It's 6:45 in the morning. Conan woke me up. "WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS!!! LET'S GO SEE IF SANTA CAME!" He shouts. I smile wide from his hyper energy! "You're too Adorable! Merry Christmas baby!" I say, giving him a soft sweet kiss on the lips. "Merry Christmas, My Love!" Conan says, more calmly, smiling as he leans in to kiss me back. "This is OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS TOGETHER! AND ALSO THE BABIES FIRST CHRISTMAS!!! AND YOUR FIRST CHRISTMAS WITH ASHLEY!" He says this with the Biggest smile on his face. Which is SO contagious! "It's bringing me so much joy seeing you so excited! I'm excited as well! And I know! A lot of firsts!" I say. Then he quietly, and urgently says "Let's go wake Ashley up!" Then he runs across the hall, opens her door, and shouts "ASHLEY, WAKE UP!!!! LET'S GO SEE IF SANTA CAME!!!" She laughs and smiles. "Merry Christmas! What do you want for breakfast?" Ashley asks. "Umm, I don't know. Maybe homemade cinnamon rolls, or French toast with a cranberry syrup and sprinkles? I don't know." Conan says. "Okay. We'll figure something out." Ashley says.
Ashley gets up, a few minutes later. We gather in the hallway, then once we've all got In the hallway, we peek. "SANTA DID COME!!!! OH I KNEW HE WOULD!" He jumps up and down and I sort Conan's boxes. "Oooh, that's a big one!" Conan says, looking at one of his wrapped presents. We keep piling up our gifts on each other's side. Neither of us were exaggerating when we said we spoiled each other. Then Conan and I set Ashley's gifts down. She also got quite a bit. Before we open our presents, Ashley says "What do you guys think about cookies, that we made last night, and Some warm egg nog, until we figure out what real breakfast we want?" "That sounds great!" I say. "Yeah, I'll have some! The Perfect way to get in the Christmas spirit. It really sets the mood." Conan says. "YESS! I very much agree!" I say. So we all pick out some cookies, while Ashley makes the steamed Egg Nog. 10 minutes later, the egg nog is ready to be dipped and sipped. We all go into the living room with our mugs and Plates. We all do a cheers. "Here's to a lovely Christmas with lovely people! It's gonna be the best one yet!" Conan says. "Let's drink to that!" Ashley and I say. So we all take a sip, and then we sit down and we start opening gifts. Conan opens his gifts first. I record. And so does Ashley. Then he'll record when I open mine. And Conan and I will both record when Ashley opens hers.
"Okay. Let's see... what do we got here?" Conan asks, starting to open a bag from me. "OOH! A Bag of Texas Pecan Freshly Ground Coffee! Never tried it or heard of it! But I love pecans. And I can smell it from the bag. It smells amazing!!! I'm breaking into this later! Maybe put some maple cream. So it'll be like Maple Pecan." Conan says. "Thank you, Katie!" He says. Then in the same bag, he opens up a set of coasters that say "Y'all BEST not fuck up the table!" With the Texas symbol, and it says "Texas" On the bottom left corner. He laughs so hard at that. I thought it would be perfect, due to the fact coffee is a drink. And you must have a coaster under your drink. And I also put a Thermos in there. To keep his drinks hot or cold. For a Texas sized amount of time. Up to 36 hours! "Thank you, Katie! It's such a great gift! And I cannot wait to brew my first cup of Pecan coffee In a bit here." Conan says. I smile. "I'm glad you like it! And I could totally see you saying what it says on the coasters!" I say. "Yeah, I would honestly!" Conan says. Next, he opens one from Ashley. She got him a Blanket with the Texan symbol on it. He smiles wide. Then he unravels it, and holds it close to his chest, and says "I LOVE It! Super soft and comfy!" He says. He or myself was not ready for the next gift. He started crying. Especially when Ashley explained the meaning of why she got it. It's a candle that says "Texas Homesick." She says "whenever you miss Texas, light up the candle, and remember it's never too far. And I'm in Texas. So you can always think of me." "Thank you so much! That is so fucking thoughtful! Now I'm sobbing uncontrollably. But in a good way. I'm touched!" He says. She walks over to him. "Ohhhh, come here." She says, and gives him a big tight hug. "I love you Conan." She says. "I love you too!" He says. Then she also got him a Keychain that says "Distance means so Little when you mean so much. 💕💞 -Ashley". And also a mug that says that. "Oh my god! So this is two gifts I'm gonna use today already! I'll use this mug for my Coffee! These gifts mean SO much to me!" He says. "I'm so glad! I thought you'd like it." Ashley says. Then he goes for a bag from me again. This bag is full of Decorations, and Kitchen stuff. I got a towel set that says "Texas Bluebonnets", and "Home Sweet Texas". Then Cowboy boots salt and pepper shakers. As well as a Texas apron, and a set of Texas Spatulas. As well as a Texas Cutting Board. He got so excited opening it all. "SO MANY TEXAN THINGS!!! I LOVE IT!" Conan shouts. "I figured because I know how much you love Texas, and how much it means to you, and now being here myself, we will turn our kitchen into a Texan kitchen." "This makes me so happy!!! This is so cool! The fact you will let us turn it into a Texan kitchen! And I didn't even ask you!" Conan says. "You didn't have to ask me. That's the great thing about Christmas time. Santa knows even the things you don't even ask for. He knows and gets it for you." I say, smiling. "This makes me so happy! I'll have a part of this home, back at our own home!" Conan says, smiling wide and tearing up. "Aww! I'm so happy that you appreciate it so much!" I say. "Well of Course! This place means so much to me! And you do too! I get a little bit of both homes in one now because of you!" Conan says back. I just can't stop smiling. I love seeing him so happy! Next, he opens another bag from me. His mouth drops "IT'S A DINOSAUR ONESIE!!!! OH MY GOD I LOVE IT!" Conan shouts. Then he opens some more Dino Jammies. One was a short sleeve and long pants set, and some Dinosaur Boxers, with a red t shirt, with yellow eyes and a mouth. Also, some Dinosaur slippers. Can't have dinosaur pajamas without Dinosaur slippers! Obviously! Then a T shirt that says "Her Dinosaur." That was it for that bag. Next up, another present from Ashley. It's an ornament that is a heart, with the Texan symbol, and she had it personalized. It has a house drawing, that says "Ashley's home. At the heart of