The Tree (aka The Year I Gave Up)

With the sale of our house, and the purchasing of our land, and the adjusting to a rental, and the general smooth path everything has taken... we have MUCH to be thankful for this year. (It's kind of overwhelming actually, how much we have been blessed beyond all our greatest hopes.)


However, with all of these crazy exciting changes... also comes a fairly great amount of uncertainty.

Worry... anxiety... decisions... uprootedness... stress.... It's strange to be so unbelievably excited and hopeful... and also completely unsure and unsettled at the same time.

It's complicated, that's for sure.


And there are endless intricate combinations of words that I could weave together to describe precisely where I am mentally, emotionally, physically, etc right now this Holiday season... but I honestly feel like the best possible way to express exactly how much I'm genuinely trying to just let go and let God... to release my innate desire for Control.... to relax, to remember, and to just find joy this fleeting season....  is to share with you all: The Tree.

 It began as many previous years: with a trip to a local tree farm.... 

Despite promises and genuinely good intentions... we never did make it to the Zoo this year. 

.....Or even to the pumpkin patch.  (yup. we fail.)

So we made the decision to spend the extra money on a tree just so we could go to the farm with the hay rides and make it a whole fun, family day. (and make up for not taking them anywhere else we said we would... obviously...)

Oh hey? Turns out those wagon rides we were all so excited about, and talking about for days, and building up, and remembering from years past.... Yea. They don't do those anymore.

Guess that's what happens when you don't go there for three years. Things change. Trees get chopped down. And now there's no need for the wagon ride anymore. 

(But, silver lining, the newly planted baby trees should be ready in about 7 years... and the wagon ride will be back up and running! ..... *blink blink* so... yea.)

 

So we looked at the reindeer. 

(It was, like, not thrilling.)

Posed and smiled (under threat of leaving RIGHT NOW) for this Christmas-y shot

 And he smiled for me, too.  

Golly do I love this man.

And headed out (on the 3 minute stroll up the hill) to find our perfect tree

 The boys remembered one Christmas years ago when it was snowing and we all played in the sleds and had so much fun

But then Daddy huffed, laughing- while dragging their dead weight up the grassy hill with all his might-  

"Where's... the... snow?!?"

And they all had to get out. 

Now, there are 2 price brackets for the different tree species... and we very quickly decided we were choosing the cheaper of the 2 price tags no matter what the tree looked like.

See, we're good with decision-making like that.



And in no time flat (like seriously, 7 minutes into the "adventure"?) we located the perfect, mediocre candidate.

Oh yea. Nailed it. 

So it was time for some sawin'.



And, like all good parents who are out to make up for broken promises and capture every second of old-fashioned family Christmas fun time.... we first handed the saw to our 8 year old.

Get it, Holden! Go, go, go!

But. When he failed to even put a dent in the trunk.... we were forced to  turn the saw over....

... to the 6 year old. 

Go Bridger, go! 

That cast came off your arm a GOOD 3 days ago.... time to get to work.

Clearly, nothing is being accomplished here.

And then there was this kid. 

I don't even know WHAT he was doing. 

Let's assume cheering on "the brothers."

Good job, Graham. Well done.

Eventually we told them "Hey thanks, but you really aren't actually helping all that much" and Daddy just cut it down.

Propped up the iPhone in a nearby Christmas tree and snapped this (slightly blurry) bad boy

And off we went. 

Back down the path to the shaker and the bailer (or whatever their REAL names are)

 Tradition ♥

4 Hot chocolates... because sometimes Mommy needs one, too...  and we were on our way home

And then I got a snapchat from my beautiful sister of her new, beautiful living room, and her beautiful Christmas tree.....

(How pretty is that?!)

So I immediately grabbed the camera... and snapped her back:

It definitely needed more lights. (or something...)


So off to the store I ran.




And when I came home....

...... the boys in my life had been busy.

I literally opened the front door, looked over, laughed, and said "So, why is the wreath on the tree?"

(Even Clementine is like: Guys, a wreath? On a tree? I'm not sure that's right...)

