Hot Mess! - Happy New Year from the Fairs!

This blog is usually intended for my travel experiences but this year has been a journey of it's own. Every year on New Years eve we enjoy fireworks, Champagne and Dick Clark before the Big Ball drop. It's always been pretty fun really but each year, as I get older, the concept it being the last day of the year becomes more and more of a real thing.
    
        I like to think of myself as a constant work in progress. This is also something that I take more and more seriously as I get older. It means that everything I experience through the year and everything I learn grows more and more significant. I like it that way though. Who wants to be on a lifelong Hamster Wheel?

        I want this not only for myself but for my children as well. I have never really considered my self to be a "conventional" parent. I was never once a soccer mom, I never felt very comfortable at play groups as I am introverted and I could never get those cute little bows to stay in the pigtails. So how does a year for someone like me and my family unfold?

Rebecca, 20

         Having a child who is special can be a reason to be a little more accommodating when searching for our "normal" but never a reason for excuses. This year Rebecca got a job working for me as a personal assistant. At around 2:00 every afternoon, I receive about 20 photo that she sends of all the cleaned areas of the house which I will get to come home to that night. She finds great recipes on Buzzfeed and loves cooking them. There is always a meal waiting for me in the refrigerator on nights that I work late. We go to Planet Fitness and workout together and she tells people about Jesus. I am very much spoiled by her. It was a good year.


Madi, 19
       
            I see a little bit of myself in all my kids in one way or another. I think Madi has my drive and ambition only she has discovered it at a younger age. However, she does better in school than I did and makes me feel shorter than my actual height (she's 5'10). Earlier this year, we went together to Augusta Ga. for the Bethel Worship experience. We praised God for 3 hour straight! When you have experiences like that, you are not the same afterwards. Since then, she has taken center stage leading worship at our church, got into Liberty University and is not home with us tonight on New Years eve because she is at the Passion Conference downtown.

Emma, 14

            This year has been a year where I have probably spent more time with Emma than ever which I am grateful for.  A lot of our time together is in the car as she has become more active with orchestra. She is winning auditions and is in two different ensembles so there is a lot of commuting and Ariana Grande on the radio. Our trips to the Circle-K on the way will be treasured as memorable times of bonding. She is also at the age where going to the mall for clothes shopping and Fro Yo is a thing. More charming memories.

Laurel, 11

            Ok, now here we go. If you have ever read my blog you may be familiar with descriptions such as "Hot Mess" or "Dark Horse." These are by no means bad things. I don't typically involve my kids in anything unless they are wild about the idea. Extra curricular activities can get expensive and are not worth doing if there is little interest but I do require 2 things: They have to play at least one musical instrument for at least a year and gain an appreciation for an international travel experience. Laurel got to be the star of the show in my blog this year after her visit with me to Tokyo, Japan. It was her idea which began 2 years prior. I was hopeful she would change her mind for many obvious reasons but it happened anyway and we made the 6852 mile trip (minus layovers). I almost cried only once. She is the author of her own Anime youtube series "Happy Ball" and has almost enough subscribers to be monetized.

Deidre, 8

             Deidre is and always will be my baby. I will always be overprotective to the point of still holding her hand in the parking lot after she is still in high school probably. As I was preparing lunch for her the other day, I found her in the living room watching Blue's Clues on Nick Jr (I didn't even know this was still a thing!) She's a little beyond Blue's Clues and there are probably not a lot of moms my age with that show playing on the television but I didn't do anything stop it. She may be a little bit of a late bloomer but so was I (I still watch classic Sesame Street on youtube sometimes. There I said it. Don't judge me). The point is I'm not sure I want to let go of these moments. It will be a while before I am an emptynester but I'm not really in a big hurry.

              I turned 50 this year. My birthday was on Superbowl Sunday but I did not watch a football game. I drove into Atlanta with Rebecca and a few cans of spray paint and added to the many works of art at Krog Tunnel. I will probably return at some point this year as my work is probably no longer there. Celebrating this milestone was also another reason for me to take my journey with Laurel to Tokyo. I am obsessed with studying languages. I have been regularly studying Spanish, French and Italian. I also got my first acting gig this year which led to a job under the direction of Tyler Perry (as a background artist but who cares!).

              Another milestone was the celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary. Mike and I have had a year of enjoying tacos and burritos at our favorite Mexican restaurant every Saturday night after I play for my church service. We enjoy nights in front of the television watching classic MTV and making jokes about it (it's a wonder how we ever got by without High Definition TV!). We took a 4 hour roadtrip this past weekend in the rain and winding roads to Nashville to meet with family and pick up our years supply of Persimmon beer and eat hot chicken (my brother in law owns a brewery). I enjoyed every minute! It was a road trip after all! He still pulls the covers away at night. We have been through counseling over this and the situation has somewhat improved but we are still in the process of changing our ways. Additionally, though the actual day of our anniversary came and went, it will be a year long celebration. Which means there will be travel. We have already flipped a coin and our destination has been finalized. Keep an eye out for the blogs!

Max 

               He's a cat. Enough said. 

He still makes me smile everyday!

                             Happy New Year!