12 posts tagged “christmas”
Today has been so great. I've done absolutely nothing productive, unless you consider doing about 14 logic puzzles productive...hehe. Anyway, Christmas was really great this year. I got to spend it with both my family and Joe's (on separate days), and it was chock full of fun times, great food and fellowship, laughter, good music, and of course the great gift exchange extravaganza. My favorite part of present-time is getting to see people open the gifts I got for them, because I love to be able to surprise people, or just make them smile, give them something fun to play with or wear or whatever. I made my mom a bead necklace, got my dad and little brother little metal puzzle things, and other various stuff for each person in my family and Joe's. It seemed like everyone was happy with what I gave them, and I just love that feeling. I'm a giver. :-) Of course, I also loved the excitement and anticipation of opening my own presents, and let me tell you I feel like I hit the jackpot this year! Maybe it's just that I was getting presents from two whole families, but not even considering the quantity of things I got, I was just thrilled with the thoughtfulness that was apparent in every gift I opened. To name a few, I got a beautiful hand-made ornament from Serena and Josh, a crock pot and a waffle maker from my parents, a gorgeous black coat from John and Kelly, REAL diamond earrings from Joe (wow!! SO great!!), a stunning heart-shaped necklace from Joe's parents, and a bunch of other stuff, ranging from little toys and trinkets to books to clothes and accessories...just...wow. I know Christmas isn't all about presents, and I am sure I would've had just as much fun and enjoyment with Joe's and my families without any of the material "stuff" I got. Nevertheless, each of the things I received this year will, I feel, serve as a reminder of the great time I was able to share with my loved ones during the Christmas 2008 festivities. Yay! So, anyway, all that said...Christmas was also EXHAUSTING! We did so much driving...I think that was the most draining thing. And I suppose being around people pretty much 24/7 for several days has taken its toll on me as well, considering today I could've been perfectly content just sitting in my room reading or doing logic puzzles allllllll day. Anyway...dinner time! Must sign off.
So it's Christmas morning. It's 8:30 Christmas morning. It's 8:30 Christmas morning and NO ONE in my house is awake! (Well, I'm awake, obviously. I'm not a sleep-blogger, after all.) I feel like a little kid, wanting to go jump on my parents and say, "Waaaake uuuuppp, it's Christmas!" Do you think it'd be bad of me to do that at 23 years old? I mean, besides the fun of it, I also have to try to get on the road with Joe to go to his parents' today, and we're supposed to leave at 9:30. That's an hour from now, and we still have one last present to open, and hopefully some breakfast to eat. Eeeek! I think I'd better go do some wake-up calls, eh?
Loving, gentle wake-up calls, of course. *sneaky grin*
Merry Christmas!!
'Twas the night before Christmas... How are you spending this Christmas Eve? Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions you're excited about?
Joe and I are in the desert with my family today, and we're going to be doing the following (not necessarily in this order): presents, dinner, Christmas Eve service at Southwest, and going to see Candy Cane Lane and all the wonderful Christmas lights! I might take a nap, too. Anyway, our family's traditions are pretty low-key...basically, we open all of our gifts except the big "Santa" gift which we open on Christmas morning. Our extended family has this duppe gratta tradition, which is this soup-type dish that we all gather around (it's usually in a HUGE pot) and dip bread in together. It's mostly a communal, fellowship thing, but also a tasty tradition. But our immediate family doesn't always do that when we're not with the whole group... Let's see, I can't think of any other defined traditions... But anyway, I'm excited about today. It's Joe's and my first Christmas together (not to mention my first Christmas EVER having a boyfriend!), and I haven't been home to the desert in awhile, so it's nice to be here. Tomorrow morning, after we open our big gifts and pig out on all the candy in our stockings, we'll head up to LA to do Christmas Day with Joe's family, which I'm also very excited about!
Sorry this is kind of a weak post...but come on, it's Christmas! I've got better things to do than sit around on my computer all day...(says the girl who's about to play the dot game on facebook for the next 27 hours.)
Merry Christmas, Wilbur!
