Hanukkah with David | 18 December 2022

I’m catsitting for Terry until Friday. From Friday to Friday. I asked her if I could have David over and she didn’t mind at all. She also took out her crockpot so I could make my brisket. I’m so grateful for Terry.

On Sunday morning, at 8 AM, I prepared the brisket. Yes, I decided to have a cooking photo shoot. I always loved taking pictures of Nan preparing important foods and preserving them in a scrapbook and I wanted to do this for the meal I was preparing for David and I’s first Hanukkah together. Truly, we are celebrating both holidays but since he has to work through X-mas, it is our first holidays together. Alfie helped me cook.

Since we are celebrating both holidays, I found mistletoe at Trader Joe’s on Saturday morning. I decided to buy it. I hung it up yesterday and yep, photo shoot. I want it to go into my holiday scrapbook. Prepping for our first holiday together. I also set up the Menorah.

I’m so glad I got to celebrate the First Night of Hanukkah with David. He actually came over to Terry’s at 11 AM, and we indulged in Netflix and Cuddle as the brisket cooked. We watched Wednesday and Seven Deadly Sins. Sadly, we couldn’t figure out Terry’s DVD player and couldn’t watch the anime DVDs I rented from the library. Netflix worked; we both love Seven Deadly Sins and he liked Wednesday. At one point, Terry’s cat, Alfie, joined us.

At 4pm, I mixed the gluten-free latke mix and David took some photos. He decided to pull a “Jessica Special,” he took selfies of us as I was cooking. He laughed and said, “this is what happens when you put me in charge of the camera.” Touche.   Then David decided to try making some latkes, so I took over with camera duty and I took a selfie of us while he was cooking.  

David loved the brisket I made and he enjoyed lighting the Menorah. We also shared a few kisses under the mistletoe. It actually fell down and David properly placed it. I’m going to preserve that for the scrapbook.

We had so much fun. A lot of laughs. David wrote two things for me. One for my Happiness Box, which I can’t read for another two weeks, then he signed my guest page.

I posted the guest page on r/scrapbooking and two gals made me realize something: journaling obviously isn’t his thing, but he attempted just for me. I can’t wait to see what he wrote in the Happiness Box Hanukkah card. He made me promise not to open it until 1/1. Another “Jessica Special.”  Honestly, he loves me. He knows how important this stuff is to me and he doesn’t question it. I’m verklempt and grateful.

I’m going to print out the Grinch snapchat filter I took of him and put it on the guest page. I’m thinking for the caption: “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch. Nah, David as the Grinch is actually really kind and loving. Although, he revoked my picture taking privileges after I applied this filter. We both laughed.”

Tonight is the 2nd night and it is just me and Alfie celebrating. I sent David some photos and he enjoys seeing them. I’m beyond grateful for him.

Happy Hanukkah! Happy holidays, dear readers!