When I'm with you my heart is home...

Well, it's been a while since I blogged, and lots of things have happened, so just be warned that this might end up being long.

First of all, Christmas happened.  It was a nice Christmas.  I sang "Born to Die" by Bebo Norman for the Christmas Eve service at church.  If you don't have Bebo's Christmas CD, I highly recommend it.  In fact, here is my list of favorite Christmas CDs.

1. Family Force 5's Christmas Pageant by Family Force 5
2. Christmas from the Realms of Glory by Bebo Norman
3. Christmas Offerings by Third Day
4. Happy Christmas Volume 4 from Tooth and Nail Records
5. Elf: Music from the Major Motion Picture by various artists

I think that is really all the Christmas music I listened to.  Everyone should own those CDs.  The Muppets Christmas CD is one that we also listen to, but since the Muppets are a bit before my time and since I just kind of find that CD a little bit obnoxious, it didn't make the list.  Sorry, Muppet fans.  I admire your fanaticism.

I got some cool Christmas presents, too.  I might get some of them mixed up with my birthday presents, because they are pretty close together, but I'll do my best to remember.  I know that I got a cool shirt and some gloves from Em Harmsen, which was cool.  Patrick got me Switchfoot's new CD, Hello Hurricane, which I highly recommend.  Andrew got me my dragonfly ring from JesseDanger on Etsy, which I was SO EXCITED about.  I adore that ring.  Seriously, it's sososososo pretty.  I got a couple shirts and a Bebo Norman CD from my family, and also the book Captivating and another book that Mom picked up at Urban Outfitters called Urban Paper.  It is really awesome.  Basically, the whole book is pages and pages of paper toys that you can cut out and glue together to make funny little things.  I am taking pictures of all the paper toys I make and I'm going to post them on Facebook eventually, and when I do that I'll also try to remember to post some here.  It is very much a new hobby of mine.  Me and the X-Acto knife have spent a lot of time together since getting this book.  Other things I got included my rockin' awesome steampunk jacket that I wanted and some knitting stuff from my grandparents, and some really cool earrings made from old clock hands from Manda and Chad and Madeline and Eli, and lots of other things.

Then, my birthday happened!  I turned 19 on the 30th, which somehow was weirder than 18.  18 was fun because it is kind of that first year that you are a grown-up.  You can smoke and stuff, too, which I haven't tried.  Not that I want to try smoking, but me and some friends were going to get some cigars to try just because we can.  And I think it would be hilarious if I smoked a cigar.  But anyway, as I was saying, 18 is kind of a monumental birthday.  However, you're still kind of a teenager at 18, and 19 you aren't really as much.  Yes, you're nineteen, but maybe it's just that it's that much closer to 20, when you aren't a teenager at all.  19 just seems a lot different.  But I'm still kind of a little kid so it's alright.  I'm not worried.

For my birthday I got rockin' presents.  Mom and the fam' got me more shirts and some cute shoes and jewelry and another Bebo Norman CD and some salt and pepper shakers that look like little Russian nesting dolls to match my measuring cups and other things.  I am trying to remember them all and I feel bad that I can't.  Haha.  Emily Rollman framed an edited photo of her and I dancing with some little girls at my graduation party and got me some uber cute earrings.  Andy shot two deer the day before my birthday, and he said he'd make me some deer jerky out of one of them, so that's my birthday present from him.

One particular present is my favorite, but it requires some background.  When I was little, I alwaysalwaysalways reallyreallyreally loved American Girl dolls.  I would pour over the catalogues for hours and hours and Sophie and I would fight over who wanted what.  Sophie always liked Molly.  I always liked Samantha.  Samantha was the prettiest, she looked the most like me, she had the most beautiful dresses and the cutest accessories and I was always kind of fascinated with the Victorian time period.  But I never any American Girl doll of my own.  We had some generic off-brand versions that were nice, but of course it wasn't the same.  I also had the little miniature version of Samantha, but she eventually got worn and thrown out. Unfortunately and much to my dismay, in May of 2009 they retired the Samantha Parkington doll and her entire collection.

I've occasionally mentioned that I always wanted that doll, but I never really thought anyone paid much attention.  Well, Andrew did, apparently, and the night before my birthday I opened up a box with an absolutely beautiful original 1986 Samantha doll.  I would post a picture, except that Mom has the camera with her at Impact.  But seriously, she's gorgeous, and she's in really good condition considering how old she is and the fact that she's used.  Since I got her I've become obsessed with finding clothes and accessories for her on Ebay.  I'm currently bidding on two dresses for her.  The Pinafore Dress and the Cranberry Party Dress.  I am also going to try and buy a new set of her original accessories, because she's missing her brooch and her hat is a little bit bent and dusty, but for now I am just excited to dress her up and play with her.  See?  I'm not that old.  I still play with dolls.

Okay.  Moving on from the holidays.

Mom is off on a youth retreat, along with Andrew and mostly all of my friends.  Josh is here because obviously Andrew and Peter are gone tonight and Mikayla was having a slumber party with some other little girls, so I took pity on him and brought him here to hang out with us.  So, we're all watching Transformers.

Earlier today I was at Rietgraf's watching LOST Season 2 with Andrew, because we're trying to finish it by Monday so that we can start Season 3, because it's taking us too long to get through the seasons.  I've already seen Season 2, but it's been a while, so the refresher is nice.  Andrew hasn't ever watched the show, so he's the one that really needs to catch up, but he's gone this weekend obviously, so I borrowed the DVDs so I could try to finish the season this weekend.  15 episodes to go, I think.

We decided that this week Andrew and I are going to Buffalo Wild Wings.  Delicious.

I dyed my hair the other day.  It's a nice reddish auburn color.

I miss Andrew already and I was only with him a few hours ago.  Stupid retreats.  It's stuff like this that makes me wish we'd graduated the same year.  I hate doing things without him, and I hate the idea that he does things without me.  Not in a creepy I-want-to-know-what-you're-doing-at-all-times way, and not in a I-can't-live-for-one-moment-without-you-by-my-side way.  I just want to experience everything with him.  I want to share the good things in life with him.  I want him to enjoy the retreat, and I want him to learn and to be a leader for the younger students and I want him to have a lot of fun and to experience awesome stuff, but I want to be there for all of it.  As much as I know that we can't always do things together, I don't want to miss out on any of life with him.  I'm freaking in love, gosh darnit!

Well, now that I got that out there, I am going to break out the X-Acto knife so I can finish the toy I'm in the middle of while I watch LOST.  Actually, first I'm going to wait until I need to take Josh home, and then I'm going to do that.  I hate starting things when I can't finish them or when I know I'm going to get interrupted.  Stopping what I'm doing isn't fun at all.

I hope your holidays were lovely and that you grew closer to Christ this Christmas and New Year, and I pray that 2010 begins an entire decade of new life to you and your family and your friends.

Sincerely,
Belle