Thursday, January 10, 2008

An update from the West's house

It's been a while since I've posted anything and I really don't have time now but what the heck!! Since my last post we've been through the Christmas holiday, Jessi's birthday, and the new year.

Take a break for a minute or two. Go get a glass of water and make a bathroom stop. I just got an email at work I have to deal with. Be back shortly.

Okay, Im back until the next email.

I always look forward to spending time with family at Christmas but I don't care much for Christmas as a whole. It has become so commercialized that it's hardly recognizable any more. It puts so many people, including me, in a finacial bind. You feel obligated to purchase gifts that you can't afford to give to people that would probably be just as happy to have a visit and a card as they would a gift but you still feel obligated just the same. That's sad. I do enjoy the get togethers with family though. It seems that we don't do that enough. When my Gresham cousins, my siblings and I were younger we would always go to my Uncle T.B.'s house on Christmas eve to eat, exchange gifts and gather around ye ole piano to sing Christmas carols. Other than waking up Christmas morning, that was my most favorite thing to do at Christmans. When all of the cousins got older and started families of their own, that tradition just kind of dwindled for a while. We revived that tradition a few years back and it's almost like old times except that there is only one of the original generation left. That's my Aunt Plennie Gresham. She's in her 80's and still gets around like a woman half her age. When we started back getting together there were three of that generation left, Aunt Plennie, Aunt Clevia and my daddy but two of them have since gone on to a better place. We have a few cousins that have moved way off and don't get to attend every year but it's good when they do come. I also enjoy the Christmas eve service at church. I always come away blessed from that service.

Next comes Jessi's birthday. She came into the world just 4 days after Christmas, just in time for a tax deduction. We always tried to make her birthday special since it was so close to Christmas. We may not have succeeded every year, especially in the leaner years, but we tried. Josh came along in February and she always hated it when, due to lack of funds, we would have to combine their birthday parties sometime in January. It was a lot cheaper to rent the skating rink once for both parties instead of twice. You do what you have to do to come up with suitable results. This year, for her 26th special day, we went to Capri's in Greer for a meal with all of my family and this weekend we're going to meet Melba's family in Gaffney for another meal. We eat too much but the fellowship is good. This one she'll share with Lauren, her cousin from Gastonia.

Be back in a minute. Another urgent email!!

I'm back !!

Now on to New Year's Day. That's Melba and my anniversery. 32 years and counting this year. I can't remember when I wasn't married. We don't celebrate this occation much anymore. The money has usually run out by the time we get to our day. We did have three of our four kids (we consider the in-laws our kids too) and the two grandkids over for supper Tuesday evening. Johnathan had to work and wasn't able to be there. The only thing is I had to do the cooking, what's wrong with that picture?????

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