This year has carried such a range of emotions, feelings, and events. I was the most scared I have ever been. I was the most happy I have ever been. I was the most worried I have ever been. And now I am the most broken I have ever been.
The most scared
It breaks my heart to even relive the events of this time in my mind. Imagine us getting ready to go to bed the night before Mom’s high risk surgery, stopping by my parents hotel room to tell them good night, and thinking that this could very well be the last time. So by thinking that, we each took a picture with Mom, each knowing that she may very well die the next morning. We got up at like 4am the next morning, went to the hospital, and from there she had to leave us to get ready for surgery. We get the word that we can go back and see her before the operation starts while she is still in the pre-op room. Mom was sitting there with her hospital gown on as we all gathered around her, all wanting to hold her hands and hug her for the short time that we could. The doctor came in, talked to all of us, and then it was time to begin. I’ll never forget how scared I was as she was rolled away, with her hand in the air waving, and saying “I love you guys.”
A few photos from this set
Christmas in my adult life was never about presents, never about what I was going to get or any built-up excitement over receiving material things. Of course I was always grateful for anything that I did receive, but that was never what Christmas was about for me. Christmas was the time of year that never changed in which our family would get together. That’s what made it special. The day that no matter what, wouldn’t be missed by anyone.
When we were growing up, my Mom’s side of the family would all go to her Mother’s place on Christmas Day, and Thanksgiving as well. I can barely remember any of it now to be honest. It was always a large sized group, my family, aunts, uncles, cousins, pretty much everyone. She had an apartment off of Murray Ave, that even with the fact that it was a small place, worked perfectly.
I’ve never gotten a Christmas bonus at work before, until this paycheck. I’ve never really been concerned about it, nor felt like I’m getting shorted, because a bonus is just that, a bonus, and something that shouldn’t be counted on or expected. So that’s one plus that we’re going to be getting now that we’ve been merged, and I must say that it is nice of the new management to extend that to us.
Spending Christmas Eve & Christmas Day w/ my family and some Downtown night shots of Dalton.
A few photos from this set
The closest I have really ever been to seeing a Christmas parade is getting blocked into work a couple of times by the one that Dalton has. They line up on Waugh Street, and by the time 5 o’clock rolls around, our driveway is blocked.
So yesterday I went up to Chattanooga w/ my friend Ashley to check out Chattanooga’s Christmas Parade. It started at 6, and lasted over an hour, and was pretty neat. They had lots of service men and women there, tons of twirlers, about a dozen or so Corvettes, and a bunch of other stuff in it. I called time/temp as we left, and it was supposedly 36° out, but I swear it felt much colder. It was pretty cool though; I enjoyed it 
Peeps has got to be one of the best snacks there is that come out at the holidays. I’ve actually got a few of them that I brought to work to snack on today. Whoever came up w/ them did an awesome job because they’re not too sweet, they’re nice and fluffy, they’re just great! IMO of course 
Christmas actually went better than I thought it would. That’s not to say that there wasn’t any awkwardness or any putting on the spot, but I’ll just say that there was less of that than I had originally expected.
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I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas tomorrow! Enjoy the time that you will be spending with your family and for anyone that will be traveling, be safe!
Here’s a shot of Christmas tree. Please ignore the fuzziness in the image, for some reason here lately I cannot seem to take a pic w/o it turning out blurry 
Our tree is covered mostly w/ ornaments that my brothers and I made back in Elementary school. My mom says that those will always be her most favorite and that she’d take nothing in the world for them.
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I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
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