Refreshed and Renewed

Oklahoma has been good to me. Since deciding to go to school there four years ago, it has become my home, full of amazing memories and people I love (and miss dearly). So last week, when someone in BamaCorps mentioned that they were driving to Oklahoma for the week break between Institute and Orientation, I almost died of happiness. Would I like to come with her? Hell yes, I want to come with you!

So blessing of blessings, I got to stay in Oklahoma for almost a week, soaking up the sun, sleeping a bit more than before, and seeing all my friends one more time before the craziness of teaching starts for realz.

There's nothing like a little R&R with friends. Nowhere to go and nothing to do. Well, sure I studied for the Praxis (Khan Academy = the best thing that ever happened to zee interwebs), but that's it. Nothing more than that. And it was loooooooovely. Absolute bliss. The break was good for my soul.

But all good things must come to an end eventually. The week sped by way too quickly, and early Friday morning my TFA friend was at my door, ready to take me back down south. Seeing the new lives that my friends are creating for themselves, I'm so sad to leave and maybe miss out on some of that.

But I am also excited about the new life that I am creating here. The week showed me that, while my friends will always be a part of my life, it's time to start letting go of Oklahoma. I'm with a new state now, and it's only fair to start that new relationship with a whole heart (and no pieces left behind). Can't be emotionally cheating now, can I?

So no need to worry, Alabama. I'm here 100%.

At least for the next two years.

Lost in Rural Alabama

After a leisurely morning driving around and exploring Livingston, Alabama (where I'll be reporting for TFA duty tomorrow), Mom and I drove to the Birmingham airport to put her on a plane.

Sigh.

There's nothing quite like having your mother abandon you in a strange state to start your new life.

Kidding. I'm not starting my new life yet.

It was a sad morning.

After a long airport lunch and a teary goodbye, I got back in my car and headed back south to Demopolis, my temporary base camp until check-in time. It was supposed to be a two hour drive, but after a week or so of people telling me that I'm pretty good at directions, homegirl got cocky -- and completely lost.

Took me an extra thirty-five minutes to get home.

I ended up on the wrong county road/highway and took a substantial, though scenic, detour through Greensboro, Alabama.

Sadly, it wasn't until I got to Greensboro that I realized something was probably wrong. It all looked the same to me, but I knew we hadn't gone through there on our way to the hotel the night before. So I pulled off at a little hardware store to ask if I was still headed toward Demopolis. The woman laughed.

"Not at all, hon."

I guess I was on a parallel county road/highway to AL-43 (or whatever I wanted) that was growing increasingly less parallel and meandering farther and farther away.

She gave me directions on how to get back on track.

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Things I've Learned When Asking for Directions in Rural Alabama:

1. Don't expect cardinal directions. They don't exist out here.

2. Don't expect the person to name any street names either. They may exist, but they're probably only used by the postal service. If you live here, you'll be directed to take a left after the Hale Country Store, which is down low across there a bit, and then take a right at the first light, which'll take you around about a ways and then straight to Demopolis.

3. Follow their directions to the T. When they say go right at the first light, go right at the first light -- even though that particular first light happens to be about seven miles down the road. Don't bloody turn until you get to that light.

4. When in doubt, stop and ask for a second set of directions. The way in which they're told wont change, but the next time you stop, you've probably already completed at least one of the confusing turns, so that's one less confusing instruction for the next person to give you.

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So that's what I did. After stopping at the little hardware store, I was completely confused and figured it was best to stop again and ask for a second set of directions. This time I stopped at a large gas station. Seemed like a safe bet. Sure enough, the moment I walked in, this really nice guy asks me if I'm looking for the bathroom.

"Actually, I'm looking for Demopolis."

He grins and points out where to go. Same directions as last time, but much easier to understand. I thank him and get back in my car. Right as I am turning left out of the gas station parking lot, the guy comes out of the store at a sprint, yelling and waving me down.

Apparently getting out of the parking lot going the right way is too much for me.

