Today was our Kids' Christmas party for work. It was held at a local skating rink and this was the first time I'd ever taken Miss Thang and Little Dude to something like this. It meant a couple hours driving this morning but it was worth it. 
Miss Thang had only ever been on skates once before, but she took to it like a fish to water. She was so independant and each time she lost her footing, I would get a stern warning 'I will DO this MYSELF'. This little girl needs skating lessons! I'll bet by next year she'll be spinning circles around us.
When Santa came out, we were the first in line. Santa truly was happier than this picture shows, but he was just warming up at this point.
And just to prove a point, I also got on skates for the first time in 20 years. Holy crap, I forgot how much they hurt your feet! It was like riding a bike to some degree, and I found my stride fairly quickly but the pain of those torture chambers crunching my bones didn't sit well. So I wasn't on them for long.
It did, though, feel good to realize how far I've come in a year. Last year, I was on crutches with my knee!
