Top Events of the Holiday Season Part I

Here are the top events of the holiday season, I am not purposefully excluding the word CHRISTmas, I am just trying to cover a time frame: Thanksgiving to New Years Day, thus... Holiday season.

Nothing stresses me out more.... ok, that's a lie. (Just thinking about getting trapped in a mine stresses me out so much I can hardly breathe. I've got a story about that. You're just going to have to hear it later.)

It really stresses me out to think about blogging when I haven't done so in awhile. I feel like I have to catch myself up on all that has happened. Catch myself up... because no one is beating down my virtual door asking me why I haven't blogged.

Jerks!

So, here are my top events of the 2010 holiday season: (Just so you know... they're in no particular order, although I am trying to go in chronological order.)

Unexpected Gift:

I got a Facebook message right before Thanksgiving from an amazing man of God who had just lost his wife of 40 years this past summer. He told me the Lord had laid our family on his heart and he wanted to buy something for our house. When I finished crying... and getting over the fact that... this was his first holiday season without his wife and he was thinking of our family, I was able to respond to the message.

It was very difficult to respond for a number of reasons, although, it didn't take me long. I told him that I spend every spare moment doing laundry, hence, the name of my blog. We've had our tiny washer since we were first married and our dryer broke a number of years ago and we had been borrowing one ever since. (Our dryer friends were going to need it back in May.) He took the whole family out to dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse and handed us a check for a ridiculous amount of money.

I am in love with my new washer and dryer and I have gone from 12-15 loads of laundry a week to 3-4 loads. I have never been more thankful and I am still in awe that someone would do something so unbelievably kind for a family they do not see very often. And, now, I think of him every time I see my beautiful washer and dryer.

Christmas Concert:

Kindergarten through 4th grade performed a school wide concert for the parents. Jackson told me a few weeks before the production that he would need a tux for the event. I said, "Jackson, there's no way you have to wear a tux for this concert."

He replied, "Well, I want one and I am going to wear one!"

Gracie told me she needed to wear pants and be in all black for her part of the concert. Never mind that I knew the entire school would be performing together and I knew that not every girl had to wear all black. Just her and a couple of other girls because they had a "special" part in the production.

I was so disappointed because how many more times am I going to get to buy her a Christmas dress? Although my budget was thankful because it wasn't hard to dig through her closet and find her a pair of black pants and a black sweater that used to be Shelby's.

On the day of the concert, I thankfully remembered a houndstooth sports coat that Jackson already owned from the previous Christmas. He was able to wear that along with a shirt and tie and that seemed to satisfy his itch to make this a black tie event.

I was not able to get the kids dressed for the concert because I was tutoring until 30 before the start time. It was Paul's job to get them dressed and to get to the building on time. When I arrived, I went back to the staging area for the kids to make sure Gracie looked okay. It was at that time that she looked at me with a red face and moist eyes and said, "I am the only girl not wearing a dress."

"WHAT?" (Please say that just like that little minion on Despicable Me and if you haven't seen it... go find it. It's in the scene where they are throwing Toilet paper.)

"You're the one who said you were supposed to wear all black and that it had to be pants!"

She said, "Well, I could have worn that black skirt....."

I am still trying to forget that she was smack dab in the middle of ALL 300 kids on stage where EVERYONE could see her clearly. And yes, I am pretty sure she was THE ONLY girl not wearing a dress. I am still unsure of the whole event that transpired that would have necessitated the need for such an outfit anyway. Somewhere in the middle of the singing, she went over and picked up 2 sticks with another girl. They were supposed to lift the sticks up and form a star, but the 3rd girl (also the 3rd part of the star) was still driving around Ohio looking for the church. (I'm not kidding). It seriously lasted all of 3 seconds and it wasn't even a star. And, I could see absolutely no need to be dressed in Goth for that part.

And, while I am trying to forget that, I am trying to desperately remember how intensely Jackson sang and worshipped Jesus AND how proud he looked that he was all dressed up. He melted my heart.

I also had to do a complete double take/double think when we got home and I asked him if his new shoes were comfortable. He said, "Oh yes! The whole outfit was comfortable! Can I wear all of that on our next dress down day." I said, "Sure buddy!" And then I had to do the double take/double think... he wants to wear a suit and tie on a dress down day at school? A day he doesn't have to wear his uniform?

How precious is that?

Short video of Jackson singing.

Overnight Trip with My Best Friend:

There was more involved than just heading out of town to play for a night but no need to share all of that.

Just know that we went out of town for a reason... BUT... we got to go shopping and have a slumber party with Janae's sister-in-law, Pamela. The shopping was a nightmare. I think we went to the biggest mall in Ohio and couldn't move once inside, but it was a memory!

Then, we went to church Saturday night. Great message and a couple of funny moments that I should probably should just treasure in my heart rather than type them out here. I did think the pastor looked just like Mr. McGoo (and that right there was probably saying too much!)

I just could never find the guys eyes!

Then we went to Pamela's house. We ate and had some great girl talk. Janae and I also put a step ladder on two barstools and changed the smoke detector battery on a high ceiling that had been beeping for months. (Pamela has some back issues right now that keep her from being able to do things like scaling walls and ladders.) BUT, if you know either Janae or myself AND if you know both of us, then you know that was no small feat.

We also watched Brain Regan until we laughed so hard we were crying..... and we just had to go to bed because it was so late.... and because we were making ourselves sick from laughing.

Ok...

I'm not going to lie to you, I feared going to bed that night. We had to sleep in the same room and in the same bed. I've never been afraid of such things before, however, Paul has given me quite the complex lately about sleeping. I mean, anytime anyone compares you to a leaf blower you're bound to develop some insecurities.

So, I had a plan. I decided to wait until Janae was asleep before I feel asleep. I know she sleeps like a hound dog, so I thought maybe the human leaf blower wouldn't bother her once she was asleep.

I don't try to hide the fact that I am quirky. I'm even quirky about my sleeping. I have to be on the right side of the bed and lay on my stomach with my face to the left side of the bed (facing Paul.) Then, when I am just about to fall asleep, I flip ALL WAY AROUND and face the wall and then I go right to sleep. No, I just can not turn the short way, I have to turn ALL THE way around and pull the covers and make a big production.

Does that make sense?

So, I did the same thing when I was with Janae ONLY I was waiting for her to fall asleep. When I thought for sure she was asleep, I flopped over... only to my horror to hear, "Geesh! What are doing over there climbing Mt. Everest?"

That was it!! The laughing started all over again... just like a real slumber party.

I think of it ever time I do my flopping at night... and smile... sometimes I even giggle out loud over it.

That's one of about a million reasons she's my best friend.

Stayed tuned for parts II, III IV of Top Events of the Holiday Season........