God bless that guy for sprinting after my car in the dead heat of Alabama summertime to tell me I was headed the wrong direction. Already. Probably saved me at least another half hour of driving.

And sure enough, after following that highway down a ways yonder and then taking a right onto another interstate highway, I finally made my way back into Demopolis city limits. Hallelujah. At least I got a really good view of the countryside around here. It's beautiful, and I'm happy to be spending a couple years of my life here.

Made It To Alabama

After our road trip today, I have officially driven across almost the entire continental U.S., minus only California and Georgia. 

It was such a long trip that my memory breaks it up into smaller blocks of time, and I only remember a tiny bit from each block.

From Tulsa to Little Rock, Arkansas:
Drove for two hours. Slept for two hours.

From Little Rock, Arkansas to Memphis, Tennessee:
I was determined to get a picture of every state line we crossed, but then I couldn't get one on the Arkansas border because of construction. Lame. So I tried to get one at the Tennessee border, which would have been cool since this was my first time in Tennessee.

I couldn't get one at the Tennessee border because I never saw the sign. The view was obscured by a giant line of semi trucks.

The picture doesn't even do it justice. I've never seen so many on one interstate before. But once I thought about it, it made sense that there were so many on that stretch of road, since I-40 is one of the main interstates across the U.S. It's amazing how much our country relies on cross-country truck drivers.

From Memphis, Tennessee to Mississippi State Line:

Picture of the Mississippi state line was a success, though I was too lazy to get out of the car.

From Mississippi State Line to Tupelo, Mississippi:
Mom and I couldn't remember if Elvis Presley was from Tupelo, MS or from another T-sounding city in Alabama. We decided that if he was from Tupelo, we'd know as we passed through.

Sure enough, there was a highway sign pointing us in the direction of his birthplace. However, I don't think the sign was quite big enough. In Oklahoma, if someone is from their hometown, their name gets painted on the water tower.

Just sayin.

From Tupelo, Mississippi to the Alabama State Line: 
It was getting dark quickly, so we decided for the longer route through Tuscaloosa over the shorter, windier route on county roads. This meant we hit the state line while it was still light outside. Perfect for picture-taking!

Yours truly got a few honking horns out of this photo op. Either it was my rockin travel outfit, or I was the only nerd they'd seen get out of their car to take pictures of a road sign. I prefer the first.

From the Alabama State Line to Tuscaloosa, Alabama: 
We got lost. So. Many. Times.

Or rather, the blue dot on Mom's Blackberry GPS thing was never right. The sucker refused to update. Not much help when you are whizzing around at 75 mph trying to decide if you need to turn right or not.

Me: "So I turn right?"

Mom: "Uh...." *frantic clicking/scrolling

Me: "Right or straight?! RIGHT OR STRAIGHT?!?!"

Mom: *more scrolling

Me: *drive straight

Mom: "Turn right."

From Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Eutaw, Alabama:
Mom and I counted how many states in the U.S. we have visited. I've now been to thirty of the fifty states (seriously lacking in the Ohio/Iowa area). Today I added Tennessee and Mississippi.

From Eutaw, Alabama to Demopolis, Alabama:
(paraphrasing)

Mom: "You know, when I first moved to Arizona, I looked up all the bugs in the area so I'd know which ones were poisonous. It made me feel a whole lot better about moving. You could do that too."

Me: "....."

Mom: "Or at the very least, look up where the alligators are."

Road Trip

So my awesome younger brother and I just drove across almost half the United States on Saturday and Sunday. It was a long two days.

On Day One, we drove through the entire state of New Mexico. First impressions were that it was very dry, rather level and uninteresting in most places, with small shrubs and large rocky mountains off in the distance (which, no matter how far we drove, we never reached).

I think it's safe to say that the interstates in the U.S. always take the most boring route possible. If it's interesting, it's probably still on Route 66.

