boxing day af daily

[bear73]

My first ever sober Christmas - thank you.:l feel grateful and full of awe and wonder at this new way of life that is unfolding in front of me - everything feels new and fresh and it feels like so much is possible.
There were moments yesterday where i thought - just one - but i know now that is BS.
I thought how disappointed i would feel if i had to start again - could i even do it again?

I am so happy to be here and be here sober - it helps with clearing food away and washing up from a boring practical point of view! It's great to wake up and feel clear headed and content not ill/anxious/depressed/regret.Grateful.

Lots of yummy left overs and turkey/ham to freeze.Today is watching films with the cats (who had their own Christmas dinner of ham and turkey) and reading my kindle. I will be nibbling leftovers, cheese and not getting dressed - bliss.

Kas - I spent a christmas day doing the same - maybe it's a present santa gives to one person each year - or was there a typo on your letter to santa??

Peaceful boxing day everyone.

[Lavande]

boxing day af daily

Good morning bear & all Abbers!!!

Great job bear ~ an AF Christmas is just awesome!

I have lots of left overs here as well which means no cooking for this granny for quite a while

I am going to Curves this morning because I can & have nothing planned for the rest of the day so I'll see what develops

Wishing everyone a wonderful AF Monday!
Lav

[Wally22]

boxing day af daily

Good Morning Bear and Lavande
Wonderful lazy morning here. No leftovers in the fridge (I went out) but a lovely big block of chevre noire cheese from Quebec and a yummy pot of fresh coffe. Slooowly going to tidy up. I'm going to take satisfaction in each tidy inch. And I will be inching my way through the house. Lovely to be AF, and still remember an absolutely fabulous Christmas eve and day. This is bliss.

[Kaslo]

boxing day af daily

Good day Fabulous Abstinance peeps! Bear, reading your posts, remembering how you sounded back in the fall, brings actual JOY to my heart, and I am a tough old codger. You have got to be SUPER PROUD of yourself for your first AF Christmas in a long time! WAY TO GO BEAR!!!

This was actually my second Christmas with no AL, Last Christmas was as well, as I started quitting around the beginning of my hip replacements phase in 2007, and took the total Vow of Abstinance last Valentines Day. It sounds so simple, no anxiety, no embarrassment, feeling well, full of positive energy but what is most compelling is that I am experiencing Joy, for the first time in years and years, really. They often dont tell us thats what quitting AL does, but that is it for me, really.

So when I read your message this morning Bear, I actually got quite a rush of Joy again, a feeling of huge HAPPINESS that someone else (who is a dear, sweet, English person) can get to the other side of an addiction that made us sick. Sick in the body, and sick in spirit. Well done Bear.

Cross Post Wally, Have a GREAT day, slow and easy.

Lav, I cant imagine you having a day to just horse around. I too can do that, I love the feel of accomplishment that getting through Christmas having not eaten and drunk myself senseless, and now to ....what? Fiddle around with photos, go for a ski, maybe prepare my kitchen for a paint job....EEK! Ok, maybe I am getting too complicated.

What is everyone READING this Christmas. I am reading Bill Bryson "At Home", and I swear I did not want to go to bed last night knowing he is right about the skin mites. Eeeeuww. Must do laundry today.

One thing is for sure!

Kas

[Lavande]

boxing day af daily

Hey wally & Kas!

Back from Curves, have fed myself a healthy (late) breakfast.
I am feeling the real joy of AF freedom as well Kas
The longer it goes on the happier inside I get regardless of anything or anyone around me & that's sayin something :H

I do not want to read your book Kas but do plan to wash everything in sight now that you've mentioned skin mites Eeeewww!

[universal]

boxing day af daily

Hi guys! Af christmas here too. Off to the inlaws today for more turkey! Yumm!

Have a great day guys!

[Cinders]

boxing day af daily

Good Morning AFers,

I, too, had a sober Christmas. My grandchildren said it was the best Christmas ever. :-)

I think a lot of that had to do with all of us were sober. Daughter, son, DIL and myself. What a blessing.

I am determined to have a sober holiday season, period. I will probably buy one of those sparkling grape juice bottles to toast in the New Years. I may be watching my boys and not sure if daughter, SIL and children will come over or not. No matter. I plan on a quiet evening that night, anyway. I find it extremely difficult to stay up that late sober or not. Age related, I am sure.

Bear, I am happy for you, too. Happy Boxing Day, btw.

