I should know better.

Any time I make a time-specific goal for blogging I fail.

In early November I drove down to see Mike in Texas for a couple of weeks. Both doggies were with me. About a week before I was scheduled to be home, and over three weeks before we expected it, my baby sister called me and said, "Your new niece is going to make her entrance into this earth tomorrow morning. Can you come?"

Of course, I did. I flew home leaving the vehicles, the dogs, my husband and all products over 4 oz. in Texas and I've been flying by the seat of my pants since.

Elizabeth is beautiful and so very tiny. I was able to be in the room when she was born and capture the first seconds of her new life. It was a perfect way to start using my camera again and a moment I'll never forget. Lizzie weighed just over four pounds but was a long girl for that tiny weight and is the tiniest baby I've ever held. She's grown a bit but is still not over five pounds.

My parents got a last minute flight to come meet Lizzie as well so instead of a large family Thanksgiving with the Garis Clan it was just my parents and I celebrating. It was a good day but it did make me feel very far from my husband--it turns out I'm in love with him.

The rest of the month has been spent working out transportation, packing boxes, finding ways to work around the fact that we can't sell our house (the answer: renters) and making the arrangements for the new house.

Yeah, that's right. We manage to buy a new house in there too.

Then a couple of weeks ago I went up to Montana and just folded in on myself for a couple of days with my family. I'd made promises for that weekend that I didn't keep. I feel terrible about that. I hurt the feelings of a dear friend and I'm not quite sure how to fix it, but I'm trying.

I'm now six days away from the reunion with my doggies and my husband and I'm thrilled to be done with this separation. I don't think we'll be doing this again in mortality, it's simply too difficult. I truly have no idea how the partners of service people function!

And that concludes my excuses. Now you know. And next time I'll tell you how my new memoir will be called, "How the Turducken Killed Christmas."