Jingle Bells

Merry Christmas to all my wonderful friends and family. May you find nothing but happiness this holiday season.

Oh Christmas Time, Oh Christmas Time

I am oh so excited about the holidays this year. I couldn't wait for Thanksgiving, which came and went far too quickly. Now Christmas is exactly 18 days away and I can't wait! Last week I made a playlist of my favorite Christmas songs. Chris and I pulled out the Christmas tree and hung some lights this past weekend. On Sunday, Chris and I took a picture for our Christmas Cards.

I think I'm so excited about the holidays because for the first time in three years, this time of the year is not overshadowed by the stress of impending final exams. My new found freedom explains why I'm breathing in the holiday spirit. It also explains what follows: my surprisingly shocking Christmas wish-list. Yes, the queen of surprises has surprised herself. So without further delay, here it is:

1. A neoprene laptop sleeve for my 13 inch MacBook Pro.

2. A keyboard with at least 76 weighted keys, a sustain pedal, and a headphone jack.

3. A new comforter for my queen sized bed.

4. A laundry hamper with two compartments and a lid, preferably one that looks like a hamper disguised as a modest piece of furniture.

5. Sweaters to keep me warm in my freezer of an office.

I'm almost ashamed to publish this oh-so-material post. I guess the key word is almost..

Farewell to the Futon

I had nothing but ill-feelings for our little blue, Ikea futon for the last few months. I'm happy that Chris and I recently sold it and that a real couch will be here this week. Why then, do I feel the need to say farewell to this inanimate object?

Maybe it's the suddenness of our parting. Chris posted the futon ad on Craigslist on Sunday night. When I came home from work the next day, he told me that he had a buyer coming over to pick it up that night. I didn't have time to wash the cover, much less vacuum-up the crumbs in the back fold.

Maybe its the sentimental value of the futon. The futon was one of the first pieces of furniture Chris and I purchased together. It fit perfectly in our first apartment in Lubbock. Having never owned any type of sofa before, we were quite fond of the futon at first.

Maybe it's the fact that the new futon owner didn't seem to appreciate the futon like I did when I first bought it. He was in a hurry. He only half-way listened to me explain the futon's pros and cons. It was as if he just needed any futon, and not that he choose our futon over all the others listed on Craigslist.

Maybe it's because the futon was the only thing in my apartment when I first moved to San Antonio. I slept on the futon. I ate on the futon. I watched T.V. on the futon. I folded clothes on the futon. I talked on the phone while sitting on the futon. I did everything on the futon.

Whatever the reason, when Chris told me that he had sold the futon, I made him pose for one last cuddle.

Good-bye futon. You were good to us.

Man who Speaks Cat Gets Married

I met A.J., Chris's cousin, shortly after Chris and I started dating. I met Jeff, A.J.'s female cat, the first time Chris took me to his Aunt's house. I remember A.J. was holding Jeff real close to his face and ignoring everyone else in the room. I must have been staring, because A.J. turned to me and said in a very serious tone, with a very serious face, "I speak cat." Then he turned back to Jeff. Naturally, this is the point at which I thought, "this man is never going to get married."

The first time I had a real conversation with A.J. was on the way to the grocery store. I was driving and A.J. was my passenger. Somehow we started talking about marriage. I asked A.J. if he ever wanted to get married. Without hesitation, he chuckled a little and then candidly replied, "Yeah, of course I want to get married someday." His response surprised me. After all, up to this point he was the male counterpart to the cat lady.

Over the next seven years I got to know A.J. I learned that he does not in fact speak telepathically to cats. I learned that A.J. and I have a few things in common: Neither of us like like yellow starbursts or skittles and we both love cheese. I also learned that A.J. does not like it when people refer to Jeff as a he, even though we all know it just doesn't sound right to refer to a cat as "Jeff" and "she" in the same sentence.

I am happy to report that A.J. got married last week, thus fully dispelling my first impression of him and fulfilling our first conversation. I laughed during the wedding ceremony when Lindy, A.J.'s bride, vowed to accept A.J. and Jeff because I remembered thinking that Jeff would be the reason A.J. would never get married.

So, Congrats A.J. & Lindy! I pray all the best for you two...or should I say three?