Family Christmas:
Joey, Cristin, and their two
not-so-wee ones Harrison and Gianna finally, finally made it back to Tulsa from
their new home in Georgia to spend a few days.
Therefore, family Christmas!! That
means, tons of children (and Jacob) running about crazy, just so excited to
have some cousin time. We ex-kid table-ers were pretty excited about it, too.
:)
I've never been a huge fan of
children. They're loud, they have altogether too much energy, they're easy to
step on, and they're sticky. HOWEVER, nieces and nephews seem to slip right on
past that rule.
There are few sounds more precious
than hearing my nieces or nephew (Sam can't talk yet) yell "Aunt
Jamie!", or any form of that.
And I get the great honor and
privilege of filling their heads with complete nonsense. I love them. Even if I
don't necessarily spend tons of time with them in town, just knowing that they
are near is comforting. When I leave, I always hurt to know that there are
whole tracts of their lives I will miss. Shoot, Harrison and Gianna are giants
compared to when I saw them last.
But then we're all back together,
and all is well.
Trifecta Christmas:
I guess we're officially adults now
because no selfies were taken whatsoever.
On the other hand, we did put together
a puzzle made from one of our particularly favorite selfies thanks to Hayhay.
The evening was spent as it darn
well should. Food, friendship, and ice cream on the kitchen floor.
We're rather simple in our
fun-having with one another, but I think that's how it should be. We don't
require diversion to be totally satisfied in the presence of each other. We may
require Rocky Road and the occasional cocktail, but those are just perks.
I'm always pleasantly surprised and
thankful at the way our friendship has flexed, adjusted, and grown over the
past five years. We've made it through breakdowns, boyfriends, cross-country
and cross-cultural moves, and all sorts of in-betweens.
None of us really understand how or
why we work together, but we appreciate the fact that we do. We make for a good
team, the three of us (and occasionally the lovely Kira).
I personally struggle with
boundaries. I say yes to just about everything, so long as it isn't destructive
or dangerous. Or a practical joke, because those suckers just escalate, and
ain't no way I want to be in that cross-fire. You're on your own.
If I don't have a really, really
good reason (or a superior good reason to their good reason) I can't help but
say yes because I know if I were in the other person's position, I would want
them to say yes to me.
That's how I ended up judging a
high school debate tournament yesterday, yet again.
Don't get me wrong at all! I love
debate. It’s like fencing: calculated, classy, and intelligent.
I've judged tournaments every year
since I graduated, upon request. It's interesting, I learn things, and it gives
me an opportunity to provide constructive feedback.
However, with only a few days left
in the country, I wasn't exactly thrilled to be asked.
Nevertheless, I came.
THIS TIME, though, I set
boundaries! I said I'd stay till 8. I did. Then, when they handed me new
judging ballots (for a round to which I had not agreed), I said no politely and
went on my merry way to watch Snow
White with my niece and
nephew.
Then, (I was on a roll, I tell ya),
I said no to suggested Saturday social plans. I didn't have alternative plans,
I just didn't want to go. And that is what I said, nicely.
No comments:
Post a Comment