Joyeux Noël; Frohe Weihnachten; Buon Natale; Feliz Navidad!

Well, Merry Christmas! I'm still in Georgia at my father's house. Spending Christmas Day here is always quite interesting. We open presents ridiculously early because the two children (my 12-year-old brother and stepsister) always wake up at 6AM. Today was very different, though; they woke me up around 8AM and we watched The Grinch until the parents finally came out of their room. Also, the presents were less magnificent than usual. I'm not referring to mine (because my Christmas's have been practically indistinguishable for years now) -- I'm talking about the kids' presents. They normally have countless new toys that they gawk over for a few following weeks, but this year is totally different; they got clothing, practical electronics (digital cameras and cell phones), and money. I know they're twelve (and I definitely stopped receiving toys as gifts way before then), but it's just strange to have to accept that realization. Not only this, though, but my dad decided to pull out old pictures of the family before breakfast. I forgot how adorable my brother was before he became the obnoxious little tyrant that he is. I have a few pictures to post actually, but I'll have to do it at a later date.

ne contrecarrez pas

Well, here I am, sitting in Columbus, Georgia at Starbucks. I really love the architecture of the ceiling, so I took a picture with my laptop.

So, the reason that I'm here is to visit my dad and this side of my family for the holidays. The original plan to get here was to fly (in my mom's fiancé's plane, not commercially). So, I made the drive here yesterday. It was about a nine hour drive, but it took much longer than that. It's an interesting story really... My mom and her fiancé followed me the entire way. They even brought our dog Fran (who is a greyhound for those of you who don't know). It was ridiculous. It's not that my mom didn't trust my driving and navigation skills; she simply didn't know what the drive was going to be like. Luckily it's not bad at all and actually quite beautiful! I just hope that on the drive home that I won't be tortured by only four hours of sleep and caffeine jitters... OH! I forgot to mention that my 12-year-old brother will be with me. That will be, um, fun.

The thing is, he is wonderful. He's incredibly bright and can easily keep up with me conversationally, but he's still in that "in-between" stage of child and teenager. I could call it puberty, but I don't want to think of my little brother that way!

I'm ready for Christmas -- not just to receive much needed/wanted gifts, but to give things to others as well. I always get such joy watching a carefully selected gift being received so happily. Perhaps that's how everyone feels, but I've never heard anyone admit it out loud.

It's so strange that it's that time of the year again. So many things have changed over the year, however it's gone by ridiculously fast. I can't help but to reminisce all that was going this time last year. It's quite depressing really. It was a great time in my life. I don't at all wish to demean how things are currently, but I do believe that I was happier then. Don't be worried by that statement, though! I'm generally a happy person, so being a little less than par isn't really a detriment... I suppose.

I didn't intend for this blog to be so odd. I want to read. NO! I want to make pictures.

I'm going to go take a bath. A wise man by the name of Jay Michael Calhoun once said these words: "No day could be any worse after taking a bath." Let's not disappoint!

far from normalcy

Marly and I have been doing photoshoots regularly since I've been home.

It's quite wonderful actually. I've been neglecting my LOOKBOOK.

Well, there was an ice storm yesterday, but it's practically gone today. That's just Arkansas, though: We never have ice-related anything last for more than two days. It was really interesting last night, though. Jay and I were going about 15 mph on the interstate, and it didn't matter at all. Everyone else was doing the same. It took us about 30 minutes to get to my house from downtown and it usually takes about 10. It was nice to be able to laugh about how slow everyone was going rather than get ridiculously frustrated.

I'm still not completely embracing the break to the fullest extent. I need to be more productive, so I've decided to paint my mom something for Christmas. I haven't quite figured out what exactly I'll do just yet, but I'm sure I'll log the progress. Now I'm leaving for Marly's! It's so wonderful to be able to hang out with my best friend everyday. I'll end on that note.

vacances de noël...finalement.

this break is more than needed right now.

it still hasn't completely settled in that i don't have to go back to school for an entire month. hopefully it will soon because i need to celebrate!

santa, baby...

I'm currently in the process of making a Christmas Wishlist for my family (mainly my mom). Here are just a few special items that I felt it necessary to blog about:

I am dying for these beautiful Christian Louboutin's. They're on eBay, so my mom may go for them. Here's to hoping!

All of the following is from Urban Outfitters.

 

That's all I have time for at the moment. I've got to study for Media & Society.

P.S. The house deal fell through. Looks like I'll be staying in the dorms after all.

so...

it's finals week. i have a lot of studying to do. luckily i only have four exams: one on tuesday at 2, two on wednesday at 8 and 2, and one on thursday at 8. after that, it's house away! i'll be packing in between studying and taking my finals. i'm more than happy to sacrifice the time, though.

tonight i'm spending quality time with my amazing best friend, marly.

this is us back in the 10th grade when we first became best friends. how cute and nasty... :]

and this is us now...

i love her too much.

we're watching all of these really old videos i have on my old computer. we were so weird. i have to post some even though she's been putting them on facebook. seriously... what in the world were we thinking? honestly, though, nothing has changed. :]

here's an oldie:

and here's one from March:

i just don't understand. neither of us do. enjoy nonetheless.

i just need to rave a little...