Texas." And another one, with a hollow part in the middle, so she put a picture of them in it. "Ohhhh, this is so cute!" Conan says in an adorable voice. Next, from me, more Kitchen Decorations. One was a cowboy boot wine holder, I also got a "Homesick Texans Family Dinner" cookbook, one of those things that you press on to food, to make a logo, like, burnt into it. And fitting with that, a Texas scrub. That makes any meat taste smoky. Also a Texas waffle Maker. It makes the shape of Texas on a waffle. And a Floor Mat. "Dangggggg! This is so cool! We're gonna have a whole Texan Kitchen! And I am so excited about it!" Conan says. Another one from me, he opened a wrapped box. It's a "Lone star-Opoly. A whole nother game." "Oooohhhh! This looks so fun! A Texan twist on monopoly. And I love that game! And I love Texas! We need to play this tonight I think!" Conan says. "Yeah sure! I think that would be fun! Family game night!" I say. "Yes. I agree. I would love for us to have a family game night! And I appreciate you considering me family." Ashley tells me. "Well of course! You're Conan's best friend, and now my best friend! And I'm happy you're a part of the family, and I appreciate you opening your home to us these past 2 weeks!" I say. "Well, that's what family does. Opens their home to others. I know you guys would open yours to me." Ashley says. "Good, I'm glad you know that our home is always open to you as well. ALWAYS." I say. "And same to you guys, it is always open to you guys. I don't care if it's the middle of the night. 2:30 in the morning. You guys have the copy of the key." She says. Even though Conan already knew this, he cries. And so do I. "You are the best person ever! And we are lucky to have you in our lives! And I'm very grateful that you gave Conan such a wonderful, safe home. And for making him happy before I could." I say. Now she is crying, and Conan cries harder. "I love you so much, AsHlEy! Thank you for being my safe place when it wasn't safe where I lived with my parents. That was NOT home. You were my first home. And you always will be." Now Ashley and I both cry harder as well. It's just so sweet. And emotional, and a little sad. Because of the fact his parents house was never a safe home for him. We all get up for a big group hug. "I love you guys so much!" Conan says. "Well we love you too!" Ashley says. And we both nestle our heads against Conan's shoulders. I wipe his tears away. I smile. About 10 minutes of that, Conan is ready to open more presents. But wait. The babies started crying! "Wow. They're up early considering they've slept late everyday, except for the days we wake them up." I say. "Well they must know it's Christmas time! Lots of people wake up early on Christmas." Conan says. "Yeah, that's true. You were up early." I say. "Exactly." "Although when my sister and I were kids, we always would sleep until 10:00 or 11:00 in the morning. We were Not like most kids. My parents always said how every one else gets up at the crack of Dawn on Christmas. But they should have been grateful, because they also got to sleep in. Although I wouldn't mind if our kids wake up early. Seeing their bright shining faces, shining with excitement." I say. "Haha, yeah I agree. It's like, be grateful you could sleep in! But yeah, I could imagine it. It would be cool. They'd be all full of energy like I was." Conan says. "Yeah, and I definitely wouldn't mind 3 Conan's basically. 3 people full of energy! It would hype me up for sure! Y'all are my greatest joys!" I say, smiling just thinking about the future. "Awwww, and Y'ALL are MY greatest Joys!" Conan says. So I get the babies. I feel a bit guilty for letting them lay there crying for even Just a few minutes. Conan goes with me. "Good Morning Babies!..... Merry CHRISTMAS!" I say, in a high pitch voice, that a lot of people use to talk to babies. They smile instantly. Which makes me smile. "Are you ready for breakfast?" I ask them. They smile wider. "Yeah, I figured so." I say. And I sit down on the bed to feed them. I pull up my shirt, and let them connect their mouth to my breasts. "Is that good?" I ask them. It must be, because they won't stop. 10 minutes later they are finished. So we continue opening presents. Conan still has a bit to open. Next, he opens the snow globe I was talking about yesterday, when we were in one of the shops. "Woahhhh! This is so cool!" Conan exclaims. "Twist the thing on the bottom." I say. So he winds it up, and it plays the song, and the figures start moving. "I wanted to get you something music related. Now open up more." I say. He reaches for another gift. The next thing he pulls out is a Guitar heartbeat T shirt. Next, I got him a personalized Guitar Pick, with smoky black, and it says "Kid Krow." Which is the name of his newest album. He flips out. "OH MY GOD IT'S A KID KROW THEMED GUITAR PICK!! NO FREAKING WAY! IT LOOKS SICK!" Conan shouts. Next, Soundproofing foam tiles. For his music room. Mostly to keep sounds from me and the kids, out of the room. Especially if we're noisy when he's trying to record a song. And focusing. I also got him more mugs. "Oh my god, more mugs! I'm so happy! I'll have SO many mugs to choose from!" Conan says. One of them has music notes all over it, and the handle is a guitar. Then, a mug that looks like a stereo, and lastly, In that bag, another thermos, with Guitar print all over it. I REALLY spoiled him with stuff for his Guitar room. Also, a Guitar Outfit. To go with the Heartbeat guitar T shirt, I also got a guitar long sleeve, and long pants with guitars, and music notes, Sunglasses with the rims were guitars. As well as a Guitar Hat. I Really wanted to improve it for him. He has a bathroom in his guitar room. So I found these super cool bathroom products. He just has normal everything. That standard toilets and sinks have. Well, I'm about to change that when we get home. I got him a Guitar shaped toilet seat, along with a guitar flush handle. He laughs when he opens Those things. "Okay these are super cool! Where did you even find this stuff?" Conan asks, amazed. "Amazon.com." I say. "But that's not all for your bathroom." I say. He also tends to write music or come up with it in the shower. So I ordered some bath tub installers to customize build, and Install a Guitar shaped tub. I look forward to seeing how it turns out, and I got him a guitar shower curtain to go with it. He opens it and is so confused. "You're gonna put this in our bathroom, that we share?" He asks. So I just go