sorry about not updating, i've been on the move a lot lately. but i'd better update now before the craziness that is SORORITY RECRUITMENT starts tonight...

- christmas was lovely. everyone was really happy with all of their gifts, which was a first. my dad didn't want to return anything, and that was shocking. my mom was ecstatic with her gifts, which is understandable, considering how much we spent on them. but of course, mv and i were spoiled as well. i got a lot of clothes, which were the only things that i needed and wanted, so that was great. mv and i had quite a hard time trying to pack everything to take back to school.

- on the 27th, we flew to california, and in business class! the seats reclined, and there was so much leg room that at one point in the flight, my mom was almost doing yoga on the floor. we had individual tv screens, but mv and i spent the entire flight (and the rest of the week) watching the first season of "gilmore girls" on dvd. i bought the "gilmore girls" set and two seasons of "dawson's creek" for mv's christmas present, and now she's discovered that she likes "gilmore girls" MORE than "dawson's." SHOCKING. she's now obsessed with the happenings in star's hollow. in fact, when we finished the entire first season, we went on a rabid hunt for the second season dvds at the south coast plaza mall. i've created a monster.

- anyway, back to CA... we stayed in three hotels in a week, which was not so relaxing, but it was good to see my dad's side of the family. it was my grandparents' 60th anniversary, so there was a big family reunion, and it was the first time that everyone on that side of the family had gotten together. mv and i finally really met two of our cousins, whom we hadn't seen since they were toddlers, and now they're in high school and college. and my aunt and uncle are pregnant (with a boy, which we found out today!), so that's another cousin on the way! with me living in CA next year, i'll get to know that side of the family a lot better.


general notes about CA:
* we saw gene simmons, lead singer of kiss, at "spago." nothing too exciting.
* in palm springs, for the family reunion, we stayed at the hotel from the episode of "saved by the bell" where jessie's dad gets married. my cousin figured it out from the fact that there's only one hotel in palm springs with a river and boats inside it.
* my uncle lives in newport, in the neighborhood that's shown in the opening credits of "the oc." we went to his house, and it's ridiculous. everyone is so rich there.

i'm still wary of living in LA, but now that i know that i'll have rtvf friends there, it doesn't scare me as much. and meredith is doing her "teach for america" thing there, so i'm thrilled about that. she told me, "now you're stuck with me for another two years." :) LA might actually be fun!

this post is way too long, so after this week, i'll fill you all in on classes, nstv, and recruitment. love you, and happy belated new year!