A Christmas Away

Today was my first Christmas away from home. To me Christmas is at home in the living room with my parents and brother, snowy and cold outside, but toasty warm in the house. We would laugh constantly and have one of the most relaxing enjoyable days of the year. I missed that today! I think it could be worse though. I know I would miss home more if there was fresh snow on the ground or if I was only a days drive away. One of the most common question son the trip so far was all about today, “Are you going home for Christmas?”

It’s pretty cool that someone will let me invade their house for a few days over Christmas. Christmas is a busy time for people. I was stressed for a while that I wasn’t going to find a family with kids like I wanted. Unfortunately one family said they would be too busy. As far as hosts go with that I’ve only been turned down a few times, at least out of the people who got back to me with an answer. Anyway… how great! People I don’t even know!

It’s my first time sleeping in a bunk bed on the trip and little Alex and Ethan are running around. Alex is 2.5 years old and Ethan is 1. I woke up at 7:30am, the earliest I’ve woken up on Christmas day in a long time. But, I do recall a time where I woke up at about 4am and woke my parents up. Oops. They made me go back to bed. Alex went straight for Ethan’s basketball toy, and Ethan went straight for Alex’s big Tonka truck. And of course Alex got a few more rocket ships. He loves the Space Shuttle. He has one that he sleeps with every night and he carries it around everywhere he goes.

We strolled down the neighborhood to meet some of Kirstin and Ricardo’s family friends. It was a little weird to be walking outside on Christmas when it was so warm; it would take a long time for met to adjust to that. Anyways, I was treated to one of the best breakfasts I’ve probably ever had, the best on the trip I do believe, and the most amazing French toast I have ever had!

Between visits I found a little place in heaven back on the couch at Kirstin’s. The kids were napping, everything was silent, and it was almost surreal how silent it was. I feel into a perfect Christmas afternoon nap. There really aren’t too many times I see things that quiet on the trip, or else when my brain is running amok. But I was perfectly relaxed.

The next stop was visiting with Kirstin’s parents and aunt and uncle. At both stops I was impressed to receive gifts, as some stranger passing through town. I’ve learned on this trip how much a gift can make someone feel at home and really welcome them to your house. When this trip is all said and done I plan to be the perfect host! I was very welcomed by everyone. And it made me not miss home quite so much.

P.S. Speaking of missing home, today would have been the day I missed home the most, but it turns out it was after NYC. After having my parents surprised me in NYC I thought it would give me a great boost. Well, it did. But I think it made me miss home even more after seeing them. I just got back to CA and thought to myself, “Hey, that was kind of nice, I wish I could see some more people from home in Baraga and Lansing.”