My plan is to enjoy the peace and quiet today. Hubby and I are going to start the "fix up" of the bedroom and our back door. Bedroom walls need fixed and painted, trim needs redone and back door is going to be replaced outright. We are bringing the new door in today, putting over a drop cloth and going to paint it in the living room. I am not looking forward to the smell and fumes but it needs to be done and we need to do it in a dry and warm environment.

Here is to a sober, peaceful, lovely day after Christmas.

Love,
Cindi

[Determinator]

boxing day af daily

Happy Un-hung boxing day AFerooooos!

Bear, I'm so darn proud of you dear. you made my day

Hula, saw you on last night's post. maybe you can press yourself just a little bit more and get out and be social this new year? it's a struggle for me as I'm quite reserved in person (really I am!) and I could easily be a hermit. I've met some nice healthy friends through my gym and sport activities.

Turn, I'm still trying to figure out how to 'bling' myself up. tried saving the file but it's coming up too big still. hmmmm?

Wally, Lavande, Kaslo, Universal, hugs all around!

be well

[Determinator]

boxing day af daily

Cindi, Xpost and huge kudos on AF holiday! you're doing so well ol friend

[ThreeDogNight]

boxing day af daily

Sober Christmas!

Good morning everyone.

Back here to read and post every day. Day 37 for me, and Christmas was very nice and quiet--just my husband and the dogs. First Christmas without alcohol in years, and it feels good not worrying about the things I had to worry about when drinking.

Hope to get to two AA meetings today--a woman's group and a speaker/discussion meeting. I actually like my meetings now!

Hope everybody has a great sober day!

TDN

[papmom3]

boxing day af daily

Happy Boxing Day everyone!!

Wally-great minds think alike! Inch by inch or minute by minute towards inner and outer tidyness!!

Bear-OMG! You have really turned the corner-FINALLY!! We have all been pulling for you for so long and like Kas, my heart was full of joy to read your post. Welcome to the AF sorority/faternity girl!!

Kas-congrats on your 2nd AF christmas and Cinders on your first I believe? And 3Dog-a sober xmas for you too! we've missed you!!
It rocks doesn't it??

DG-huge congrats on your 10lbs going bye bye!! I hope to follow you soon but it might take a surgical procedure to get those sugar claws out of me!!

Well, it is over. Whew!! I shopped till I dropped on Friday AND Saturday and then went to the "In Laws" on Christmas Eve. I as soooo exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open!! It was fun tho. Glad I decided to dress up as everyone else did too. Even managed to pull on my super skinny heeled black boots I haven't worn since I was 30 lbs lighter! Didn't think I would be successful and could have taken another shower once they were on (doesn't seem fair the fat went to my stomach AND my calves!!) but I looked good (I think!).

I overslept yesterday and got into the NH 1/2 hour late but still managed to pass the gifts out (and help open them) in record time. And no, there was no santa suit nor will there be pics DG!! Helped seat the guests for lunch and helped myself to the fake Beef Wellington the kitchen made for the employees. Also sat with one of the residents who didn't have any one visiting (heard it was against policy to do that but feck 'em!!). Then it was time to transport them back upstairs only to bring them back down for the movie 30 min later!! I showed White Christmas and it was very cool to watch it on a nice huge wide screen flat screen with surround sound. 2 hours long tho and I had to scramble to get them all back upstairs after it was over so I could leave. got to my sis's at 5:15 and surprise, they waited on everything for me!! My family was very generous as usual (my sister among other things got me a GC to our hairdresser-she's been horrified I've been cutting my own hair :H ). I still feel very bad that my budget was so limited this year but at least I had a budget instead of winging it and I think I only went over by about $50 so good on me!! I'll continue to contribute to my club saver account and will try to double it this year.
Dinner was yummy as usual, my little nephew was cute as can be and very mature for 6 and my older nephs surprise me everyday how adult they are now. Love being around them!! My niece had a meltdown right before dinner because dad asked her to turn the Beiber down, not off mind you, down. Slammed doors, screaming, the whole shebang. She joined us in the middle of dinner all sniffling and teary eyed. How tumultuous to be 14! :H She did like the huge makeup kit with every color under the sun that I gave her so score one for auntie. Finally got home around 9:30 and crashed heavily.

Today was a vet app't for Mickey at the new vets. Like her. No nonscense but didn't question how I've been doing things with vaccinations, and preventatives so that was super. he will need a dental and the office visit was twice what I thought it would be so I will need to scare up more work (which I think might actually be happening). After the app't we went next door to the new doggie day care and I left him for his half day eval and trial. Went and did some errands and stopped in quickly to see how he was doing. All is well. Hopefully I can manage 1 day a week. It will do him good and give him a break from DD.

