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Austin, Christianity, Christmas, Family, Holidays, home, Humor, journaling, Life, Love, Reflections, Texas, Thoughts, Travel, writing
This last post on my whirlwind Christmas at home will be a happy one. I’ll save the real emotions for another post.
So let’s just start with how ridiculous this box of chocolates is! Before my Grammy died, she would bring a box of chocolates to every family holiday get together. So in honor of her, Joyce Nelson, my mom brought this 2 lb+ box of heaven. There’s a whole other layer underneath…
I got to see my darling cousinsisterbestfriendNoseface for a few precious hours before I boarded a plane back to ATX. We gave each other moose for Christmas! (Plus an assortment of other goodies).
This lady held me in her lap when I was a teeny, tiny, adorable baby, and we have been best friends ever since. There have been many nights we have stayed up too late, painted our nails every color of the rainbow, and giggled until we woke the grown ups. We’ve choreographed silly dances, snuggled up in tents in the woods, and screamed ourselves hoarse at countless concerts. We’ve trusted our dreams with one another, and voiced the fears that kept us awake at night. We’ve held each other as we’ve mourned deep loss, and laughed so hard, and for so long, that we forgot the pain. We tell each other everything and encourage one another in our adult lives to continue to trust in God when nothing else makes sense.
The cousin picture looks much different from the old ones. There is an empty space, but two new wonderful faces.
I was able to spend more time with my brother and sister, but not nearly enough. I wish we could have sat and talked/joked for hours and have real conversation.
Just being able to hug people and not let go was glorious. I was able to squeeze my aunts and uncles, and teach some Texas two-step. We had a yankee swap, and the bottle of Rudy’s BBQ sauce, the hubster and I brought, was the coveted gift. I marveled at the towering height of my baby cousin, and we watched hilariously awkward YouTube videos.
I want to pack up people in my suitcase and bring them down to Austin with me. I want parts of both of my worlds to collide. I ache for the other wherever I am.