livin' on a prairie

finals are over. i passed. my birthday is over. i was spoiled. Christmas is over. it was delightful. my blog blahs are over. i went back in time to try to play catch up and here is the result:

i got to hang out with the randall girls during the weekend before thanksgiving. mama callie took us all to dinner at the asian star. this is what i got:



then they made me go shopping at a whole, whole lot of different places. i got worn out rather quickly, but i considered myself lucky, because at least they didn't make me cry...like they did mel. mel, i think your hair is awesome, no matter what the professionals say.

then i got to go visit my old college stomping grounds for thanksgiving. here i am on my way there, being oh so very careful (totally not taking photos of myself while i drive.):



i got to eat with some of my old friends and some of their new friends. it was sort of like a united colors of benetton ad. we had people from all different walks of life sitting around the table. i think we covered 6 different countries and about as many different religions. it was perfect...except for the fact that there was no turkey. aw, who needs turkey?



me, that's who.



so the day after thanksgiving i headed a bit south to visit one of my favorite neighbors from college. crae and his fantastic wife, jenny, just welcomed their third baby girl into their lives. i got to hold her for a really long time. it's been forever since i've held a baby. i was in heaven. then, they fed me some traditional thanksgiving grub for lunch. mmm...mmm...good.



i tried to visit some other friends, the smiths, but they weren't home. sad. so i headed home. that night i had another thanksgiving feast with my friends. we ate pork chops. i know. anyway, we were joined by a very special new friend, his name is clint. it was a lot of fun getting to know him. i bet you all want to know him, too, so i've posted a photo of him below:



the following week i headed home-home for my grandpa's funeral. he passed away thanksgiving night. it was quite the celebration of life. i got to see a bunch of relatives who i haven't seen for years. it was really neat to see grandpa honored by so many people. his casket was draped with the good ol' stars and stripes and when the bugle played taps, before the 21 gun salute, my eyes filled with tears. my uncle got to present the flag to my grandma, it was really something special. the cemetery was freezing cold, but we all huddled together and wrapped our arms around each other. my sister, sunshine band, said that it was just grandpa's way of gathering us all together for a giant hug. i hope they have 60 minutes in heaven...or what will grandpa do on sunday evenings?

back up to school. study. study. study.

the weekend before finals matt threw a birthday party for me and Baby Jesus. matt, todd, karen, sam, emmy, zack, crystal and mitch all joined me in a rip-roarin' adventure at the local ice skating rink. i discovered that i am even more out of shape than i thought i was.



then we headed back to matt's house for some dinner and presents.



i was completely spoiled. i got a stocking full of stuff that i hate to buy for myself, like q-tips, deodorant, toothpaste, etc., a bag full of more stuff i hate to buy for myself, like highlighter pens, school folders, markers, and a gift card from iTunes. you may be wondering why i would get a gift card for iTunes when i've never even owned an mp3 player. well....surprise! matt (and maybe todd, i couldn't hear because i was too excited) gave me an awesome new iPod, pre-loaded with tons of songs. matt is totally jealous of it.



i also got to go to dinner and a play with a bunch of guys. we went to the Christmas story. it was not quite as good as the movie, but still fun to see.



oh and we tried to see natalie cole sing with the motab, but we had to walk forEVER and our seats got given away. we had to watch them on a screen from the tabernacle. i had to leave early...did you know that there are NO BATHROOMS in the tabernacle. whatev.



take finals. check. pass classes. check. shop for Christmas. check. pack bags. check. load car. check. take free turkey that matt sets out for me with all of my stuff. oops.

on the day before my birthday, i went against everyone's recommendations and hit the road for my parents' house. it's not that people didn't want me to go to my parents' house, it's that they didn't think feff could safely make the trip...yet again. but just as i knew he would, feff rocked. i made it home and got all settled in for a very looooooooooong winter's nap. i say "nap" because i was really looking forward to doing nothing. and in b-town, that's sort of all there is to do. i have to stay with the folks since my house is being rented out. i'm not complaining, i'll gladly subject myself to this oddly joyful frustration in order for my monthly mortgage payments to be made.

the following day, we all gathered at sunshine band's house to celebrate my big day. and what a big day it was!



my whole family chipped in and bought me exactly what i wanted...a wii!





now i really want to get rockband or bandhero, but for now i will be thrilled with the games i've got. i really needed this gift, because electronic entertainment is hard to come by at my parents' house. seriously.

about 20 years ago my mom thought my dad ought to get rid of his "thwacka-thwacka" typewriter, so she bought him this:



(note: when i went into my dad's office to take this picture, i noticed he decided to leave the decorations i had put up in the room when it belonged to me...well hello, luke perry!)



this electric typewriter is the closest thing they have to a computer. and with no internet access i've been feeling a bit left out of the loop. besides the lack of the internet, they also only have one television hooked up in their house. it is in their bedroom. i swear, they go to bed at approximately 8:30pm. so, no tv watching for me. still, here's their awesome set up:



all hooked up to this highly-technical contraption:



do you see what a treasure a video game system is for me? it's really my only source of entertainment. especially since there is about 2 feet of snow in every direction and they live in the middle of no where.



this morning my dad came up with a "brilliant" idea. instead of using the faucet that comes with the sink to fill the sink with hot water to wash dishes, my dad filled a giant pan with snow and heated it on the wood-burning stove. my mom is so lucky to have such an innovative husband. (pretty sure i'll be eating off of paper products from now on.)

i really might be laura ingalls.

(Christmas and New Year post to come.)