so, so close.

it's been a while since my last post.

so there are only FOUR days and FOUR finals keeping me from the 516. that kinda makes me excited. incidentally, i wasn't that excited last week. i'm going to miss my friends a lot, and i'm going to miss That Person Who I Still Haven't Told How I Feel About Him. Dani had a lot on her plate this week too and so does Rachel, and i was trying to deal with some stuff at home, so all of that plus two concerts and getting ready for finals equals a long time since i've last posted.

now, however, i'm excited for going home. i got one final out of the way today--history--and amazingly, i was nervous for it. i love history and i shouldn't have been nervous, but since i only got a B- on the last paper (worth 15% of my grade) i did what i ususally do and i flipped out. i realized that i would have done better had the paper not been due the day after closing night of Maccers, meaning it was due after seven shows in five days and three tests and another paper and half was written at 3am. Mrs. Murphy realized that too, but unfortunately she couldn't do anythng about it. the final was not bad at all. the only thing that i was completely clueless about was the first multiple question, aka the very first question on the final. i got a bad feeling about it but then i read the rest of the questions and i felt sort of relieved. after my seven page essay and four id's i felt even better. i was the last person to finish, of course, but i actually finished in the time allotted! i almost had a panic attack last night and Rachel talked me through it, the way that Mom does.

i need to talk about the concert, because that was what finally put me in the Christmas spirit. after we sang, Don invited a group of people on stage to sing with us who participate in a program called Learning Unlimited. we all sang Christmas carols together, and of course, i cried. Dani ran to her mom and got me a tissue on Friday night! then Dani and Meghan and I went out to eat at Brick Alley with Dani's parents, who are so much like my parents that it cracked me up. they hold hands like my parents do, they wisecrack with each other like my parents do, and Dani's mom asked her why she didn't have an asterix next to her name in the concert program, indicating that she was a member of mads. my mom would have done the same thing.

on Saturday night after the concert, my parents took a bunch of us out to celebrate my birthday a week early because i'm not going to see everyone on my birthday. and we had such a blast, even at the late hour. Claire and Rachel gave me pizza rolls, a frappuccino, and a hershey bar and they made me a funny video of them singing "happy birthday." and once again, I cried when my dessert came out and everyone sang. it's weird..it doesn't seem like my last birthday was a year ago. i only have a week left of being 18...but more importantly, i only have FOUR DAYS until i go home for FIVE WEEKS! and...I'M GOING TO BE HOME ON MY BIRTHDAY!!!! and...i'm going to get to go to CHOIR on my birthday! i do realize that i'm not going to have a second to breathe from now until December 26th....but i can't even express how freakin' excited i am.

i should really get to studying for my Bio final tomorrow...i still have to get those out of the way, remember??

it's beginning to look a lot like...

CHRISTMAS!

it's FINALLY my favorite month of the year. i already have most of it planned out. i've already wrapped lots of presents for people at Salve and i feel productive. i also bought my parents most of their presents already!! that doesn't usually happen until December 23rd or 24th...when i finally find those gifts that are special enough for them.

Thursday was a massively long day, as it usually is. i know i got a 100 on a bio quiz that i thought i tanked, and i got an A- in Dr. Pomfret's master class. we had chorus and mads and i made the possible mistake of signing up to sing at the governor's ball tonight, and to sing at the pre-party last night. so after Dr. Lawber let us early on friday and we talked for the rest of the period, i had lunch with Ann and Steph and Andrea and i amazingly took a "House Nap," i went to the biggest house i've ever seen for this pre-party. none of my friends were there, and there were a ton of well-to-do snobs and i felt tremendously out of place. the man whose house it was, Mr. O'Neil, apparently gives a lot of money to Salve...but he was so out of this world nice to us. he even took a picture with us after we sang. in his house, there are many original art pieces from the Colonial era featuring George Washington, the very first American flag is framed in the dining room, the flag that Jimi Hendrix threw around himself is framed in the hallway, the Christmas tree was overwelmingly large, and i didn't even see the upstairs!! while i was enamored with the house (and the library filled with AMERICAN HISTORY books) i couldn't wait to get out of there. i met a really nice girl named Amy who drove me there and brought me back, then i went to sky ranch and hung with Shane for a long time. and we discussed what would happen if he ruled the world...and i didn't trip on my dress, which was overwhelmingly long on me and i have to put on again in like an hour. i came back and wrapped presents and Bevin and i had a marathon phone convo. then i hung with Claire until 2am and went back on the computer. today--got up at 11:30, watched some I Love Lucy and some Christmas movie, ate, talked to my mom for an hour and a half, hung out in Miley Mart with Ann and Rachel, went into town to buy some more Christmas gifts, back to Claire's, and now i'm here.

ive been anticipating December tremendously, don't get me wrong. hopefully i'm going to Jingle Ball on the 14th and getting our Christmas tree, putting up the tree/Dirty Sexy Money Christmas on the 15th, my birthday (yes, my birthday) on the 16th, going to Portledge on the 17th, prepping for the rest of the week, going to the city with Salve friends on the 21st, D Family Christmas on the 22nd, seeing Becky in the nutcracker on the 23rd and prob having mom's side Christmas that day, Christmas Eve, CHRISTMAS, then most likely i'm going to Raleigh on the 26th. i'm so excited, but i'm going to miss a lot of people from Salve because aside from the 21st, i won't see any of them for five weeks. there are deff some people that i can't wait to not have to see, and for the first time in a while, i'm feeling lonely. i'll probably do some work after the governor's ball and maybe go to bed early...i have to go to a band concert tomorrow as an assignment for Dr. Pomfret and i'm kind of excited about that. i wish that i could have all of my friends in one place. i am, however, really excited that i'm going to celebrate my birthday in Newport and also that i'm going to be home on my birthday! i also wish that i was home right now, especially after seeing part of the Newport tree lighting and missing the tree lighting at home, and at the same time something so wonderful is happening that i only want to be here. and of course, i'm going to miss Partner In Crime (Dani) and Ann and Claire and Kerri and Erinne. yet i can't wait to see Bevin practically every day and see Ari and Allie, considering i haven't seen Ari since SEPTEMBER and i haven't seen Allie since AUGUST. i can't wait for Gauri and I to drive all over the place like old times. i also haven't seen Alex and Jaclyn and a lot of other people in a long time. it's going to be great. i can't wait for my birthday celebrations and for everything CHRISTMAS. i still get to take part in all of the really, really important stuff, and i'm happy that my parents are waiting for me to come home to put the tree up, even if it means decorating it on my birthday.

right now..i'm fed up with the loud and obnoxious bitchy girls on my floor. >:\ i also am fed up with myself...because i'm so so so so so excited for Christmas break, but i'm going to miss that...Certain Person. A Lot.

"Make my wish come true,

All I Want for Christmas Is You"

here are some great Christmas trees that i found (from L to R: Washington DC Tree, Rockefeller Center Tree)