Farewell 2007.

Pancho and I have returned from our Christmas vacation in Kansas. If I were superstitious, and believed that the way in which 2007 ended is an indicator of the year to come (which Im not) I would say that 2008 is shaping up to be an emotional roller coaster from both heaven and hell. But I happen to believe that the year to come is a blank slate and the fate of events to unfold is (mostly) up to me.

Our vacation was interrupted by the unsurprising passing of my grandmother. Our last minute flight to her funeral was canceled, and the entire Amarillo, Texas airport was shut down due to inclement weather conditions. Helplessly, I accepted the fate of missing her funeral, and secretly welcomed the idea of returning to Kansas to finish out the trip sans morbidly depressed family members.

The loss of my grandmother was expected, what was unexpected was the gain of a mother, a sister, a brother and an adorably stubborn niece. The first few days of our trip, I observed a closeness within Panchos family that I have rarely seen and never experienced. The kind of bond that takes a lifetime to create and nurture, and withstands life's most trying times. Throughout the rest of our trip I felt myself being pulled into their cuddly, safe and warm bubble until I felt completely immersed - kind of like being surrounded by a million tiny little sea horses.

Check out our trip pictures.