along with it. "Yep! I can live with that." I say. "Well sweet!" Conan says. Next, guitar handles for the sink. Guitar hand towels, and finally, an amp shaped toothbrush holder. That's all I got him. I had to stop eventually. There's a limit. Although it's hard when he is in my life. I just want to get him everything. Lol. "Wow! You REALLY weren't kidding when you said you spoiled me. Then I get a feeling in my heart. "OH WAIT! What about that box over there, in the Kitchen?" I ask. "Ohhhh.. I don't know! That's for me?!" Conan asks. "Yep! Let's go see what it is!" I say. I walk with him to the kitchen, recording of course. I've been recording this whole time. "You can just lift the box. It was just used to cover up the thing." I say. So he lifts it up, and screams! "AHHHH! SHUT UP! IT'S A FREAKING MINI FRIDGE THAT LOOKS LIKE AN AMPLIFIER!!! OHHHH MY GOD! You literally got me the coolest gifts Ever and I'm Flipping out!" Conan shouts. "Do you like it?" I ask, as if I couldn't already tell. "I LOVE IT!" "Good! I'm glad!" I say. "Okay, time for you to open your stuff." Conan says. "Okay, Yay! I'm excited!" I say, smiling and sitting down. I pick out my first gift. The first thing I am absolutely in LOVE with! It's a picture of Conan and I in the middle of a heart, printed on a blanket, which is super soft! Just like he makes my heart. Soft, with fuzzy feelings. "Oh my god I am in LOVE!" I say, and I hold it close to me. He says "there's more in this category." Conan says. "Yay! I'm so excited!" I say, looking at the other things in the bag, that are in the category. A set of pillow cases with the same thing. "Ooooohhhh! This is so comfy! I'm switching out my pillow case tonight!" I say, smiling wide. "Yayyyy! I'm so happy you like it!" Conan says, in an adorable voice. "Awww, of course! I love it! It's got your face on it!" I say. "That's true. It's just a good feeling when I get you the perfect things." Conan says. Next, I open up a gift that's a bit heavy. I unwrap it, and see that it's a photo printer, that you can connect to your phone! It can print it directly from the phone! That's definitely what I need! "OMG, this is so perfect!!! Ohhh, we need to make a scrap book, of us on our Texas trips, or any trip, even to the zoo, as they grow up. I have never seen something like this before!" I say, truly amazed and excited. "I'll be using this often!" I say. "Good! I hope you do! I'm really glad that you like it, considering you haven't even heard of one." Conan Says. "Oh yeah! I mean it's incredible! Thank you so much!" I say. I open up my next gift, and it's a Margarita maker kit! I open it and shout "OMG YAY! I LOVE Margaritas, so now I get to make them by myself! I don't have to go out to eat to have one! I can have one for the next cookout we have! Or anytime!" I shout. "I know you love Margaritas! So I thought you'd love it!" Conan says. "I DO love it, and it is the absolute PERFECT gift! I can't wait to use it! I'm gonna experiment with it a little." I say. "AWESOME! I would love to try your margaritas!" Conan says. "Thank you! We can share them!" I say. "YAYY!" Conan says. Then, I open another gift, another personalized one. It's two T shirts. One has a pic of Conan on it that says "My King!" And he got one for him to wear, that has a picture of me, that says "My Queen!" "AWWW, you're so cute, and sweet! And I'm glad you know you're my king!" I say, smiling wide. "We shall wear those shirts together, at the same time." Conan says. Yes, definitely! Especially in public! It's SO cute! And you chose good pictures!" I say. I fold up the shirt, and pick up The next gift. What a tear jerker. The first thing I open up, is a Beautiful music box, with a cardinal on it, that says: "A Message from Heaven: My Spirit Will Live On, forever, there within your heart." Then it has a tree trunk with some leaves, and at the end is a heart that says "always." Then Conan tells me to open that up, to look inside. So I do, and there are pins, with beautiful cardinals, an ornament that says "Cardinals visit from heaven above, to bring us well wishes from those that we love." I start BAWLING! I manage to get out some words. "Thank you so much! It means so much to me!" I say, and my breath gets a little hard and uneasy. Conan cringes and says "hmmmm.... Maybe you want to take a break from these gifts. I got you a few cardinal things." "No, that's okay sweetie. Good tears." I assure him. Conan walks over to me, and sits on The edge of The chair, on the arm rest, to hug me. I get butterflies because it's so sweet. He's comforting me! I ask him "Do you wanna sit on me? I bet it would be more comfortable." I ask. And he nods his head, and sits on my lap, sideways. That way he can still hug me, from the side. He hands me my gifts. I kinda squeeze his back. Conan tears up, and then buries his face on my shoulder. I stop opening my gifts to comfort him now. I rub his back, soothingly. I say "Conan, I'm okay. It's okay! I LOVE memorializing Gaga! And a lot of times I cry. It helps me with the grief. By memorializing. Whenever I miss her, I go over by the memorial, and I admire it for sometimes an hour! So trust me, I'm not SAD because I miss her and it makes me miss her more. I'm happy. Yeah I miss her, but it is not sad that you got me cardinal things to memorialize her." I assure him. "Okay. I just don't like making you cry. I'm glad it's happy tears. But it seems like it's kind of a bittersweet thing. Like, you're happy I got you stuff for you Gaga Memorial, but you feel sad because it makes you miss her. Because you wouldn't have to memorialize her if she was still here." Conan says, still crying. "Ohhhh, Babyyy, you're kinda right. It is a bit bittersweet. But please don't feel bad. You're not making me cry. I literally cry every time I buy something for the memorial. And If anything it's GOOD! Because like I said, it helps with the grief. And you nailed it with the "I wouldn't have to memorialize her if she was here, so it gets emotional. But I cry, and then I'm fine. It's never just sadness." I say softly, to soothe him. I then wrap both my arms around him, a little tighter. "Okay. That helps. I know I'm not causing complete sadness. But the fact it makes you sad at ALL, really sucks. Besides, Christmas is supposed to be a HAPPY time. Nothing but cheerfulness! And here I am bringing sadness to the day. And do you understand, It is hard for me to see you cry, especially when I cause the tears? Even if it was something I knew you'd love. And would