Oh Christmas Card!

Once again we had drama associated with this year's Christmas card.

It started out well.

Chris worked on it nice and early, but, like all artists, he changed his mind because he thought it didn't look good.  So he kept fussing and moaning over it.  

Then we had to make an emergency trip to Utah for my dad's funeral and the card was all but forgotten.

When he started working on it again there was more fuss, more drama, more hem and hah, more disgust with himself.

Meanwhile, I was trying to do my bit by creating address labels for everyone.  I had them on Word already, but unfortunately, Word was only on our decrepit laptop.  It turned out to be a Christmas miracle that the thing didn't shut down while I was working on them.  However, I did print some of them with the label paper the wrong direction, so a few of the addresses didn't line up right.  A bit of drama for me too.

Well, Chris finally finished the cards.  By this time, it felt like the middle of January even though it was only December 9th.  I was sure there was no point in sending them since they would just be the tail end of everyone's pile of cards and be forgotten and unappreciated. 

So, Chris didn't print them.

Then I decided we must send them out anyway because he went through all that trouble and everything!  And they are rather cute.

Chris was so nice and stayed up until midnight printing and cutting out 60 cards!

I had the stamps and the addresses and was ready to go!

Then, I ran out of cards because we are just s'darn popular!

We printed some more and were on the home stretch--or so we thought.

I ran out of stamps!  I needed 40 more. Do you know how hard it is to get postcard stamps?!!

Very.

Yesterday I went to the post office, but there were at least 90 people ahead of me in line so I figured I'd go back later.

Today, Chris decided he would help me on my quest.  I found a post office that opened at 10:00 so we drove over and got there at 9:58!  

But, it was closed!  I had looked at the wrong one!  It didn't open until 11:00.

Chris said, "Let's drive to the other one, it's not too  out of the way and it just opened"

Well, as we pulled up I realized that this was the random post office that only sorts packages and hands out registered letters.  There's no store or place to mail your stuff.  

 Chris said we should find a mailing center instead of bothering with the post office.  

We went to the UPS store and stood around while they helped two other customers.  After a while I had the brilliant idea to ask if they even sold postcard stamps.

Nope.  They didn't.

GAH!

We finally ended up going back to the post office I had gone to the other day.  

Again, 90+ people in line all with 12 packages each.

I got in line and Chris decided to try the self-serve machine to see if it'd be faster.

Turns out you can only buy 5 printed stamps at a time.

No one was in line and there were two other self-serve machines available so Chris set right in to order 5 stamps 8 times.

I moved about three people up in my line while a line formed behind Chris.  There were still two other self-serve machines available so I don't know why they decided to stay.  Probably to watch the crazy man pushing the buttons over and over again.

I watched them whisper and grumble.  

I did not say, "You talkin' smack about my HUSBAND?!" or anything like that.  I should have told them to go use the other empty machines!

 By the time Chris was done an angry mob had formed, but I didn't have to stand in line anymore!

THEN, 

we had to tear off the blank half of the printed stamp, peel all 40, then affix them to the cards!

WHEW!

Merry Christmas!