This Time of Year Makes Me Happy and Sad

I love the holidays. I love Christmas shopping and decorating and good food. I love parties and celebrations. This weekend Cam and I were driving along Chicago Drive going from his parents house in Hudsonville to mine in Zeeland. There's this tree farm along the road. Every year for Christmas they decorate just one tree with white lights. But when you think of decorating a tree, this takes that up by about 10 levels. It literally looks like every single branch and twig has been outlined in lights. In contrast with the bare fields around it, it just looks heavenly.

Seeing this tree always reminds me of the winter we were engaged. Cam had bought and was already living by himself in our condo in Hudsonville. I was living by myself in my grandma's house in Zeeland. But school was 10 minutes in one direction from the condo, and work was 10 minutes in the other. So no matter which day it was, a school day or a work day, it made it very easy to go to the condo afterwards. Needless to say, there were many, many evenings driving home along Chicago Drive, and seeing that one tree lit up all by itself against the black night always made my drive a little more pleasant (even when it was blizzardy and I was afraid my poor little car with bad tires and weighted down with cement blocks just wasn't going to make it through).

But the holidays always makes me miss people who aren't here. My friend Emili who just had her second little boy in WI. My friend Ali in Chicago. And my friend Lisa in Philadelphia (and pregnant with her first). And my grandparents in Florida among others. I miss the days of getting together with all the extended family and having a blast with all the cousins. I miss college and seeing my friends all the time and all our crazy adventures. This time of year makes me more aware of all that.

Which is part of the reason why I'm starting this blog. A couple of my friends have a blog, and having my own will make me more diligent about checking theirs and keeping in touch. At least until a trip in person can be made!

Until then, I love and miss you all!