mean a lot to you. Like, Yeah, you cry when you buy memorial stuff, but it's different when you cry when I buy you memorial stuff." Conan says. "But it IS a cheerful day! And besides, Gaga deserves to have tears shed for her. And Christmas was her favorite Holiday. She doesn't want me to cry. And neither do you. But she deserves the tears shed for her. And it's not like I'm gonna be crying all day. No, just a tiny moment. And you know what? I don't cry every time, if that helps. My mom gets me things for my Gaga memorial, and I don't usually cry. It just depends. Some days I'll be more emotional over it. Today's just one of those days. I'm sorry. Now I'm making you sad! I hate that! And yeah, I completely understand how you feel about me crying, and from something you bought me. But I really don't want you to feel bad. You're so sweet. Very empathetic." I say. "Yeah, see? I happen to be the one, who you cry around, when I get You your gift. And I know. It's not your fault. Don't feel bad for making me cry." Conan says. "But, Conan, next time I might not cry when you get me something like this. Next time I might when my mom gets me something like this. And don't tell me not to feel bad for making you cry, when you yourself feel bad for making me cry. That's hypocrisy. I don't think of you as a hypocrite, I'm just saying, that's how people view being told not to do something, when they feel that exact way." I say. "Yeah, I thought the same thing, as soon as I said that. I literally thought, 'wow. I'm being such a hypocrite.' But yeah, that's true. I Know. It is not my fault. It's just so hard. I don't like seeing you cry." Conan says. His voice kinda was breaking. "I know, it's hard seeing you cry too. But we have each other to make each other feel better." I say. "Yes, and I'm very grateful for that. I want you to be the one who wipes ALL my tears away. And I'll always want to wipe all your tears away." Conan says, sniffling. "I will always be the one to wipe your tears away, and I know you will always wipe away my tears. I want you to always be the one to wipe away all my tears too. I'm glad to be the one to always wipe your tears away. Also, here. Do you have a runny nose from the tears? Here's a Kleenex." I say. "I never loved anyone more than I love you! Not even as much as I love you!" Conan says. Conan takes the Kleenex and blows his nose. "I mean, you Ashley, I love you like my sister. But I mean, like, when it comes to relationships, I never wanted to date people, because I didn't love them like I love Katie." Conan says. "I get it. And I love you like a brother! You can't get any closer than that." Ashley says. Conan still cries just a little bit. "Okay, do you want me to continue opening my presents? I was gonna help you stop crying completely. But I guarantee I'll keep crying as I open these gifts. So then you'll cry. Might as well just let it out all at once." I say, to Conan. "Yeah, that's a good idea. But I appreciate you stopping everything to comfort me." He says. "Well of course! I hate seeing you so upset. And I wasn't just gonna keep opening my presents while you're a sobbing mess." I say. "I know, because you're very caring, and you want to help me feel better. You always do, you're the best at it!" Conan says. "I'm glad! I would be so heartbroken if I ever couldn't make you feel better." I say, tearing up Just thinking about it. "Well, I can assure you, there will never be a time where you can't calm me down." Conan says, wiping away the two tears that started to roll down my face. "I love you so much!" I say, whispering, my voice is cracking because of my emotions. "I love you too! So much more!" Conan says. I smile and say, "Impossible. Because I love you most!" I say. "I guess you win." Conan says. "It's good! Because you need it most anyways." I say, giving him one last hug before opening more of my gifts. It's a tall wrapped gift, it looks like it's a box of some kind. So I unwrap it, and it's a box, plain. Nothing on it, so I have to open the box to actually see what it is! That's honestly fun and exciting! It remains a mystery! But not for long! I struggle to get the box open, and Conan helps me. Once he gets it started, I am able to rip the box open. I discover plastic wrap, covering a table. I pull it out, and I see it has cardinals on it! Two of them. "That can be for the front porch! And you can sit out there and feel close to Gaga." Conan says. "I love it! Thank you! I love the concept behind it and everything! And the design is absolutely gorgeous!" I say. Next, a bag, with more emotional things. I see a cardinal throw blanket, that says "I am Always With you." So Conan wraps it around me, then I reach into the bag again. It feels heavier. It's beautifully folded too! "Great job folding." I say, as I open it up. When I do, I instantly sob! It's another thing that says "I am Always With You." But it's a quilt! For the bed! He had it slightly personalized too! So at the end Of the quote, it says "-Gaga." And on one of the squares, between two cardinal squares, it says "When you see a cardinal, think of me. I'll be there. -Gaga." "This is just absolutely beautiful! Very thoughtful! And I love that you had it personalized!" I say, full on sobbing. My eyes are so full I can't see. It's so blurry. Conan wipes away the tears, and my eyes are now cleared of tears, except for my lash line. So I can see now, a little bit. My eyes and tears pulse, as more tears form. But, when Conan wipes away most of the tears, I can see him crying. So I wipe his tears away. He rubs my cheek with his thumb. He strokes it lovingly. "I'm so happy you love it so much!" Conan says. And I pull the quilt up to us, wrapping us both in it. We continue to wipe each other's tears away. Next, in the bag as well, is a set of plush pillows, with Cardinals on it. I love them so much! "These will be perfect for the rocking chairs in our bedroom! They're the perfect decoration!" I say. "Yay! I think it would look PERFECT there!" Conan says. "I think so too!" I say, smiling, through the tears. And I lean in to give him a kiss on the cheek. Another gift is a frame with a cardinal, that says "Remembering you
Your time on earth
Seemed all too brief
Because I wanted you
In my Life forever.
And although I really miss you,
In my heart, I Know you're at peace.
Still, countless times throughout the day
I find myself remembering you.
Although I can not see or hear you,
I know that you are with me.
I'll feel you in the warmth of the summer sun.