And Jared happily replied, while tossing paper Easter Grass stuff at it:

  "Oh... we put EVERYTHING on this tree."

And he wasn't lying.

Handmade paper ornaments... ripped or not... up they go!

Upside down (33 year old) ornaments

Multiple ornaments on one single branch? 

Yea buddy. 

The more the merrier.

(also don't even bother to worry about backwards/forwards.... it's whatever. Just get it hooked on there somewhere. It's good enough.)

But wait. I bet you were thinking that they forgot the star, right? 

Cuz that's what I was thinking when I said "But Jared, where's the star?"

And he said, "Oh... it's in there."

So there it is.

In all it's enormous, tacky, gaudy, cluttered, disorganized, amazing GLORY.

I mean, we can be honest. 

This tree is a hot mess exploding with Christmas spirit. 

And it's just trying to be the best it can be with what it has. 

And I'm not fixing it.

Not one ornament.

My Christmas tree makes me smile (and sometimes literally laugh out loud). 

And in all the crazy, chaotic, stressful EXCITEMENT that has been this year... 

this train wreck of a Christmas tree - and all the memories of just letting go and having fun on that one chilly Saturday - could not possibly bring me more joy.

I loved this day. And I love this memory. 

This Christmas.. this TREE... will be forever remembered as the Year I Gave Up. 

And just had fun.

🎄

A Very Virginia Thanksgiving

 This summer while Jared and I were selling a house, packing up, moving, and figuring out how to keep some sense of "settled"... my sister Megan and her husband Corey were doing the exact same thing at the exact same time... only infinitely more complicated and difficult.

Because while we were moving from one location in our town to another... and all the while getting abundant help and support from local family and friends... Megan and Corey were once again boggling my mind and doing the whole military-life-thing.... as they packed up their entire life and moved across the country (this time from Mississippi to Virginia) with no knowledge of their new home location aside from whatever they can very quickly research and discover on their own.

.... trying to figure out the best town, job commutes, schools (before they start in the Fall), and neighborhood to set up home.

And they did it.

Just like they always do.

So this year, instead of them having to make the trip back to Dalton like they always do, we all went to them!

We went to see their new home.... their new town... their new life. ♥♥♥



Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure what happened to me lately... because I used to be really good at taking millions of pictures and documenting every lovely, funny, noteworthy memory.  But somewhere along the line I guess I either got lazy or just spaced out... because it seems to be the trend nowadays that we can all spend days together... and we'll only end up with a handful of snapchats and photos by the end.


So... with that said... here is what little I have to help up always remember the Thanksgiving we all spend in Megan and Corey's beautiful new Virginia home. ♥

Lots of backyard football...

... and taking it to the street with the Daddies when you outgrow the back yard.....

 A warm stroll through the neighborhood to the little park

A first wiggly tooth finally lost

A delicious Thanksgiving meal with all these goofballs

(and the 8-year-old Birthday Boy back there in the corner! Happy Birthday, Holden!!)

Lots of Nerf gun wars, Christmas Caroling & Karaoke-ing, and those amazing mug gifts with a big flexing arm as the handle (hahaha) for these 3 very fun Daddies

And  then a very first (fast and furious) trip for everyone to Washington, DC.....

White House

Washington Monument

(can you spot Jared? :) )

The kids taking a little rest

We zoomed through the Natural History Museum.. and this was literally the ONLY picture I took... The tough guys with the T-Rex skull :)

And then there was this tiny ancient Lock Keeper's House just right there in the middle of this big modern city... and it was just one of my favorite things. So Megan took my picture with my little old house. :)

The girls at the World War II Memorial

We all found the OHIO sign

O-H!

(Well, almost all of us. Roger recently had foot surgery and wasn't able to walk the whole way with us) 

The Washington Monument all lit up at night

And we finally made it to the Lincoln Monument 

Tyler, Emily & Bryce

 And our gracious hosts: The Incredible Reynolds Family! :) 

Corey, Megan, Josslyn, and Felix

It was surely a trip to be remembered (abundant photos or not) ♥♥♥