After a twelve-hour drive the first day, and losing two hours from Daylights Savings Time, we arrived at our hotel in Amarillo, TX at 2:10 a.m. -- fourteen hours after leaving Tucson (we got a way later start than we would have liked).

I've never slept so well in my life. I was out.

The next morning, at our continental breakfast ...

You Texans. You would.

Then it was on to Oklahoma!

Those of you who have drive through any part of the Oklahoma/Texas panhandle know that I am not exaggerating in the slightest bit when I say that there is nothing flatter than the panhandle.

Soooooooooo flaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.

There's nothing out there but fields (flat fields with nothing growing very high yet), the occasional farmhouse, and some trees which that farmer planted to protect his house from the sweeping wind (which would randomly buffet my car a foot to the left now and then as I drove through).

The second leg of the trip was uneventful and didn't take very long (only four hours or so). And once in Oklahoma City, we had a few hours to spare before I had to drop Stan off at the airport, so we got lunch and caught the tail end of a baseball game in Bricktown -- which just happened to be the Big 12 Championship game. The perfect ending to the sibling-bonding road trip.

And then naturally, to wrap up an otherwise perfect trip, we got completely lost on the way to the airport and thought for a moment that we'd miss Stan's flight. But we didn't, and all is well.

So ends the first half of my cross-country trip to my new home. Stay tuned for tales of my shenanigans in Oklahoma and the road trip to Alabama.

Post-Graduate Adventures

If I've graduated from college, can I call the rest of my life post-graduate? Or does that term only apply to people getting their masters degrees or something?

Anyway, I've begun the rest of my life. Kinda. 

Not really.

Graduation weekend was full of family, graduation parties, and moving the massive amount of things out of my house (Four years ago, I started with five suitcases. Now my things barely cram into a Chevy Trailblazer).

It was a super busy, pretty fun weekend overall.

I carried the banner for my department, leading my teeny tiny graduating class of thirteen.

I got my diploma. In the picture below, I'm about to hug my favorite professor, Dr. Boyd (there's a bit of a shrug/"I made it!" going on there).

We also took SO many family pictures. So so many.

And I had a couple graduation parties, including a really nice big one with all my relatives in Tulsa. Check out the coolest cake I've possibly ever gotten.

But really, to give you the most accurate image of what my weekend looked like, it would be this...

... a lot of parties and group gatherings, everyone looking nice for special occasions, a whole bunch of family picture taking, and an adorable baby running around distracting everyone with her cuteness.

That was my weekend in a nutshell. My graduation sometimes felt like almost an afterthought in all the commotion. Which was fine with me. Left me to mourn its passing in peace.

And now I'm in Arizona for a couple weeks. The plan is to sleep for as much of the break as possible, to make up for the recent sleep deprivation of graduation week and get ready for the upcoming summer of teacher training with Teach For America.

Love in Having a Degree,
Moi

Making Picture Frames

My art teacher is awesome. Bomb dot com.

About a month ago, when we started the printmaking "unit" in my art class, I made this really cool print series as a birthday gift for my dad. But the problem was that the gift is made up of a bunch of small pieces, and I didn't want my dad to have to hang them all individually -- and risk him either not wanting to put them up because it was too much trouble or having super slanty pictures on his wall (I can just hear my dad saying "Oh yea of little faith" as I type this).

The solution? Make a picture frame structure to hold it all together. Daddy-proof! But also totally outside my area of expertise.

Art teacher to the rescue!

Over the course of two days (and a gazillion hours and counting), my teacher and I sawed, glued, air-gunned, and glued some more. And filled in all the holes with grainy "imitation wood" stuff.

Learning how to make picture frames from scrap wood = SO MUCH FUN!!!

I enjoyed wielding me some power tools. A refreshing change from my pretty subdued life.

Clamps held each side of the frame together, allowing me to align the edges perfectly
and then glue and nail gun them together.

Now the only things left for me to do are to spray paint all the frames black and make little wooden pegs to fit between the frames so they go together like puzzle pieces.

