Merry Christmas.
And just like that, it’s over.
I just want to say that I think that I am blessed with the greatest family in the entire world. I will never tire of the chaotic holidays with them. I feel like I’ve been smiling non-stop since Wednesday night when I arrived at my parents house. I’m overwhelmed by the people I have in my life- I don’t deserve any of this, yet my cup runneth over.
Today was my sweet niece, Ava’s very first Christmas. She is so beautiful.
Is it just my family, or does everyone sing questions in the tune of “Carol of the Bells” on Christmas day?
As I type this my brother is singing “Where’s the remote, Where’s the remote, Who had it last, Who had it last.”
Okay, so can we just talk about how amazing my mother is? Seriously. She is the best thing. Flawless. But I won’t lie to you, her fascination with Sarah Palin freaks me out. (Also, please note her Dave Ramsey t-shirt.)
My precious little sister wrote me the sweetest Christmas note that makes me want to be woman she thinks I already am.
Grandpa & Grandpa are so cute. We drove around the neighborhood Christmas Eve night and looked at Christmas lights. The house owners that didn’t decorate, my grandma referred to as scrooges… grandpa had a much more logical explanation: If you don’t have Christmas lights on your house, you’re an atheist.
During our family gift exchange, my grandpa announced “All the married couples get a ham”. (I know, its weird. They are weird. Everything about my family is weird.) He proceeded to hand out the hams. I don’t like ham. I don’t want a ham. But I am slightly offended that my grandpa assumes single people don’t deserve a ham…c’mon, at least half a ham? Am I right? I voice my opinion which is quickly brushed off. At the end of the festivities when we are all saying our goodbyes, my grandpa grabs my right hand and looks me in the eye and with the most serious of faces says “If you get married by next Christmas, I will give you a ham.”
Well, if that isn’t incentive enough then I just don’t know what is.
This is me at 7:30am…my husband has a lot to look forward to. I mean, waking up to that hair PLUS a Christmas ham. LUCKY GUY!
Will laying on the living room floor watching Christmas Vacation with the whole family ever get old?
No. The correct answer is no.
We ended the night just as you should any holiday, with coffee, hot tea, and an overly competitive game of Apples to Apples.
This photo makes me laugh because it appears that mom is so content with her hand, meanwhile, Ava is screaming her head off.
I didn’t take enough pictures today-it was pretty chaotic. But fortunately for me, Christmas continues tomorrow.
Stay tuned for Christmas 2009-Part 3: Iva, SC
Merry Christmas!
Gifts.
This Christmas, I used old book pages to wrap my gifts…well, some of them atleast. I got into the Christmas spirit early this year and wrapped these at the beginning of December. I had a good start on the season. But December got away from me and I was at Target on Christmas Eve and “wrapped” (threw in a gift bag) the remainder of my gifts not Christmas Eve-but Christmas MORNING!
Don’t judge me.
This was kind of a time consuming process…I think I will save it for birthdays. When you have 2 parents, 3 sisters, 2 brothers, a brother in law, and a niece, time finds itself being consumed in other ways… like gift bags!
Acts 20:35. I have decided that this verse becomes more and more real the older I get.
Alisha.
This is Alisha. Alisha lives in New York City but her family lives in South Carolina.
Alisha does her Christmas shopping at the TJMaxx in SC and tells her family their gifts are from NYC.
And that just might be my favorite thing about her.
Also, this is blizzard.
December sixteen.
My favorite shot from a recent shoot with writer, Maghan Lusk.
ML is a graduate student at Queens University of Charlotte where she is earning an MFA in fiction and poetry. Her first novel, Given, is about a jaded organ recipient who struggles to accept his second chance at life while forming an unlikely friendship with the donor’s widow. She is currently seeking representation for her work.
I will keep you updated as to when her website is up and running- you are going to want to check her out!
December fifteen.
Life has been wild lately-which I am into. But tonight, I am so thankful to sit down, sip some hot tea, listen to some Avett Brothers and just be still. Does anyone else wish “Love Like The Movies” was a little bit longer?
I leave for NYC on Friday, and it may snow a little on Sunday and I hope I can breathe out of my nose by then…and Tiger Woods sucks.
December Fourteen.
Self-promotion.
Necessary? Sometimes.
Annoying? ALL THE TIME!
However, I may have found a way around it….
Check out this amazing designer/illustrator/everythinger Luan Jenkins (also HES ASIAN! i know. i know.)
(See how I did that? promoting Luan-who is promoting me so i am, in turn, promoting myself… i am so so smart…which leads me to my next point: Charis convinced me to start playing Words With Friends. If you have an iphone and would like to challenge me and my huge brain, my name is christinaheastonisreallysmart
gah, i just love parentheses)
December Thirteen.
Something I would really like to do:
Sleep until 10:35am. Wake up. But then just lay there for like 30 more minutes.
Then wear my pajamas all day long and not leave the house once.
I will do this. One day, I will do this.
Mary Kathryn doesn’t think I will ever have a single day with zero plans.
Angela thinks these kind of dreams don’t happen after the 10th grade.
They have no idea what I am capable of…
Watch out 2010, I’m sleeping in.
December Twelve.
You may not be aware of Help Portrait (which would indicate that you are not a very cultured person…KIDDING), find out more about it here or check out the promo video below:
What a cool cool thing to see groups of people all over the world joining together to make people smile.
I was so glad to be a part of Help-Portrait Greenville SC.
These are just some of the photographers I met:
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