Yesterday, being Christmas Day, was the day my mom and I got to go to my Aunt Doris' house for Christmas evening delights of food and family.
It wasn't bad at all. Sadly, Butch could not be there (he is the eldest son of my aunt; he is the husband of Judi, with whom my cousin Debra was feuding BUT my cousin Debra called Judi on Christmas Eve and patched things up and urged her to join everyone here last night). No...Butch has strepped throat (and he should know, because he's a doctor), so he, Judi (his second wife, FYI) and my first-cousin-once-removed Benjamin (5 years old) were NOT at my Aunt Doris', and my mother and I are of similar opinion that the evening was far less noisome and stressful as a result.
Butch's daughter (from his first marriage to Pam, who most of us still love to death), Ashely, was in attendance with her wonderful husband David (Ashley's brother Travis had a little Christmas snit with his dad Butch about three years ago and no one in the family, outside of Ashley, has had the pleasure (?) of his company since).
Cousin Rick and his second wife, Susan, were there. We had a most agreeable reunion and chatted amiably throughout the evening. Rick's children from his first wife, Rosemary (whom I continue to love), were represented by twin girls Lauren and Lindsey, and son Wil (son Garrick being sick at home in his "trailer" which he shared with his girl friend Amanda before she took their daughter, Addison, and moved her butt back into her parents' house). Addison, my cousin Rick's granddaughter, lighted up the room. She's three years old and Christmas, to her, is MAGIC. And she knows how to work it, too!
Cousin Debra, her second husband Rob (her first husband was Tom, whom she divorced some time before his tragic motorcycle accident. Tom was Rob's first cousin, so Debra stayed "in that family", so to speak), and son Chad, with girlfriend Callie, and daughter Becky, with boyfriend Jeremy, were all there.
It was a nice gathering and, oddly, no one asked my why I never married.
Go figure.
