Well, y’all, it is officially the most wonderful time of the year!
I know, I know. I can hear your protests even now. Isn’t Christmas the most wonderful time of the year? To that I say, maybe it is if you’re not running around like a chicken who lost its head three weeks ago. (Yes, three weeks ago.) Christmas around these parts is so hectic that it’s hard to slow down enough to enjoy any of it. But now? With the girls still out of school, the fridge full of leftovers, and cold weather that actually gives me a legitimate reason to live in fleece clothing, I feel like this is most definitely the most wonderful time of the year.
That said, we’ve had some unexpected excitement this week, thanks to a certain Faulkette, her wild hair, and an army of bugs who took up residence there. I’m not even going to get into it here (I’ll save that post for another day), but suffice it to say, I began the week by treating everyone for head lice just in case those bugs were traveling bugs, sanitizing everything in our home, washing every piece of bedding and clothing we own, and ending the day with an emotional meltdown the likes of which we haven’t seen apart from those pregnancy days, while Wes valiantly reassured our girls that “Mommy will be just fine after a good, long cry” and I kept bawling, “I still have three loads of laundry to do, and I need to check Emma’s head one more time!”
Hmm. Perhaps I won’t need to post about it after all, because you just got the highlights. (And for those who are concerned, everyone was treated for the little vermin, but only Emma had them. And she thought it was great fun because we totally got to play beauty shop for three hours while I picked through her hair with that awful smelling shampoo and a tiny little comb. “I love head lice!,” she said at one point. There you go.)
Apart from the fact that Emma spent Christmas scratching her head while I went on oblivious to her predicament (sigh), we had a great holiday season. Because we live in Houston and our parents live in San Antonio and Fort Worth (none of which are even remotely close to one another), we spend most holidays traveling across Texas. And because Wes is a pastor, we always spend Christmas Eve in Houston because of our church service. What? How do we manage to travel for Christmas and stay here at the same time? Well, we don’t manage it well. Our Christmas schedules are never predictable, there are a lot of miles spent in the car, and we wear ourselves out. I was so thankful this year for both sets of our parents who were so understanding and helped us make plans that wouldn’t be so exhausting. Wes’s parents came here for Christmas since we had just gone to San Antonio for Thanksgiving, and my parents had their Christmas before Christmas. Because of this, we did our family celebration a little earlier than normal. (And it was even earlier than we planned because Wes had a funeral to officiate the day before we left for Fort Worth.)
Yep. That’s right. We opened Christmas gifts three days before Christmas. The girls were just fine with this, of course. And because we got the girls an Xbox for Christmas, so was Wes. (You’re shocked. I know.) I’m not a video game person, but even I appreciate the Xbox because everyone gets on it together, leaving me blissfully free to sit back on the couch and write or read in peace. Family togetherness while I’m still getting things done. Merry Christmas to me!
I also got my Christmas present a little early this year. You might remember how I had a ring made this past fall using diamonds that a dear friend from our church gave to me. When I went to pick up that ring, the woman who had designed it took a look at my wedding rings and told me, “You have a lot of diamonds there, but you’re not doing a thing with them.” She was happy to show me what she could do with them, and because we already had the diamonds, it was an affordable option. And because I love nothing better than shiny rings, Wes saw an opportunity to gift me a much loved birthday and anniversary and Christmas gift all in one (yes, all three of those occasions happen during the holidays), so we went for it. The finished product completely exceeded our expectations, and I now look for any and all opportunities to wave my left hand around, just like a newly engaged bride-to-be. (Which is just exactly what I was like nearly twelve years ago. I remember going to New Testament I and Biblical Hermeneutics and very animatedly taking notes because seeing that diamond sparkle was like hearing “girl, that preacher boy is in love with you!” So totally what I’m hearing now as I’m animatedly folding his laundry with that ring on my left hand. He sure is in love with me!)
Once we got back from Fort Worth (despite the insane traffic and that harrowing trip to Bucc-ee’s, where I very nearly lost all of my marbles in the sea of people that had gathered there for beaver nuggets and clean restrooms — I loathe you, annoying beaver!), we got to help Wes get everything ready for the Christmas Eve service. When the time for the service came, I ended up working the ProPresenter/presentation software at the back of the sanctuary. I would like to tell you that I did this because I’m just that awesome, but they put me back there because the regular guy was out for the holidays and I was the only one there early enough to put to the task. I call moments like these “upgrades.” When people asked me later where I had been, I told them that I was there in the back of the sanctuary where I had gotten an upgrade… to presentation software engineer! As long as no one upgrades me to choir soloist or fellowship meal chef, we’ll be good.
From there, the pace we were keeping slowed down, which was so very welcome. The funeral home next to the church always gifts Wes with a ham for Christmas (not making that up, seriously), but in the rush before the holiday, we hadn’t known that it was waiting for us at the church. So, we’d bought a ham for Christmas ourselves, only to find out about the gifted ham on Christmas Eve. Guess what we’ve been eating ever since, y’all? Ham. So much ham. We’ve been loving it, though, and I’ve been loving the break from cooking. (Especially since our dishwasher bit the dust before Christmas and the home warranty company only got the replacement authorized this week. The guy who came out to service it told us that the warranty company wouldn’t replace the pump, which was the part that was out. Too expensive, they said. But they would cover the cost of a brand new dishwasher. Huh? The guy who ordered the unit was as confused as we were, but thank you, home warranty company! And hooray for a new dishwasher!)
And that? Was Christmas 2015. This was the only picture we managed, taken at my parents’ house. (Charlie stays at home with a housesitter when we take road trips because he takes up all the room in the back end of the Jeep. That’s why he’s not in the picture, for those who are concerned.)
Hope your Christmas was wonderful!
Jenn Faulk 
hi Jenn,
I feel ya' re: head lice. My little one (who is now 23) had them at about the age of your little one and it remains one of my worst nightmares.
I just finished your book “Resolutions” which (believe it or not) was my first ever “chick Lit” book. I'm kind of a snobbish reader (I confess…this is a sin most likely) I like Christian nonfiction by writers like Fenelon up to Tozer and just reading the book descriptions on most chick lit writings was enough to turn me away. However, I just got your book as part of my free month of KIndle Unlimited and I have to tell you I read it in 1.5 days. And I loved it. It was well written, had an absorbing plot and just was, in general, a good read.
You may have made a convert. LOL
blessings,
LikeLike
Thank you so much for the sweet words! I'm so glad you liked the book. (And isn't Kindle Unlimited wonderful? All of my books are available through their service!)
And the head lice is gone, I hope. But it's definitely been a nightmare, wondering where else the creepy crawlies got to while she was still infected. She's our touchy feely girl, too, so we were all in close contact with them. Sigh.
LikeLike