Anyway, we are so looking forward to the holidays!!! It's just so great to be with family, especially when you live away. We actually get to see both sides - we'll spend Christmas in Nevada with mine and then head down to California again after the New Year.
*For those of you who wonder, Ben is probably about 2 years from finishing. He'll take one class in the Spring, but that's it as far as coursework [he'll be teaching one as well]. In March he'll take some big exams, after which he'll be considered a PhD candidate. After that he'll start researching for the dissertation which generally takes a year - then another year to write. Over halfway! We're real proud :)