Natale

Christmas Eve + Christmas Day, 2012

It snowed just days before Christmas

The presents were so pretty by the tree

We have the most random conglomeration of ornaments

We have a tradition of Chinese food for dinner on Christmas Eve

One of my favorite presents this year...

... Doctor Who: Series 5 :)

There were some... hilarious moments...

... like when my sister got The Lucky Ones instead of The Lucky One

But mostly it was just lovely moments of giving

& I got a freaking cute owl ornament from my BFF

It was an excellent Christmas

On Christmas Eve, I received two (2!) packages in the mail - both presents to myself, from myself, and both free.  One was this hat, and the other were red glasses.  I have yet to take off either.

Also, my brother was my Secret Santa, and he got me this squee-worthy sheep sweater.

I got a ton of Starbucks gift cards

 I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  It's not over yet!  Time to start on your New Year's resolutions.

Depression

Here's the thing about being depressed:

It's hard to talk.  It's REALLY hard to talk.  It's almost impossible to talk about what is wrong.  

It's much easier to answer.  We can't start a conversation about it, but we usually can answer questions about it.  But the thing is, the right questions need to be asked in order, or else we won't answer helpfully.

It's not that we don't want to.  It's that we can't.  We feel like we physically can not talk.

I think that must be how people get depressed.  They are overwhelmed by things that they feel like they can't share with people (for various reasons), so they turn it all inward and don't say a thing.  And it messes them up.  It screws with their mind.  They can't tell anyone.  They can't tell anyone.  And unless you ask the right questions, they can't tell you.

You can't ask "What's wrong?"  Because that's the wrong question.

You have to start with small questions.  Be a detective.  Ask questions, hear the answer, draw conclusions from the answer, and ask more questions.  Try to discern yourself what is the problem.  Ask very direct and specific questions:  "Did *someone* doing *something* at that *someplace* make you *something*?"  Keep asking until you get confirmation, or some sign that you are getting close.  

This is all a lot of work, yes.  You actually have to care to do this.  If you don't care enough about the person, please: don't bother.  Nothing - nothing nothing nothing - is worse than finally being able to tell someone what is wrong, and getting silence in return.  Please, just don't go searching at all if you really don't care.  Just leave it.  Eventually someone who does care will come along.  Shut up your curiousity and leave it for them.

But if you do all this, you are the most important person in the world.  You, at the very least, are saving a depressed person from overwhelming and terrifying feelings that they struggle with - loneliness.  At the most, you could be saving someone's life.  You are being someone they can talk to, someone they can hold onto when they feel they are drowning.  I can't even explain how much it means to have someone to hold on to.  Even if you can't change anything, you are trying to help, and that means the world and more.

The first step, though, is noticing something is wrong.  Because we won't say anything.  Because we can't.  It's too hard to talk.

Boughs of cheesy Christmas movies that are amazing

Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade

Hallmark

source

Your typical modern Pride & Prejudice with a holiday twist.  A perky, bubbly woman is in charge of running Chicago's Thanksgiving Day Parade (Chicago has a parade?), but she gets news that funding for the parade might get cut.  Enter the Darcy-esque guy, who would be in charge of said fund-cutting.  They dislike each other immediately, and yet they are constantly thrown together.  Mix in a would-be fiancé, an ex-girlfriend, and nutty movie night, and you have yourself a gloriously enjoyable cheesewad movie.  

The March Sisters at Christmas

Lifetime

source

As the title may suggest, this is a modern take on Little Women - and a lame one at that.  But who says lame can't be enjoyable?  We find Meg (a blonde), Jo (blonde), Beth, and Amy (a brunette in this version) trying to fix up their old home so their parents won't sell it.  Meg is dating some nerd, but still has feelings for her ex, John Brooke.  Jo is trying to get published, but she thinks the editor, Mr. Bhaer, has it out for her.  Theodore "Teddy" Lawrence is their next door neighbor, and Jo's best friend her entire life.  Their friendship is basically the greatest thing ever, and a big part of why this movie is adorable.

