On Monday, December 23, I had to go into the office. But we wrapped up our major project, which meant we got to leave early that day and do very little work the rest of the week. I was shocked! Last year, we had to work Christmas Eve, all the weekdays after Christmas, and New Year's Eve. This time, I had maybe one hour, max, of work to do all week. It was glorious to have a break after working every Saturday since Thanksgiving.
On Christmas Eve, I turned on my Christmas playlist and spent a long time in the kitchen, because my mom was very ambitious about the desserts to make for her family's Christmas gathering. We had gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies, gingerbread eggnog cheesecake, and candy cane "fat man's misery." I made pomegranate guacamole and wassail.
Then Christmas morning came, and it was good to have the whole family gathered. I got a crepe maker, Paul Reeve's Religion of a Different Color, a mug of geologic time, and a few other odds and ends. Presents are nice, but I find myself increasingly indifferent about them. I know it's super sappy, but the best part of Christmas is spending time with your family. My mom's family came over in the evening for dessert. Once they left, we played some games.
I played my playlist most of the day on Christmas. Am I old fashioned that I still buy and collect music and play it off of Windows Media Player? I find that most of the already-created Christmas playlists are not very good at all. I could make my own on Spotify, but I have a fair amount that is not available there. I just get much more satisfaction out of having my own. (I use Spotify to discover what to add to my own personal collection, but I don't use it as my official playlist.)
On December 28, I got a new laptop. My brother is a huge fan of buying things on sale, so he bought several laptops on holiday sales, then saw if other people wanted them. I've been wanting another laptop before grad school anyway, since my last one is literally falling apart (and has been nothing but trouble since the beginning). It always takes time to get used to a new computer.
On December 29, I attended the North Park YSA Ward for the last time. The bishop from when I moved home in August 2014 was attending that day, so I talked to him, and I felt like things had come full circle.
Aging out of the YSA ward has been the thing I worry about when I wake up at night for the last six months or so. Not only was that where I spent my Sundays, it was the backbone of my entire social life. I am opting to attend my home ward (for several reasons), but will I have any autonomy from my parents if I live with them and go to church with them? Will I ever make friends again? What does it say about me that I aged out instead of "graduating" the expected way?
But the change has happened now, so there's no more reason to dread it.
Anyway, that Sunday, we had the biggest, most perfect snowflakes I have ever seen. My California nephews enjoyed looking at them, but so did I. Winter is my least-favorite season, but I must say, those snowflakes might very well be more spectacular than autumn leaves and blossoming trees.
On that day, my mom's best friend's husband died after a years-long battle with cancer, which meant that we were helping out with that all week—my brother scanned pictures, I edited the obituary, my mom provided much moral support, and we spent several hours on Saturday helping with food. We were happy to help, but the timing was unfortunate, with my brother's family in town, New Year's, etc.
On December 30, my family went down to Thanksgiving Point, and my mom bought a pass. We went to the butterfly exhibit, which was cool, but it wouldn't be worth the admission just for that museum. They had lots of cool butterflies
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| The top left of the cage is an insect, not a twig. |
On January 1, we had some snow, but thankfully it wasn't too heavy. I say "thankfully" because my mom's family goes out to lunch every New Year's Day. But there was still enough snow for my oldest nephew, Preston, to build a snowman, which my niece and sister-in-law decorated and dressed.
I was back in the office on January 2, but the heat wasn't working, so we left early. I didn't mind working in the cold, but I certainly didn't complain about working from home. I worked from home all day on Friday as well. But I'm having a hard time being motivated to work, now that all the big assignments are done.
My brother's family flew back to California on Friday, and I will miss them. I enjoyed sledding with them and spending time with them. Most of their interests are video games, YouTube videos about video games, and Squishmallows, which they call Fluffies. (They have brand loyalty, even though they don't call it by its real name.) I often find video games just to be stressful, and there's no point in doing something if I don't like it and it's not good for me. I don't like pushups, but I do them because they're good for me, but video games are not good for me. My taste in YouTube videos is different from that of my nephews. So I have to do something to connect with them, and that connection comes in the form of buying Squishmallows. I have about thirty-five of various sizes right now, and all of them are holiday themed. I've begun buying Valentine's Day ones now, but they are by far less interesting than the Easter, Christmas, and especially Halloween ones.
But now we are in a new year and a new decade. I suspect this will be a monumental year, with a new ward and the potential for grad school and new job. I guess it's fitting that my time in YSA ends along with the decade, just as it began with the decade.
Squishmallows are a brand of plush toy, known for their squishy texture and cute designs. They have become increasingly popular among children and adults alike as a collectible item and comfort item.
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