I’ve heard about Bittersweet goodbyes before, but lately the ones I have had to say have been more bitter than sweet. Maybe I would feel different if all of my nieces and nephews were just a few hours away instead of 16 to 19. It sucks that my great nephews had not seen me in so long that I was like a stranger to them. It hurts even more not being sure how long it will be before I see them again and if they will still remember who I am. I know there are webcams and stuff, but nothing can replace getting to see them in person or give them a hug.
I also really hate that my best friend in this whole world is unable to just come over and hang out with me when we want to see each other. This is why as their van left, I cried and my husband offered me a hug.
Why must the time pass so fast? I wish I had more time with them. It always seems to go by too quickly. 
Today, my family from Austin and North Carolina left. I see the ones from Austin at least a few times a year, but the others, not so much. My newly married niece has been in town for a little over a week and before that, it had been almost 3 years since I had seen her. I hopefully will see her next year sometime but that seems like a long way away now. When I hugged her bye, I held her tight and said I wasn’t going to let her go so she couldn’t leave. Words I said both seriously and with humor to try to keep myself from crying. Sometime during the hug, I realized she was about to leave and I have no guarantees of a next time. None of us are even promised tomorrow and when saying goodbye, the truth of that rings clearer than ever. She let go before me and I tried to keep her close even as I knew I had to let go. As hard as it is, I had to. I then turned and faced the wall as the tears started to flow. I didn’t want anyone to see or hear me cry so I walked off to bid the tears adieu. I somehow stopped them and was able to gain the courage to keep them from overtaking me. 30 minutes after they left, she sent me a text message saying she missed us already and it made me want to cry again. She responded to this with, “I haven’t stopped.”
I have no idea how I avoided crying again when I read that but I did. I suspect had I not been surrounded with my family from Indiana who are still here until Thursday, I would have burst out into tears. After Thursday I will say bye again and try my best not to cry. I may or may not be successful at not crying in front of people, but I know I will after they leave. I will be left feeling empty and sad missing them until I can get back to the numbness of missing them without the tears coming everytime I think about it. I love seeing my family but I hate ever so much to say goodbye.
I’m sure not many people will be reading blogs today so I’m not going to do a long post. I even scheduled this the night before to tell the truth.
If you have read my blog for awhile, you may know I do consider myself a christian, therefore I do celebrate this day as Christ’s birthday. I am fully aware this is not the exact day he was born, but simply the day it is celebrated. My family will be taking time to celebrate this fact and to pray at meal times as well as maybe even reading the christmas story.
I just recently discovered this week that a newer member of my family is an atheist. Christmas is still celebrated but for a different reason and I’m fine with it. I’ve learned to accept people with different beliefs throughout my life and so far, we have got along good despite the fact that this same person just likes to win board games a little too much in my opinion. They still share interests and have some of the same views…kind of like some of my blogging buddies.
Is there a part of me that wishes this person shared my belief? Honestly…yes. How could I have a true belief in God and NOT want others to believe? I think I would seem like a hypocrite or fake then. But each person has to figure out how they feel on their own and in their own time. It’s not my place to force my beliefs on anyone.
Having said that, I am pretty confident in saying that not everyone in my family would agree with me…that is also ok. All I can really hope for is for everyone to be mature and not overly pushy with how they feel.
And my post has become longer than I meant for it to be. If you are still reading, I hope you have or had a great Hanukkah, kwanzaa, christmas, or whatever else you may celebrate and know that I appreciate the diversity of my wonderful blogging buddies. You guys have made this year wonderful and I appreciate you all! 
Short post today because I have been so busy. Tomorrow is Christmas Day and all my family is now here. My biggest wish for tomorrow is that everyone will have the christmas spirit and get along. Family is awesome but crowded spaces can bring out a mixture of personalities and from experience I have learned not every personality will mix well. The holidays can be both happy as well as stressful and tensions may get to a point where things escalate and explode after awhile. Yes, I am speaking from a personal situation that transpired today as well as past circumstances. It’s interesting how you can think your depression has gotten incredibly better and then you are put with people for long periods of time and lots of noise and constant chaos and then bam, it turns out things weren’t as under control as you think. Pair that with a bi-polar husband that most of your family doesn’t understand and things can get crazy.
But, this is not meant to be a depressing post and I don’t have regrets that my family is here. I am thrilled and I feel so blessed no matter what. My only wish is for me AND my husband to survive the holiday season without losing our minds and for everyone to just have a great time together, being happy and safe.
