Building on Dreams

Chapter 14 - December Plans

Except for the novelty of having Matthew with them, the rest of Thanksgiving weekend felt ordinary to the Abernathys following their excursions to visit the various properties they were considering buying. There were swimming lessons as usual and services for them all. Then much earlier than any of them would have liked, it was time to take Matthew to the airport and to say goodbye.

"Good bye, Matthew. We'll see you in December, for sure," Susan said as she hugged her eldest son as they dropped him off at the curb.

"Really Mom? Are you sure? Dad's not going to let me come to see you again for a while," Matthew told her. "He says it's too expensive."

"We'll come to see you," Susan assured him. "I don't know the dates yet, but you can tell your dad to expect me ... all of us sometime in December."

Matthew nodded, hugged his mom more tightly for a moment before picking up his luggage and walking into the airport.

"Are we really going to see Matt in Seattle, Mom?" Zackary asked as she got back into the car.

"You're going to spend Christmas there this year with your dad. I'd like the rest of us to visit ... but I'm not sure when yet," Susan told him.

"We can, Susan. I know making a visit to Seattle is one of the things you wanted to do now that we're back," Greg told her as he pulled away from the curb and they headed home.

"It is, but December is going to be very busy," Susan reflected. "I know today is only the 25th of November, but between now and a month from now, we have Alan and Cindy's wedding, Chanukah with your family, Christmas with mine, and all the normal work and school we all have to do. I'm really not sure how we can fit it in."

"Unless we go for New Years, like you suggested once before," Greg reminded her.

Susan nodded. "We need to look at the calendar when we get home. We really do need to figure all this out."

c

Once the Abernathys got home, that's exactly what Greg and Susan did, starting with the coming week.

"So what have we got going on this week, Greg?" Susan asked her husband with their office calendar in her hand, before they prepared to turn in for the night.

"I'm in the studio on Wednesday this week, and I expect another project-related appointment or two, hopefully on Monday," Greg told her and he looked over her shoulder while Susan made a note.

"That barely makes a dent in this," he observed.

"True, but it does get us started for this week."

"Is that important?" Greg wondered.

Susan shrugged. "It does tell me which days you might need the car. How about your Thursday appointments with Alex?"

"They've been suspended until Andrew is finished working on the script, so aside from the appointments I've mentioned, I expect to be here," Greg assured her.

Susan smiled.

"You are working this week, aren't you?" Greg asked.

"Yes, every day. Next week too, unless we need to take some days off for Alan's wedding," Susan said as she consulted their calendar.

"I can't believe next Sabbath is the first of December ... already," Greg sighed as they set the calendar aside for the night.

"I can't either, but it is. Given how much we have going on between now and the end of the year, maybe we can spend some time in the morning going over everything?" Susan suggested.