In a conversation with a friend of mine, he asked what I wanted for Christmas.
I answered, half jokingly, with a, "You."
Serendipitously enough, through a series of unforseen mishaps, I got exactly what I wanted.
Being an xmas orphan sucks...and while being taken in by the family of friends doesn't actually CHANGE the fact that I don't have any family of my own, and while this fact weighs heavily on my mind during the holidays, it doesn't mean that I can't end up enjoying myself thoroughly.
This year...despite my guilt ridden pleas to NOT crash my friend's family christmas...I allowed myself to be dragged along.
14 hours in a car...two wrong turns...one speeding ticket...and numerous stories shared...we finally arrived in Springfield, IL...just shy of 5AM...
I'll spare you the details of the weekend...but I'll sum it up for you...
Two big spreads of food...homemade Italian on one side, and some of the best cranberries I've ever had on the other.
Liquor and dancing late into the night with random family members on one side...wine and a family talent show with the other.
Lots of laughs and tales of my friends childhood adventures from both...one warning from grandma to keep an eye on said friend
I was as well behaved as I could be, keeping my hands off my friend while in front of family members...but was able to orchestrate the token romp on the floor of his old bedroom...
All in all it was an overwhelmingly heartwarming weekend, despite my launching into full on anxiety mode whenever it was time for the gift exchange...but that's just me demonstrating my lack of experience with loving family. I'm skilled at making myself scare during such times though and was able to dodge the bullet for the most part.
I had an awful lot of fun meeting the family...folks I hear so much about. I loved watching all the banter between my friend and his brothers, as well as getting to know them myself. It's always weird to meet someone's family, but in this case I came away with a true appreciation of where my friend comes from. I already knew he was awesome...now I know why
Another 14 hours in the car...and we were back in Houston...he's back to work now and I'm back to meditating on all the decisions I need to make about my life.
Being a Christmas orphan might suck, but it also means that over the course of my life I've been blessed with the company of lots of loving families...this is just the story of one.
I answered, half jokingly, with a, "You."
Serendipitously enough, through a series of unforseen mishaps, I got exactly what I wanted.
Being an xmas orphan sucks...and while being taken in by the family of friends doesn't actually CHANGE the fact that I don't have any family of my own, and while this fact weighs heavily on my mind during the holidays, it doesn't mean that I can't end up enjoying myself thoroughly.
This year...despite my guilt ridden pleas to NOT crash my friend's family christmas...I allowed myself to be dragged along.
14 hours in a car...two wrong turns...one speeding ticket...and numerous stories shared...we finally arrived in Springfield, IL...just shy of 5AM...
I'll spare you the details of the weekend...but I'll sum it up for you...
Two big spreads of food...homemade Italian on one side, and some of the best cranberries I've ever had on the other.
Liquor and dancing late into the night with random family members on one side...wine and a family talent show with the other.
Lots of laughs and tales of my friends childhood adventures from both...one warning from grandma to keep an eye on said friend

I was as well behaved as I could be, keeping my hands off my friend while in front of family members...but was able to orchestrate the token romp on the floor of his old bedroom...
All in all it was an overwhelmingly heartwarming weekend, despite my launching into full on anxiety mode whenever it was time for the gift exchange...but that's just me demonstrating my lack of experience with loving family. I'm skilled at making myself scare during such times though and was able to dodge the bullet for the most part.
I had an awful lot of fun meeting the family...folks I hear so much about. I loved watching all the banter between my friend and his brothers, as well as getting to know them myself. It's always weird to meet someone's family, but in this case I came away with a true appreciation of where my friend comes from. I already knew he was awesome...now I know why

Another 14 hours in the car...and we were back in Houston...he's back to work now and I'm back to meditating on all the decisions I need to make about my life.
Being a Christmas orphan might suck, but it also means that over the course of my life I've been blessed with the company of lots of loving families...this is just the story of one.
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
bluevalentine:
yeah..its a leak. I can top it off and my power steering is back for about 4 days to a week, depending on how many sharp turns i have to make.
minimalism:
I've had my Skylark now going on 15 years. Still my daily driver. And still a head turner.