Wishes do come true.

Karen made a wish today: That I would write more in my blog. And so, I will grant her wish thusly.

I have been writing, but not posting. So I will switch it up a little. Here are some updates:

Tues 9 September 2008

Think of the place that you consider home, even if you don’t live there right now. Why does this place feel like home to you?

I had been having trouble with the idea of home before I moved back in with my parents. Now, I feel like I have so many homes! Two really…Mom and Gary’s house and my apartment. My parents’ house feels like home because it has all the “homey” elements: people that love you, home cooked meals, Quincy, lazy days watching tv, good snacks. That house is really an ideal location for what I want in a home. It’s a beautiful house, but not too big. Enough room that everyone has their own space, but there’s not enough to never see each other. It’s surrounded by woods and is so serene. Last time I was there, I woke up before everyone and sat out back in the morning sun and drank a cup of tea just listening to the birds and looking out into the wilderness. It was so peaceful. It feels like home there because it feels safe and peaceful.

My apartment is the space that I am working to make my home. It does feel like home because I can be myself and do whatever I want whenever I want. The way it looks is up to me. It is my grown up home, I guess. There are quite a few elements missing yet…I’d love to have a dog, there’s no one else here, which is usually great, but home to me has more than just me. I also have to cook all my own meals, which I am still getting used to. I also am not surrounded by woods, and so a sense of serenity is a little harder to come by. But I know it is up to me to start making my house a home. I thought just the other day how I want to start my “settling down” now. I’ve always thought that I won’t get my “real furniture” or my “real decorations” until I buy a house with…I don’t know…Prince Charming I guess. What a silly idea for me to have! So I want to start my settling process and make myself a home, not wait to make a home with someone else. Why shouldn’t I have a place that feels like home just because I’m single??

Sunday September 28, 2008

What are your top 5 Christmas movies and why?

Clearly, I am picking prompts out of order, but this also seems timely. Yesterday I was at Kmart and they already have their Christmas trees and decorations up. I glanced over at it lovingly, but decided it was not yet time to revel in the comfort of Christmas. I used to hate Christmas because I never felt like I belonged anywhere…the feelings of awkward family dimensions followed me everywhere. But that really changed last year when I desperately needed my family in order to get through Christmas. And they were there. And I realized they may have been there supporting me and loving me all along, but I was feeling too awkward to see it. And so now Christmas is truly something I look forward to. I’m excited to have my own tree and my own lights and decorations this year!

As for movies, I do have my favorites: The Santa Clause, Elf, & The Grinch that Stole Christmas (Jim Carrey). I can’t come up with five, so three is going to have to do. I love The Santa Clause because of how realistic and beautiful the make-believe elements of the north pole and Santa’s workshop comes across. It brings that fantasy to life in such an ornamental way. It also came out not long after my parents divorced, and the main theme is about the divorce of the main characters. I think I related to that strongly when I was younger, and that comfort element still comes through for me. Secondly, Elf is just Will Ferrell at his best. My whole family loves this, which is one of the few we can agree on. We all laugh at the same places, and it’s just so goofy. The Grinch that Stole Christmas became a tradition too awhile back when Brett was younger. I don’t love this one as much, but it’s just kind of a staple of Christmas Eve/ Christmas night. I guess the main reason I love them all is because they are kind of a tradition. The quiet time after all the presents have been opened, all the food has been eaten, all the dishes washed, and we are all so tired, but don’t want Christmas to end, so we stay up to watch movies as long as we can keep our eyes open. A nice decompression time for everyone.