My third Christmas Day was last Saturday at 2 in the morning. My family had been in Vermont for the previous week and a half while I was home in Utah, by myself. They were supposed to come home on Monday, but their flight was one of 4,000+ to be cancelled that week. So when the cab finally got to the house around 1am on Saturday morning, I was a little more than excited to finally see my daughter, my parents and my two siblings. I ran out to the cab in my slippers, climbed in and squealed over how much I missed Averie. She was tired from the 6 hour flight and looked at me like she didn't know who I was, but climbed into my arms and hugged me anyway. I brought her inside to show her the baby doll nursery and play kitchen I spent about 4 hours building for her. The rest of my family made their way inside and I told them about the dinner that had been in the crock pot for the last 7 hours. Organic, gluten-free, non GMO, low fat, dairy optional Lasagna soup. They helped themselves and we chatted and opened up Christmas presents. I was pleased to see everyone open the exact gift they had wanted, but hadn't asked for. (I'm really fantastic at picking out presents, to be honest.) After everyone settled down and got ready for bed, I carried Averie upstairs and we snuggled in blankets on the couch and watched ToyStory until we both drifted off to sleep.
My second Christmas was a present to myself. I had a little extra money, so I decided to spend it on some new clothes, a nice face wash, a book, a wind chime, and new earrings. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it's always fun to have new stuff. I like to shop online because you never know what day it will show up, and then you just have a little surprise in the mail box or on your porch!
Well, the story I've been waiting to tell since the day it happened, actual Christmas Day...
The day before Christmas Eve, my mom, Averie and I flew from Salt Lake to New York, New York to Boston, and then drove from Boston to my grandma's house in St. Albans, Vermont. No one knew I was coming except my dad, and he was sworn to secrecy. As we got into town, we stopped at the Georgia Market, which is a teeny tiny corner grocery store. It's a little more expensive than Price Chopper or Hannaford's (the main grocery stores in the area) but when you don't want to drive 20-30 minutes into town for a gallon of milk, it's there for your convenience. I got out of the car and climbed into the trunk of our SUV rental. We drove 5 minutes up the street to my grandma's house where my mom greeted everyone with a surprise guest-Averie! I could hear shouts of excitement and laughter coming from inside. My dad came out to the car to "get the bags" and helped me sneak through the garage to a door that leads to the basement. My original plan was to wait there until dinner time, and then come sit at the table like I had been there the entire time. But, I was STARVING. I hadn't had a real meal in days, only a snack at the airport. So I gave in and went upstairs to surprise everyone, so I could eat. Haha. I walked upstairs and hugged my grandma. At first she didn't realize it was me, and when she did she gave the biggest hug and started to tear up. Then Megan noticed I was there, and she got so excited. So sweet. It wasn't that big of a deal, oddly, but that's okay.
On Christmas Day, the entire family came over to grandma's house. Megan and I got ready in the basement with Averie, and waited for everyone to arrive. When everyone had shown up besides one of my cousins and his girlfriend, I decided it was time to make the surprise. I bundled up in hats and coats with Averie, and we walked through the spider infested cellar to get to the door I had snuck into the other day. We walked out through the garage, and I prayed and prayed that no one would see us as we walked by the dining room window. We got to the porch and stood as close as we could to the door so no one would see us through the window. I got nervous as I rang the doorbell. The door opened and I saw my cousin Chris, my uncle Steve, and my aunt Jessica who yelled "SHUT UP!" and started to cry. She ran to us with hugs and kisses and said, "I'm so glad you guys are here, I can't believe it!" I started to cry too, as I hugged the rest of the family who had flooded the front hall in curiousity. Averie hugged her cousin Alayna who is only 5 months older than she is, and they ran off to play. I talked with my family about the whole plan and how I had been able to leave home. There were lots of hugs, and laughter. I think I made Christmas this year.
I honestly couldn't have asked for a better Christmas. It was perfect. I love my family and I am blessed to have been able to spend time with them this year. It was a lot of trouble, and a lot of time and effort were spent by other people to make my Christmas miracle come true. I am incredibly thankful for everyone that helped me get to Vermont to see my family. I can't thank you enough.
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