So, it has been a while since I've been on here! Guess you can say the holidays got a little crazy, but the good kind of crazy. This year was different for my family, as my older sister is now married and they were in NZ for their honeymoon/second wedding for Christmas. We all got together on December 19th, just a few days before they left, to have our family get-together. I brought Sean and Ethan, my godsons, along. Sean is three-years-old and is now old enough to know what's going on and get excited about it. He thought Santa was actually going to be at my parents' house, along with the gifts he brought...haha. But he wasn't the least bit disappointed when he saw all the presents. It was awesome to see him so excited. Ethan is 15-months-old and not quite old enough to understand the concept of Christmas, but he did enjoy the toys. He had been sick the day before, so he was extremely quiet and clingy, but he seemed to have a good time anyway. Their sister, little miss Ashlyn, did not come with us. She is 3-months-old, and I either keep her OR the boys; not all three at once! But we did have gifts for her also. This year was different for me because I got way more excited about the boys opening their gifts rather than me opening my own. I guess I'm getting old!
Damond and I had a good Christmas. It was our first as a couple, and boy was it hard to figure out what to get for him! I tried to make it easy on him and told him several things I could use. He, on the other hand, had a hard time thinking of anything he wanted/needed from me. I called him one day while I was at Best Buy and as we were talking, I walked past an advertisement for the new super mario brothers game for the Wii. I loved the mario brothers when I was younger. I told Damond how much I've been wanting a Wii and how I bet that game is awesome on there. He said I should get it and we would split the cost and that would be our Christmas gift to each other. I thought he was joking at first, and maybe he was, but after thinking for a minute, that didn't seem like such a bad idea! So that's what we ended up doing. We played that thing for hours the day that he hooked it up. He, of course, is much better at it than me, but it's still fun to play, even if you suck. Super mario brothers makes me feel like a kid again, and playing it with my man makes it that much better. :)
New Year's is just around the corner. No big plans for me. I've never been much of a partier, and I'd rather be at home than out on the roads on NYE. Ever since doing a speech on drunk driving in high school, just the thought of coming with 100 feet of someone driving under the influence scares me. I'll either be at my house or at Damond's. And that will be just fine with me!
Yesterday, I heard that one of my high school classmates passed away Sunday when he accidently shot himself in the head. He was 23, same age as me. He and I weren't friends, but I knew of him. His sisters are both very sweet. Good family. I can't imagine what they are going through right now. Each morning when we wake up, I don't think any of us think "today may be my last day here," but the possibility is always there. A lot of Drew's family probably saw him for the last time on Christmas day. I'm sure they never thought it would be the last time they'd see him alive. Each day we get closer to the end. Our clocks are ticking, and it's time that we let go of old grudges, did all the things we always wanted to do, and say all the things that need to be said. Just a few weeks ago, I said some things to someone that I had been needing to say for months. And although it was not percieved well, I can at least live with myself, knowing that I did the hard thing and said what needed to be said. Some things in life are just not easy, but they are necessary. If you are reading this, please say a prayer for the Bradfield family as they go though a time of unbearable grief and pain.
I am thankful that I am here today. I may be tired and feeling a little under the weather, but I am here. God still has something for me to do. My new years resolution: to try to never take one day for granted. Every day is a gift. I will do my best to cherish each and every one of them.
