So I've heard people say that you learn something new everyday, and thus far in my life I 've found this fact to be true. For example: today I learned that I only have 21 days until I go home, home, home!!! I am at high risk for not being able to wait. I'm so excited and relieved to be going home so soon and the cherry on top is that'll be Christmas when I get there. And I'll be having a party, so I can see all my lovely friends and make sure they still have all their fingers, toes, brain cells (hopefully a few more of those have been put to use through the college experience) and basically are doing as well as they tell me they are. And I can sit on my couch with my broho and I can sleep in my bed and I can play with the cutest baby in the whole entire universe.
It's cold and there's snow on my mountain. It's so festive looking, like she's putting on her lacey white party dress. The effect is even more striking because it's cloudy today, so the mountain looks different, more beautiful and more mysterious. Which, let's just be honest, we all love an element of mystery in our lives. Maybe a little something we can't really explain but are trying too, or maybe we don't even want to try and explain it. If we put it into actual words, then the magic will be broken. It's like the feeling that I get when I see a lit-up Christmas tree at night, or a room full of candles (ps I always have to double check on my dictionary widget to see if I'm spelling 'candle' correctly . . .I always second guess it, thinking that maybe today the rules of spelling and grammar have changed and you spell 'candle' 'candel'. Thus far, this has never been the case). The feeling is centered in your heart and (oddly enough) your stomach. It's a wonderful feeling, the feeling of a holiday, anticipation and joy. I hope you've felt it too.

Happy Post-Thanksgiving and happy beginning of the Christmas Season! I'm going to do a cliche and tired thing that happens every year around this time. In just a moment I will go on and on about how I can't believe that November is almost over, that Thanksgiving has come and gone and that now it's legal to wear red and green, attend a party whose invitation states: 'dress festively' and most importantly, listen to Christmas music all day every day (without being scolded for overlooking an important and underappreciated holiday). So here we go. It's all gone by so quickly as a whole and yet so slowly as parts (I've only been here at the Y for about 3 months and yet it feels like years since I've slept in my bed, sat on my couch to watch a flick with my Brother Bear Jeff, seen my nephew do his fishy face, gone to Allaus for reasonably priced gelato, or sewn for hours with my mom in her drawing room). Where has the year gotten itself? Where did 2007 go?
Well part of it was devoted to Thanksgiving. And I honored the tradition that makes that holiday tick every year for me: I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade (affectionately known as the Macy's Day parade). I don't know but I love, love, love that parade. I didn't get to listen to it (I was at Erin's gym and you have to have a radio to listen to the tv) and I had to do the opposite of what Thanksgiving festivities are centered on (I worked out . . .antithesis of eating obscene, yet glorious amounts of turkey, stuffing, pie and the whipped cream that goes on top of the pie). And I missed the Broadway clips part . . .but by dingy I got to see Tom the Turkey and the M&M float and the whole gang. Happy Holidays to me!! I even got the sense of the playful, witty, yet staged banter of Al and Matt, via closed captioning. The only thing that was really missing was the BC Clark anniversary sale jingle (note the festive use of the word 'jingle') Apparently there is no BC Clark's here, it's an exclusively Okie thing . . .well they sure would get tons of business here, especially since they have a sale right before Christmas, which is a popular time of year to get engaged/married here (because it is between semesters and won't distract you from you educational goals . . .right)
Erin and I went to Uncle Harry and Aunt Lori's place for dinner. It was lovely. Thank goodness for male relatives. They don't have issues if you hug them . Which I did. Alot. I was starved for male contact, and Brian and Brett were kind enough to hug me several times throughout the evening. I'll just throw this in here to go with the holiday: I'm so grateful for my family and I'm thankful for hugs and Cox's honey on fresh bread.
I love this time of year so much, the smells (poppy seed bread, mint chocolate everythng, Christmas potpouri, cinnamon rolls, evergreens and the crisp winter air) the sounds (Amy, Kenny, Bing, Kenny, James, Josh, Linda, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Forgotten Carols, Cathy, Tasha etc . . .all my dear Christmas album friends) and sights (the trees, lights, candles, party clothes, manger scenes, smiling kids, red, green and silver.) And I can't ignore what else this season brings, that fills me with delight: the ushering in of one of the most wonderful times of the year (the other is in about July). And that is the free-for-all feeding frenzy of good movies that come out November and December. This weekend I saw two such films, Enchanted ( oh so funny and cheesey and precious. Every girl who has ever watched a Disney princess movie, wished life were a musical or just liked to look at Patrick Dempsey ought to go see this unabashed family film/chick flick. I couldn't stop laughing . . .it parodies what it's based on without being stupid or too overt about it) along with Lars and the Real Girl (I actually have no words for it . . .but I can try with a few adjectives: dear, sweet, tender, adorable, heart wrenching, precious, the preciousness and fills you with the fire of life and the wish to act like they do. Bravo to the whole cast, the writers and basically anyone who had anythig to do with the production of this film. I laughed, I cried and as soon as the movie was over I wanted to watch it again and at random times things would remind me of scenes from it and send a warm feeling through my heart.)
Oh and it's only 25 days until I come home!!!