Christmas Day

Hayden w/ a blue stripe from a present

Jer and Thomas opening my gift to them

After opening presents with my roommates, I headed over to my Uncle Thomas and Aunt Jer's house. We had already had a small Christmas get together with the other Murphy's earlier that week, which was nice and sweet.

When I came over, maybe because of the hard situation that everyone has been in, I really didn't expect more than one present. I really didn't, even though looking back I'm not sure why considering who it was. But when I had three bags full, I felt tears in my eyes. This year has been hard on me and it has been harder on the people I love, but to have these presents carefully picked out by a family who was sacrificing their money that could have been spent on much needed doctor bills or their new house or their son just so I could have thoughtful gifts at Christmas was extremely touching. Even now, I am tearing up. I cannot describe how much I have constantly and consistently been moved by my Uncle Thomas, my Aunt Jer, and yes even my sweet pesky cousin Hayden to love more, to laugh more, to give more, and to strive to be better each day. I am so blessed to have them be a part of my life.

Hayden and I playing Green Lantern on the Xbox. I am constantly surprised at how he always wants to include me, to talk to me, and about how many interests I share with a 12yr old. I love you, bud.

Christmas Morning

I'm that terrible kind of person who sleeps in their makeup Christmas Eve because I know there will be early morning pictures... usually because I'm taking them.

The "daughter" card is from Courtney... guess you're a Grandpa/ma now! She also got me the journal and mood chart as well as the candy. Alayna got me City of Bones and the classic Christmas orange :)

Charlie being more photogenic than the rest of us

Charlie pouting because we told him to stop being a supermodel

  I also made my traditional family Breakfast casserole with bread, egg, cheese, and ham but I did not get a picture of it, which makes me sad. It turned out beautifully and was absolutely wonderful. I am a simple food kind of girl. Give me anything with cheese and I will probably enjoy it. (I made Christmas eve ham and the family broccoli casserole the previous night).

 Then Alayna read the Christmas Orange story, partly to spite Courtney who doesn't like oranges but loves sentimental stories, and partly to spite me for saying that I didn't like most Christmas stories. (Joke's on her, that's one of the few I do love, as well as the Three Trees story).

 It was, for the most part, one of the best non-family Christmas wake ups I've had. :)

Christmas Present-- Scrapbooks

 


















    For Christmas my mother sent me the scrapbooks she has put together for each of us as we grew up. I have been begging to have them ever since I moved, but she always told me to wait until I got married. (I guess after this year my mom gave up, oops :P).

   Seeing all the time and effort that went into these, as well as the memories all captured on each page is a brand new experience each time. Each time a different picture will catch my eye and make me think back. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to look at each one and reflect, to have these preserved in a way that I can't ever forget. In a lot of ways, it's like a temporary vacation home. So thank you, Mom.

 

Best Christmas ever... a Walkman AND the latest Nsync CD

Christmas Jars and Giving

           Christmas came in bits and spurts this year. That's alright with me. To be honest, Christmas has never been one of my favorite holidays. It usually ranks below second, even. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I hate winter, if I've worked too much retail, if I was traumatized by the one year I was sick with pink eye and strep, if I'm just upset that Christ wasn't even actually born in December and that Santa wasn't real, or maybe just because everyone gets really sentimental and I have intimacy issues. 

            All kidding aside, (well, most of the kidding, an alarming part of that was true) I haven't been looking forward to this Christmas. Last year, losing my Grandma rather unexpectedly so close to the holiday made Christmas feel rather sour this year. The songs of "All I Want For Christmas This Year Is You" began to remind me not only of her and how I missed her cards and sweet messages and cranberry cookies but also of the other people I have had a hard time missing this year. 

            So even though we put decorations up on the first of December (Alayna's orders, Courtney isn't fond of this holiday either), I wasn't really feeling it. That was, at least, until a mix up over the package my mom sent early and this anonymous box with a plastic jar full of coins.

This was the anonymous sender's "name" as well as a fake number that happens to be Canadian...

$100 in cash and coin

  At first I guessed that it had to be my Grandmother, or maybe an old coworker, or my Aunt, but the more I guess the more confused and grateful I am.

