So we are back from our North Carolina Holiday tour. And we are all three exhausted. We had a great trip and a wonderful Christmas, but dude - traveling with a three year old to both of our families (in Winston-Salem and Charlotte, respectively) just wore us down. Molly is feeling better, and was released from the hospital the day after Christmas. Her being in the hospital on Christmas Eve was a drag for everyone, but mostly for her. We were all glad to see her come home. Noah is most excited about his Stormtrooper Blaster. He has even slept with it. He also discovered the hilarity of a whoopie cushion, hulk hands, tools, and other fun stuff. We had so much fun hanging out with my parents, and my brother and his family. Noah and his cousin Sam play together beautifully, and can entertain each other for hours. I love being around kids - they make the holiday SO much more fun - and this holiday was no different. We all had blaster wars, built pillow barricades, and blanket forts. We played soccer (sort of), basketball, baseball (sort of), and chase. We saw Christmas lights at Tanglewood and ate chocolate. I feel like I have been eating constantly for about five days, and I have been the beneficiary of tons of generosity. It has been fun. But generally I feel overwhelmed, and thus, worn down from feeling so overwhelmed, for so many days.
Jessica and I were thinking quite a bit about these holiday meals with far flunged family members on our drive home. The thing is, the meals are fun and easy if everyone involved is a team player, ya know? When going to these family meals, one has to put one's needs and specific preferences on hold for a few hours, in order to better maintain the requisite dialogue and harmony that is necessary at these gatherings. When everyone shares this approach, the gatherings are usually enjoyable, and certainly amicable. Then, once everyone has returned home, we can all be ourselves for the next 12 months. So, it is not asking much to take one for the team here. But. . . if one views the gathering as an opportunity to express one's opinions and extrapolate on all broached subjects, awkwardness will ensue. And if one is unknowingly offending people, the next holiday gathering will most likely be awkward as well. Of course the above developments are what keep us on our toes and provide for interesting musings later on - but they also make people feel like sh*t sometimes. Needless to say, we have experienced the yin and the yang at holiday meals.
So we have returned, and we were ready. I missed the mountains. I have lived here for ten years now, and it is clear to me that the mountains are a real part of me - like a cat, coffee, or an my favorite t-shirt. I miss them when I am away. You know how when you read a book in Junior English class and your teacher went on and on about how the setting was actually a character? Well, I think the english teacher was right. Long story short - we are happy to be home.
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