Christmas in Texas

This post isn't really about life in Oklahoma because I'm not there right now. I'm sitting in a dark quiet kitchen in Texas. The house is quiet, most of the family is asleep. The Christmas tree is glowing in the living room. Leon Redbone is singing about "the weather outside being frightful..."

It was sad to leave Norman today. I'm glad to be in Texas with my family for Christmas, but for some reason I got sentimental about leaving when I was packing today. So my packing contained frequent intermittent breaks to wander around the house into my roommates rooms to sit on their beds and watch them pack. When I finally couldn't find anything else that needed to be done in the house I set off to run errands around Norman. I went to drop off "The Never Ending Story" at Blockbuster and then I remembered I should eat lunch. So I went to lunch at Canes with 2 Fleetwood boys and sat there for as long as possible. But then, yet again, there's only so long you can eat chicken for. It came time to leave, so then it was off to Cayman's to get one final Christmas present before leaving town. They wrapped my gift for me while I was waiting. I was so glad they did because it looks beautiful. This sounds funny, but it looks like a present from a movie or maybe something that a girl would get a piece of jewelry in (it's not jewelry though)! Just in case you're wondering, it's wrapped in deep red wrapping paper and has a big shimmery silver bow on it. It's my favorite just because of how it's wrapped. After I left Cayman's I stopped to see my friend Rachel at the Candy Basket. It's amazing how many people were finishing last minute shopping. It's funny that our society begins celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving, but still people wait until the last minute to finish all of their shopping. Well anyways, I'm back in Dallas now. 

Dallas will be busy over the break. We'll spend this Monday night with my brother's family and celebrate Christmas with them. Christmas Eve will be spent with my mom's family. We're having an International Gift exchange that I have yet to find a gift for. Christmas Day is my favorite though because it's just our family at home together. There's something that's hard to describe, but there's something about going to sleep Christmas Eve and waking up and it being Christmas Day. Maybe I love Christmas the most because I'm a December child, who knows....

I'll be spending a lot of time with my Grandparents over the break. My Grandfather is one of the wisest men that I know and I love sitting on his couch with him and hearing his stories and talking with him. He's also one of the most special men I know. My Grandmother has Alzheimers, but he has never left her side during the whole illness. He still treats just as if she's his young bride that he married so many years ago. I called him tonight on my way home and he was so excited about having dinner with her and her nurse and was telling me about the game that they were planning on playing. They blow up a balloon and toss in the air and keep it going between then because it helps Grandmother's motor skills keep working. He was smiling and laughing because he was so excited that she loved to play it with him and what a big deal it is. People say the Notebook is a special movie about Alzheimer's, but I get to see that lived out every day. I want to marry a man like Grandfather some day. 

This week also means a birthday date with Dad. From the time we were all 4 years old he's taken us to the Highland Park Pharmacy for our birthdays. The Pharmacy is an old fashioned soda fountain that was built years ago and has been a tradition in our family for years. Mom and Dad took James there when he was still in a baby carrier. We always sit up at the bar and watch them make our grilled cheeses and my chocolate milk shake and dad's chocolate soda. Then most often we go visit the jobs and talk to Dad's home owners together and take some time to walk around North Park together. It's just a Daddy and daughter day that will always be one of the most special things in the world to me. 

Most of the rest of Christmas will be filled with working at Tyler's, taking some time off to go to Oklahoma for New Years. WOOT! The week before school Dad, Mom, and Hannah and I are going to Honduras. We're flying back the night before school starts, so I'm cutting it close. But I'm so excited about seeing my Honduran friends again. Funny, it takes me three months to update my blog but then I write a book.......I'm sleepy. I think I'll just crawl into bed with a book and fall asleep reading.....I like ellipses.

"I'm dreaming tonight of a place I love even more than I usually do....I promise you....I'll be home for Christmas....."