   Maybe it's because I've always wished I was a detective since Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, or maybe I just over think things, but you probably have to know me a little better than the average person to put a Canadian phone number (unless, of course, you're an old coworker), because while I do have a slight prejudice against them, I don't feel like I go on rants about them that often. Or it was a coincidence. It just seems odd because I do tend to go on rants about them around the holidays, (at least I used to. I've toned down since I learned they gave us Ryan Gosling and Nina Dobrev.)

 There are a few people that have said the phrase "You are loved" to me in that exact wording though, and those people would also be the type to know about the Christmas Jars book, but those people's handwriting doesn't look like my name on the label.

Also, while I understand the point of the book is to save change and have a daily reminder of the person you are trying to help, if you know me personally, you know that I absolutely love sorting. Especially change. Like Canadians, I am also prejudiced against pennies and love taking them out of the perfect silver, not-worth-more-to-make-than-it's-actual-value coin. 

As for the San Tan Valley UPS store, the Post office is a lot closer to most of the people I suspect. SO. Whoever you are, you have me fooled, and probably didn't realize half this stuff about me or do it intentionally, but I figured you might get a kick out of me trying to figure it out. If you read this, that is. 

Now, how I spent it....

Yep, a bed.

 (And yes the apartment is tiny and cramped and we are moving as soon as we can). 

Since it was an unexpected windfall of money in the most generous way possible, it didn't feel right spending it on me. So I didn't. Instead I decided that, if at all possible with the tiny price range window I had, I needed to get an actual bed for Alayna. When Alayna first moved in, she took the second bed that I had from my roommate David and moved it into my room. But when Courtney moved in she couldn't sleep on the couch bed (as much as she tried) because of her nerve problems. So Alayna very patiently and quietly has been sleeping on the falling-apart-pull-out-bed. No person should have to sleep on that, but we haven't been able to afford a good alternative. 

 I hoped, as I searched online, that at the very least I could get just a mattress. The box spring could wait as well as any frame. But when I went to the Facebook garage sales that my aunt Jer kept telling me about, there was a brand new double size bed with box spring and frame all for $100. I contacted the lady and, with the help of my friend Alex, was able to get it in the house and all set up that day while Alayna was still at work. 

So, anonymous person, this is the joy you brought to not only me, but someone who deserved it even more than me. Thank you.

Stockings

   If you give me a present early, I will not wait to open it. So, it's no surprise that we opened our stockings on the 20th instead of Christmas or even Christmas Eve. What can I say? Life is short and I refuse to deny myself these simple pleasures. PS. Thank you for the scrapbooks Mom. ;)

   Alayna got some candleholders for her 2000 candles (which is really a gift to me because I clean up wax all the time) as well as a Disney princess frame and nightlight, a journal, and some eyeshadow. Courtney got faerie wings, a Tinkerbell nightlight, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Day Planner, as well as notepads and a back scrub pouf. I got butter mints and a Black Widow towellete along with some other silly gag gifts and notepads.

   Small but fun things. Everything counts.

Christmas Decorations

Charlie legitimately poses for pictures.

Obsessed with Tinkerbell

Maybe a little bit of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, but pretty nonetheless

PS-- Thank you Aunt Jer for the Disney decorations

Thanksgiving

   
            I realize, that looking above, you may not see a lot of food, or high quality food, or pretty place settings. But this Thanksgiving meal was more than that. Not just because it was Thanksgiving, but because it meant sacrificing things we ate on a normal basis like bagels and cereal to save up so we could make it. So we could bring our family traditions together (although Alayna and I's often coincide). So we could feel the love of not only friends, but family.

              Because over the past few months, Alayna, Courtney, and I have become a family. We fight about things like who didn't do the dishes and who needs to clean up the candle wax and whether or not we can actually afford to spend money on things like really nice laundry detergent. But there are also few people in the world that I can say know me better, that have seen me at my worst but also see me for my best, that have helped carry the burden when I could no longer carry it myself. We help each other, we heal each other, we more than often drive each other crazy, but we've come together in ways that I'm not sure just roommates would.

              We're all sisters with weird dynamics. I mother Courtney (who is only a year older than Nathan) a little too much and Alayna will either tag along or pretend to be the cool aunt except she'll mother me whenever she has the chance and I won't listen because I'm the oldest and stubborn. We all depend on each other. We're all a little broken, and sometimes it's the blind leading the blind, but we manage to make it work in the end usually by the skin of our teeth. But it always works. And more than anything, right now, I am grateful for that.