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining
Okay, so I don't know where David Phelps has been all my life, but I just downloaded his version of O Holy Night (the one off his One Wintry Night (2007) album. It is absolutely stunning. Amazing. Breathtaking. And I officially feel like it's Christmas! Anyway, I found a video of him doing it live, and it's pretty great, too. Check it out.
So today has been a much needed day of recovery. Not so much physical recovery, since I've been doing laundry, packing up for a few days off, and cleaning out the disaster that was the inside of my car...but more a day of mental recovery, I guess. I got to lead worship in church this morning with Joe, which was really fun, and then I took him out to brunch at Domingo's, which was incredibly satisfying to our hungry stomachs. And then we headed our separate ways -- Joe to conquer his new (or old?) favorite game, and me to do all the aforementioned stuff. And somewhere in the middle I managed to watch some Gilmore Girls, and The Nanny Diaries, and download a few Christmas tunes and decide once-and-for-all that David Phelps is my hero. Because, while I've always loved O Holy Night, I could never seem to find a version of it that was sung just the way I love to hear it, that really touches me both spiritually and musically. Man...it's really great. But anyway, that's already been covered. It must keep coming back to mind because I've been listening to it over and over for about half an hour.
Right. Today. Recovery. So I had the whole house to myself, because both my housemates are out of town. Can I just tell you how refreshing it is to be able to walk around singing at the top of my lungs, or talking to myself and not worrying about looking like a freak, or laying out all my clean clothes on the couch (and all my wrapped presents on the coffee table) and not feel like I'm encroaching on others' space? A disclaimer, though -- it's not like my housemates make me feel unwelcome or in any way like a burden or anything like that...I guess I just made a habit in college of keeping to my own space (and, being an introvert, I kinda really enjoy it), so I've had a hard time breaking that habit even though I now have a whole house to hang out in, rather than just my own room. I think my housemates probably think I'm either really antisocial or just weird. Nevertheless, today -- knowing that the whole house was mine to roam in freely -- was great.
And tomorrow, it'll be back to work at 7:30, and then if I'm feeling up to it, game night with some friends of Joe's and mine, and then Tuesday is the home stretch...one more nine-hour day of work (or less, if I can help it), and THEN...we're heading down to Indio! Yesssss! I am really excited to spend Christmas (Eve, anyway) with my family. And see Ashton! And give presents, and take pictures, and be silly, and drink hot cocoa with marshmallows, and sing Christmas songs, and share it all with Joe. :-) And then Christmas morning we'll head out to LA to do it all over again with his family! Woot.
Then we'll hang at Joe's parents' for another couple days, head back up here to do worship again at Hope Community, head BACK to Joe's parents' for New Year's festivities...and then it's back to reality...meaning, I have to work on the 2nd. Oh, and as if we won't have already burned ENOUGH gas by that point, we're going back yet again to LA on the 4th, to start a premarrieds class at Church on the Way.
Yep, you read that right. Premarrieds. And no, we're not engaged yet (thanks for checking). But, unless Joe is playing a dirty trick on me, it's gonna be happening sometime relatively soon, and we made the plans to start the class because we were anticipating Joe being gone for several months and didn't want to wait that long to start them, because it would push back any possible wedding dates another three months AFTER his return around October 2009... So, even though Joe will actually be sticking around for awhile, we decided to start the class anyway. I'm excited! And nervous. But mostly excited.
I'm also suddenly REALLY tired! I guess I spent most of the day not really thinking much...er, you know, I mean I did a bunch of stuff that didn't require a lot of brain activity. Wow, I'm making it sound like I was a vegetable all day. Or a deadbeat. Or a dimwit. But you know what I mean! So yeah, sitting here and putting actual, productive THOUGHT into written (or typed) words has, unexpectedly, wiped me out. I'm gonna finish up some packing and hit the hay. But not without listening to O Holy Night another few...thousand times again. :-)
So, I only worked four days this week, because I went to Disneyland. And yet, it has felt like THE longest week EVER. Probably because Monday I was running around like a crazy person getting the potluck together, and Tuesday, while not at work, I used up a LOT of energy and then had to come back to work for THREE MORE DAYS. Yeah. I think that's it. So anyway, I'm glad it's Friday. Dear sweet Lord Almighty, THANKS for letting it be Friday at last! Phew.
