When It's Christmas Time In Texas

Y'all know a few months back I wrote that I thought that I would be sitting out the holidays this year considering how screwed up the summer was for me. Appearently I lied. I had one of the best Christmas' ever thanks to Mr. Jeff Pace seen here on the right. (go ahead, click on him, he loves it!)

As some of you already know Jeff and I met early October at the Pub here in Dallas and went out on our first 'date', for lack of a better description and a story I will share with just a choice few of you, that following Friday the 13th. I will have you know right here and now that Friday the 13th is not an unlucky day at all as Jeffy has turned out to be one really nice guy and I have come to think very hightly of him these past weeks.

The two of us had made plans to spend Christmas Eve together with my boss and his partner, spend the night with them watching movies and snacking around and then all of us cooking Christmas dinner at their house the following day but that plan changed when Jeff' mother asked if he would house sit for her while she went to the 'cabin' in West Texas. Being the good boy that he is he accepted and asked if I wanted to go along and 'meet the rest of the family'. I agreed ,we hopped into the car and off we went Friday afternoon destination: Emory Texas.

Please note that his last name 'Pace' is a misnomer, the little shit drives like a bat out of hell causing my right thigh to be larger than the left due to hitting my imaginary brake all the time.

An hour later we make it to Emory. Now I'm expecting a modest little house in East Texas and from the outside it was. A low profile brick structure with white trim, yes modest as it could be. It just happens to sit smack dab in the middle of 600 acres of the most beautiful Texas farmland to be had and decorated from stem to stern Texan. I mean it's beautiful. Everything you would think a Texas ranch would be. To the left is the fireplace. Again, click on it. It doesn't mind.







Here is the dining room.

The table and hutch are all weathered barnwood and believe it or not comfortable!

And now for the bedroom.

I hit my hip on that damn bed all weekend but it's cute.

But by far my favorite thing in the house, besides Jeff of course, is the Christmas 'tree'. It's a decorated 7'x6' cactus and is breathtaking.













Needless to say I was in heaven all weekend. You cannot imagine how wonderful it was to be sitting in a room heated by the stove in the fireplace, watching white horses gallop past the window in the pasture out back and just getting away from it all and looking forward to a long winters nap. But that wasn't to be.

When Jeff said he needed to visit family he darn well meant it! There are dozens of them all residing in Sulphur Springs. Saturday afternoon we celebrated with one faction of the family hosted by Granny and Grandpa Pace. That evening we did the same at Grandma Tittle' Ranch for another side of the family. Sunday rolled around and Jeff' went to his great-grandmothersby himself, I just wanted a rest. That brings us to Monday.

By far the best time I had was celebrating with Jeff' dad, Thomas and step mother, JaNae, and her side of the family. First because she is a very warm and welcoming person and second because she clued me in on where she hid the booze. That's she on the right (Jeff is the one who is not wearing the apron) and since this is supposed to be a knitting blog, that's a cable rib scarf that I knitted for him. I probably couldn't have made it without you JaNae. Thanks a million to both of you.

That takes us to Monday night when we finally drove back to Dallas and had dinner finally with the boss and his partner. I tell you I have never eaten so much over a weekend in my life.

Jeffy, I thank you for a wonderful time. Thanks for taking me to the land of sweet tea and white bread a plenty. I love you and my gout loves you too!