It is really nice to get to celebrate Christmas over an entire week. We traditionally spend Christmas Eve to New Year's Day in NY with our East Coast family since we do not get to see them as often and our jobs both shut down over the break, while we celebrate a bit earlier with Dan's family in California.
This year our early Christmas celebrations spanned two weekends as on December 15 we were treated to an afternoon of trapeze by Laura and Jason for our Christmas gifts at the Trapeze School of New York on the Santa Monica Pier. We went as an entire family and for two hours we were all circus performers from my little 6 year-old nephew to my mother-in-law, Peggy.
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| Lovely family outing! |
Since Laura and Jason had been before they moved on to the second trick you learn, while we all learned the first trick which would hopefully end in a catch. We had to jump off the trapeze platform, put our knees around the bar at the top of our first swing, drop our arms and hang from our knees at the top of our second swing and be caught by the instructor at the top of our third swing.
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| Dan had no problem with the trick. |
I definitely struggled my first two attempts at getting my knees up, I would get so close and then kick which would totally destroy any momentum I had. Dan on the other hand took to it like a fish in water. Luckily I like to perform under pressure and was able to perform the last two tries so that I could go for the catch like Dan. Dan got his catch on the first try while it took me two, but we had such an amazing time that we are going back in January to learn our new trick!
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| I finally got it! |
It's a hell of a workout but so much fun you don't even realize how hard you are working. You only figure it out over the next few days when your pecks are hurting and the back of your knees are all black and blue.
After swinging through the air, we were off to lunch on the pier and then headed back to our house to celebrate Dan's birthday with the family.
Then just six days later we were off to Orange County to celebrate Christmas again on December 20th and 21st. Our cousins Anna and Jimmy were also able to join us and on Friday night we all went out as a family for dinner and then Dan, Jimmy, Anna, my mother-in-law Peggy and I were off to the movies to see American Hustle. Then Saturday morning the whole family came over to Peggy's for breakfast and presents.
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| Dan, mom and I. |
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| My nephews in their hats I made them for Christmas. |
It was nice to celebrate with the family and have a second Christmas. Of course we also Facetimed with the entire family on Christmas Day. Technology is great. How do you balance Christmases between multiple families?