I'll see you in the brilliance of Autumn leaves.
You'll be beside me in the peacefulness of a gentle snowfall.
And rejoice with me at the emergence
Of the first flowers of spring.
I'm thankful for the times we shared
And the priceless memories too;
For those memories are a comfort now
When I lovingly -Remember you."
Of course I bawl my eyes out. "Oh, wow! I love the message of this!" I say, wiping away my tears on the throw blanket. And if I hadn't cried enough.... lol..... There's another frame that says "When you believe Beyond what your eyes can see.... Signs from heaven show up to remind you LOVE never dies." I cry more. "I DO believe! I get hearts from Gaga all the time! So this message is really something! Both frames are! I love you so much! And I love Gaga so much, and I appreciate this SO much! You have no idea! You know, she would love you! She does actually! Although she never got to meet you when she walked the earth, she can see from heaven. And I can guarantee she loves you, VERY much!" I say. "Thank you, i'm glad you love it so much! Sorry again for causing all the tears though. And I'm sorry, but I'm not quite done with the memorial stuff. And I'm glad you think Gaga loves me! You think she approves of me?" Conan asks. I smile and giggle. "That's okay love! I appreciate the memorial gifts! It means the world to me! And yes of course! And are you kidding? She'd do More than approve! She's WORSHIP you. lol." I say, laughing a little. So I open my next gift. It's a stepping stone, with a golden angel on it, that says "Those we love don't go away. They walk beside us everyday. Unseen, unheard, but always near. So loved, so missed, so very dear." "Awwww! This will look great in our front yard! Near the porch. Or like, right at the steps of the porch. And then I'll feel EXTRA close to Gaga when I go to sit with my cardinal table. You're incredible! You pay attention! You know how much I love cardinals and Angels, because cardinals are a sign from loved ones, and Angels are just what I associate Gaga with. Then, I open up a tiny box. In it, has 3 flameless candle Angels. You know, those decorative ones. "I know exactly where I'm gonna put these! One will go in my memorial I have for her, in that curio cabinet thing in our room, then one next to my bedside table, next to the urn pendant. And maybe the other one can go hmmm, I'd say with the babies. For a reminder they are always being watched over by Gaga, as well as me." I say. "I love that when you open your gifts, you can instantly imagine the perfect place for them! And I'm glad I have done an amazing job so far in picking good gifts." Conan says. "Oh sweetie you have picked out the absolute BEST gifts! Cool, and thoughtful!" I say. He also got me a angel figurine, that says "I hold you close to my heart, although we are apart." Next, a set of beautiful Angel wind chimes! It has 6 angels on a string, with the chimes. They are LED light up too! Then, I unwrap a rather large box. It's a glider ottoman! It has white paint finish, and Gray cushions and back! The brand is Angel Line! I don't know if that was intentional. But how cool! "Ooooh! I'm imagining it now! Me sitting on the porch, on my ottoman, relaxing with some hot chocolate, or hot apple cider, wrapped in my nice cardinal fleece throw. And I will sit there enjoying the Angel wind chimes, as they light up. What a relaxing environment it will be for me! Day OR night!" I say. All the gifts are going to be put to great use I see! That sounds amazing! It does sound very peaceful and relaxing!" Conan says. "I told you! You picked out great gifts! I'm putting them all to use!" I say. I opened a jewelry box, with a ring, that has a compass. The message encrypted in it, is "I'd Be lost without you." Then I smile at him. "Ohhh, I'd be lost without you too!" I say. "Thank you for being my compass!" Conan says sweetly. "You're welcome baby! I'm glad I'm your compass! Thank you for being my atlas of the world! My globe! You ARE my world! You are my globe!" I say. "Awww! You're very welcome! You are my world too!" Conan says, sweetly. "I know that sweetie!" I say. "Good. Because you should feel like nothing less." Conan says. "You never make me feel like anything less, my love. And I hope I never let you feel like anything less either." "Good, I'm glad. As long as I never make you feel like anything less than my world, I am doing a pretty good job as a fiancé. And of course you never make me feel like anything less. Always the world and more." Conan says. "Good! Then I'd say I'm a pretty good Fiancé too then." I say. "You're the best fiancé ever! And I can not wait to marry you!" Conan says. "And I can't wait to marry you either! That will be the best day of my life!" I say. "Yeah! Same! And the first best day of my life was the day I met you. Okay, open your next gift." "Awww! My other best day is the first day we met. Or like, I had already watched you on YouTube for months at the time. But the day you answered my DM." I say, smiling as I pick up my next gift. It's a shoe box. So I open it up, fold back the tissue paper they wrap shoes in, and it's Heat Insulated Winter boots! "OHHHH YESSS!! These are gonna keep my feet and toes SO warm!" I say, getting so excited. "Now grab that bag right there." Conan says. So I do, and there's a winter coat. Fluffy on the inside, and has a wire, to turn on heat. So I can turn it on if I'm not quite warm enough with just the fluffy coat. And I can leave it off if I don't need it. "Wow! I'm gonna be SO warm this winter! And every winter! Thank you so much!" I shout, with a big smile on my face. "You're welcome! I want to make sure you stay warm! Also, one last thing here." Conan says. So I pick up one last thing in the warmth category. It's a pair of fleece leggings! It's made with the finest, most luxurious fabrics to exist! "Ooooooohhhhhh, I can not wait to wear these!" I say, marveling. "Good! I hope all of the things I bought you keeps you warm!" Conan says. "I'm sure it will!" I say, smiling. I got many more things. But now, it's time to talk about what we got for Ashley, and the babies.