That is also my wish for you guys…although maybe not so much the losing your mind unless that applies.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!
Last Friday night, I stayed up finishing cleaning and watching “Hot in Cleveland” on Netflix….I watched so much of the show because of hilarious Betty White that I didn’t go to bed until morning. As I was heading for bed, my niece that moved to North Carolina recently with her Marine husband starts texting me saying she is bored cause her husband had to work and asking me how I’m doing and everything. I let her know I was just getting ready to try to sleep if my teeth will let me(turns out the bottom “wisdom tooth” I thought I was cutting was just an abscessed tooth next to where I would be cutting a tooth). So I message her for a bit and I go off to sleep…..
Normally, I would be awake around 4 in the afternoon. That afternoon I was still snoozing away, not expecting there would be any problem with this. Suddenly, I hear a knock at my door and my husband, who had JUST gone to bed in the afternoon…yea, we are crazy! went to go answer it. Then I hear a woman’s voice that I don’t recognize because I am half asleep and she is saying something about her husband using the bathroom. Well…I was like, “Tell her that her husband can find somewhere else to use one, what do they think we are? A 7-11?” Then I hear my husband say that someone is here to see me and I am like, ok…tell them to come back later, I am tired. Yes..I admit I can be a grumpy woman when I am tired. I then hear a woman say, “We took a wrong turn at Indiana and somehow ended up here” and I immediately hear my niece’s voice and look up and see her. I was in utter shock and disbelief. Then I turned to my left and saw her husband with the cell phone videotaping and I immediately ducked my head under the cover! It was one thing seeing my niece while I am in bed, my hair a mess and in my nightgown still…but to meet her husband for the first time. So NOT what I had in mind for my day, you know?! So I peek out and see him gone and talk to her for a bit, then hide back under when I see him again and I say that he must REALLY think I am crazy now, to which my niece replies, “Well, yea…your head is under the blankets!” LOL
Needless to say, my niece, her husband and my family in Indiana had known for quite awhile that instead of my niece and her husband coming a couple days AFTER Christmas, they were going to come in early and not tell anyone. None of the family in Texas had any clue. Me and my husband were the first to find out and then they patiently waited as I got dressed so we could go and surprise my mom, dad and Nanny. My mom’s face was one of shock. She was literally speechless for about a minute after she saw her! It was awesome, but yea, I still wish I hadn’t been surprised while lying in bed!
I wanted to post how excited I was on Saturday but was told I had to keep their presence here a secret so they could surprise their cousins in Austin when they came in today. Unfortunately, it looks like my family there isn’t coming until tomorrow, but my niece decided to let the secret out anyways so I am allowed to finally post about it.
So far, it has been fun having them here, going bowling with a couple of my friends and playing board games and video games and just chatting. It definitely has been filling my days until everyone else gets in town, too. It’s been nice to have people to hang out with to count down the days instead of just wasting them at the apartment, just us two, me and my hubby. It definitely has meant using the time I have to blog and schedule my posts so I don’t have to waste time away from family. Not that my blog isn’t important to me, but I just want to make sure nothing is keeping me from spending quality time with them!
So my secret is out on why I haven’t had much time to read and I’m glad I get to share this excellent surprise with everyone!
May all my friends and family,inside and outside of the blogging world, have just as much excitement as I have had in this past week!
Slowly, but surely I am getting things done. I started yesterday working on my important list and I have completed cleaning my den/computer room, got the decorations out of the closet, almost have my living room done, the tree up sans ornaments and my guest post done and sent in. To some, this may not seem like a lot, but for me, it’s an accomplishment. I still have a good bit to do in the next few days to prepare for the holidays, but it feels really good to look at the progress I have made and know I didn’t let procrastination win.
And in less than 30 minutes, it will be 10 days until Christmas Eve! The day when my oldest sister, 3 of my nieces and my great nephews from Indiana will be here. The excitement of their visit is putting me in one of the best moods ever. 3 of them I haven’t seen since my wedding, 2 1/2 years ago, so this is a long anticipated visit.
I hope everyone is having fun getting ready for the holidays and I wish all of you the happiest of holidays and good health!
You may have noticed I missed last week’s photo challenge. I debated whether to do last week’s or not and finally just skipped it. The theme was “Breakfast” and I considered taking pictures of breakfast and kept forgetting…..I couldn’t think of anything really creative to substitute for real food and to be honest, I didn’t really WANT to come up with anything. Last week was busy spending time with family and everything and my blog fell to the background for the most part. I’ve gotten behind on reading and commenting on other blogs due to the holidays and everything and sorry to those I haven’t got around to looking at. I WILL eventually get caught up but the holidays are going to be a time where other than posting daily, I’m just not going to be on my A game with reading and commenting. I apologize ahead of time and hopefully once the holidays are over with, I can get back to staying caught up once and for all.
