Christmas Emotions

So, I am trying hard, hard hard to be excited about Christmas this year, but it's not really happening. While I'm happy we'll get to celebrate with Cynthia & Mark (the best in-laws ever, seriously) and the kids, and I know we'll have fun....It's hard not to be completely disapointed that we're missing Christmas with my family, again, in Hawaii, again...One of the difficulties of marriage I hadn't put too much thought into--not having your parents pay to fly you everywhere (at least when it's the two of you we're talking about). :( To most people, reading that they would think it's Hawaii I'm bummed over, wrong! (well, sort of) I would obviously be crazy not to want to be in Hawaii versus Amarillo (have you been to Amarillo?!?!), but it's the whole Christmas experiece with my family and my grandparents I miss. We were unable to go last year because we had just gotten married, and this year we had to buy a new car...there's always something! My in-laws are amazing, and I feel so blessed to have them, but they're not my crazy parents, and there's no Ryan to tease, no Pappy to call me Geraldine or a Nana to insist we go to Church and bake at every given opportunity. It's not the same. It doesn't feel like Christmas without all that...It just feels like a strange long-weekend. *shrug* I know once we're all together, with Elizabeth & Ethan running through the house, Jacob & Leticia over talking about the baby, and Mark & Cynthia to joke with my sadness will fade and give way to laughter. But I know at one point on Christmas day, I will sneak off to cry quietly and compose myself, missing the holiday I love with the people who understand me best. For now, there are meals to plan, and people to see and the new traditions Adam and I are creating for ourselves. Starting 3 years ago, we began a tradition of stocking-ninjas!!! (yes, you read that right) We go to the store the week of Christmas and secretly buy goodies to pile into the stockings, candy, silly toothbrushes, razors--the important stuff, obviously! ;) We've also continued my family's tradition of midnight mass on Christmas Eve, a lonely tradition when we're without them, as no one else every wants to go. I have to admit though, there's something oddly romantic about being alone with Adam in a beautiful church at midnight, celebrating the birth of the most important child. These are memories I am saving, memories I know I'll appreciate the older and busier we get.

Christmas!!!!

I was really worried Christmas wouldn't feel like Christmas this year, since my parents and Ryan are in Hawaii for the first time in y-e-a-r-s (they almost always come to our house, wherever that may be) and we couldn't afford to join them since we got married in October. But, it actually turned out to be one of the best Christmases I've had, and definitely one to remember. On Christmas Eve, we went to a candlelight service at a local Methodist Church and came home drinking hot tea and listening to "A Rat Pack Christmas" on Cd. Even though it was just the 2 of us, we still got up at about 8am--too excited to keep sleeping, I guess some things stay the same! We turned on our Christmas music and ule log, and began to open stockings and presents. I have to say, we made out like bandits! Adam got me a framed "Cartoon of St.Anne" by DaVinci and a TomTom, while I got him a massage, some movies and a t-shirt he's been dying to have. I don't really see what's o funny, it has a picture of several animals and reads "Animals Taste Good", he thinks it's the funniest thing....ever. After we finished out present opening and showered, we headed to Corinth to see Cynthia, Mark & the kids (Adam's sister and her family). On the way, we got a chance to call Adam's parents and Granio for a Merry Christmas hello, which was nice.

The house, upon arrival, was a Christmas explosion and a frenzy of Elizabeth and Ethan showing us one gift after another. We gave them their Christmas presents, ate lunch and hung out until about midnight. All in all, a wonderful and very Merry Christmas.

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving for my family has almost always been out of town. The last 5 go like this 1) New Orleans 2) New Orleans 3) Hawaii 4) Italy 5) Italy. When it was announced we'd all be in Amarillo....it was weird. What was neat was that Shannon & Kyle (cousins) came down from Oklahoma City to my parents for the holiday, a special treat. An even better treat, Cyndey and Brandon came over for dinner one night, having come home early from India! I have never been happier to see Cyd! Ryan, Adam and I took Shannon & Kyle out to Palo Duro (I mean really, what else is there to do in Amarillo) for an afternoon and cave-climbed.

Can you tell we're cousins? Haha... On Thanksgiving itself, Adam's parents and brother Jacob came over for dinner and shared in the celebration with the O'Connells and VanHeests--it was really nice to get to be with all different types of family for the holiday. Afterwards was a long treck back to FtWorth and back to the grind. *sigh*

Halloween

I LOOOOVE Halloween! Not as much as I love (obsess?) over Christmas, but Halloween makes a very good second. However, it is by far Adam's favorite holiday. Last year was a blast because we took Nick trick or treating with Pat and Jenn, but this year we stuck to our non-apartment neighborhood and decided to watch scary movies and hand out candy. I even splurged at Walmart for some foam tombstones, cobwebs, and orange lights to decorate with! I set out our creepy pumpkins (I wish I had thought to take a picture) that we carved a couple days ago got our huge bowl of candy and sat to wait....and wait..........and wait. Finally, around 8 we could hear little giggles coming up our walk and opened the door to some vampires, princesses and a little pumpkin, while the screams of "Nightmare on Elm Street" filled the house. *sigh* How I love holiday traditions! Once the children quit making it to the house, we feasted on the leftover candy and watched scary movies until about 3am! Then came the fun part....attempting to sleep....I fear I won't be doing a lot of sleeping for awhile. I am such a baby...I even made Adam find a nightlight for our bedroom.