I can't wait to see the finished product. I've never made anything so substantial before, and now I really wish that I'd taken an art class before this semester. I'm addicted to the wood shop, and I'd be making all my frames for the rest of my life if I could.

Oh, that's me using a whatchoom'callit. To prove that I can actually be a handy person.

Also, please admire the snazzy new eyewear. All the cool kids have them.

The One in Which I Prepare to Leave College

I was flipping through a travel magazine yesterday morning while on the elliptical, and I saw this quote:

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.  ~Rabindranath Tagore

I almost cried.

I also was listening to Garth Brooks at the time, and the song "Unanswered Prayers" came on. And I almost cried.

A prompt song change followed.

Besides not being able to breathe (cuz I'm rather out of shape), the only reason I didn't cry in both instances was because I was in public. And once I start crying, I turn into an all-out heaving, sobbing snot-fest. I decided to save the other poor patrons of the treadmill from my blubbering. Besides, snot doesn't mix well with sweat.

So I saved it until I got home.

Then I replayed "Unanswered Prayers" and had a good long cry.

My third in two days.

I'm going crazy.

Or rather, I'm getting ready to graduate. And I'm trying to process that fact. Because it is a fact now. A looming, impending doom fact that will soon take me away from all I have loved so dearly in the last four years.

Oh, I know I'll be able to rebuild a home and community again. I will meet good people again. I'll grow to love them. And contrary to how it may seem lately, I am still very excited about moving to Alabama and teaching and working to change things.

And yet... there will never be anything like this experience again. No one will ever be able to replace the amazing women I have gotten to know here. I love them all, and it will hurt so much to leave them.

While talking on the phone with my mom the other day, she said that at least it actually does hurt to leave. That means you are leaving behind something good.

And it's true. I have decided that the amount of pain I am experiencing right now is directly proportional to how amazing my time in college has been. I guess I can be happy I hurt this much, because it means that I squeezed every ounce of fun, growth, and challenge out of these four years.

So I think of that butterfly quote above, and my interpretation of it (Live life to the fullest? Suck every ounce of awesomeness out of any experience you ever have?), and I am sorta heartened. Kinda.

Because while it didn't last long enough, it was perfect in every way. I can definitely say that I lived it up.

Afternoon at the Mont

When the weather is pleasant, all my friends and I want to do is be outside. Conveniently, just down the street is this place called the Mont, which has an outdoor patio. And their campus-famous swirls. And delicious chips and queso.

So the other day, to celebrate the gorgeous 80+ degree weather and the cool breeze from the incoming storm, Val, Brit and I went to the Mont for a swirl and some good chatting.

Now that we are getting so close to graduation (26 days!!!), all I want to do is hang out with my roommates and friends. I don't care about classes (though I still enjoy them) and I sure as hell don't care about homework. Hate to admit it, but my capstone project is going to be a joke. I'll be using Xtranormal, if that tells you anything.

And of all the things I'm going to miss here, it'll be the people. Sure, I'll miss the lifestyle. I'll miss being on my own time and own initiative. But most of all, I'll miss my roommates and the closeness we've created over the last year living together. And I'll miss the friends I've made during college (especially over this last year). Why is it that I meet all these cool people with only a year left to get to know them? Why couldn't I have met all these people freshman year? Oh the injustice! *shake fists*

I'm not ready to grow up. I'm not ready to get a real job. And I'm definitely not ready to move away and leave this oasis of awesome.

Anyone know of a good time machine salesman?

Mailbox Surprises

The last two days have been awesome mail days. Really, the last month has been an awesome mail month. With my birthday and those Amazon.com camera splurges, it's been a pretty consistent stream of goodies in my mailbox all throughout March, and I love it.

In yet another example of mailbox domination month, the awesome birthday present from my sister Rebecca arrived yesterday.

Ta-da!

It was a pink explosion of baking things!

The cupcake recipe book is full of both practical, easy-to-make cupcakes, and wonderfully fanciful ones with rose petals coated in sugar. I can't wait to try making one of them. 