We give the babies their gifts. One is a bag full of footie pajamas. One was A Clarice, and a Rudolph onesie, to go with it. They both were hooded. I got Luna two pairs of Snow rompers. One was an all over pink with pink flowers, and the other was white, with pink flowers. And for Conan Jr. I found a romper, that was thick, and made with wool. It was a basic beige color, but I felt it would look cute on Conan Jr. We found Luna a velvet textured hoodie and leggings set. Super soft and warm. I found a few more sets like that, In different colors! So I couldn't resist of course! There's a dark heather Gray, color, with white pockets and pale pink flowers. Then there's a black hoodie, with gray pockets and pink flowers. Another one was black, with red roses! That I thought would look great on her. There's a light gray hoodie, with pink, yellow, and blue flowers on a white pocket and pants! And lastly, a fuzzy beige colored one, with big pink flowers! So pretty! I can't wait to try the outfits on her! Conan picked out a hoodie and pants set for Conan Jr. it's got a lion on it. You know, they call Lions the King of the Jungle! Well, Conan has a song called "The King." Conan Jr. is Daddy's little king. We got them SO much more clothes! Then, the toys: Conan and I found a baby swing. For the inside of the house. Inside or outside! So we got that for the babies. I open it for them and say "Look at this! What do you think?! You wanna swing?" I ask. They coo and smile. "Yeah? Daddy and I will get it set up for you when we get back home!" It's a double swing too! And next, I open up an inflatable raft thing, for a pool! I just found one the other day. Which is perfect! We got them two. Now we don't have to carry them in the pool. We can set them down in the raft. It has two leg holes, just like a baby swing. And to go with that, we got them pool/bath toys. Such as motor/battery operated fish, dolphins, and turtles. SO cute! We decided to give them 2 of the Buc-ee beach towels. We can wrap them in an oversized towel. Not a bad thing, ever. And we'll save the rest of the buc-ee beach towels for when they are 2 or 3, maybe even 4. Next, we got them a water play net, which they can use at probably around 1. But we figured we'd get it and give it to them now, before we forget they exist, or we forget we bought it for them. But they could sit in it, even at their age. We don't have a pool yet. We might get one soon though. We also got them a baby play mat, with musical sounds. It's a piano on the part that they lay on. And we got toys separately, to go on it. We bought a guitar, and drum sticks, and other musical instruments, to hang over the play pen. We got them more stuffed animals. Including some Buc-ee beaver plushes. They smile as soon as his face. Same with when they saw the beach towel. "Who is that? Is it Buc-ee Beaver? Do you love him?" I ask, in a baby voice. The babies reached for him. I hand it to them. "Awww! This is so cute! They love Buc-ee as much as WE do!" I say. "Yeah! Buc-ee can put a huge, Texas sized smile on anyone, at any age." Conan says. We also got them each some Buc-ee blankets. They're blankets with Buc-ee at one corner of the blanket! And some Buc-ee socks, and T shirts that match the one on the plush. So they can be twinning with their plushes! I even found Buc-ee's DIAPERS! So I figured I'd try it out on them. Because, beavers build Dams, and that stops water. It could hold Pee, or something, and soak it up. Before it soaks through. And it's like a cloth texture. We got a Dream light plush. A ladybug one. "I remember having one of these when I was younger." I say when I open it up for the babies. "Me too! They were so cool! I was like, 12 when I got it. I know, a little old for collecting stuffed animals that light up the ceiling." Conan says. "Awww, young Conan! I could imagine it! And you're never too old for stuff like that! And I'm hoping they'll get a more peaceful, restful sleep with the lights. Maybe they'll be sleeping all night just like they have every day here in Texas!" I say. "Yeah, that would be super nice! And if not, they will probably love it, and find it peaceful regardless. "Ugh, and could you imagine how fun it will be when they're older, and we make sheet forts, and we use the dream lights pillow pets? And we all lay there watching a movie? God, I love their age now, but I can't help but imagine and day dream about the future! There will be so many more things we can do! But for now, I look forward to watching them reach milestones." I say. "Oh, yeah! My god, you always think of the coolest, most simple, but fun things to do with them when they're older! And we can pick pumpkins in fall at the pumpkin patch!" Conan says. "And go on haunted Hayrides, and we can set them on our laps, to protect them, then gather by the fire pit they provide, and sit around it with donuts and Apple Cider!" I say. We keep building on each other's ideas. It's super exciting! They got a lot more stuffed animals. From both us, and Ashley. I frown kinda when we're done opening the babies gifts. "You know, dang, it's really hard shopping for Christmas presents for babies! It's hard to know what they'd play with. I mean, like, certain things go better with certain ages. Like building blocks, and color and shape matching, and other things. Because they have to learn how to do physical things. And how to use their hands. I feel bad, because Other parents of new born babies buy their babies SO much for Christmas." I say. Conan shakes his head. "Don't feel bad about that. Do you see the smile on their faces? They do not care how much they got. They don't even understand amounts of things. When they're older it will be easier. Even 1 year." Conan says. I smile. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks. It does mean the world just to see them smile! Also, do you wanna get started on breakfast?" I ask. "Sure!" Conan says. "Are we gonna have the French toast, or The Breakfast Pizza?" I ask. "Hmm, I forgot you wanted to make that today, but I feel like French Toast with Cranberry syrup and sprinkles sounds good. I hope you don't mind." Conan says. "No, I don't mind! Honestly it kinda made me change my mind about the Pizza when Ashley suggested the French toast. That's a more warming, breakfast. Suitable for Christmas morning. And you're having egg nog, and I can try and make Candied Bacon!" I shout, just thinking about it. "Since it's last minute, I just need to hope we have all the ingredients. I know we have bacon. Cause we just bought it yesterday for the breakfast Pizza. But the question is: Do we have Brown sugar?" I ask Ashley. "We do indeed have brown Sugar! I just used some the other day on the cinnamon rolls. There's a lot left!" Ashley says, leading me to her kitchen cabinets. "SWEET! Thank