Trey is spending Christmas with me and my family this year! His family is going to Pennsylvania and his work schedule just doesn't allow for him to go, too. So, we get to keep him for Christmas! Though I would love for him to be able to have his traditional Christmas, I am overjoyed. Christmas cookie making, tree decorating, present wrapping, holiday song jamming, stocking stuffing, hot cocoa sipping, movie watching, and SO. MUCH. MORE. 

Christmas is a week away and things have been delightfully busy! I'm home and beyond pleased to sit beside a stunning fir tree that has been trimmed with everything Dr. Seuss recommends and more, and play Mario Party with Jon and Trey. Every time I wrap a present, I give it to Jon to place underneath the beautiful evergreen and he beams. The tree really is something this year. My dad did a great job. 

All is merry and bright.

I qualified for the Dean's List.

I've got an incredible, supportive family.

I've been welcomed into another family with chocolate cakes and open arms from the very beginning!

Andy is doing well in China. The smog is the worst part about it, it seems. 

Now, let's sing Christmas carols for days and days. Let's watch Christmas movies and give hugs that last a couple of second longer than usual. Let's bake treats and cook goodies. Let's laugh louder and smile wider. It's Christmas!

College Traditions

I remember unpacking the Christmas decorations with my mom every Christmas and coming across this one box of ornaments. Every year she would say some variation of, "Be careful. I've had those since college." The wreath that has always hung on her door... yeah, she made that when she was my age. College. 

Sophomore year, Abbey and I made pomanders. Later, some weirdo at a party picked the cloves out of them and ate them. That was weird. But, still. We had a sensational time and our kitchen smelled like Christmas. It grew into a tradition. We get a tree, we decorate it, and we make pomanders. I'm so thankful for these memories and the traditions that we have made, Miss. Crain. Thank you! 

And hey, who knows, maybe I'll go out and buy some beautiful Christmas ornaments and then one day tell my daughter, "I got them in college, so be very careful!"

And, I would love to make a wreath...

2011

2012

Lately...

-I've been listening to only Christmas music on the radio, cassette tapes of Christmas music, and Sufjan's Christmas albums.

-I've been making Christmas tree ornaments, wrapping paper, paper snowflakes and reindeer mobiles, glitter bunting, ceramic mugs and bowls, memories, and pumpkin pies.

-I've been reading my text books. Only textbooks. Sigh.

 -I've been lusting after the Bosc pear and honey pop at Steel City Pops. So far, it's topped them all and I just can't get enough.
- I've been excited for everything. But, to name a few... going home and having my mom's beef stew, my dad's potato soup, Christmas trees, time with Jon, and more. Making memories and traditions. Finishing up my fall semester. Seeing The Nutcracker.
-I'm planning to have my third annual Christmas with Abbey on Wednesday. Tree decorating, pomanders, and catching up.
-I was surprised to pose nude for Abbey for her figure drawing class project. New experiences.

-I'm thankful that I was able to Skype Andy in China on Thanksgiving with my Grandparents. It made their day. They were thrilled to see him looking happy and healthy. I'm also thankful that my grandfather's heart has healed from working at only 15% to working at 45%.

-I'm praying for wisdom from the doctors and for God to work more miracles and heal my Papa's insides a bit more so that surgery can be done, if surgery is the best bet. I'm praying for peace of mind for all of my family members in their every day lives. I'm praying for my friends, that they will breathe and love the life that they've been given and make the most of the time that they have.

-I'm missing Andy. Every day.

It's the holiday season...

Abbey and I,  2012.

I know that it isn't Thanksgiving yet and I am in no way wanting to rush through that joyous, gluttonous holiday. But, I see no problem in reflecting on Christmases past and decorating for Christmas early and buying Christmas presents early and listening to Christmas music everywhere I go and talking about Christmas and thinking about Christmas, etc. I mean, I'm wearing Thanksgiving earrings every day. So, I am still honoring the approaching holiday. 

Sometimes, you just shouldn't repress what you're feeling. October through February is that time. 

Merry Freaking Christmas. I can't hold it in anymore.

Momentum

Alejandro Guijarro photographed the blackboards of quantum physicists as he found them in their institution's classrooms. Out of their normal context, we see that they are works of art. We can see the layers and layers of thought, time, and effort. We can see the carefully placed lines drawn to divide the works into segments. We see the eraser marks that cover the blackness with a thick, foggy film. We see the finger prints that broke through the misty, chalk dust film to point to numbers and symbols that were once of great importance. 

Too perfect.

"Never go on trips with anyone you do not love." -Ernest Hemingway

A wise woman once told me that she strongly believed that couples should travel before they get married. She said that traveling is a test. You get to see how your traveling partner handles money, lost tickets, late arrivals, lost reservations, wrong turns, delayed flights, layovers, stolen necessities, etc. Weichman, you passed.

It doesn't matter that the ATM ate your debit card. It doesn't matter that you forgot to pack all of your pants. It doesn't matter than Savannah was hot, sticky, filled with weird, tense people, and not near as great as we imagined it would be. 

When things went wrong, we laughed harder.

...

But thankfully, most everything went according to plan.

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina OR Heaven on Earth

No building can be taller than the tallest tree. No building can be painted anything other than neutral colors. There aren't hundreds of street lights lining the roads, blinding you as you try to see the stars. Clean streets and bike trails everywhere you go. Happy people and empty East Coast beaches.

Perfect weather and perfect company.

Shrimp boils, steaks, waffles, lobster, homemade breakfasts, sweaters, morning coffee, Phase 10 games with my family, playing with Wybie in the ocean, feeding monster horses, taking carriage tours of Beaufort, chocolate shops, biking, biking, biking, more biking, sampling local honeys, cemeteries, ice cream, and more biking. It was the perfect vacation. 

Hey, Trey. Let's go back.

I am thankful for so many things.