My kids head back to school tomorrow, officially bringing the holidays to a close. The boys are busy tonight, packing up all the Christmas decorations, which makes for a visible return to “normalcy” in the house. As much as I like the sparkle and hum of the holidays, I find that I miss the routine of our everyday lives by the year’s end. It’s not until the routine of life resumes that I truly think of the holidays as being over.

I’m not sad to see 2009 go. There were some great high points last year but it had its fair share of lows, too. As the final days of the year approached, I found myself wishing for time to speed up and the new year to dawn so I could have a fresh start.

That’s not to say the year ended on a bad note. Far from it! With my oldest child off hunting with his grandfather, I found myself traveling with the other two kids to my hometown — and a bit beyond — to catch up with family and friends. It was such an amazing time, catching up with everyone. And while I managed to neglect my camera somewhat, I did capture some great pictures of the impish Miss L with my Tante (my late mom’s older sister). We were truly surrounded by love everywhere we went.

It was a good send off to a year I’m happy to see gone. That chapter has ended and the one that’s just beginning hints at better things to come.