you! I'm glad! I've never tried to make it myself. But I can certainly google how to do it." I say. "I'm so excited to try it! I've never had Candied Bacon before!" Ashley says. "I have! They have them at a Restaurant called Bob Evans! Very good! And I feel like the sweetness of it, would make the absolute perfect combination with French Toast, and especially on Christmas morning!" I say. "Awesome! I can't wait to try it! Get the recipe pulled up! And we can all do it together! All three of us!" Ashley says. "Awwww! That'll be SO fun to all make it together! It'll feel like the Ash And Cone Cooking show on YouTube! And I will be a part of it! And the YouTube era for Conan ended years ago. "Well, we could certainly make a video, for this such special occasion! You know how happy it would make the fans? And It'll be unedited, so I can upload it today, cause editing takes days. The only thing I'll add to the video, is Christmas instrumental in the background." Conan says. "OMG REALLY?! YAY! I AM GONNA TAKE PART IN FEEDING THEM!" I shout, getting SUPER excited. So Conan gets the camera set up, to be prepared for a new recording, for specifically his channel. "Hey! Do you want to dress up? I'll be Mrs. Claus, and You'll obviously be Santa Claus, and Ashley, you can be the elf!" I say, squealing with excitement. I'm so much in the Christmas spirit! "Yeah! Let's do it!" Conan and Ashley shout, equally excited and in the Christmas spirit as I am. So we all get on our outfits, and we start the video. "MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! We hope you're all hungry! We're feeding you guys breakfast today! We wanted to give some Christmas cheer for all of our fans! You guys are family to us, and we wanted to surprise you with a new video! We hope you enjoy! Today, we'll be making French toast, with Cranberry syrup, and sprinkles, And Candied Bacon!" Conan says for the intro. "Also, this video will be unedited. So enjoy all of the shenanigans that happen!" He says. "Okay, so what do we need? What will we start off with first?" Conan asks. "Well, we'll need to preheat the oven, to 450 it says here on the recipe. And we'll start with the French toast, at least preparing the mix. Because preparing the bacon won't take long. The French toast will take longer to prepare, so we can do the French toast mixture, while we wait for the oven to be preheated." I suggest. "Ohh, good thinking!" Ashley says. "Okay, so let's get out all the ingredients for French toast batter." Ashley says. We all go through the fridge and grab the ingredients. Cinnamon, eggs, "do you wanna put eggnog in the mixture?" I ask. "Sure, why not?" Ashley says. "Yeah! Let's get creative!" I shout. So I grab that, Conan grabs the carton of eggs, Ashley grabs the vanilla Extract, Cinnamon, sugar. Conan grabs the Butter, and now we are ready to make the batter. "Okay. Crack 3 eggs into the bowl." I say. So we all take turns. We each crack 1 egg. "Next, we add the milk." I say. So we pour milk. We don't follow the direct instructions. I know that from the past Ash And Cone cooking shows. They just go with it, and hope they don't mess up. I trust it, because they usually end up making it taste good, as I've seen in videos, when they try it. So I go along with it. Next we add the cinnamon. That is the one thing we are careful on. So we measure it directly in the measuring spoon. 1 tbsp. Next, we add egg nog. We just add a random amount, because we just thought about it. There hasn't ever been any recipes where it calls for Eggnog. We're making it as Christmasy as possible! "Ooooohhhhh, you know what we need for the top of the French toast? Or maybe even in the batter? Some Orange zest! The orange would compliment the Cranberry BEAUTIFULLY!" I say. "Ooooohhhhh!!! I love your creativity with today's breakfast!" Ashley says. "Thank you so much!! I'm SO excited! I hope it will be good!" I say. So we took an orange out of the bowl on the kitchen counter, and collect some zest. The oven beeps. It's preheated! "Okay, let's quickly prepare the bacon!" I say. We already laid out the bacon on the baking sheet, on parchment paper. "Okay. Let's put loads of brown sugar! Forget the recipe! That's all it needs, is brown sugar! And you guys like to forget the rules of measuring. Besides, I don't think you could really go terribly wrong with brown sugar." I say. So we grab some spoons, and sprinkle it on, kinda gently. And then Conan accidentally bumps his arm into mine, and my Brown sugar went all over one of the bacon strips. "Okay, so I think that's enough Brown sugar on that piece of bacon there, wouldn't you say?" I ask, laughing. And Ashley says, "No, I honestly think it needs more! Go big or go home, right?" She jokes. Conan laughs hysterically! I enjoy hearing that, and it makes me laugh even harder, then Ashley laughs harder, and it's like a never ending loop of hysterical laughter for a good 2 minutes straight. We then tried to catch our breath, so we stopped laughing, and we started to laugh again. All at the same time! Another minute later, we officially pulled ourselves together. We finish up generously sprinkling brown sugar on top of the bacon, and we get it in the oven. "Okay, it says to bake it for 20-25 minutes." I say, looking at the recipe. So we set the timer on the oven, and dunk the bread into the batter. We make sure to make it drenched in the eggy, milky batter. We start to cook it. It sizzles in the pan. "There we go! NOW we're cooking!" I say. Conan and I soak some more slices in batter. That way it is prepared. She cooks each side for approximately 4 minutes. The first 4 French toast slices are done! She cooked 4 in a pan at a time. She's using a wide pan. Now, the next 4 are already ready for her. "Thank you both for helping prepare the other slices, so I could just cook." She says. "You're welcome! It's fun!" I say. "Yeah it is!" Conan says. So we continue to dip the last 2 slices in the batter. It's only the 3 of us. We don't need so much. 10 slices for 3 is plenty. Far more than enough. Conan puts the finger against his lip, signaling to stay silent. He dips his finger into the dish of butter. He licks it. I giggle slightly, and I do the same. Ashley turns around once she finishes cooking all the French toast. She had set the plate down, to butter them. "HEY! What happened to the butter?" Ashley asks, knowing exactly what happened to it. Because she could see it was indented. We both shrug our shoulders. And since she knew we licked the butter, with our fingers, she says "ugh, you guys are truly disgusting! How could you EAT straight up butter?" Ashley asks, laughing a little. "It's just so salty! It's so good!" Conan and I say. "Well, I do love saltiness. But for me, it's a texture thing. Butter is so thick with fat. And it's greasy. And