongue thing.











Homey Hot Wheels.











They look so innocent sitting together until...
















...Wrestlemania!!!
















We laughed until late in the night.













And went home around 4 a.m. very sleepy.