out with the old, in with the new!

well, it has been a long while indeed. you know, every couple days i see my blog bookmarked and think, "i really should write something" ... then i tell myself why now is not a good time and go along with my business.

so, a few highlights from the most joyous of seasons, in no specific order... it's a bit long, so bear with me...

~ being able to spend all of the Christmas days with family:
*Christmas Eve after the church service josh, amy, katelyn, & ben came over to my apartment. we just hung out, since the fishers apparently have an aversion to picking up "it's a wonderful life" a half hour into it... it was enjoyable nonetheless
*after the church service (YES, i went to church... pagan me, went to church... :) ) on Christmas morning, i went over to Josh & Amy's for lunch, stuffing myself with great food
*3 hours later, i went to my brother and sister-in-law's house, stuffing myself with great food
~ Christmas night, playing a game until late at night with my family. (finally, we're breaking out of our trivial pursuit pattern!! i like games with a little less thought involved...)
~ the fact that the gift i bought for my 2-year-old nephew (a long stick with a claw on one end, enabling you to grab at things from a distance) was ALSO bought by my dad for my 30-year-old brother-in-law, dave. gotta love that.
~ reminding my parents how my kids will enjoy getting BOOKS for christmas, not the incessantly loud and obnoxious toys my nieces and nephews get from them. my dad was quick to tell me that it does not matter. they will get obnoxious ones nonetheless. great, i can't wait...
~ getting to go out with sara and beth, the previously mentioned friends from high school. always good times.
~ the day off work to go to indiana for yet another family christmas.... woo hoo!
~ the large tupperware bowl i got from my mom. funny how those things suddenly turn exciting when you grow up...
~ babysitting for various family and friends.... doing iris' hair so beautifully that even her dad's friend commented on how great it looked... and boy, could i tell you a story or two about those weeks kids! :)... ah, they're full of personality and energy... really, i had an amazingly enjoyable time watching all of them: allie, gracie, & emily hoskins, katelyn, jacob & caleb, iris & lila, and ginger, joe, giovonni, & jasmine weeks... made me realize how excited i am to be a mom, yet how willing i am to wait a while for it! :)
~ spending all day wednesday with the whole family in indiana...
~ finally being considered an adult because i'm married. (there are certain gifts and such in my family that you have to be married in order to get. not that they have any special significance, but they are reserved for couples only.)
~ seeing "sara and jon" on the tags of those gifts
~ the videos jon recorded for me, showing me a glimpse of his life
~ getting to hang out with jon's 2 sisters for new year's eve
~ getting my hair highlighted red the other night... but, that's another story......
~ watching movies on josh & amy's wall with ben's projector. yes, a projector. the man doesn't own a tv, but watches dvds on the "big screen."
~ one of those movies, in america. i loved it. it's about an irish family that moves to america after losing a son, and the challenges they encounter. it deals a lot with reaction to suffering, and also perceptions/stereotypes of people. it has a very loving husband and wife who go through amazingly tough times together. definitely recommend it.
~ thinking i dropped a ring down the sink, and BY MYSELF (with some brief instruction and lending of channel-locks from josh) taking apart the drain and putting it back together... i feel so independent... (of course, the ring wasn't there... it apparently was in a pocket, because it turned up the next day in the laundry... it was worth it to feel all army-wife-ish though!)
~ the chocolate chip soft-drop cookies from my mom. you know, it's not that they're even my favorite kind of cookies... but i don't think it'd be christmas without those red and green sprinkled cookies. though, finally, a few years ago, she stopped putting raisins in them. made them much better.

but, of all, the best was the wake-up call i got from jonathan on christmas eve. it was a lovely conversation. he got his dates for leave! woo hoo! i'm quite excited... but oh, so much to do, so much to do...

so, all in all, the holidays were good ones. there were quite a few hard times... christmas eve was especially difficult, being the one-year anniversary of jon's & my first conversation. and all this week... those memories of the things we were doing this time last year....

looking back on 2005, it's really amazing how far i've come. i have grown as a person, and my relationship with jon has blossomed into a great marriage. i have done this thing every year since probably... 1997 or so (actually, last year i didn't do it... i was a bit... uh.. "distracted" :) ) but i shall do it again this year. i make a list called (this year, for example) "on december 31, 2004, i never would have thought that..." (ok ok, i was 15 when i started doing it... sorry for the lame title...) but it gives me a chance to look back, and to remember for years to come, all the ways my life has changed. it's interesting, too... to look at the first few i did, they mostly involved short-lived high school relationships and top 40 songs. now, the things that make the list are much more significant... my life has changed incredibly, more than words can say. i even look differently now than i did a year ago. and now, i smile as i think of all the possibilities 2006 will bring... happy new year!