I moved to Oklahoma when I was 19 years old.\u00a0 I had never been here before, but my boyfriend (who later became a Computer Guy) assured me that it was a beautiful place and I would love it.\u00a0\u00a0 He was right.\u00a0 I quickly fell in love, but not with the state.\u00a0 I fell in love with his family.<\/p>\n
His relatives were a fairy-tale come true for a girl whose own family was far from ideal.\u00a0 They were close knit, kind, and welcoming.\u00a0 I\u2019ll never forget that first Christmas with them which looked as if a Hallmark card had come to life..\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t wait to be a part of this family\u2026long before he had even proposed.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t believe it\u2019s almost over.\u00a0 For 17 years, I have been privileged to spend Christmas Eve with his family.\u00a0 Everyone brings the same dish every year.\u00a0 They reminisce about the same stories.\u00a0 They are blessed with the normality which they all take for granted.\u00a0 Even the years I didn\u2019t want to go, I wanted to be there.<\/p>\n
This is our last Christmas in Oklahoma surrounded by family.\u00a0 Next year, we will be in Dallas. The reality of it is that we will not be traveling at Christmas with 6 children.\u00a0 The traveling is bad enough, but none of his relatives have enough room for us all.\u00a0 It\u2019s our last Okie Christmas.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 It will just be the eight of us at Mass, at dinner, and around the tree.\u00a0\u00a0 I once dreamed of a quiet holiday.\u00a0 Now the thought of it just makes me sad and all the more determined to soak up this one last year.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been cooking like a crazy woman for the last few days.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ve been working so hard to create a \u201cperfect\u201d Christmas. (Even though I know that such a thing doesn\u2019t exist.)\u00a0 I\u2019ve been trying to create traditions all at once with my children so that we have something to carry us through the holidays next year.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been trying to create something to fill the hole which will be there when we leave his family behind.<\/p>\n
Change is scary and often unwelcome, but it can be beneficial, too.\u00a0 Instead of relying on aunts, grandmas and cousins, we\u2019re learning to rely on ourselves.\u00a0 It\u2019s the final bit of growing up.\u00a0\u00a0 Who knew adulthood was wrapped in tinsel, lights, and peanut brittle?<\/p>\n
Next year, the traditions are ours\u2026.whatever we want them to be.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I moved to Oklahoma when I was 19 years old.\u00a0 I had never been here before, but my boyfriend (who later became a Computer Guy) assured me that it was a beautiful place and I would love it.\u00a0\u00a0 He was right.\u00a0 I quickly fell in love, but not with the state.\u00a0 I fell in love […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1979,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n