Once again, I spend an entire day finally breaking though the self-imposed writer's block only to never publish nor send this letter. In fact I just got around to remembering it was here and needed to be published...sigh...maybe I'll send it as part of the Chinese New Year's celebration??
Greetings everyone,
Every year I promise myself to sit down and write a Christmas letter and every year I sit down at the keyboard and throw words at it, get disgusted, frustrated and worry that my life may not be interesting to anyone else.
My Grandfather used to always write a Christmas letter. Gramps was an awesome letter writer. He used to bang his thoughts out on a manual typewriter and used one of those machines where you cranked the handle to get multiple copies. I think it was called a mimeograph. Remember those from Elementary school? Gramps could sum up the events of a year in an succinct, yet entertaining manner and he always made you feel like you were right there and actually having a conversation with him. His words were warm, rich and inviting.
I still have a Christmas letter he wrote and even though I know the contents of it, every time I read it I am always filled with anticipation to find out how his year turned out. So with that for inspiration, I sit down with serious intent this time to get my own thoughts down in order to share my life with all of the folks that have slipped in and out of my mind and heart over the past years.
2008 - the Davis family starts to blend......
Teenagers....need I say more??
The introduction of step-parents to step-children can be a booby-trapped maze of emotions and discovery. In order to get the prize at the end of the puzzle, or even the treasures contained within it, you have to schlep though the muck and get honest with yourself. This was that kind of year!
As you may or may not know, Curtis' daughters Sierra and Shyanne live with us full-time. His eldest daughter, Chynna lives in Ajo, Arizona with her Grandmother and while we don't get to see her as much as we like, we do communicate at the drop of a hat via texting, e-mail, IMing...etc...etc.
Curtis and I have been together for 7 years now, and in our early years, the girls lived with us the majority of the time. Their primary residence shifted to their mom for a couple of years and the during the Summer of 2007, they moved in with us full-time.
Some of you may call me whimpy...and I'm good with that...because you gave birth and suffered through late night feedings, diapering, toddling and the terrible twos. You're right, I didn't do any of that...but guess what? I now have teenagers living al-l-l-l-l over the house, and though it took me some time...it's become a pretty cool thing. Don't get me wrong...the Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana and all things Teen Disney moved in with them. In the meantime however , I've discovered Paramore, Avenged Sevenfold, and of course the Zen-like Sponge Bob Squarepants. Ok, so the girls are a bit old for him...but really can the adventures of a sponge with a pet snail named Gary, who lives next door to a clarinet playing squid ever get old?
Sierra is 14, a Freshman and has begun those massive production spurts of somatotopin and IGF-1. This means she sleeps...a lot and I'm incredibly jealous! She is developing an interest in the thespian world and is taking Drama this year. She's a deep thinker and asks great questions about everything. I love the time we get to just talk cause she makes me feel like an expert and is very good for my ego.
Shyanne turned 13 in October and is in 7th Grade. She plays the flute and sings in the Choir. She has a passion for animals and at one point was very serious about becoming a vet. She watches Animal Planet all the time and I marvel how she can sit through those animal cop stories. I do see her passion for veterinary medicine waning a bit as she is making new discoveries in her life. The latest entries in the when I grow up I'm gonna be a... are now a teacher and something to do with art. She's becoming an accomplished artist in her own right and impresses me daily. Oh I forgot to mention....Shyanne talks....all the time....yes....more than me.
So all in all their presence has been good for me. It's forced me to evaluate what is important. Most of all though, it's made me learn to share. Yes...share the TV and share my french fries...sometimes, but more importantly and more satisfactorily (is that a word?) share myself and my experiences, my life and my love.
During this transition, Curtis has endured living with 3 women and 3 female cats. We have one male cat, but he's been neutered so there is a severe lack of male energy running around in the house. Shyanne does have 2 male guinea pigs, but really how much machismo can they muster?
Meanwhile, Curtis plods along serving as a referee that keeps us in the game. When one of us rolls towards the sidelines, he boots us back out into the field of play with kind words and a kiss on the head. I appreciate his gentle nature and his patience and wish I could be more like him at times. He's the common ground that the girls and I have danced around each other on and for that I'm grateful everyday. By the way...he did suffer through late night feedings, diapering, toddling and the terrible twos...and did it happily.
So in order to keep our roof in place and food in everyone's belly Curtis and I work. Some days that's a good enough reason to get out of bed and and other days we dream of the great escape to that island where no one knows where or who we are and has forgotten to look for us.
