Where in the World Do I Start?

It's been a while, and I'm not sure where to start on the bloggage. I made it through the holidays relatively unscathed, and I'm getting REALLY REALLY REALLY excited to come to the mainland to visit family and friends. It's been a busy week already, and I'll be home two weeks from tomorrow!! I have several stories from the past few weeks, and I only have 45 minutes before my accounting lady comes in and I need to focus on work, so here's my best attempt to share some things that matter to me:

1. Ailene's Visit.

I finally got to meet Iris, Ailene's beautiful little angel, when they came to visit Maui a couple weeks ago. It was so very nice to spend a little time with Ailene - I hadn't seen her in at least a couple years, and it was nice to renew a little of that friendship. I hope to stay in better touch with her - she's an amazing woman that I have always respected and admired, and reconnecting with her now, in such a different phase in both of our lives, was a real gift. She is a beautiful woman with an amazing attitude towards motherhood. Little Iris is a sweet and smiley little girl with her mother's bright blue eyes, and Ailene is a real natural with her. I wish that we could have spent a little more time together, but I don't have a car, and so I couldn't head upcountry on a whim. Dumb.

Unfortunately, no pictures from our visit - I think that Ailene took a couple, hopefully she'll send those along to me.

2. Christmas Eve

We had a little Christmas Eve party at my house, which turned out to be not so little, and we had a great time. Jake really went above and beyond in getting the house ready (especially in Nicole's absence), bringing over decorations, lights, and even a pre-decorated Christmas Tree. It was incredible, and really made it feel like a holiday around the house. It turned out to be a really nice time with good friends.

Jason and Rachel, a Hallmark moment.

Carrie and Justin

Jason and Me

Jason and Pool Santa

Bradley and I ended up exchanging gifts that night because we both couldn't wait it out. We both had some fun little stocking stuffers for each other, and we had started a little earlier in thee evening - letting each other open one of the stocking stuffers. As the evening progressed, however, we ended up totally caving and opening everything, which still cracks me up. I was excited/nervous for our first Christmas together, but was so touched and pleased with all the little thoughtful gifts he gave me. One of my stocking stuffers were some specially made massage table face cradle covers, which he knew I had been wanting. There were a few more little items, some of which I won't share here, but all pertaining to things I love, and little special references to things that are special to us together. The last thing I opened was very obviously a jewelry box, which I opened with some major trepidation. Jewelry? On our first gift exchange? Bold, Bradley, bold. I opened the box to a very beautiful pair of silver turtle earrings with blue opal inlays on the shells. I have a mild obsession with turtles, so it was very sweet. I don't think I would ever have picked out those particular earrings if I saw them, but I didn't take them off for three days straight - it was a very sweet and touching present, and he was obviously put some thought into it. So awesome.

I got Bradley a bunch of little things for his stocking, including a dive flag, and a sweet tako sticker for his car (which he has already put on his window much to my satisfaction), some of his favorite snacks, and of course as is tradition in my family - a bunch of totally unnecessary candy. Tradition is tradition baby. His main gift, I was totally excited to give him - he has been needing a dive float for a while now - he keeps going out with an old bleach bottle, which really doesn't cut it, and actually isn't totally legal - and he's been lamenting that he needed something better. The dive float he wants, and would work the best, is $100 at the dive shop, and it's just ridiculous to spend that much. But lo and behold, a float just like that one appeared on craigslist about two weeks before Christmas, so I was able to get a great deal on it, so I snagged it for him. The look on his face was priceless, and I will keep it with me always. He's been using it regularly, and that makes me so happy!

So we had a very successful Christmas together. It's been a long time since I've spent a Christmas with a boyfriend, and I forgot about that initial worry - what is he going to get me? what should i get him? is it going to be an even exchange? what if mine is more extravagant or thoughtful? what if, heaven forbid, HIS is? yadda yadda yadda. I can tell you now that we had a perfect Christmas, and after all is said and done, I ended up spending the whole day with him (after work, blecch), and that was the most important part to me. I know it sounds a little weird, but now that we have that out of the way, I think we can move on to giving only creative gifts, and not spending money on each other.

Christmas Eve is also the day that I opened my box from home, which had both wonderful and sad feelings attached. My mother always puts a lot of fun things in our stockings, and it was hard not being home to go through our normal motions of Christmas morning. I wish that I could have been home to give my folks a huge hug when I opened that box - the primary thing being this silly fish that I fell in love with years ago (which of course my mother remembered), and is now the centerpiece of conversation at my house. It's so funny - people either absolutely love it, or think it's the most assinine thing in the world.

This fish is the coolest thing in the entire world. Why? I don't know. Does it matter?

I really missed my family on Christmas - especially waking up early with Elissa and heading downstairs to a stocking full of fun trinkets that mom had been collecting over the year. I opened my stocking with Bradley there, and I think he's finally starting to understand the weirdness that is my family. :)

3. Christmas.

I had to work on Christmas. Then I talked to my family on the phone for a long time. I was a little sad afterward, so I basically spent the rest of the day with Bradley, totally ignoring the fact that it was Christmas. It actually worked out pretty well. I wasn't too sad at all - felt a little sad the next day that Christmas had passed as a kind of non-event, but it really wasn't too bad. I had to work the 26th too, so I kept busy. Working through the holidays is a new concept for me - one that didn't bother me too much because there was a little added bonus of making money.

4. Megan's Visit

I had been looking forward to this little cookie coming to visit for a while. I was totally stoked that she was coming for the holiday too, since I wasn't able to head home to the Bay Area. I was trying to count and I think we've spent the last 7 or 8 NYE holidays together. I'm getting a little nostalgic right now actually - I can't remember what year it was that I met Megan, but this girl is a soul sister for life. It's amazing to me the relationship we have - we are very different people, and yet so similar in our likes and dislikes and approach to so many things that when I'm with her I feel like I'm hanging out with myself. It's really weird actually - I definitely make the time to call her, but I don't feel like I have to work at staying connected with her. I think that there is a really natural comfort with her, but I think it also comes with the trust that I have in her. I can't help but sit here and think about the fact that one night while she was here, I was getting ready for bed, and we ended up having a stupid text message volley back and forth with Will Ferell movie quotes for almost a half hour, basically 20 feet from each other. I love that girl. We were the best roommates ever, and I will forever treasure the time we have been able to spend together. I miss her already, but I get to see her, and the rest of my important people in just two short weeks!

I think I'm gonna have to fill in on New Year's Eve and the last week in another post. I've wasted a lot of work time, and my fingers are getting tired. Stay tuned for a follow-up. :)