*merry christmas and all that jazz*

"That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. 'Don't be afraid! I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the City of David!" - Luke 2:8-11

This will be my last post until after Christmas. I just wanted to wish everyone a blessed Christmas. As you are enjoying your holiday with your families and friends, please take a moment to realize how loved we truly are and how much we need each other.
I'm sitting here at my desk getting ready to leave Richmond and drive to my sister's house, and I'm just so thankful to have a few days off work. This Saturday will be the first one I've had off since June. How crazy. I can't wait to have my neice wrap her arms around my neck and give me a big hug tonight when I get home. Oh how the roles have changed.
It seems like only a year or two ago that I was a little girl waiting up for my sister to come home from Lexington. I'd fall asleep under the Christmas tree so that I'd be sure to hear her when she came in. No matter how late it was (let's be honest, it was probably only like 10 p.m., but when you're a kid that is WAY past your bedtime), I would wake up to smother her with hugs and kisses. She was better than Santa to me. I got so excited about having my cool older sister come home. I'd spend the next few days watching her put her make up on and asking her questions about her life and being crushed when she'd go out to spend an evening with her friends from home.
That is me now. My niece does all that stuff, with the exception of sleeping under the tree. She just stays up until I get there. She sits by the front door and starts freaking out when she sees my car coming up our long driveway.
I can't wait.
I hope someone is waiting for you to come home with just as much anticipation as I had for my sister and as my neice has for me now. I hope someone throws their arms around you and tells them how much better things are when you're around.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a really nice hot tub and perfect snowflakes.
*mwah*

*i am an elf*
My publisher just came over and recruited me to be an "elf." I was really hoping this didn't entail any sort of costume, green tights or bell ringing. He handed me a roll of Scotch tape and some wrapping paper and told me to get to work. Yes, folks, I just spent the last hour wrapping Christmas gifts for the family our newspaper has adopted for the holidays. It was actually quite fun...while we were wrapping we shared holiday stories and had a good laugh. And then he gave me pumpkin bread.
Mmmmm.
I'm sleepy. It could be because I stayed up late last night working on my book. I finished the stupid thing and have sent it off to the publisher for printing (hopefully, for the last time).
What is it about this time of year that makes me really antsy. I can't seem to sit still. Maybe it's the little Mandy that still lives in my brain somewhere (oh man that sounds creepy...like an alien abduction)...still excited about Santa coming to town. Regardless, I've been fidgety all day just thinking that I'll see my family in 2 days. It's been since July that I've seen them all and I can't wait.
I want to run upstairs at my sister's house and throw my bags down and flop on my old bed. I can't wait to take our labs (Mocha and Moose) out for a walk and play catch with them in the back yard. It'll be magic, particularly if the lake isn't frozen over so I can take the kayak out on Christmas morning. I know it sounds cold, but it is so peaceful out there on the lake when everything is still in winter and waiting for me.
All the Christmas presents are wrapped and under the tree here at my house in Lexington, but they will soon travel through 3 states with me to a very pretty white house with green gables.
Wow. I suppose that makes me Mandy of Green Gables. That makes me feel uber nifty.
I am going to take lots of pictures of my family at Christmas this year - mostly candid shots. I'll need them for my desk and my room if I'm going to be away from them for so much longer. Some days I really feel like I'm all alone out here on this side of the state. It made sense when I was in college, but now that I'm out I feel like an island that is floating farther and farther away from land.
Still, I am very happy here. These past few months in Lexington have been wonderful. I've been blessed with some wonderful friends and been so busy I can barely keep my head on straight. I'm just going to enjoy the moment I'm in and be happy here, right now - even if I am at work.
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thess. 5:18
Stop for a moment and take a deep breath and know that I hope your Christmas this year becomes the kind that you fondly remember for years to come.
Ok, you can breathe out now.
I miss you.