It's day 3 of thanksgiving break, I've hugged 13 people I haven't seen since July, gotten 4 OMGURALIVE phonecalls, too many texts to count, drank hot chocolate 5 times, eaten 22 delicious malted milk balls, opened my camera 6 times, sung 4 Christmas songs, told my mom I loved her 7 times, and kissed my dog 27 times. It feels good to be here. :)

(23 malt balls and just realized that on the side of the Whoppers box there's a recipe for a candy malt shoppe pie! I SO have to try it!) I'm excited because while I might be out of classes for a week, the youngsters still have school till Wednesday which means I have a chance to go visit the kids at Pine Grove! I'm super excited to see all of them again. It feels really good to know they've been asking where I've been and saying they missed me, but on the other hand that means there isn't anyone else playing with them like me. I love playing charades and whatever other crazy game I can think of at the moment to do with them. They're such an awesome bunch of kids I really can't wait to see them again.
Going to church this morning with my mom was such a surprise, I got to see both Father Lodi and Father Sandy, and they said if I wanted to read at mass next Sunday before I leave to call them later this week. I might just do it. I really miss reading at church.
I've been stuck on phase 3 of the annoying What Drives Edward Volvo contest until today. I sat down, I didn't try to beat it, instead I just sat and watched the patterns the maze took and did things that way. It's silly but I'm so proud of myself to finally beat that thing! It was really rather frustrating the amount of times I tried a week or so ago and couldn't do it. Phase 4 and 5 weren't nearly as tantalizing.
NaNoWriMo is almost over! A week left and I'm pretty much on target. Since I'll have a little extra time this week (kind of) I'm going to try to bang it out early so I can satisfy my inner editor and work on tweaking it just a little bit. It's been really hard not to poke at things as I write them, it's just how I do things ya know?
I saw New Moon last night! Yay! It was really much better than I expected and maybe that's why it wasn't horrible, I went in with low expectations. The only 2 things that really bugged me were how much the audience was missing; having read the book I could make connections better and pull out important details that weren't pointed out in the movie and the marriage proposal; he's not supposed to propose until the 3rd movie and the scene where he proposes is supposed to be so much more intimate than a confrontation in the woods! I really hope they don't have the wedding in the 3rd movie and I hope to see more of the Cullens. Aside from that I'm a happy camper. Although I still can't believe they already have a release date for Eclipse. July 2010, I am so there!
I have to go dress shopping soon for a party or two I'm attending in December and I'm kind of looking forward to it. It might just be that right now I'm in a girly mood and the thought of putting on my pearls and pulling my hair back into an elegant bun is very appealing right now, or it might just be the fact that sometimes I really enjoy dressing up. Either way I'm pretty excited about looking for a dress. I'm aware of how picky I am, I'm very particular about almost everything, but it's going to be fun regardless. Most of all I'm looking forward to having my mom with me to shop for it. I know she'll tell me the truth about a dress, she'll tell me the truth about anything, she won't sugar coat it.. she never does! :)

I don't celebrate Thanksgiving and it's never bothered me. I used to go back to Spain and it would be a nice little vacation, but since I'm staying in the states I've become a lot more self conscious of not celebrating it. (24 malt balls) For my mom engaging in Turkey day festivities would mean succumbing to the American ways and becoming more a part of this country than she'd like and I can understand that. While I am very proud of my Spanish heritage and I absolutely love all of the customs and traditions that come with that, I don't personally feel like adding a new tradition would make me any less Spanish or any more American. Thanksgiving is a purely American holiday, but the idea of giving thanks for everything in your life and celebrating those ideals and joys with family and people you love is by far not purely American, or purely anything for that matter. And I think that's what I'd like to part take in. Mind you, I don't need to wait for one day to say thank you and I don't, but I like the idea of dedicating an entire day to being appreciative and acknowledging all of life's surprises. So yes, I'm considering trying something Thanksgiving like this year. Maybe sitting down with my mom over a nice dinner and talking about everything we're thankful for and relish in the wonderfulness of being together. Not to mention we've actually got company over this year, so I think I have to actually do the whole Turkey and mashed potatoes deal. What else do people eat on thanksgiving? I'll have to look it up and whip up something appropriate for the occasion. We'll see how it goes yes?

For everyone already home and spending time with your families, have a wonderful week if I don't speak to you soon! :)

Peace, Love & Pancakes
-Lib

(25 malt balls)