Hello friends! I hope that those of you who celebrate Christmas have had a merry, merry time, and that if your Christmas was difficult, those hurts are healing. And love to everyone who didn't celebrate Christmas this week, too!
I have been on epic world travels of the midwest since I last checked in. I drove up to Appleton, Wisconsin, where M's new home is, and spent three days unpacking the house so that when the rest of her family arrived on the 22nd, almost everything was done. I got seriously out of sorts about how much glassware the family had - good lord, that was a lot of unwrapping. But it was nice to make order out of the chaos of moving, and by the time the family did arrive, everything was done save the kids' rooms (and those weren't done because we had neither tools nor hardware to put the beds together). M's parents also drove up that day, hauling two hand-made canoes up with them, and I had quite the run-in with one of the struts holding the canoes in place. Exhibit A:

Saturday, after unloading all the stuff that came up with the larger fam, we decorated the Christmas tree and had an amazing meal, and opened presents. And then while everyone hung out I went to bed earlyish, because my heart just hurt. It was
so hard to contemplate leaving the next day and knowing that was it, they'd be Wisconsinites now, and I would see them only once in a while instead of all the time, so I had some decidely ugly cries. The next morning, after a big breakfast, I set off for Chicago, and saying goodbye was awful. Just the pits. Hate it. tearing up just thinking about it.
*waves hands* okay.
I drove to Chicago, and so began Christmas part two with my friends here. We've had a lovely time - we've eaten at amazing restaurants, been bowling, been to the movies, and spent Christmas day with A's family. Christmas Day wrapped up with an epic beer pong tournament in A's brother's (nice, furnished) basement, and while the cups were full of water (for the minors playing) all the adults had to play with a drink in one hand. I discovered heretofore unimagined beer pong skills, and my team WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP! I got a Starbucks gift card and $35 in cash for my efforts. (Plus the delicious thrill of being an utter dark horse at beer pong, so dark that even I didn't know about it.)
I've run many errands around town today, and tomorrow I head back home. The editors of a piece I wrote earlier this year dropped revisions on me (which they wanted back in two weeks) on the 18th of December, so I've had to change my new year plans to go back home and work for five days before coming
back to Chicago for work. But being home will be nice, and I can go through my mail and sleep in my own bed and gather my wits.
Oh. I also went on a date while here in town. And I'm going on another one next Friday. And I truly cannot parse any of that at ALL, so we'll just all have to wait for that when I figure out what is going on.
Safe travels to those of you traveling these next few days, and large wells of patience to everyone, and may your weekend and New Year be lovely! ♥