to be honest i had been dreading thanksgiving. it's hard thinking about spending thanksgiving with family other than my own. i sort of wanted to hide out in my house the whole day, eat what i had and watch movies. luckily i didn't have much choice in the matter ;].

eric gave me a few hrs to work since the bean was open till noon...which was needed. then afterwards i ran home to meet and have thanksgiving lunch with amy's parents. they were real nice and i always welcome a great home cooked meal :].

but after that i fully intended on being a couch potatoe [since amy went away with her folks]. my new friend tristan saw to it that i spent the evening with her family. "my mom said you have to get your tail over here for food and fellowship!" i wasn' t sure what to expect. having only known tristan a little over a week i was slightly apprehensive. but the moment i walked through their door i felt right at home. i don't know what it was about the atmosphere; it felt like i had been wrapped in a nice soft blanket.

it melted certain parts of my heart that had been left jaded from living on the outer banks. aside from my resident family that is amy and phil i don't get much interaction with other people. the family i should have gained this summer...wasn't there. that actually sums it up. most of what i get to do is sit in the house whether i'm hanging out with people or not. and don't get me wrong, evenings spent with amy and phil are memories i'll keep with me forever- they've been a blessing in ways i've needed desperately. but sitting in someone else's house, welcomed in with open arms, being flooded with questions about myself and my life... and then to be handed a wii controller after dinner to be silly and random and to laugh till it almost hurt made me feel like an instant part of the family. even though they live far back in colington harbor, i hope i get to go the house again.

all in all i was overflowing with thanks for people in my life. and i still am.

tonight's been a cozy night as well. amy and i decorated for christmas and now the house feels even more like a home. i love it. we blasted cheezy christmas music and just a little bit ago cooked up some ginger cookies. which i'm going to dig into in just a moment.

less than a month and i'm home for nearly two weeks. it'll be a good break. there's a lot of people from home that i just need to BE with. i just wish my puppy would be there waiting for me. and my grandma. i've missed her especially the last couple of days. i got to talk to my aunt yesterday (her sister) and she sounded so much like her. it felt like a snug little hug though it also made me really sad. the holidays just aren't the same without grandma...especially christmas. it will be a beautiful holiday this year, but i can't help but miss going to her house and just hugging her real hard and hearing, "sug, it's so great to have you home" and hear stories about my childhood that i've heard so many times before. but i'll get to see my grandpa, i haven't seen him since may. i wish i saw him more. i feel like a bad grandaugther cause i don't get around to talking on the phone much anymore, so i don't call him but maybe once a month.

oh well. time to watch The Santa Clause with the roomate and eat those cookies!