Here it is, the 2007 Christmas Card Photo. Every year it's an ordeal. When will we all be together? Where will we take it? What will we wear? Will everyone be looking at the camera? And how many pictures will we have to take to get one good one?

3/4 of the stress is behind me. The picture is done!!! We're all together, and smiling! We took the picture on Thanksgiving when Brooke was home from College for the holiday. And we took 7 pictures to get a good one!

I ordered my picture cards online and 3 days later they arrived. Wow, pressure is on to get them in the mail. But not yet, they are still in the envelopes sitting in the office collecting dust. I'm trying to update my address list, some people I haven't talked to since I got married 11 years ago.

One year I got this far and never mailed them. As for a personal note in the card, I used to hand write one for each person. But as we added kids to the family the notes got shorter and shorter. This year, I'm sticking them in the envelopes, and then right into mail box. I'm hoping that when people see the picture they'll draw the conclusion that we are all OK.

I love getting Christmas cards in the mail. Picture cards are the best, because you get a chance to see people you may not have seen in a long time!!!! But , it's not easy! Hopefully I'll get mine out this year. If not. You've seen the picture and we're doing just fine!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

mpiani@kpho.com