This month is just filled with overwhelming goodness. I dare not wish the time away but my calendar on my Blackberry [Betty is her name] is full of countdowns. Let me share because I'm having a really tough time containing my excitement.
4 days until Trevor James comes home for Christmas break. That means we will finally get a tree so I will have to come up from Carlsbad to partake in that activity! Not to mention Trev is one of my best friends and I just can't wait to laugh with him. He has the best laugh.
10 days until Daniel James steps foot in Cali for Christmas break. Enough said. You can find us under the mistletoe.
18 days until our traditional tamale Christmas Eve dinner. I love tamales and it's basically the one time a year we eat them! My coworkers laughed at me for being excited about this a few days ago based on the fact that my family is not Mexican. They are Hispanic and don't even do it, so to them it was laughable.
19 days until Christmas! I look forward to this day every year! I love being with my entire family. There is something about being in PJs, cooking eggs benedict and having sleep in our eyes which makes me so incredibly happy. I can't wait to share it with DJ. Not to mention it's a day full of awe and wonder. I can't help but feel so loved by not only my family but our Savior. God blows my mind on the daily, but especially on this day. I also can't wait to look at the annual Christmas presents my Aunts make for Zoe and Grace. Erin complies a scrapbook of the entire year in picture form and Auntie Chez makes a digital scrapbook complete with videos which crack me up. It is so fun to look back on the year and I'm so thankful to be included in the video & book!
20 days until Daniel & I embark on a journey to good old Westmont. Daniel will be having a visit with the team. Ironic much? So that means I get extra time with my Warrior Family which I cannot wait for! I love those girls so much! That also means I get to visit so many of my friends and teammates who still live there. I haven't seen any of them since I left for Australia so I am VERY much excited about this.
21 days until Mich, Linds & Lish reunite to open the time capsule. I am thinking once we open everything we throw everything back in and add more so we can look at it again in 5 more years. I am a big fan of traditions and I can't think of any two other ladies who I would want that tradition with!
22 days until Daniel and I leave for ARIZONA!! Another road trip! YES! 6 hours to Peoria for a wedding and another added hour to see Josh and Natalie! Could not ask for a better trip. SO many reunions on the horizon! I can't wait for everyone to meet Daniel. I can't wait to watch Anna get married and hug my best friend for the first time in 11 months.
25 days until we ring in the New Year! This year I will receive my first New Year's kiss ever. Super excited about that! It was definitely worth the wait.
So like I said Betty is on calendar overload but I know she is excited too! Probably mixed with a little jealousy only because I won't be using her while I'm with everyone. She knows I love her but I can't wait to be with everyone in person.
What a blessed year! I couldn't have dreamed up a better way to end it and let me tell you...in Australia I dreamed about these types of reunions ALL the time. Although I do wish I had all my Aussies and Kiwis with me! Everyone in one place. It's hard feeling like you belong in multiple places, however I am SO happy that I have the gift of so much love.
So December if you could hurry up and slow down all at the same time. Thanks for being so magical. I can't wait to fully experience all that is coming our way!!
12.06.2011
12.01.2011
Day of Thanks
Well I have to be honest. It was a perfect day except that I was in a major funk.
Ever since I moved to Australia, when it is around that time of the month I literally become another person. TMI I'm sorry. Needless to say I cry at the drop of the hat and am super irritable. More so than your average female. I get so emotional about everything and I literally cannot control it. For a ,while I was a self pronounced bipolar being.
So you guessed it, I cried a lot on Thanksgiving. For no good reason at all. I have SO much to be thankful for but couldn't see past the silliest of things. I definitely didn't feel like myself during these times. Luckily this past week mom went to her hormone lady, oh to be on the other end of the spectrum! She said moving internationally, all the stress I have been under [and was under in Australia] have caused deficiencies. Which are not only causing the massive mood swings but super achy muscles. It feels like the worst basketball workout I have ever done time 10. It's unreal, but I'm glad it will all be sorted out next month!
If only I could get a Thanksgiving re-do. Thank goodness for another chance at Christmas!
This year my Aunties' hosted Thanksgiving. The company was lovely both Erin's family and our little family were there. The food was nothing short of perfection and it was just good to be with everyone at the same place and same time.
This year was no Thanksgiving exception. Sat at the kids table for my 23rd year in a row. I know my family is small but we really need to invest in a bigger table or I'm going to be at the kids table for eternity. Don't get me wrong, Grace and Zoe are comic geniuses, but I want to sit with my entire family. For some reason Dad & Erin joined us as well. Loved the extra company at the cool table.