I love the pattern on the apron and oven mitt. 

And then today brought two precious pictures of my niece Isabella, who is already one years old. I can't believe how much she has grown! And still the CUTEST. THING. EVER.

So much love.

What A Weekend

It's been a busy one. Supa supa busy.

I ...

...

...

Hold on. I definitely did something.

...


Oh yeah.

I took lotsa pictures (240-ish), finished a couple drawings, went on a date, played Scene It with the Student Film Production Club, got a gazillion picture texts from my mom of my niece's first birthday party, and watched the Oscars.

And my little bro turned twenty yesterday. Seriously?! WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!

I remember playing Barbies Legos with him when we were little ones. We were inseparable as children, frenemies when I was in middle school, and great friends in high school. Now that I live far away, I don't really get to talk to him (or see him) as much as I want, but I'd like to think we get closer with every phone conversation. Someday, maybe, we'll again live closer than two states apart. Till then, Happy Birthday dude.

At the City Brew Drive-Thru Yesterday

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Me: "Do you want anything?"
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Dad: "Sure. I'll just take a small coffee."
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Barista: *crackle* "Welcome to City Brew! What can I get for you today?!" *crackle crackle*
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Me: "Um, I'll take a small black coffee and . . .  a tall mint mocha frappuccino with skim milk, two shots of espresso, extra whip cream, and sprinkles if you have them. Thanks!"
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Uphill Both Ways in Freezing Weather

I flew into Billings yesterday, leaving balmy Las Vegas behind for the frigid winter wind of Montana -- of which Dad and I had ample time to appreciate, as we stood outside for a solid twenty minutes waiting for the taxi to arrive. Just goes to show how small my town is. We probably got one of only two taxis in service that day.

Side Note: Dad is sitting here and would like me to clarify that I was in Henderson, not Las Vegas. He says that Henderson is the second largest city in Nevada. However, since they bleed together and there is only a tiny sign to indicate the change from one city to the other, I will continue to call it Las Vegas. Sounds much more exotic that way.

The last two days have been filled with rearranging/cleaning/bleaching my dad's apartment, seeing friends, experiencing my small hometown's public transportation, and walking to the Dollar Tree to buy more utensils for my dad's kitchen.

It's actually quite fun to help buy stuff for someone else's kitchen (using someone else's money). I'll probably be over the moon when it's time to get stuff for my own kitchen (though I am much less enthusiastic about the spending my own money part). But seriously, setting up a house is so much fun. And the dollar store is actually the best thing that was ever created for said homemaking. For example, why would you go to a regular store (even Walmart, the cheapville of them all), when you can get that same vase/oil dispenser/wine glass/measuring cup set for a fraction of the cost at the dollar store? One buck for everything? Yes please.

Then, of course, came the adventure of walking home with my loot. See, Dad's not-so-trusty, ancient-beyond-belief station wagon finally bit the dust not long ago, and as such, I am without a car. Which means walking long distances to get places (ten blocks to the grocery store -- uphill both ways in snow and ice) or taking the bus.

Oh, the bus. See, in small-town Montana, not very many people take the bus. I have yet to be on a bus with more than four people at a time. The city is too spread out, and the public transportation too sparse, to make it very convenient to not have a car. So most people have cars. And no one rides the bus.

Except me.

Five quarters will take me anywhere I want to go -- as long as there's a bus station nearby, of course.

It's very interesting to see your hometown, the place where you've grown up and spent 13+ years, from the back of a bus. Just sitting there, bumping along. It's a different feeling, though it's hard to describe. And I kinda enjoy it. I don't particularly enjoy being limited in mobility or anything, but it's a new adventure to attack Billings by bus. It gives me a new challenge during my week or so here.

That and keeping my balance on all this ice. I shall consider it an immense accomplishment if I manage to stay on my feet and off my butt while walking around out here.

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas full of joy, love and family.

