Well, as usual, my husband and I forgot to bust out the digital whilst merry-making (not that kind... ew, gross!) so there are no pictures of our holiday festivities. We started things off by going sledding with Rob's sister's family. It was pretty laid back. The snow was knee-deep (sometimes thigh), and it was hard to treck to the sledding hill but sledding on fresh snow was really fun. Then we went to Tepanyaki for dinner. I've never been to one of those Japanese grill type places, so it was a neat experience. Flames! When we got to the restaurant, it was hotter than you-know-what in there, so I sneaked over to the thermostat and turned that baby down. It was set at 84! Well, I guess I turned it down too much because by the time we got to our table we were freezing. My attempt to turn it back up failed because there were some workers sitting right by it.
Christmas morning we opened our presents and then made a nice Christmas morning breakfast. I tried to make cinnamon rolls, but they turned out not so good. Next year, I guess. Then we went over to Rob's parent's house for a Christmas dinner. We visited with his parents and some of his siblings, and then went home. I am still getting used to his large family. I love them, but I get a headache when I'm with that many people for too long. Actually, I had a headache to start. Sometimes I get these tension headaches that turn into migraines and I have them for 4-5 days and they only get worse. Any suggestions for how to get rid of one?
On Saturday, Rob's family had their annual Christmas party. I wasn't in the best of moods, nor did I feel well, so I ended up having a breakdown when I went to get my food and there wasn't any left. I'm telling you, every family is different and I guess I just wasn't prepared for there not to be any food left when I made my way up to the buffet table. I felt like a cotton headed ninnyboggins for crying at the buffet table, but hopefully everyone was so busy chowing down that they didn't notice.
People say that the first year of marriage is the hardest. I don't know. Being married has been wonderful and, for the most part, the transition from being single to married has been a smooth one for both of us. I think it's when we have to blend our families and family traditions that it gets rough. I'm not gonna lie. This Christmas was hard. It's the first Christmas that I have not been in California, the first Christmas without my grandma, and the first Christmas with snow. All of these new things at once were overwhelming. I just had to keep reminding myself that Christmas isn't about who you spend it with, or what you eat, but it's about the Savior. When I reminded myself of that, the Christmas Spirit returned and I was able to enjoy myself.
I know this post is kind of a downer, but I'm just following my mantra of "keepin' it real." I don't want to portray my life as being 100% marvelous 100% of the time because that's not accurate. I like President Hinckley's quote about not all puts dropping, steak being tough, etc., but that life is like an old-fashioned train trip and the trick is just to enjoy the ride. And enjoying the ride I am!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
You may have forgotten, but there is a Lambert spouse support group to help with the adjustment of marrying into such a HUGE family. Sorry I can't be there for you in person. Talk with Greg and Dave about it, though! One of them will tell you the story of no mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving thanks to some of the male Lambert appetites in the line ahead! Glad to have you in the family!!!!
I totally didn't think that the first year of marriage was all that tough. In fact, I think we're lucky in that we haven't really had a tough patch. Kids, though . . . they add a whole new spin on things. And I can't wait for your first one. Mary, was it? After all, you did spend all that time "making Mary."
Yea, it was really weird spending the major holidays with the in-laws not doing all the usual things and trying to decide just what traditions we would keep from each side of the family. But it sure is fun to have someone to make memories with. And it only gets better. Wait until you have kids. Holidays take on a whole new meaning.
I am one of the siblings and I still get anxiety when we all get together. And now that I have inlaws I get twice the anxiety. Staying at my parents for the first time with my remarkable husband was wierd, I felt like a kid again, and not in a good way. I had a few breakdowns myself. I want to join the support group for inlaws.
Jenn- Sorry about the head pains and the lack of food at the after- Christmas party. Wish I could have been there to console you at the time. But alas, I was at home having a M-A-J-O-R meltdown. I love that YOU are part of my family. Thanks for sharing your holidays with me. You are ADORABLE! Love you! Karen
I think the trick is to start enjoying making traditions with YOUR family. It has been really fun to blend our traditions: get rid of some, keep some, alter some, adopt some from other families, etc. I really like that we get to determine how our holidays will be spent. But don't get me started about the different food at the in-laws ;)
Someday you will look back at your first Christmas and the feeling you had and laugh! Didn't you love Christmas with snow though? :D
Post a Comment