Shipping, Handling, and Service

It's that time again - time to start packaging and mailing out boxes of Christmas surprises to the ones we love. I've been slowly gathering gifts over the last month or so and my sewing table was starting to disappear under the pile of presents I've been bringing home. Figuring out a time to wrap, package, address, and ship everything seemed almost impossible though as lately each day seems busier than the last.  Today was supposed to be filled with PTO stuff, but the internet was out at the school and you can't do anything without internet access anymore. This was my window! My present wrapping, box packing and addressing, package shipping, sewing table clearing window. 

I gathered my supplies. Paper, tags, scissors, tape, all the shipping boxes I've been hoarding the last couple of months, pens, markers, chocolate, and Netflix and set to work. Wrapping is easy, well mostly easy. Don and Charissa will be getting one gift that's pretty wonky looking but figuring out how to wrap anything cylindrical is always tricky. I hope they'll forgive me. 

I had to improvise a little with cushioning for some of the boxes. Inspiration struck in the form of Ziploc bags and drinking straws. Some of our loved ones will get the bonus gift of bags of my breath!

Four episodes and one bag of peanut m&ms later and I was ready to head to the post office with my seven packages! It was kind of the perfect way to spend my morning. 

This evening was also a little slice of perfection. Natalie's NEHS chapter put on a dinner for some airmen here at the base. The dining hall is closed for renovations so the airmen who live in the dorms don't have anywhere to go for their meals. It was sweet to walk along the tables before the dinner started and read the cute things the kids had written for their guests. It was even sweeter to be standing outside at 5:29 and see twenty-five kids stop running around and fall into perfect silence and stillness when the national anthem started at 5:30. 

There was a little hiccup at the start of the night when no airmen actually showed up, but it was quickly turned around with a few phone calls. The kids were so excited when guests started walking in; there was cheering and clapping every time a new group arrived. Natalie and I spent the evening moving from table to table looking for airmen who were sitting alone so we could sit down and chat with them. We met some nice airmen tonight. I really appreciated how nice they all were with these fifth-grade kids. Talking with them, asking them questions about their lives, and thanking them for the meal. It was an absolutely lovely dinner.

On an entirely unrelated topic, I'm super proud of myself for doing this thing fifteen days in a row. I don't think I've ever been this consistent with my yearly post-a-day in November initiative. Pat on the back to me for writing and to all of you for reading!