I'm going to start my tidying now and then pick him up around 5. tomorrow is car fix day (told ya-easy come easy go!!) and I'll have to buckle down and do some work work for a few hours. At some point this week my dad and I will be visiting a Life Care center to see if he can afford it and likes it. Tough to realize that that time is around the corner for him. Even he isn't quite accepting of it yet I don't think but is being pragmatic.

Have a great day abbers! :l

[LVT25]

boxing day af daily

Hello friends,

Great job everyone that experienced the holiday sober and happy about that! It truly is a great feeling. I still remember some of the AWFUL hangovers I had at Christmastime. UGH! Do not want to go there again!

Quite a bit of irritations and even a pretty big fight with hubby on Christmas eve, but it is over and I'm trying not to dwell on it. I had a bad lapse in judgement, I read a blog a woman had written to her daughter when she asked her if she was Santa Claus. It was quite heartwarming and well written I thought--explaining how it is more about love and believing in something you couldn't see. After supper at the last minute I decided to read it to our soon to be 14 year old son who hasn't talked to Santa in a couple of years. Anyway, I didn't think to run it by hubby first and man o man was he pissed! I ended up embarressed and felt like a total asshole! I think he is holding on to some other resentments where I am concerned and this appeared to be the straw that broke the camel's back. I know we need to have a heart to heart, I just need to work up the nerve to bring it up.

Christmas day with his family was ok--never quite holds up to my expectations, but then that is my problem too, isn't it. I gave my sis in law some bath salts and an ornament, and I wasn't even sure she looked at it because she didn't say a word to me. I even looked to see if the package got overlooked even though I was pretty sure it didn't since I pretty much gave it to her since I didn't put a tag on it. Oh, well, that is just how his family is. (Can you see I am struggling to be kind instead of bitchy and snarky about it?) When it came time for the egg nog my BIL was nice and asked if the boys and I wanted some before he put the alcohol in. His kids got the spiked stuff, but they are 21 and 18. I kind of thought #1 son might make an issue of it, but he didn't. I still struggle with those kind of situations. I don't think 1 small glass of wine or a tiny bit of rum in an egg nog would hurt them, but it gives the message that it is ok to drink at their age.

Anyway, we all got some nice stuff, #2 son likes "his" pick up and they both got enough money to buy more stuff they want. I still feel we went overboard, they don't appreciate it like we'd like, and it takes away from the true meaning of Christmas, but it is what it is.

I've been tidying up today and doing some laundry. I feel like I should do more, but I'm also considering just doing a little relaxing and reading today. Tomorrow I have my annual dr. appt and going to return a couple of gifts. Hubby is on vacation all week, so that could get interesting.

Got an e-mail from my BIL (Terry's husband) telling us he has found a special female friend. It is hard for me to swallow, but I don't want him to be sad and alone the rest of his life either. I am kind of looking forward to seeing my side of the family this weekend.

Sorry I didn't give you a sandwich warning, I honestly didn't mean to post so much. Have a great sober week all!:h

[Wally22]

boxing day af daily

LVT25, if your SIL doesn't appreciate the bath salts, then next year give her less and send the balance to me. I will LOVE them I promise.
Hope you have a wonderful time with your side of the family. Christmas can be so hard sometimes. My neice was ill and exhausted. She has 3 children and runs a daycare. She pushes herself way too hard and I think her expectations for herself and others are a little too high. I love Christmas, but I always feel the next day that I am glad it's over and life can return to normal.
I also regret that it is the only time of the year I see some people I truly love, and this year I am determined to change that and include them in more of my daily activities.

[Kaslo]

boxing day af daily

I DO notice LVT. And I have to say I dont get why reading a blog on something to the son made the Hub go nuts, but I never could figure out marriage myself. I watched Mr Kaslo today as he actually vacuumed the living room, and now if he hasnt up and made me a smokie for lunch. Who knew? AND this afternoon, he said next year we are going somewhere WARM for Christmas. Its a mystery. Just three days ago he took my head off for something. I never know when my arse is in deep shite, or when its sprouting roses.

Kas

[Lavande]

boxing day af daily

Kas, you're sprouting roses? :H :H

Ladies, no one is more confused about husbands & marriage than me I think
They really are from Mars......
My heartfelt apologies to Det

My daughter & DIL put together a collage of pics for me for Christmas. This will make you smile I hope because it sure made me smile....