Now it's time for some more busyness, in the form of fondue and the Muppet Christmas Carol tonight, then worship team practice tomorrow, church and singing in worship team on Sunday, and TWO MORE DAYS of work before some much needed time off...during which I'm sure I won't actually be very restful but will, in fact, do tons of fun and exciting and non-relaxing things. Like FINALLY see Ashton! Yessss.
Anyway, I'm excited about singing on the worship team this weekend. It feels like it's been a really long time since I got to do that, and it was probably at least six months ago, back at APC. I've definitely missed being able to help lead people into worship, and just having the opportunity to practice my musical gifts with other great musicians. Should be a good time...and Joe's playing bass, too! Woot.
Hmm...Megan wanted me to post something about Christmas lights, but first, I must recognize a very special event that I neglected to mention yesterday:
Yay! Happy (belated) birthday, Megan! I love you a lot.
So. Christmas lights. I love them. I'm hoping Joe and I will find time to visit Candy Cane Lane (either in LA or in Palm Springs), and check out all the cool houses with their ridiculously detailed and extravagant decorations. I mean, it really doesn't feel like Christmas until you've been blinded by the festive-ness of an entire neighborhood, right?
Right.
And on that note, I've got to get through another hour and a half of work before I can peace outta here for the weekend!
Today was a culmination of months of anticipation and excitement -- the Dickens Christmas Fair! And let's just say I am definitely thinking I'd like to go again next year, and if I can somehow manage it, I'd like to go in full Victorian attire. Anyway, that's next year. Today was a ton of fun. We didn't do as much dancing as I had expected, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. And frankly, after the waltz I danced with Joe's friend Eric, I don't know how much I could've handled without taking looooong breaks between songs. See, in this waltz dance, Eric spun me around the room and I felt like I was on the teacup ride at Disneyland...only instead of bright pastel colors whirring all around me, it was dark, festive, Christmasy colors...which is not any more or less dizzying, per se; I'm just trying to give you a visual here. So, as I struggled to decide whether it was easier to focus on Eric's forehead or on something else that WASN'T moving in the same direction as me, the only thing that kept me from totally freaking out was Eric's promise that if I leaned back against his hand while we spun, he would definitely not let me fall on my face (or worse). And he didn't! And it was fun. And if I had had on a great big Victorian hoop skirt thingy, I would've felt sooooo cool. Instead, I felt dizzy, slightly silly, and yet completely satisfied by the experience.
There are a million and one things I could write about the fair today. I mean, there was tons to see, to do, and to eat, and Joe and I probably only scratched the surface in getting the complete fair package. We got to sit down to tea (which necessitated a reservation first, of course), at which time I also had rum cake...yummy! We saw an abridged version of Pirates of Penzance, which was delightfully absurd. We spotted Scrooge throughout the day as he journeyed through the whole story of A Christmas Carol. We did lots of exploring in shops where people were selling everything from puzzle rings and boxes to corsets and hats and other attire. I mean, talk about trinkets galore! And we saw a rather risqué show called the French Portraits, which was part comedy, part literary allusions, and part...erm...parts, if you will. (Oh heck, there was nudity. There, I said it.) We heard Christmas carolers from time to time. And we checked out the closing ceremony-type thing, Mad Sal's Blowout, where most of the cast performed a set of hilarious songs, concluding with an even MORE hilarious version of the 12 Days of Christmas, complete with motions and props -- and PG-rated versions of the French Portraits. And yet, in spite of all that we DID do at Dickens, as I said, there was tons more we could've seen or done. Which is exactly why I want to go again next year.