Mine had a healthy dose of wonder as well. Baby Isabella's first Christmas was a thing to behold. Pictures and stories to follow.

May peace be in your heart,
Virginia

Today I went to Egypt...

... and England, Monaco, and New York City.

It was a busy day.

Evangelina had a hair appointment in one of the hotels on the Strip (Who still cuts hair on Christmas Eve?), so Stan, Dad and I went with her and walked around for a few hours while she got a cut/color.

I guess midday on the Strip is for families. They were everywhere. I was amazed at how many people 1) spend Christmas in Las Vegas, and 2) take their kids with them when they come.

Vegas isn't really a place for kids. Sure, they have some magician shows and the Excalibur hotel (think mideival castles and real jousting tournaments). But there are more pictures of half-naked women here than in a Maxim magazine, and probably just as raunchy.

The Excalibur

While wandering, we walked through the Luxor, which is a giant glass pyramid and has a little Sphinx inside. Then we walked across a skybridge (all those big hotels are connected) to the Excalibur hotel. Then we went on to New York New York -- which is probably my all-time favorite hotel on the strip.

That's because inside, they have a food area that is made up entirely of "miniature" NYC buildings that stand about one and a half stories tall. The first floor is to scale, holding restaurants and little cafes. Then, above that first floor, they've miniaturized the buildings and squeezed in another two or three "stories." It's adorable.

Found me that NYC townhouse!

Also, New York New York has a roller coaster. A big red roller coaster that winds around the outside of the building so you can see the Strip from an entirely new perspective. Stan and I rode the coaster on the way back -- rather pricey, but oh so much fun!!!

Then we walked through the Monte Carlo (which is actually a huge hotel in Monaco -- lots of my friends took a day trip over there while we were at Cannes) and then on to the CityCenter, which is apparently this huge new hotel with the best shopping and gorgeous paintings lining the halls (which the concierge at New York New York said was better than paying to walk through some gallery.

Near one of the entrances to the Monte Carlo.

After walking all the way down to the CityCenter (which was probably at least five super long NYC blocks), we took the free trams all the way back down to the Luxor, where Evangelina was getting her hair done.

We had some time to spare before she was done, so the three of us got fluffy Christmas drinks at Starbucks and sat around chatting (which included, on my part, a complete recount of the plot of Casablanca in an attempt to convince the boys that it was more than just another old black and white movie). Let me just say that while Christmas drinks at Starbucks (with their red holiday cups) already fill me with a special joy every year, they really come through after a few hours of walking around gaudy, expensive hotels. Gingerbread spice never tasted so delicious.

No Place Like Vegas for the Holidays

My older sister Evangelina currently lives in Las Vegas, and she is graciously letting the family crash her beautiful home for Christmas. I picture lots of eating her scrumptious cooking and hours of fighting over and playing with the cutest creature on the planet, her baby daughter Isabella (It'll be her first Christmas!).

To get from Arizona to Vegas, Mom, Stan and I are driving eight hours, starting tomorrow at the painfully early hour of 5:00 a.m. Which hopefully means we'll be missing the morning traffic when driving through Pheonix (about an hour and a half away from Tucson). However, since there is a teeny-tiny, ever so slight chance we might possibly hit traffic when passing through, I have taken the responsibility upon myself to commandeer the car through said big city. My wonderful mother, while I love her dearly with every fiber of my being, scares the living daylights out of me when she drives under stress.

Big City + Morning Work Traffic + My Mother = Possible Heart Attack

This is something I would like to avoid.

So I will be doing the driving.

I'm actually pretty excited about it (except the rising-before-the-crack-of-dawn part, of course). Since I don't have a car in Oklahoma, I'm always jumping at the chance to drive people around. It's a simple joy, I guess. But when something is a special occasion, it's gonna be fun. And driving, for me, is definitely a special occasion.

I realize this makes me strange.

Also, the landscape between Las Vegas and Tucson is really different from anything I'm used to. I grew up with mountains, trees, shrubs and tall brittle grass.