Hitched for the Holidays

Hallmark

source

I think it's an accepted fact that if Joey Lawrence is in it, then it's going to be lametastic.  I'm fairly certain that all of his movies have the same plot: guy and girl fake dating, they start to really fall in love, their 'fake' relationship is exposed, they have their sad montage set to a sad {Christmas} song, he realizes he's really in love with her, and makes a grand gesture to get her back.  Crap, I just gave the story away.  This movie may be cliché of clichés, but it's entertaining, and the guy and the girl are sweet together.

Love at the Christmas Table

Lifetime

source

You guys.  I did not expect this movie to change my life.

I kid... but this movie is seriously adorable.  Omg.  Yes, it's cheesy, and the acting is whatevs, but the story is so.cute.  It's so cute I don't want to spoil it for you.  Let me just say... Luke from Gilmore Girls is in it. HA!

In conclusion, if you aren't a Scrooge and enjoy these cheap holiday movies, please watch these four in particular.  Especially the first and last ones.  Please.

Merry Christmas!

Rendere grazie

11 months of grateful in photos

  

1) These crazy lovebirds (brother + his girlfriend). 2) Best Christmas presents ever (iPhone + TARDIS case)

3) My 3 punk cats. 4) My favorite people so spend time with on a Sunday morning (my brother was not happy that the Bulls were losing)

5) My beautiful Magnolia tree.  It bloomed two months early this year due to unseasonably warm weather!

6) Awesome Peeta shirt. 7) My cutie pie sister in the last picture ever taken of her with her braces on!

8) Hunger Games at midnight with my favorite people (sister + Aunt + brother + brother girlfriend)

9) BFF time on Easter!

10) It was also the day hair looked amazing

 

11) Avengers at midnight on my birthday. 12) A Dr. Seuss quote tweeted on my birthday.  Someone knew Dr. Seuss is my favorite.

13) My European adventure.  But you all know about that.  14) My generous parents and their generous birthday present to me

15) My beautiful new (second) cousin (once removed). Words cannot describe how precious she is, nor how joyful my family is to have her.  She's seven months old now!

16) My new brothers, Kolbe, Roger, Damien, and John - as well as my newly re-named brother, Ignatius :)

17) Hilarious texts with my soulmates

18) My beautiful best friends

19) My family... and our inability to make normal faces.

20) That time we saw Josh Hutcherson. Yeah. 21) Bringing my brother home again after not seeing him for an entire year.

22) A beautiful life

23) Sorrento

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Ora

Lately,

I have been...

Doing...

• Trying not to kill myself over school. Only 43 days until Christmas!

~

• Working a lot. I play with a sweet baby boy for a few hours four days a week, and it is usually the highlight of my day.

• Praying and reading my bible a lot more. I find I can deal with a) school b) people c) myself a lot better when I am consistent in prayer. Praise God!

Reading...

• Ivanhoe. I like to always have a classic on hand. It makes me feel smart. Luckily they're usually always enjoyable too!

~

• My Most Excellent Year. This is a reread. ♥

 • Days of Blood and Starlight {Laini Taylor}. I enjoyed the first one, Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It's an interesting and clever story.

Planning...

• A trip to Chile over spring break with my school. Hopefully it will all work out!

~

• My transfer to university after RVC. I have my eye on a Catholic university with a good speech pathology AND pre-med program, my two career interests.

~

• My eventual move to Italy. I love the United States so much... but I've had it up to here with it's citizens.

Wishing...

• I could make it out to New Zealand next year to see my bff. Soon!

~

• I could find a way to spend my summer in Europe again.  The odds of that happening on a nanny's salary who is paying her own tuition and has a trip to Chile already planned are slim to zilch.

~

• I was further along in school than I am.  I didn't know what I wanted to study when I started at RVC, so I kind of floated along, taking whatever classes I fancied and dropping what didn't work out.  Now it's likely that I've got at least another 3 semesters here before I transfer, not including this current one.  

Obsessed with...

• Shopping online.  Now that I have money regularly, I find myself constantly buying clothes online.  I'd wager that 85% of my fall wardrobe was bought online.

The entire contents of this outfit were bought online.  Even the TARDIS iPhone cover.

• Sleeping.  It's a thing.  Unfortunately I'm feeling too stressed to sleep well

~

• Everything holiday-related.  Particularly the music & the Starbucks drinks

• This Modcloth skirt, apparently

• and this movie.  See it.