Oh, and I also wanted to recount yesterday's adventures, too. Joe and I started up from Santa Barbara around 8:00 yesterday morning, and made it to San Francisco by about 2:00, even after stopping briefly at the Madonna Inn to check out their "famous men's restroom." Seriously, the concierge TOLD Joe to show it to me. (I'll be putting pictures up from the whole weekend on Facebook in the next few days...) So anyway, the plan was to hang out at Pier 39 (Fisherman's Wharf) for a bit, then maybe check out Buena Vista and Ghirardelli Square before we met up with Eric and Lisa, our hosts for the weekend. But alas...we were slightly lacking in the direction/familarity-with-the-area department, and thus mistakenly parked in a big (REALLY confusing and scary) parking structure close to Pier 40, assuming that 39 was right next to it. However, we shortly discovered, from the help of a weirdly-dressed (are we surprised?) guy, that the piers were split up by odd and even numbers, and therefore, Pier 39 was two miles away. We started walking to see just how far it really was, and when we finally reached, like, Pier 14 or something, we hailed a taxi to take us the rest of the way. I was thankful, not only because my feet were already crying, but also because I had never been in a taxi in America until yesterday. So I finally got to get in one and hear the driver speak English!
Anyway, we mosied around Pier 39, checked out some shops and ate yummy crepes, and then started walking back toward Pier 40, hoping to again catch a cab to take us most of the way there. I'm actually really glad we walked the ENTIRE way back, because it warmed me up, and it was nice to just be hand-in-hand with Joe in a different place, where we could observe people, buildings, and awesomely-colored trees! You laugh, but I'm used to seeing mostly green or brown...all year long. So these mysterious trees with bright yellow leaves were stunning to me, as we the BASKETBALL-SIZED leaves that were all over the place. Seriously, I picked one up that was the size of my head.
Not that my head is as big as a basketball...at least I hope it isn't.
So, we made it back to Joe's car, and headed straight to Eric and Lisa's, since we had run out of time to go to Ghirardelli's. We had a nice, relaxing night chatting with E & L, eating Eric's delicious marinated steak and cheesy, bread-crumby asparagus, and went to bed to dream about the next day's merriment at the Fair.
(Sorry for the backwards order of my stories.)
All in all, this has been (thus far) a wonderful weekend! Tomorrow it looks like Joe and I may head out somewhat early to spend some time in Monterey before we trek back down to Santa Barbara.
As much as I complain about cold weather, I really do love getting into a different environment, exploring new things, and especially just having fun with Joe wherever we are. And I love that it's so easy to have fun with him just about anywhere, and even when we get lost or our plans change anywhere from slightly to drastically.
Oh, and I did manage to finish reading A Christmas Carol on the way up yesterday, but Joe wouldn't let me start Oliver Twist. I read a few pages of it this morning when I was waiting for the shower, and I think I can probably finish it this month. So there's the update on that.
Alas, I think I will finish this up with a line from Dickens that I really enjoyed yesterday:
"It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humour."
Nice, isn't it?
Until tomorrow!
I don't know why I suddenly felt like quizzing myself, but I did. And here it is. Feel free to post your own responses if you feel so inclined! I'm always interested to learn more about my friends and fellow bloggers.
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True or False: You've reused (or WOULD reuse) gift bags and/or wrapping paper for future gifts.
Personally, I see no problem with reusing gift bags, or even wrapping paper, assuming they are in good shape and it won't be totally OBVIOUS that you're a cheapskate who didn't buy their own wrapping materials. And anyway, it's like saying, "Thanks so much for the great gift you put inside this bag! I think I'll share the chain of giving by using the same bag to give something to someone else!" (Okay, that was totally cheesy...I just needed a way to use "thanks" in this one...)
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When are you officially "okay" with hearing Christmas music: After Halloween, after Thanksgiving, not until a week before Christmas, or any time of year?
Officially, I'm okay with it after Thanksgiving. But I don't get my panties in a twist if I hear it after Halloween. Honestly, I sometimes wish I had Christmas music on in the summertime...I think it's more a matter of how OFTEN you're hearing it; that's when it can get to be annoying. Like, if I worked in a department store at this time of year, I'd probably hate Christmas music forever.
