(To the tune of "Oh Christmas Tree")

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!

How very filled your branches!

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!

How very fake your branches!

You are the tree my parents bought,

when I was small and you were not.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!

How very old your branches!

With angel top, and lights aglow,

and a tree stand that turns you slow.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!

How nicely twirl your branches!

With only parents' deckings kept,

you still are filled 'til leaning left.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!

I never could replace you.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!

but come next year I'll try to.

Tidings of Comfort and JOY!!!

Just ONE MORE PRESENT to buy and then I am officially finished with Christmas shopping. WHEW! If I had to search one more store for crystal-looking salt and pepper shakers, I was going to vomit. As it is, I didn't end up getting those for my mom, and chose instead a few smaller items that she did and did not ask for. The rest of the presents have been purchased over the last several days, and most of them came directly from Christmas Wish Lists.

Originally, I thought lists were the lamest thing ever. Who wants to go shopping for someone when the person already knows what they're going to get? They may as well just go buy it themselves. Isn't "hint dropping" enough these days? However, after trapsing about the greater Twin Cities region collecting list items a bit at a time, I have to say I'm a bit thankful that I didn't have to put tons of thought into every single friggen gift.

Every year it gets worse. Why does my family have to keep growing? Isn't one nephew enough? But nooooo, someone gets all sparkly-eyed and another kid's on the way, and surely the other brother will follow suit soon. ::sigh:: Just wait til I have in-laws to buy for too. :P

Eh, despite my whining, I do still love the Christmas season. It's sad, I know. But trees, cookies, and Bing just bring out my sappy side. Tis the season, I guess. Tomorrow Chris and I are off to GB for X-mas festivities, and then we're zooming right back to MN on Christmas Day to celebrate with his fam.

So it begins...

Good to see the genius is still going strong. And check out that hair--it's like he morphed with a Troll.

Home is where the free food is

Tonight I drove home to GB where I was greeted by two parents and two dogs. As soon as I made myself presentable (aka putting on clothes that don't look like shit), we headed to Coaches Corner for their wonderful Thursday night special: buy one pizza, get one for a penny AND double bubble tap beer all night. So, we ordered a supreme, a pepperoni and sausage, and a couple pitchers of beer. It's always interesting splitting two pitchers of beer with your parents...I opted to be the designated driver, so I had 2 glasses instead of the 3 or 4 my parents must have had.

I'm only here until Saturday because Jasmine (Lance's older sister) is having a b-day party at a fairly new club in MN--Vallentino's. So, Jenny and I are tagging along with Tricia, and Chris might be bringing some of his buddies with him too. It should be a good time, since it'll be the first time going out with Jenny now that she's back in the US. And I could REALLY use a night of dressing-to-kill and then dancing the night away. Now to figure out what the hell I'm going to wear...

Expecting a New Arrival...

More than one, in fact. It turns out September was a very productive time (must be something about being teachers). No, I'm not pregnant. Hell no. Thank GOD hell no. But I know two people who are:

#1. My sister-in-law Beth and my brother Chris are expecting a second bundle of joy, so lucky Matthew gets to be a big brother sometime in June. Whew, as if they weren't busy enough already!

#2. My friend Amy from high school and her hubby Geoff are also expecting their second tyke, so lucky Kate gets to be a big sister. Whoopee!

But there's one more that's expected. Actually, it's an arrival I've anticipated for a while, and (honestly) for which I am much more excited.

#3. JENNY FLIES HOME SATURDAY!!!! :) (Please excuse the excessive use of punctuation. I think Jenny's homecoming warrants the use of two, three, perhaps even FOUR exclamation points.)

Jenny and I on the Eiffel. We took the picture ourselves--classy, eh?

Lucky ME gets to pick her up from the airport that night (and Tricia might come too). We may not be family, but I truly can't wait to be reunited with a person who has proven to be a dear and lasting friend (despite our original obvious differences when we first met 5 years ago). Dude, when you get back, it's party time. I'm talking clubs, I'm talking stovetop popcorn, I'm talking spectacularly intellectual film festivals of BJD, Monty Python, and maybe even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and, oh yes...I'm talking homemade Parisian Street Style crepes with Nutella.

Welcome home.