Broke Christmas/Rich Christmas

I'm writing this in the upstairs study of my mom's house in Texas. I find it truly amazing that after more than a decade of urging, she's finally got an internet connection.

However, I have something more amazing to share. Our visit to Texas has been superb. Last year I was so excited about our Christmas trip but was really let down (read my archives from December 2008 and January 2009 if you're curious). While I was really looking forward to this trip, it really has exceeded my expectations. I can't wait to talk about some of the things that have happened.

This year we are very short on money. We decided not to get each other gifts, nor did we buy gifts for any of our family members (except we still have yet to buy for our gift exchange with Roy's family). We've bought Charlie a few things (all on sale), but this really is the definition of a broke Christmas. As a matter of fact, when people ask if everyone's done with their Christmas shopping, I find it to be a sort of alienating question, because this Christmas just hasn't been about that. I really like what the holiday is for us - no gifts, just experiences. Just people.

At this moment, sitting in my mom's house far away from home, Charlie snoring in my old bedroom, I feel very blessed. I'm coming home with countless treasures. My memories from this trip will last me a lifetime. I don't need anything else.

We're leaving my mom's tomorrow and headed back to San Antonio for a couple of days with my uncle Charles. Since he has yet to stop being stubborn about not being online, we will lose our internet connection for a couple of days (again), but as usual, I'll be on Twitter since I'm able to update via text. I feel completely disconnected from my regular online community as well as everything back in California, but I'm loving the break from reality.

Hope you're all doing well. See you soon!