Curtis is a slave to the retail management world as he is an Associates Manager for Big Lots and I slug it out in the world of data every day as a data analyst for a Medicaid Health Plan. I actually love my job (yes, I have been working at the same place for over 5 years now!) and Curtis endures his. We're typical American kids in that we are always looking for new opportunities and hoping for a lottery win (yet we never buy tickets...how does that work?). We continue to put money away for the future and get cranky about how we'll never see our Social Security dollars. We were and still are ambivalent regarding the election this year and simply have no clue how the future is gonna shake out. We're just grateful we don't have to sell one of the kids or a kidney to fill up our vehicles....wait...how much do you think we could get for the kids?...hmmmm remember that we are always looking for opportunities!!!
So, while it may sound like we aren't involved or suffer from the indifference and cynicism that is the definition of Generation X, it's really not like that. For my entertainment, and something to do on a Saturday night, I sing with a do-wop group called The Keepsakes. We just recorded our first CD and are the hit of every RV park in the tri-county area! Ok...not the tri-county area cuz counties are huge in Arizona...there are only 15 in the entire state, but we're well known in our part of Pinal County and are branching out into other areas of Arizona. By next year, we hope to play some bigger venues and do some more recording. You can check us out at www.keepsakes6.com. We're getting ready to redesign and relaunch the site, but check us out if you get a chance. I love the music we sing and I really enjoy singing with this group of people.
Also, Curtis and I are members of an improv comedy troupe called EXiT 185. You can find us at www.exit185improv.com. That site is new and still being constructed so bear with us and check back often. You can also find EXiT 185 on Facebook. Become a fan today!!! This is where Curtis shines as he can get out of his head waaaaaaayyyy better than I can. I do enjoy the challenge though and have come to love the group of people I get to play with on a weekly basis. It's pretty cool cause we do exactly that...play, just like kids. Sierra and Shyanne usually come to all of our rehearsals and in many cases our shows which is great exposure for Sierra and her acting interest. Shy plays along at home so it's an activity we all share.
So for a girl who has had writer's block for years, I think I made up for it. Maybe I just needed something to talk about and after turning 40 this year I realized I finally have a life. I just hadn't stopped long enough to see it.
Hope this letter finds all of you rested, satisfied, and with peace of mind for now. Worry about tomorrow, tomorrow...it's always gonna be there!
As the spirit of the holiday embraces you, I'll share a quote from what has become my favorite Holiday tradition...TBS's marathon of "The Christmas Story"...one day you know he's gonna shoot his eye out!
"Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window."
- Ralphie in A Christmas Story
Love to all...
The Davis Family
Through the course of it though, I've learned that weird isn't necessarily something to run from. 
I assume it's due to self-imposed 
biases based on our culture that contributes to each of us not wanting people to think we're weird. That need to "fit in" that we should shed post high school doesn't always go away, especially when it's hard coded into our feelings. The avoidance of feelings that go with being "on the outside" will usually overshadow the appreciation and connections we might find by just letting folks think we're strange. 
Sierra is now 15 and has her driver's permit. 
I'm uncertain who is happier about her getting her license, her or Curtis. I think Curtis may win out because he's grateful to give up the taxi service of running the girls everywhere. Sierra is a sophomore and is probably the best in the household at letting her weirdness out. Also, she's still the best sleeper in the house.
singing in choir and developing a love for 
photography and video. You can find her and her weird friends on
Youtube...being weird. I've observed her to be a quiet leader in her group yet she marches to her own drum. She's talkative as can be and has drug me back into the world of pre-algebra. This time around however, I'm actually learning a few things!
It was a bit surreal (aka weird)because we went to California for a week to record and I got to feel like a rockstar for a few days. One day home however reminded me that I wasn't one. :-) Be sure to check us out at www.keepsakes6.com and if you're on Facebook or MySpace, become a fan or a friend today!
and got the opportunity to watch some amazing performers. Unfortunately Curtis and I fell victim to schedule constraints once school started up again this fall and we had to take the ramp and we EXiTed 185. The troupe is still going strong though and have monthly performances and will surely play at next years PIF as well. You can check them out at www.exit185improv.com. You'll also find them on Facebook, MySpace and I think Twitter too!
So now it's two days away from Christmas and while I still have all my shopping to do, I'm actually at peace with it. Yes...at peace with it. Feels a little weird...ya know?
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