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If you had to live without one basic condiment for the rest of your life, what would it be? (We'll say that "basic" condiments are ketchup, mustard, mayo, barbeque sauce, and ranch...just to keep it simple.)
Well, in a perfect world, I'd be able to eat mustard (which I only recently discovered I'm allergic to), and therefore I would probably eliminate ketchup. A year ago I would've said mayo, but then I couldn't have it with my artichokes, which is unacceptable. So anyway, I guess now I'll say mustard, since I'm not really supposed to have it anyway. And let me tell you...my $5 foot-long Spicy Italian Subway sandwiches just aren't the same without it.
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What is the strongest personality trait you think you got from each of your parents?
Well, I think I have my dad's quick temper (mainly when it comes to road rage, lol), and my mom's empathy, but more so than those two things, I feel like I get my extroverted side from Dad, and my introverted side from Mom. I'm definitely more in- than ex-, and some would argue you can only be one, but I (to some extent) disagree. Both my parents are good in social settings, but I think Dad really flourishes in more public situations, and Mom is better in smaller, close-knit groups. And (I think) my mom definitely refuels by having time to herself, which is how I am, too. As much as I love being around people, hanging out, socializing, laughing, and all that stuff...it's getting by myself, spending time doing nothing or doing solitary things, that allows me to recharge and be ready for MORE hanging out. I don't know for sure whether my dad is an alone-refueler or a group-refueler...hmm...I'll have to ponder that one.
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Do you ever laugh out loud (not to be confused with "lol") in awkward or inappropriate places/situations?
Umm, yes. It's like, a RULE in my life, that on any given day, I will burst into laughter when everything around me is totally silent, somber, serious or otherwise not a light or laughter-friendly situation. It's especially embarrassing when I'm sitting at my desk at work and Joe send me something funny to read or look at, and I just explode. I mean, it's not like I can go around and show everyone what was so funny...cuz I'm at work. Working. Duh. Oh, but even worse than that...I remember SO many times in school where we'd be taking a test or hearing a lecture or something, and I could just be thinking about something someone said three DAYS ago and find it so funny (again...or sometimes for the first time...I am blonde, after all) that I start giggling uncontrollably in the previously dead-silent classroom. I've been asked to step outside on more than one occasion.
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I think that'll do for now. And since I haven't done it in a while, I'll leave you with a haiku.
To find something SO funny,
You laugh 'til it hurts.
So I've been reading Charles Dickens lately. And by 'lately' I mean, I read one of his books about two or three months ago (Hard Times), then about a month ago I started Nicholas Nickelby but haven't even come close to finishing, and last week I started A Christmas Carol and will definitely finish it this week. Possibly today. And I also have in the line-up: A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and I think one or two others. Plus finishing N.N., of course.
Anyway, the whole reason I decided to pick up some Dickens reading is because I'm going to the Dickens' Christmas Faire up in San Francisco THIS WEEKEND! I'm...SOOO...excited. I don't really even know what it's going to be like, what it will entail, or why I get all giddy with butterflies about it. Maybe I'm just excited to spend a fun, unique weekend with Joe doing something that he initated and which also sounds like a great time for a nerdy English-major girl like myself. So, we'll see what happens. I also get to meet a couple more of Joe's good friends, which is always a great experience. (No, seriously...I don't think I've ever met a friend of Joe's that I didn't like. He knows how to pick 'em.) :-)
In other news: I'm just starting week two of December's NaBloPoMo challenge, and it's already been pretty tough. I think it'll be easier once I have internet at my house again (tomorrow? *crosses fingers*), but it's definitely also hard because of this time of year. It's inevitably really busy, whether with holiday parties, Christmas shopping, visiting family and friends, being sick (sadly something that seems to happen this time of year EVERY year for me), or whatever. And I'm also trying to keep up with going to the gym at least 2-3 times a week, and running once or twice a week too. So throw a daily blog requirement in there on top of all that AND working 40 hours a week...and I basically don't know how I still manage to sleep every night. But alas...I love this time of year. It makes me happy. Christmas music. Yummy goodies. Time with special friends and family. Celebrating Jesus. (Okay, that one shoulda been first in the list...my bad.) It's alllllll great. All except getting sick. And I'm glad I got that overwith a few weeks ago during Thanksgiving time. (Crap, now I've probably jinxed myself and am gonna get sick twice this season...oops!)