it gets stuck to the roof of my mouth. It coats it." Ashley says. "So you HAVE eaten butter before on its own?" Conan asks, smirking. "Yes, that's how I know I don't like it. The taste is great, I will admit that." Ashley says. "You Know, You think just a finger tip of butter is gross? Well here's something grosser! I one time ate a stick of butter when I was about 1 years old! My aunt and mom and I had gone to the store. My aunt bought butter, and on the way home, I opened the butter and ate a stick of it." I say. "EWWWW! And you didn't get SICK?!" Ashley asks. "Nope, I did not! But my aunt almost did, just from the thought of me eating a stick of butter." I say. "I bet!" Ashley says. "Have you ever tried Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, with Butter?" I ask. "No, but I bet it's really good!" Ashley says. "Ohhhhh my gosh, you HAVE to try it!" I say. "Okay, I might!" Ashley says. "It was my favorite sandwich as a kid! Or one of them anyways! I would always say "Mommy, could I have a Peanut Butter, Butter, and Jelly Sandwich please?" So she made that. And my Grandma, always made the most delicious Tomato sandwiches! You put two slices of bread in the toaster, slice some Tomatoes. Then, when the toast is ready, butter it, then place tomatoes on the toast then sprinkle salt and pepper. Mmm! Another one of my favorites!" I say. "Hmm! I love tomatoes! I'll have to make that too sometime in the summer!" Ashley says. "Yeah! And then let me know how you like it!" I say. "I will!" Ashley says. "Yay! And it's nice because you'll be trying something Gaga made!" I say. "yeah! So it will be special!" Ashley says. "Yes! Exactly! And if you like it, I'm sure Gaga would be pleased to know that." I say. "Yeah! I'm glad you talk with me about your Gaga, and how you're telling me the food she has made." Ashley says. "I'm glad to include you! You would have loved her, I know it! And she would have loved you! Or she does. Cause she's watching you from heaven!" I say, tearing up. The oven beeped! "OP! There's the Candied Bacon! It smells amazing! All of it does!" I say. "Yeah I'll say! That was a great idea adding candied bacon to our menu today!" Ashley says. "You're welcome! I hope we like it!" I say. "I'm sure we will!" Conan and Ashley say. I ask Conan "Hey, do you want me to make you a cup of that Pecan coffee?" "YESSSSS PLEASE!" He says. "Okay, I'll brew you a cup right now! Then we'll sit down with our breakfast." I say. The camera is still recording. We decided to eat the whole thing on camera. I bring Conan's cup of coffee, in one of the musical mugs I got him, and I join them at the table. We have a great conversation. We all raise our cups to the viewers. "Merry Christmas everybody! Happy Holidays! It's nice to spend The Holidays with you! I hope you enjoyed the meal, and the surprise Video!" We take a sip of our drinks, and continue eating and talking. To each other and the camera. "Mmm! That is the perfect cup of coffee! Better than coffee I make! The perfect amount of maple cream, and I love the roasted Pecan flavoring. Excellent buy!" Conan says. "Good! I'm so happy that you love it!" I say. "Honestly I'd expect nothing less! You're really good at picking stuff out!" Conan says. "So will I have to buy you this kind more often? Because I'll be happy to!" I say. "Yeah! I'd love that! I could buy it myself though." Conan says. "Yeah, but I love being the one who gets you things sometimes. I want to always spoil you with Pecan coffee grounds!" I say, smiling. Also, in the background, behind us at the table, there is a fireplace we have going. A beautiful setting for his video. So it was a good decision sitting there. Then Conan does the Outro! "Well, guys! We hope you enjoyed your breakfast! Sorry we haven't fed you in Sooooo long! I hope y'all got enough to eat! And it honestly wasn't as crazy as I expected it to be. You guys have NO idea how much stuff I have cut out of videos in the past, when I was a regular uploader. But I'm not complaining. I hope you enjoyed just chilling and spending some of your Christmas with your second family, US! Because we sure enjoyed spending it with y'all! Once again, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays! We love Y'all!" Conan says. We all blow kisses, then Conan looks up "OH LOOK! THERE'S A MISTLETOE!" Conan says. He grabs his camera from off the kitchen counter, and points it up towards the mistletoe. Then he points it back down at him, and he puts his lips close to the camera, and makes a kissy sound. "I love you guys so much! Thanks so much for spending your Christmas with us!" Then he shuts off the camera. "Ohhh that was so sweet! That kiss at the end!! Your fans are gonna go NUTS! I know if I was just a fan, I would! Also, I love that outro! Especially how you said about spending time with them. It honestly did feel super real, as if the fans were right in the room with us the whole time! I agree that it is nice to spend Christmas with them!" I say. I then say "I think we need to make this a yearly thing!" I say. "Yeah! You know what? I can agree to that!" Conan says, nodding and smiling. He quickly edits the music in the background, on a low volume so that isn't the main focus. He chose an Instrumental of "Deck The Halls." Piano Version, beautifully orchestrated by Annie Leigh! I don't think Orchestrated is the right word.... I can't think of a better term. Lol. But I feel it is perfect for the video. So peaceful, quiet, and relaxing. Perfect for background noise. Then he uploads it, and announces it on all social medias! So many comments already! On the video, and the social media's. "I'M CRYING!!! I'VE MISSED YOU AND YOUR VIDEOS SO MUCH!!! Heading over to watch it now!" A girl says. Someone from Toxic Twitter, said "Who CARES?! If you wanna give us a Christmas gift, Give us an apology!" Conan looks upset, and I hover over him, also looking at the comments. "Conan, just get off of Twitter. That is a toxic place for you. Instagram and YouTube comments is fine. But it's Christmas, a day of cheer. So get off Twitter, please." I say. So he does. "Thank you. Good boy." I say, giving him a kiss on the forehead. Conan smiles. And I sit down on his lap, wrapping ourselves in the cardinal quilt again.
We spent the whole day Like that basically. Now, it is 9:15 and we are EXHAUSTED! We were up so early. So we put the babies to bed, and then we crawl into the bed. We cuddle, and talk for a bit. About how amazing our day was. And how it was one of the best Christmases EVER! I smiled and so did he, and eventually, we fall asleep.
YOU ARE READING
A Boy Named Conan
Fanfiction2 people, YouTuber and fan. The fans dreams had become a reality after she got noticed in DM'S by Conan Gray! They instantly hit it off! Read to follow along on their exciting journey!
