New Beginnings Late in the Game

I know I devoted an entire post to my shiny new ring, but I didn't say much about the rest of Christmas. This year was fabulous. We all got along, everyone was thrilled, and the memories of last year finally began to fade.
Last Christmas, B & I we struggling with our decision to stop infertility treatments and bump Plan B into Plan A. At the same time we were all dealing with C's mom's unplanned pregnancy and how it had become a bitter ghost moving in and out of our house. I was angry, B was worried, and C was just being an all-around asshole about it. Last Christmas C got her first spanking, I cried all morning, and B was angry and sad because both of his ladies were miserable and he couldn't fix us.
This year, as I said before, was different. We were relaxed, slept later (the benefits of having an older child, who, although no blood-relative of mine, seems to have adopted my lazy gene), and had a nice holiday. Outside of the jewelry, B decided to theme my gifts. Because I travel an insane amount (I think I've stayed at every Hampton Inn within a day's drive of my home), B kept this in mind when purchasing my gifts. I ended up with a car safety kit, XM radio, keyless ignition/entry, space bags, an iTunes gift card, and a spray can of Mace in my stocking. Think he worries about me when I'm out there on the road? He put a lot of thought into the whole present thing, which is very sweet and cool.
Another great thing this year is that we actually had Christmas morning, which is also her birthday with C. For the last 8 Christmases we have celebrated on Christmas Eve, and C would have Christmas Day at her mom's house. We don't share the holiday. I know there are blended families out there that can all come together and make it work, but we are not one of them. Enough said.
Anyways, after having a leisurely morning opening gifts, B decided to scope out the city to see about getting breakfast. We all piled into the car and headed toward Shoney's, the only place open. The place was packed with firemen. It was sort of surreal. We hit the buffet and as we tucked into our food, C began talking about her birthday and was asking B about the day she was born. No big deal, really, just talk. Apparently the waitress overheard C and asked to speak to B. Ten minutes later, here comes our waitress holding one of these followed by the rest of the wait staff clapping and singing the requisite restaurant birthday sing along. The look on C's face was priceless. As she dived into chocolaty vanilla bliss, she turned to me and said, "Can we make this a tradition?" I scooped up a bite for myself and replied, "Yes, we can."