Christmas Is Near

I apologize for not being around more often the last couple months. I have been very busy.

I got married in October

I honeymooned shortly thereafter

A week after that, Kristen surprised me with a Shih Tzu/Lhasa Apso puppy for my birthday

Four hours later, I figured out a name...TOBY!!!

Next day, we switched his name to KIRBY!!

Two days later, Kristen officially loved him more than me

I wondered what took so long

Then, the following week I actually had my birthday. A week earlier, Kristen thought that she could get the puppy, then have the breeder hold onto him for an additional week so she could surprise me on my birthday. Once she saw Kirby, she knew she had to take him home that night. Good call!!

Next morning he wakes me up at 530am to go to the bathroom

Next morning 6AM

Next morning 545AM

You get the idea

I call him The Alarm Clock

One of these days I'm going to have a Kirby blog entry

Minutes later, Kristen will scream "Why doesn't Tucker get a blog entry?" She thinks everything has to be completely equal between the pups so that Tucker doesn't get jealous. Tucker seems to be having a blast with his little brother. Kristen is taking his cause on as her own.

Week after my birthday, we had Thanksgiving with all the Cummings' and my parents.

And finally, the last couple weeks we've been driving around, looking at purchasing a home.

Now, Christmas is coming. Settle down...I still haven't started shopping, I still have 15 days.

And, to celebrate our first Christmas as a married couple, Kristen and I are going to get the "Allergy Bomb" aka A Christmas Tree. I'm allergic to everything about it, the tree, the wood, heck even the water we use to make sure the tree doesn't die..everything. Kristen either a) doesn't want a tree or b) wants a fake one, but I refuse.

Hopefully this year goes better than last when I spent an hour outside cutting the tree trunk, yet all we had was a serrated knife. We had to cut it, because Lowe's tree trunk cutting machine was broken. Kristen was thrifty and said...

"Brian will cut it at home. Will you knock ten dollars off the price?"

They did, and I regret it.

After 30 minutes, I remember Kristen coming out to check on me. I was profusely sweating, I grunted at her, mumbled something about why did she feel the need to save ten dollars, I lost the feeling in my forearms twenty minutes earlier, please go back inside. She cheerily went back in. Either that trunk was going to die, or I was.

Fortunately, I won after an hour. One of the proudest moments in our relationship.

This year, to get in the Christmas spirit, I told Kristen I want to listen to Christmas songs when we bring the tree back as well as when we're decorating. She agrees but not before throwing in an amendment...she'd be a great Washington politician.

"We have to listen to JaRule on the way there"

JaRule is some form of hip hop star that my wife loves. Who doesn't think hip hop, JaRule, booty shaking, when it comes to Christmas? If it was up to her, she would have had JaRule come to our wedding, dance our first dance and serenade her all at the same time. I would have been in the corner eating cupcakes.

Why my lovely wife adores JaRule? I have no idea. I don't even knowing if I'm spelling JaRule correctly. But, back in the day, one of her favorite booty dancing songs was JaRule featuring Vida featuring her and her Best Buddy dancing. All the time to this song and anything else that screams hip hop.

You ever watch The Price Is Right when someone is called down from the crowd to participate and they look as happy as someone who won the actual lottery. That's the same surprised giddiness that Kristen and Best Buddy have when they hear JaRule.

And now it's been incorporated into our first married Christmas.

Lesson we've learned here...

According to my wife, Christmas songs need to be more hip hop.

The other lesson...she will opt to save another ten dollars so I can cut the trunk again, giving her time, inside the house, to sneak in JaRule, Vida, Ashanti, T-Pain, whomever, while I pass out on the sidewalk again.

So, even though Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem, and we sing O Holy Night, my wife would rather hear songs like Holla Holla, Mesmerize or Livin It Up. I'm sure that's EXACTLY what God had in mind for Christmas.

The only thing I can hope for...our kids not coming out of the womb with hats on backwards flashing gang signs, while her mother flashes them back. You better believe as soon as they're born, and the doctor says "It's a (Boy or Girl)"...Kristen will yell, "Best Buddy, (she's a nurse so she's allowed in), HIT IT!!!" And something like Ride With Me will blare across the delivery room and they will both be dancing. Kristen Ann everyone!!!