And because I had to work the graveyard shift [12am-8:30am] for 5 nights before T-giving I was already exhausted but combined with the effects of Tryptophan was a deadly combo. I was out like a light as soon as the last heave of food went in my mouth. I couldn't even muster the energy to sit at the table and talk. I was completely wiped.
Knowing that Daniel had a game that night, my Aunt set up the projector and broadcasted it on the wall. We watched the game and managed to temporarily recover from our food comas by halftime! I was so thankful that my Aunt cared enough about Daniel and his game to do something so special. It was such a blessing to be surrounded by my family cheering on my best friend together! Makes me excited for Christmas when D will actually be here with my family cheering on the NBA :)
At halftime, I was prompted to take family photos. Mom decided to announce "one of these will be our Christmas card!" as we gathered to stand next to each other. This statement did not go over well with me. I remind you of my prior state, super irritable. Well, I let her have it. I expalined that I thought it was a really dumb idea. For one thing, we all would look like whales after the way we stuffed our faces. Dad and Trevor had huge first and second helpings. For another, I was so full I could barely stand up straight, not to mention the physical pain and exhaustion my body was feeling. Lastly, you can't just pull that on someone who isn't wearing any make-up or hasn't slept in 5 days. Basically it wasn't a smart plan of attack on my mother's part. The irony in it, we didn't get a single good shot! Someone was always joking around. This picture is my absolute favorite...so many things that could be said but I'll leave the interpretation up to you.
Ever since I moved to Australia, when it is around that time of the month I literally become another person. TMI I'm sorry. Needless to say I cry at the drop of the hat and am super irritable. More so than your average female. I get so emotional about everything and I literally cannot control it. For a ,while I was a self pronounced bipolar being.
So you guessed it, I cried a lot on Thanksgiving. For no good reason at all. I have SO much to be thankful for but couldn't see past the silliest of things. I definitely didn't feel like myself during these times. Luckily this past week mom went to her hormone lady, oh to be on the other end of the spectrum! She said moving internationally, all the stress I have been under [and was under in Australia] have caused deficiencies. Which are not only causing the massive mood swings but super achy muscles. It feels like the worst basketball workout I have ever done time 10. It's unreal, but I'm glad it will all be sorted out next month!
If only I could get a Thanksgiving re-do. Thank goodness for another chance at Christmas!
This year my Aunties' hosted Thanksgiving. The company was lovely both Erin's family and our little family were there. The food was nothing short of perfection and it was just good to be with everyone at the same place and same time.
This year was no Thanksgiving exception. Sat at the kids table for my 23rd year in a row. I know my family is small but we really need to invest in a bigger table or I'm going to be at the kids table for eternity. Don't get me wrong, Grace and Zoe are comic geniuses, but I want to sit with my entire family. For some reason Dad & Erin joined us as well. Loved the extra company at the cool table.
And because I had to work the graveyard shift [12am-8:30am] for 5 nights before T-giving I was already exhausted but combined with the effects of Tryptophan was a deadly combo. I was out like a light as soon as the last heave of food went in my mouth. I couldn't even muster the energy to sit at the table and talk. I was completely wiped.
Knowing that Daniel had a game that night, my Aunt set up the projector and broadcasted it on the wall. We watched the game and managed to temporarily recover from our food comas by halftime! I was so thankful that my Aunt cared enough about Daniel and his game to do something so special. It was such a blessing to be surrounded by my family cheering on my best friend together! Makes me excited for Christmas when D will actually be here with my family cheering on the NBA :)
At halftime, I was prompted to take family photos. Mom decided to announce "one of these will be our Christmas card!" as we gathered to stand next to each other. This statement did not go over well with me. I remind you of my prior state, super irritable. Well, I let her have it. I expalined that I thought it was a really dumb idea. For one thing, we all would look like whales after the way we stuffed our faces. Dad and Trevor had huge first and second helpings. For another, I was so full I could barely stand up straight, not to mention the physical pain and exhaustion my body was feeling. Lastly, you can't just pull that on someone who isn't wearing any make-up or hasn't slept in 5 days. Basically it wasn't a smart plan of attack on my mother's part. The irony in it, we didn't get a single good shot! Someone was always joking around. This picture is my absolute favorite...so many things that could be said but I'll leave the interpretation up to you.
We also snapped the traditional Grandparents shot, which I wasn't extremely jazzed about but I'm glad we took the photo for memories sake. I really had a rough day but I really do wish I could take it back. Goes to show hormonal imbalances are no joke.
I couldn't have asked to be surrounded by a better cast of characters. It was the best blessing to be home for Thanksgiving 2011 and celebrate the love of my family. They are the best, even when I'm having a rough day. They still give me grace and love. I love them for that. I'm thankful for that.
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