With memories of Hawaiian paradise fresh in my mind, it was back to the grind, back to reality, last week. You know, the (sometimes) mundane stuff of life ... taking my car for an oil change, grocery shopping, etc. What? No more nightly hula dances? No more daily mango-pineapple smoothies brought to me poolside? LOL. (Not that I'm complaining, because I have a great life to come back to here at home!) I swear tho, for the first few days after getting back I was looking for a lei to wear (a hard Hawaiian habit to break!).
We had a bit of a scare last week too ... took Aruba to the vet for "routine maintenance" (vaccinations, wellness exam, bloodwork). btw, she loves to go for rides in the car and jumps right into the driver's seat!
The vet said that one of the levels in her blood is high, and it has to do with her liver, so we need to monitor it. She said not to panic, that we'll re-check it in a few weeks. So, since Aruba has no symptoms and seems to be feeling fine, we're hoping that it's not a major health concern. Still, I'm a Dog Mom, and she's 12 ... I worry.... she's so precious to us! Here she is in her "jingle bell collar" --- it sounded so cute jingling around the house during the holidays! (and, of course, as usual, she won't look at the camera!):
So since we're already more than a week into 2011, I thought I'd get busy and post some Christmas pics ... before it's Valentine's Day!
Sal and I flew back from Hawaii on an overnight flight, arriving on Christmas Eve. Look at the message that I saw at one of the airport gates ... cute! 
We enjoyed a delicious Christmas dinner prepared by my Mom and sister ... Sal and I brought fresh pineapples back from Hawaii, a yummy addition to the feast.
Buddy loves to get in on the gift-opening fun too! We have to keep an eye on him ... he thinks all the gifts are for him! He'll go over to the Christmas tree and help himself and will just start ripping all the gifts open on his own!
Sal and my Mom and I have a fun Christmas tradition of going for a drive to look at Christmas lights. The neighborhood where we go every year goes all out ... nearly every house participates and has elaborate decorations. And best of all, they collect donations to support the local Hospice. How terrific is that? Even this adorable manatee mailbox got in on the fun:
My Dad had a birthday right after New Year's, so the excitement and festivity continued.
I'll be back soon to share more about our visit to Hawaii. You know how bad I am about unpacking and, yep, the suitcases are still sitting in the living room. Gotta tackle that first!