The end, for now.
I snuck onto a neighbor's wireless this morning...shh, don't tell!
So I've been trying to figure out what Christmas presents to get for everyone, and I hate how hard it is! I've never been a very good gift-giver...it seems like I always get stuff that's too generic/boring/not very thoughtful, or stuff that just doesn't fit the person, or stuff that I think is funny or awesome and they totally don't. This year I emailed everyone in my family in like, November, to ask for their wish lists so I could get some ideas. I got lists from a few of them, and I've been able to find SOME stuff that I think will be good. But now I'm in sort of a rut. I keep finding more things that would be great for the people I've already GOTTEN presents for...not for the ones I haven't gotten anything for yet. (Fortunately, Joe knows that feeling, so I know I'm not totally crazy. Or we're just both the same kinda crazy.) Anyway...just something I was thinking about this morning.
Gotta get to church!
So last night I got the results from a blood test I had a couple weeks ago when I had a really fun (note sarcasm) allergy test. My doctor, Zeb (we're on a first-name basis...mostly cuz I can't remember his last name), did a skin test, poking my back with 42 different allergens, the results of which were almost comical. Joe says it takes longer to list what I AM allergic to than what I'm NOT allergic to. So anyway, a few of my skin test results were bad enough that Zeb wanted to follow up with blood tests on them. Peanut, sesame seed, and mustard. Now the odd thing is, I don't think he actually DID a skin test for mustard, and I thought the third blood test ingredient was going to be walnut (which did have a reaction on the skin test). But I guess I was mistaken, and he chose mustard because of my verbal explanation of reactions I've had when eating things that have mustard on them. Anyway, the results of the blood test are: yes, I'm allergic to mustard. No, I'm "probably not" allergic to peanut. Yes, I'm allergic to sesame. He recommends that if I want to eat sesame seed or anything containing sesame seed oil, etc., I should do it first under his supervision in the office. This was all written in his ever-so-legible doctor's scrawl on the results I got in the mail last night. He says, "Avoid mustard." And to that, I say, crap. I like mustard.
Anyway, I did a little research on what kinds of foods contain mustard (because it's not just yellow table mustard, but mustard seed, powder and flour? Did anyone else know that they make mustard flour?)...and basically, if I really am going to try to figure out this whole stupid allergy thing in my body, I think my life is going to become considerably (read: exponentially) more complicated in the coming days, months, years. I may have to start some kind of rotation or elimination diet to filter out all the possible allergy foods and reintroduce them one at a time... But even aside from that, I think I'm gonna have to start reading the ingredient lists on EVERYTHING. Bah. Darn you, Zeb. Couldn't you have just said, "Yes, you have some food allergies, and we have a miracle shot that we can inject into your body and fix everything!" That would've been nice. Heck, I'd even take a freaking weekly injection if it meant I could just eat in peace, without stressing over what I can and can't have because of this or that ridiculous allergy.
I think what is most unpleasant to think about right now, is that if I want to see a nutritionist or dietician who could help me plan a proper food-allergy rotation/elimination diet routine, I have to pay my regular doctor the stupid copay that they make me pay every time I'm in there, JUST to get his friggin' signature on a referral to ANOTHER doctor, who will ALSO charge me a copay. Bah. Humbug.
I'm also reading Dickens' Christmas Carol right now. Can you tell? :-D It's actually pretty short. I can't believe I haven't read it before now. I think I might finish it this week...and I started it on Monday. Go me!
P.S. Next weekend, I'm going to the Dickens Christmas Fair in San Francisco. Sooooo excited! I hope they have sans-mustard-and-sesame food items for me to devour. *furrows brow* Here we go.