1. the offer on the house was accepted! we should have it in two weeks. i'm so excited!
2. i stayed up all night working on a paper that i thought i wasn't going to get to turn in because i was late to class, but she accepted it!
3. i met with my advisor this morning and scheduled my classes. i declared my other major and my advisor said that i was incredibly smart for being both a print journalism and graphic design major. they will compliment each other and i won't have to worry about staying in school longer. on top of that, i'll have an advantage over simply graphic design majors because of the journalism aspect. i'll more than likely have a job before i graduate with my undergrad.
4. a few minutes ago, taylor said, "i just touched a pig in my pocket and it made me happy."

today has been a splendid day.
now it will be shit on by the yearbook deadline tonight.

"you don't poop in your own nest"

So, my parents made an offer on the desired house today! I've been looking forward to this for so long that I've already begun shopping for things. Here's a few items on my Christmas Wish List from Anthropologie:

 

This is the Cirrus Duvet Set in creme. It's hard to see the details, but it's basically what a typical down feather comforter would look like, but it has this beautiful roused detailing. I added a picture of the shams for more detail.

  

I love these chairs and they would all look so great at this house.

I am in dire need of a desk. This one is perfect. I love the simplistic design and it's size.

 

Of course, I'll need a shower curtain. These two are beautiful.

This rug is wonderful as well! I was thinking this would be great in a large size for the dining room or the upstairs den.

I love these towels! They're called "sculpted bath linens." Perfection...

Oh! There's one more thing that I'm dying for from Pottery Barn.

AHH! I need this chair in my life.

I'm sure there's more that I'll end up wanting -- or more so needing. I just really hope that we we get this house. It's so unique. I wish I would have taken pictures when I looked at it today.

Now I have a lot of schoolwork to attend to. This break has not been as ideal as I'd hoped.

giving thanks vs. turkey

The title of this post is completely irrelevant to it's contents other than the fact that i am drawing nearer and nearer to Thanksgiving break. I am more than ready for time away from school and the much needed time spent with family (and friends, too).

The only thing keeping me from going home right this minute is a test in College Algebra at 2:40. I loathe the class, but luckily I understand the material this time. I'm hoping for at least a B... or a C. It will probably be the latter. My teacher is honestly the WORST.

So, I had a HUGE scare today. I thought that my wallet (with my student I.D., my driver's license, my key to my dorm, and my debit card in it) fell out of my purse in the cafeteria. I had to wait for Taylor to get out of class, so I could check the dorm. I had already told my mom and everything, but it luckily had gotten into my notebook somehow when it was in my bag. GOD. More than anything, I just can't believe how relaxed my mom was about it. She just said, "It's okay! It happens to everyone. We can take care of it. Just don't let it stress you out and distract you from your test!" You would think that the child would be more apathetic and the parent would be the unnerved, but once you get older, things change, I suppose! All that matters now is that I got it back. I am so incredibly relieved.

Now I have to go take that fucking test. AGH!

peace beneath the city

So, Cool Shoes was Friday. It has gotten a lot more popular since it's earlier days. There were probably 300 people there at one point. It was a little ridiculous actually. If you were dancing, it was extremely difficult to move. There were a lot of people just standing around or bumping and grinding into you. It was very frustrating. We only stayed an hour and a half, but it was nonetheless amazingly wonderful. I got to see a lot of people that I love and have missed.

Other than that, I had a very relaxing weekend (for myself as planned).

I have a full night of studying and other work ahead of me. I'm so reluctant to begin. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving break, though! I just hate that we're only out Wed-Fri rather than the whole week.

In other good news, my mom and her fiance are coming to look at the house we've been wanting on Wednesday. I really hope that we get it soon. I don't think I will be able to handle living on campus that much longer!

love: is it really all you need?

yes. i am currently reading a book called The Greatest Thing in the World by Henry Drummond. i am almost positive that no one has heard of it simply because it was written in the 30's. it's actually one of those old books you would find at an antique shop. it's 41 pages long, but is incredibly dense and has already impacted my views on the matter. i found it at the Cox Arts Center downtown one day. i read the intro and fell in love with it. Jay obviously saw that and had to buy it for me (and he is absolutely wonderful for doing so).

basically, this book argues that love is the most important need simply because every other need is a sub-category and a result of love. it's surprisingly modern considering it was written in the 30's. if anyone would like to read it, just let me know! it's quick and very intriguing. more than anything, i was surprised to find that i do follow practically every quality in a person that is filled with love.

i never really thought about it, but i absolutely love everyone. that's why i end up being so busy. i'm always trying to please everyone (not that i'm complaining). however, someone did present me with the idea of taking some time for myself. that's why i plan to do everything this weekend with myself in mind. i'm not committing myself to do anything just because someone wants me to. i will do it for the simple enjoyment of doing it for myself and myself alone. i haven't painted in too long, so i'm going to spend time on saturday doing that. i may even go sit in a park alone and take pictures. as lonely as that all may sound, i'm really looking forward to it. thank you, Tori, for calling it healthy because i was thinking it was a little selfish for a while.

well, on another note, tonight is the Free Micah show at UCA! Jay hardly ever comes to Conway anymore, so i'm quite excited about being able to watch his amazing band and hang out with all of them for a while (before returning to my strenuous study load).

i will conclude on this note:

i want my life back! :]

oh!

i have first post syndrome.

the only notable event of my day is this:

i met the prodigal Chuck Klosterman tonight.

need proof?

BOOM. a life goal is complete.

i cannot fully emphasize how wonderful this man is, so i won't. go read his work.