I have shown pictures of family before in other posts, but here are some I picked out for this theme. Hope you enjoy!
Old picture of me with all 6 of my nieces...before I got married and added 2 nieces
Me at 10 with my new niece Sara gripping my finger
My oldest niece Krystal with my first great nephew after he was born
My niece Sara and nephew Matthew with my Mom behind them...and me hiding in the very back
Almost all of my gorgeous nieces and one of my great nephews
My Great Nephew Michael at his 1st birthday
I could just do a blog full of pictures of my family…..I love all of these people so much!
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Giving Thanks Day 29: Today, I am so thankful that I am going to get to see my oldest niece and my two great nephews this Christmas…I have not seen them since July 2009 when I got married! I am getting the best Christmas gift of all this year in getting to see ALL my nieces, my nephew AND my great nephews for Christmas….that is just all I wanted and wished for and the best gift of all! There are no amount of words to express how blessed and thankful I feel right now. I just am so excited and I can NOT wait until they are in for Christmas! YAY!
I love to hear about the different traditions people have for spending the different holidays and just thought I would share how I spend mine. My Thanksgiving Day has changed a little since I got married, but not too much because my husband’s side of the family lives so close to where I had always spent Thanksgiving. This year, we will head over to my Nanny’s where we will meet up with my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, my sister and brother-in-law, two of my nieces, my nephew and my Uncle to have breakfast and then visit while the finishing touches are put on the meal. Sometime between 11:00 a.m. and Noon, we will probably eat. The Thanksgiving dinner will be Turkey, maybe Ham, too, Homemade dressing, either pea salad or potato salad, cranberry sauce, fruit salad, macaroni or broccoli cheese casserole, deviled eggs, rolls,green beans, chicken livers with gravy, sweet potato casserole, and various deserts such as pies and if we’re lucky, my Nanny’s English Delight or my Uncle’s Cherry Cheesecake. I consider our meal a pretty traditional Thanksgiving meal but I know a lot of people have different variations on it. Sometime after lunch, me and my husband will head over to his mom and step dad’s to meet up with his grandma(who has her birthday on Thanksgiving this year) and his sister, brother and two little nieces. Their meal takes place around 1 or after usually so we basically go from one meal to the next, therefore, it’s always hard for me to decide how much room to leave in my stomach! I still am not quite sure how I will do it this year, but I think I am going to try to eat a little bit at my Nanny’s and then I can eat a little bit at my in laws. They usually have turkey and ham, too, but their sides are a little different. It’s interesting how things taste differently because they cook them in different ways but they both taste really good. After eating AGAIN with them, we’ll visit and spend time with them for a while, which is usually when my husband decides it’s time to go. I tend to feel bad about not staying long enough cause I want to spend time with both families but I know my husband will want to watch the ball game at my Nanny’s with all the guys. So, we will say our goodbyes and head BACK to my Nanny’s, where things have calmed down, the food has been put away, dishes have been almost all washed and the table is empty. The men and my Nanny will be in the living room watching the football game. My Nanny loves football. I, on the other hand, don’t. My mom and sister will either be working on something in the kitchen or sitting at the now empty kitchen table chatting OR rather avoiding the ball game! I will usually sit down with them and chat for a bit. If the store ads are on the table, I will browse the ads with them and see what the Black Friday specials are. They tend to go to it every year, last year was the first year in a long time that I didn’t go. The rest of the day will be visiting with my family, possibly playing board games and definitely trying to stay awake because all the food makes you very sleepy. For supper, we always have left overs and we basically serve ourselves. The food is put on the cabinets from the fridge, you take a paper plate, get what you want and microwave. At this time, I can eat more of whatever I didn’t partake of earlier so I would have room for my second lunch. Some people will choose to make turkey or ham sandwiches. We will usually eat in turns where some are eating while others are still watching television and so on. Then more visiting, but not too much because everybody is usually exhausted by this point and the ones wanting to do Black Friday try to get some sleep early. This year, some sales start at midnight, so who knows when people will actually sleep? Sometime after dinner, we’ll say our goodbyes yet again and head off to our apartment so we can get some sleep ourselves and be ready for the next day. Even if I don’t do Black Friday shopping, the women tend to meet up for lunch somewhere to eat out and then we all end up back at my Nanny’s in the afternoon where it’s leftovers again and trying to rest from the holidays.
