And This Is How It Went For Us

All was calm and all was bright when we first got to Lily's this morning. In some sort of Christmas miracle, we were at there in one hour and twenty-four minutes after I'd woken up. This included dealing with the ham (that Mr. Moon, who always gets up before me had put in the oven), packing the car with all the presents and food, having a cup of coffee, getting dressed, and well, I guess that's about it. Oh. Also? I drove my car and Glen drove another car that he had to take through a car wash and more on that later. 

Things did start to get a a little crazy though when the Weatherfords got there and May and Michael (they're so wild, you know) and Hank and Rachel were already there and of course there were the two dogs, Pepper and Chloe, and Nico the Sleek Black Beauty Cat and things began to pick right up and there was basketball playing and bike riding and THEN we decided to open presents and please, god, remind me to take an Ativan before this happens next year because I was overwhelmed. I got so many presents from my kids and grandkids including FOUR jigsaw puzzles, every one of them absolutely beautiful, and I do not know how to graciously receive presents and that's all there is to it and the kids were all excited, opening their presents and paper was flying and kisses and hugs were flying and I felt like a corn kernel at the bottom of a popcorn popper, everything just swirling and popping around me in a very noisy way and finally, we'd opened everything and THEN we ate. 

It was such good food. Again. Lauren's sweet potato casserole (although Lily made it this year), and macaroni and cheese, and a quiche that May made, and the ham, and chicken salad, and cinnamon rolls that Jessie made and green beans that Rachel made and...you get the picture. 

Another feast. 

Oh. Here. Let me show you something before I forget. 

Remember my Cheez-Its cracker tray? The one I made in pottery? The one I said looked like a caterpillar? Well, it finally came out of the kiln and Jessie picked it up and brought that along with a box of Cheez-Its and here it is. 

It's...it's...well, it does hold Cheez-Its nicely. 
This is not what I was going for and those blue balls (ahem!) were supposedly Art Deco Green so in this case, the glaze did not really make the whole thing sing and sway like Sammy Kay but it is goofy enough to laugh at and perhaps we should bring it out for every holiday meal. 

But here's the big thing that happened. As you all know, Owen has his learner's permit and of course his grandfather, The Car Guy, has been waiting for this to happen since the child was first laid on his mother's bosom. Glen's had this whole plan for Owen's first car and it involved Owen paying for part of it, making payments on it and buying insurance and since he has a job, he can do that now. 
And so. 
He found the car he thinks Owen would be safest in and which is a very dependable car and that's the one he drove to Lily's house today after taking it through a car wash. I wish I could tell you the make and model of this car but I am not sure. I am married to the Car Guy but I am not Mrs. Car Guy. I think it might be a Nissan. Whatever. If Glen says it's a good car, it is. 
And Owen had no idea. Glen parked it right down the street a little way and after lunch we all took a walk and Levon and Gibson and Maggie and August all rode bikes and we strolled around the neighborhood until Jason came because Glen wanted him to be there too and then we all walked up to the car and Owen was just chattering on about something, not even paying the least bit of attention to the white car parked there. Boppy had the key and made it beep which startled Owen and finally, he got what was going on and his face turned beet red and he was pretty much speechless. 

We all cheered and clapped and I think the boy was happy. He hugged his Boppy about eight times and hugged me about four times although I really had nothing to do with it. But it felt like a real, true family moment. This is a big deal and we all love Owen so much and although it is incredibly hard to watch him turn into a young man so fast, it is also something to celebrate and we do. 

So that was our Christmas. 

I'm not going to post a ton of pictures but here are a few of the kids. 

I got that damn thing for Gibson. I had (for my own peace of mind) to get Lily's okay. It is some sort of sword that I know nothing about. He took advantage of my inability to say "no" after I'd had a martini. 

Levon wore those ultra-cool shades all day long. 

I guess he got a metal detector. I had no idea. 

And this? This is quite possibly the best gift of the year. At least for me. 

When Hank and Rachel were on their honeymoon in New Orleans, they went into a gay thrift shop and that book is the first thing Rachel saw. I love it so much. 

Here's the back cover with a few examples of the unique wit and wisdom that could only come from Keith Richards. 

Glen and I have been home for quite awhile now and he's spent the entire afternoon fixing brake rotors. Is that a thing? He's going to leave for Tennessee on Friday to meet with his buddies and do a little hunting. He's pretty excited. And he needs brakes he can count on.
We haven't opened our presents to each other yet but we're about to and I'll go through the same difficult and ungraceful performance as my earlier one. 

And then we're eating leftovers for supper. 

And then I'll go to bed and it will all be over for another year. 

Thank you, sweet baby Jesus and all the angels- I have survived. I hope you have too. 

Love...Ms. Moon

P.S. Our gifts to each other were so sweet and so thoughtful and so funny that instead of ending the day feeling weird and traumatized I feel content and loved.

Plus- I think we now have enough good chocolate to last us through April. At least.