Long Time, No Blog!

Oof!  How is it suddenly AFTER CHRISTMAS??  As it always does, December flies by in a whirl of scholar bowl meets, term papers, final exams, shopping, decorating, and stressing!

I hostessed my annual Senior Scholar Bowl Christmas Party, and I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all--we had baked spaghetti and played Trivial Pursuit (girls v. boys [GIRLS WON!]).  I love hosting get-togethers in my house, and I'm so glad the whole team was there!  Plus it's a good reason to get my cleaning/cooking/wrapping taken care of by a deadline . . . .

The Tree!

The Mantle!

Then it was time for various girls' nights and lunches to celebrate and exchange gifts with friends!  If I don't weigh 509803495 pounds by January, it won't be because I didn't try.  Bennies!  Thai D!  El J's!  It's always lovely when the ladies-who-lunch lunches start, because that means the grading is done, the wrapping is done, and it's time to actually enjoy relaxing and sharing the gifts and just talking and laughing with my loved ones.  Plus there's cake!  

Mom and Dad share their birthday!  

So many traditions around our house at Christmas--mom's Charles Dickens village went up without my help this year, but I'm pretty sure I'll be helping take it down . . . .  And the tree has all the ornaments from my childhood that make Christmas Christmas.  We go to the Candlelight service at church and then head to dinner at the Halsteads' house; it seems that we run from place to place and dinner to dinner, visiting and remembering, and I'm so glad we do.

Sideways Hickman tree!

Sideways Charles Dickens village!

And on Christmas day, I hope my beloveds got what they were hoping for, because I sure did--and then some!  I've been REALLY good this year, so I totes deserve THIS:

The most beautiful ring in the world--and it matches my birthday earrings!

:-)  :-)  I actually do NOT deserve such a lovely gift, which my parents were actually told NOT to buy . . . but since they did anyway, I'll be sporting it everywhere.  Even now, as I type this with wet hair and dressed unfabulously in a sweatshirt and jeans, my ring finger is so SO sparkly . . . .  It's a smokey topaz set in rose gold.  And I quite love it.  Almost as much as I love the mom and dad who gave it to me--the same ones who blessed me with traditions and welcomes throughout my whole life.  What would I ever do without them??

And so, as the New Year looms, I have much to look back on fondly.  It's been a pretty great year in many respects, and since there's always hope for improvement, I think 2015 can only get even better.  I'll probably make resolutions lists for next week's holidays, but until then, there's a nap in my future.  A sparkly nap, but still.  Merry Christmas!

My champion nappers enjoying their Christmas gift!