back to the norm

me. sitting in bed. with tea. talking to mom on the phone. my yet-to-be-named bear phone charm keeping me company.

college life... it's wild, i tell ya.

no trip listening to WGTS is complete without hearing that song "he reigns" by the newsboys... you know the one...

i can just imagine what it's like in the studio....

"hey brenden and angela! it's been a good twenty minutes....you should really play "he reigns" again!"
"yeah, chili amar! we'll get right on that! because we are SO HAPPY ALL THE TIME. i've almost forgot what the words are by now!"

i'm in love.

so i put this little "fortune telling fish" on my hand, and it has told me that i was in love. thinking that it was mistaken, i tried again.... so it told me that i was passionate. therefore, i am passionately in love. and, thinking about it now, i would tend to agree. i will tell you all of the things that i love on christmas:

people who i feel especially affectionate about this christmas:
i love my daddy, my mommy, my noodle (nick, my brother). i love yuko, the hamelinks, and david and summer, ellis and william vunga. (especially william, who is the most adorable baby in the world and ... well i might actually be in love with him.). i love the whole jones family, who are really my second family.
i love the people who couldn't be here, like my granny cukoo (who died this year) and my beloved sister, kerry, in germany, who was kinda with us via skype for most of the day... [sidenote: i look SO much better when i'm in an overexposed skype camera. i've decided that if i ever make a wish on a genie lamp, i will wish that i will eternally look overexposed. hahah.]

things that i have enjoyed:
i love giving presents, even if they were cheap or kinda lame. i love being completely surprised by the things that i got. i love my new black and white rain boots. i love my new fur-collared sweater. i love me new grey loafers and my socks and scarf and stamps and cards and my tremendous twenties hat. i love the christmas crackers with corney jokes and silly gifts.

i loved watching summer unwrap her present from david, her husband, because she was so completely surprised and excited and bashful at the cute little things he got her.

food that was delish:
i love making sweet potatoes. and eating them. mmmm.
i love the duck, stuffing, gravy, and...yes, mom, even the green beans.
i can't wait to eat the apple crisp sitting in the oven.

now, the men are reclining by the fire and talking about man things or sleeping, or drinking beer, or somehow managing to do all three, the women-folk are gathered at our extended dining room table drinking tea and talking about women things like babies and relatives and people's last names....
nick is upstairs sleeping after a strenuous day of cooking,
yuko is in the basement sleeping because she has a headache,
ellis (20months) is crying about going to bed,
william(3months) is being as close to an angel as is humanly possible,
and i decided to check my email for the first time in two days and got distracted with this silly thing.

oh i love christmas, yes i do.

they are calling that it's dessert time. mmmm.

so that, ladies and gents, is my christmas. it's a fairly typical christmas, too. and perfectly lovely.

best diet ever

me: hey mom, i think i should lose a couple pounds, what do you think?

mom: here, sweetie, have the stomach flu! you'll lose six pounds in one day!

me: yes!

[fictional dialogue]


i think we get sick as a reminder of how blessed we are when we're healthy.
i think that the worse you feel, the more you appreciate.

let's just say i appreciated a lot today.

oh happy day(s)

so. today and yesterday were so happy.

yesterday: i found out that my wonderful friend/art teacher/mentor, connie jimenez got engaged to chris zammett. annnnd i am out of my mind happy for her. oh my gosh. she is just one of the best and greatest and most wonderful people to be around. i can remember being in AP art and talking to kelly about how "miss jimenez" needed to get married and would make such a wonderful wife! i have known her since i was... what? 8?... and she used to come over to my house when i was a kid and then taught me logic in 8th grade and AP art in 12th. oh i love her. man, but when i read the text that she sent to kate, i was with a bunch of friends at someone's house and i freaked out and screamed for a super long time and everyone was looking at each other thinking, "what is up with her freaking out at a text message?"...... hm. i look forward to getting to know chris. he must be great, if connie will have him! :)

today: i picked up my phone and found a text from elise mays saying that she was officially engaged to garrett!! now, i LOVE elise and garbear. elise is just... aaah there are no words! she's my pocket-sized elisey, whom i love to hug and talk with. and garrett is like a weird kind of brother that i don't really see very much but when i do it makes me SO happy. and so, to see two people that you love SO much get engaged to EACH OTHER--- it is almost too much. i freaked out again and was busy screaming and jumping up and down in the hall when the concerned pastor's college kid from korea came up the stairs and said something about their family being worried that that someone was getting hurt.... hahaha :)

happy happy sigh.
literally, it just came out.


oh, and shivers. happy shivers.

i love you all and i'm so happy for you all.

i grew?!

so, after not seeing summer vunga (who is the wonderful PC wife that lived with us last year) since june, when she saw me she said "i think you've grown taller!"

i didn't believe her. well, i've been the same hight since august '07. so i figured i stopped growing.

BUT, to prove summer wrong, mommy measured me against the wall and..... i have grown about a quarter (and a little bit) of an inch!

that. is.loco.

now i am officially 5'7''. sweet.

(my)(next)(few)(days)

(study)(sleep)(test)(study)(sleep)(study)(sleep)(test)(DONE)
(joshie&tuffy)(mar'sbday)(sleep) (whateveriwant)(!)