Out here it's the desert, with a million different kinds of cactus poking awkwardly out of rocky dirt. Lots of cactus. Lots of dirt.

And an occasional roadrunner. I know what you're thinking, and yes, they actually exist outside the Looney Tunes.

I just discovered this too. Changed my entire outlook on life.

So anywho... tomorrow we're headed to Las Vegas to begin the rest of the Christmas festivities. I'm excited about Christmas in Vegas, but I'm a bit sad to be leaving Tucson and my sister Rebecca. My stay here was way too short -- four days just isn't enough to catch up with family that you haven't seen in four months. But hopefully, if things go according to plan, I'll get to spend some time here after I graduate (before I start a real job, perhaps?).

Wait. Who am I kidding? THERE IS NO PLAN! Gah! *nervously gash teeth*

(Oops. Seeing as this blog is already full of a gazillion tangents, I'll leave that one for another time).

See y'all in Vegas!

Dreaming of a White Christmas?

Warm, rainy Arizona weather isn't exactly what gets me in the mood for Christmas. I've even slipped on my daily ritual of Pandora Christmas music while aimlessly cleaning the house. The last part is probably the direct result of not being at home anymore (not that my sister would mind if I randomly started 409-ing her house, I'm sure).

In short, I've been feeling much less Christmas-y in the last few days. But hopefully today will cure that. I'm braving the malls with my mother (what shouts louder of holiday cheer than a massive throng of frustrated, harried shoppers?) to find me a pair of black flats (yay Christmas presents!), and then my family and I are going to that rich neighborhood with all the Christmas lights that I was telling you about earlier.

I'm also buying some real film for the old camera that my mom is letting me borrow (made in the 70s = true vintage), so maybe there will be some pretty pictures of my Christmas festivities up on the blog soon.

Until then, may your days be merry and bright!

You Know The Holiday Has Arrived When...

1. I went to bed at midnight. It was so early, I had to double check all my clocks to make sure that was the correct time. Because going to bed at midnight is, for me, about as rare as seeing a unicorn-- and definitely just as miraculous.

2. I woke up at 12:45 p.m. Arizona time. Which means it's 1:45 p.m. Oklahoma time. Which means I definitely slept solid until mid-afternoon. Excellent.

3. It's already an hour later, and I haven't gotten any further along in getting ready for the day than putting on clothes (though, in my defense, said clothes are workout clothes, and I'm currently in the process of convincing myself to go on a run. This is difficult business, I can assure you).

4. I ate macaroons and Russel Stover chocolates yesterday like it was nobody's business. See, my sister is a teacher, and a pint-sized pupil's favorite gift over the holiday season is chocolate and candy and some more chocolate. So all those sugary treats are now overflowing her kitchen table, and I've taken it as my personal responsibility to make a sizable dent in that pile before I leave (hence, as previously stated, my need to go for a run).

5. It's time to start figuring out what you got everyone for Christmas. The good thing about buying everyone's Christmas gifts in June is that you don't have to go shopping now, when the mall is hell and their parking lots are a special kind of purgatory. The bad thing is that, being so long ago, I now completely forget what I bought everyone and can't remember who is the one person I still haven't gotten anything for. And I can't check because I thought ahead and stashed all my Christmas gifts in a bottom drawer at my sister's house in Las Vegas (where we're all spending Christmas). Woops. Being a planner has come back to bite me in the butt.

6. Our evening plans consist of driving around one of the wealthy neighborhoods in town that has over-the-top Christmas light displays. So excited! Apparently this particular neighborhood we are going to is so legit that they have horse-drawn buggy rides going through in the evenings. And in warm 65 degree Arizona weather, that sounds absolutely wonderful.

7. Because of the many weeks of "thumbs up" and "thumbs down," Pandora has perfected your Holiday Music playlists so nicely that Mariah Carey doesn't show up your Bing Crosby playlist -- ever. So nice.