I’m already tired just thinking about it. I saw on the news the other day that the price of turkey and other Thanksgiving staples has risen. This made me wonder if it wouldn’t be better to just eat something else for the day? I know it would probably be weird for those used to eating turkey every year, but it seems like it would be cheaper and then you could have the turkey dinner after they lower the prices back. I’m not a huge turkey eater myself so it wouldn’t bother me too much. In fact, when I was younger, I had a nightmare that I was forced to eat turkey and woke up crying and screaming, “No turkey!”
I have heard that different cultures eat other things on Thanksgiving anyways. Enchiladas, anyone? I love Mexican food! Or what about some yummy pasta? YAY! Anyways, I would love to hear how YOU spend your Thanksgiving and if you stick to the traditional Turkey meal or you do a different spin on things. If you eat something super duper yummy, then be warned….I may have to take a flight to YOUR house for the holidays!
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Giving Thanks Day 19: Today, I give thanks for the privilege I have in having not only ONE place to go during the holidays for a nice, warm meal, but TWO places to go. Not everyone is so lucky and there are those who will be home alone on this day or have to eat turkey from a homeless shelter. If YOU have a place to go for the holidays, take the time to truly be thankful for that and appreciate it!
When I was thinking about the theme this week, Rodin’s “The Thinker” statue popped into my head along with thoughts of people being filled with wonder for different reasons. I attempted to get my husband to mimic “The Thinker” pose, but as you can see, it didn’t turn out as well as I would have liked. Hope you enjoy my take on Wonder and have a WONDERful day!
Rodin's "The Thinker"
My husband thinking about the walkers on "The Walking Dead" or at least that's what he said he was thinking about
"I wonder if THIS is where that smell is coming from!"
Wonder how my nephew got behind the couch....
I wonder who put the bubbles in the fountain....
Now I wonder who put their canes in my sister's hoodie? Hmmm...
Wonder what Elvis(my uncle's dog) is thinking as he sees a fake Boston Terrier statue
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Giving Thanks Day 17: Today, I give thanks for photography. I’m not a great photographer myself, but the good thing about taking photos is that even when you’re not, you can still get a few decent ones here and there. I love looking back at old photos and being able to reminisce through them and now with Digital photos, you can save photos online and not have to worry so much about losing them forever!
There are 10 days left until Thanksgiving and for most people, this is a day where family gets together and spends time together. Whenever you get family together, there are bound to be strong emotions. While an occasional argument may erupt, there are sure to at least be a moment or two of laughter somewhere in the mix. This Mirthful Monday is dedicated to families and the laugh out loud moments they bring!
A little boy opened the big and old family Bible with fascination, he looked at the old pages as he turned them. Then something fell out of the Bible and he picked up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that has been pressed in between pages. “Momma, look what I found”, the boy called out. “What have you got there, dear?” his mother asked. With astonishment in the young boy’s voice he answered: “I think it’s Adam’s suit!”
FAMILY HISTORY
One day a sweet little girl becomes puzzled about her origin. “How did I get here, Mommy?” she asks.
Her mother replies, using a well-worn phrase, “Why God sent you, Honey.”
“And did God send you too, Mommy?” she continues. “Yes, Sweetheart, he did.”
“And Daddy, and Grandma and Grandpa, and their moms and dads, too?”
“Yes, Honey, all of them, too.”
The child shakes her head in disbelief. “Then you’re telling me there’s been no sex in this family for over 200 years? No wonder everyone is so grouchy!”
Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your children. (Sorry, Mom!)
My dad gave me this advice “Son, there are a couple of times in a man’s life
when he does not understand a woman” “What are they” I enquired. “Before
marriage and also after marriage”.
The average mother takes two whole days to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner but most kids don’t really care. I have taken an informal but exhaustive poll of kids and have come to the conclusion that if Twinkies came with drumsticks, all turkeys would die of old age.
It was the first time the blonde was eating Thanksgiving dinner without her family. Trying to re-enact the tradition, she prepared a dinner for herself alone. The next day, her mother called to see how everything went.
“Oh, mother, I made myself a lovely dinner, but I had so much trouble trying to eat the turkey!” said the daughter.
“Did it not taste good?” her mother asked. “I don’t know,” the blonde said. “It wouldn’t sit still!”
This is ONE way of getting your family to your home for the holidays:
