A (Barksdale) Christmas Story

Now that we are enjoying the aftermath, I wanted to take a few minutes to relate what happened in our home for Christmas. It was a lovely day, and it was good to have so many family members here (for those who don't know, 6 of my 7 kids are here now, as well as Darryl's mom and dad, who are serving a mission just north of us). It's so good to see Darryl around his parents. He really enjoys having them so near. And the kids eat it up...we really haven't lived near grandparents much in their lives, so this is bliss :) Last Sunday was our Christmas program at church, and Darryl and his dad sang a duet ("O Come, O Come, Emmanuel") that was just beautiful. Even though we've been married nearly 12 years, I haven't had many opportunities to hear Darryl sing (unless you count sitting by him in Sacrament meetings and singing the hymns LOL). And the blending of their two voices is hard to describe. Just beautiful.

The funny thing is that while Darryl worked very hard on our proposed dinner (pork loin roast), he forgot to turn the cooker on, and we had to pick up Chinese for dinner. Then when it really WAS done, it was awful, and we ended up throwing it away. Then the Christmas Ribbon Salad turned out really weird. Someone tipped the dish, and the middle section separated from the edges of the pan. After all of it was ready, I looked at it, and the white section was the only thing visible. As we served the salad, we noticed that the green layer was in between the red and the white. It's supposed to be red, then white, then green on top. Tastes yummy but loooks weird LOL.

As I type this entry, I am listening to music on my computer...using my new Bose "around the ear" headphones...and the music is the CD Darryl gave me. I asked for Dan Fogelberg, and the only CD he could find was "Nether Lands," which is the very first album of Dan Fogelberg's I ever received (thank you, Dean!). I loved this music and listened to it so much that I can tell you where every skip was in my old record :) But the music makes me happy and contemplative and emotional.....which could lead to a very long post here.

Aaron has been unreachable lately because his cell phone has been turned off (hasn't had the money to pay the bill), and he's not answering my e-mails. He and his girlfriend Robin came yesterday, and I'm really worried. Aaron has so many problems, and he simply does not see it. And poor Robin actually looks miserable. Poor thing. She's a sweet girl...what do I do? Do I just hope and pray that it all works out...or do I risk irritating my son by taking Robin aside and telling her that she doesn't have to stay with him? Long story...but I have no clue what to do. You would have to have seen her face to know why I am facing a dilemma and not simply minding my own business.

I really wish Michele and Lito and Skye could have been here. I'm the only one in the family who

has even met Skye. I doubt Darryl will ever voluntarily go visit...he would love to meet Skye, but it's been made clear to him that he is not welcome. That's really a bummer. I know Lito and Darryl would get along great...and Skye could really use some "grandpa" attention. Seriously, if someone had told me that raising children doesn't get any less heart rending as they get older, I'm not sure I would have felt up to it!

I am really happy to see the relationship Erica is in right now. She and her boyfriend Joe come over for dinner a lot. The kids really enjoy Joe, and he seems comfortable here. It looks like he is really good to Erica, and that makes me really happy. I hope that good things will happen there. I think she's had some bad things happen in her life, and it's good to see someone treating her well.

Lindsay is getting ready to turn 18 and then graduate high school. She is going to attend Germanna Community College at least for the first couple of years. She wants to be a teacher, so who knows? Maybe she'll want to go to BYU later. Lauren is only a sophomore, but she already wants to go to BYU or SVU. Someone needs to break the news to her that we are so lousy with money that we'd never be able to afford to send her. Both of the girls are really enjoying being a part of the Tribe of Pride, Stafford High's marching band. I love watching them and seeing the cameraderie they share with their mutual friends.

Scott is 11 now and seems to fluctuate between being a moody, hard to please boy to being ambitious and excited to conquer new goals (like earning his Faith in God award or putting together his entire Bionicles model in one sitting). I have high hopes for him...he has always had a kind streak, though his sisters would argue with you. But I have seen how tender his heart can be, and it gives me something to hold onto.

Kristi was shopping with Lauren and me the other day, and she found great statue that she wanted to give Darryl. It shows a father standing with his arm around his daughter. At the base of the statue, it reads, "I'll always be Daddy's little girl." She was SO excited to have him open it up. And just has I expected, Darryl nearly started to cry when she gave it to him. It has a place of honor on his desk, where he can see it whenever he is there (and again, if you know him, you realize that that is about 17 out of every 24 hours).

This is just a rambling post, but I wanted to voice some thoughts. I hope that anyone who reads this will take my thoughts in the right way. It's all pretty good, you know.