As if our Christmas wasn't Merry enough!

We LOVED getting to visit with Damian’s Grandma today. She is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. Her love for her family has always been obvious to me, since the very first time we met. I know it must have been a difficult Christmas for her since she lost her sweetheart last summer. We talked to her about how she was doing and she gave some really sweet advice. She told Damian and me, “Never take for granted that you have each other.”

When Damian and I met, he was living with his grandparents. He was able to help around the house and the yard, in exchange for rent (although I am sure his grandparents never would have accepted any money to have their eldest and most favorite grandson live with them). I am also positive that he received much more love and wisdom than any amount of labor he could have provided them. They are both such wonderful people!

Grandma has always been so kind to me and has treated me like family from the beginning. (Even if she kept the picture up of Damian’s ex-girlfriend on their wall until just a couple of years ago…I am sure she just forgot it was there, right?) She was more than willing to let me ‘heart attack’ Damian’s room with 101 reasons why I loved him, and she is the one that helped Damian pack a picnic dinner the night he took me to Whiskey Springs to ask me to marry him. It was even in Grandma and Grandpa’s house, after spilling five gallons of white paint on their brown shag carpet, that Damian and I decided that we should get married.

After Grandma loaded us all up with hugs, cookies and clementines, we broke off a souvenir two foot icicle from her garage and said our goodbyes. We headed a few miles down the road to visit Uncle Bean and Aunt Ruth. They are renting a huge beautiful house that the kids made the most of as they ran from room to room finding all their stashed candy. Jeff and Ruth are cute! They are so happy together. We had a great time chatting with them and Julie when she stopped by. Bean and Ruth, we owe you some candy canes and M&M’s and it is a great thing you don't have any downstairs neighbors!

What a

blessing

it is to have

family

that you really

love

and enjoy

spending time with!