white lights

I did a bit of Christmas decorating while the roommates were gone -
white lights in the living room, my room and my bathroom. Aren't they great?

I do love it, but it isn't home...

I love Spokane. I loved the changing leaves and I love the pure white snow on the ground. I love the people. I love my school. I love the new things I'm doing. I love my new home.

I say "home" in reference to my apartment, but it's not HOME.

Home has a hound dog with sad eyes and two Jack Russells. Home has a sister who rearranges her room monthly and a taller younger brother with a man-voice. Home has a dad with a "waffle dance" and a mom who stays up till 4am just talking with us. Home has brick floors and a view of the marsh. Home has had one white Christmas, 20 years ago. Home has grandparents and people I've known since I was a baby. Home has fresh seafood and rednecks. Home has the beach and the Sands and the waterfront. Home is salty and humid. Home has random parties with dancing in the backyard and for music, someone's car pulled up with the stereo really loud. Home has a riding lawnmower that's older than I am. Home has a Night on the Town in December and a Water Festival in the summer. Home has the best potato salad ever, sweet tea and Frogmore Stew. Home has kayaking and jumping off Granddaddy's dock. Home has the best downtown ever, even though there's not much to it.

Home to me is not Spokane. When I say home, I really do mean Beaufort.

And I'll be there two weeks from today.

It's the most wonderful time...

Does this say it all or what?

I'm so completely thrilled with this stuff.

There's first-snow ice cream
(Dustin and Skyler and I went to Ben and Jerry's to get some)
(and I didn't mean to cut Dustin's head off... he's just taller than my arm can reach)

And Christmas lights in cute little downtowns
(Micah, Ian, Erica and I went to Coeur d'Alene for the light show)

Thanksgiving was fun.
But now it's super exciting...
It's Christmastime!

Thanksgiving Spokane-Style

Our Thanksgiving feast:
Rolls (Danny)
Mashed Potatoes (Amanda)
Green Bean Casserole (Me)
Turkey (Skyler)
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (Skyler)
Gravy (Me)
Table setting (Danny)

Skyler all ready to dig in!








After the table was partially cleared...

(we found that cooking so much made us less hungry... we didn't eat very much... oh! and that's GRAPE JUICE)





The leftover roommates. Maddie's in Kansas and Molly left this morning for home!







The dishes...








The biggest treat of all was that it snowed! I videoed the snow falling. You can barely see it but it's there! Everything was so white and frosty.



We're thinking of watching a Christmas movie while eating our pie tonight - we were just too full to eat that earlier :)

Thanksgiving

Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart,In the company of the upright and in the assembly. Psalm 111:1

I am so thankful today.
I miss my family very much and I'm thankful for that.
I'm thankful for the "family" here, the brothers and sisters in this apartment and the one above me, three of whom I'm feasting with today (everyone else went home).
I'm thankful that I'm out here in Washington and that I know that God has me here.
I'm thankful for school. I love our little set-up in the church and that I know just about everyone.
I'm thankful that I will be home in two weeks and two days.
I'm thankful for cold weather, and the tiny bit of snowfall on Tuesday (yes! it snowed! and then it rained but I'm still thankful for snow!)
I'm thankful that Haley is out here too and that she has such an amazing, encouraging heart.
I'm thankful for my roommates who cooperate when I make them make turkeys.
I'm thankful for my roommate to be, Erica, who has such an enthusiasm from her that it's so obvious who her joy is in :)
I'm thankful for swing-dancing and crazy dancing with Molly.
I'm thankful for my grandparents who I'm missing a lot and can't wait to see very soon!
I'm thankful for real sisters and brothers... Scott and Becca.
I'm thankful for so many puppies at home.
I'm thankful for friends at home who send letters and emails and Facebook wall posts.
I'm thankful for friends who make plans for break and take squish pictures over Skype and for friends who call weekly just to say hey.
I'm thankful for friends here who give me rides and study really hard for tests with me and invite me to have Thanksgiving with them so I won't be alone.
I'm thankful that I don't really have any needs. The right amount of money always seems to come in just when I can't pay rent or need food. I really can't say enough about that.

For all these things and more things I can't think of right now, I thank God. He has blessed me so much!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

skating

I went ice skating last night!

An outdoor rink... never done that before.
It was 29 degrees outside so we layered like crazy.
Ten of us went... the boys upstairs, us girls downstairs, Erica (the roommate to be) and Haley.
Haley didn't skate so I don't really have pictures of her :(
It was cold but so much fun!
Also, it snowed.
Just a little bit and then it rained and then there was sleet
but it HAS now snowed in Spokane.

The roomies and Erica!


Just about everyone... except Dustin
(he kinda tore his pants and had to go home):

(Mom said I needed to post...)

i saw snow!

We went up to Mount Spokane to see snow today! As we drove up the mountain, we started to see a little snow on the side of the road, then a little more, then a whole bunch! We stopped to throw snowballs.

Skyler

Molly

First time holding/touching snow. Very exciting.

We got back in the car and went to find some "good snow". In my opinion, any snow was good, but THIS is what they meant:

A little winter wonderland :)


Then we built a snowman.
It was good snow for snowboarding, but not so good for snowman building (Skyler is an expert on all things cold-weather) so we made a midget snowman, just the base and head.
The snowman was also redheaded, having accidentally landed in too much pinestraw... this is why he is pictured with the other two redheads.
We took a picture to remember him because he is no longer with us: Skyler thought it would be fun to dropkick his head off. The rest of his body was thrown down a hill.

The snow was fun. It was amazing. The air wasn't as cold as I expected but after a couple hours of walking through the snow and playing in it, we realized that we were not only freezing cold, but also wet. My clothes were soaked from not knowing how to walk in snow (in other words, slipping and falling) and from making the snowman.


I definitely now love snow but I am very thankful for warm showers :)