I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas

My older sis and I decided this summer that we were going to do a “green” Christmas. We are purchasing gifts that are made in the USA, are organic, are used, or are handmade (even by us). We also decided that if we came across something that we know the person we’re buying for needs, we can break the rules just a smidge to get them that necessity.

I started off by purchasing a few used books for my niece (Fraggle Rock) and for my little sister and her husband (vegetarian cookbooks) from the Canton Public Library’s Secondhand Prose bookstore.

I purchased something useful for my brother-in-law, Reid: woodworking tools and patterns. Though only a few things are made in the USA, these are things he will be able to use in the future for his woodworking hobby.

The hubby and I purchased spinners, a double shepherd’s hook, and a napkin holder from a Hudderite colony in southern Minnesota. I can talk about these because we weren’t willing to drag them all the way back to Michigan, so the family got them while we were there.

Now we get to the fun part. I went shopping on Etsy, and I was able to score the following awesome stuff:

For my nephew and niece.

For my little sister.

For my brother-in-law (the lil sis’s man).

For my friend, Brooke.

For our friend, Trevor.

And even though my older sister reads my blog, I love this so much, I have to show it off. So, Rachel, don’t click on this link! For my darling older sister.

And this, this is for me (fifth picture down, Autumn Floral). For my new business cards. I have actual business cards for my work. Wow. I think I have a real job. Crazy.

I am making a scarf for my goddaughter, Emily (I have two Emilies in my life–two different spellings and two very different and lovely girls), and I am purchasing something useful for my husband. He reads this blog occasionally, so I won’t say anything more about that.

I’m going to upcycle old cards for my Christmas correspondence, or I will be using recycled paper and envelopes for a Christmas letter. I haven’t decided which yet.

I will also be making the gift bags for each present. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make all of them in time for my family’s presents, but I’ll definitely be making them for the hubby’s side of the family.

I don’t want this post to sound all preachy, but this is something we chose together. I just thought I would share what we were up to.

Wedding season is bearing down upon me like…I dunno…like a bridezilla whose cake order has been screwed up?

Bad analogy, but you get the point. We have two weddings this year–one at the beginning of August (little sister) and one at the mid-end of September (hubby’s best friend). I’m the matron of honor, and the hubby is a groomsman. Then, in January, the hubby’s other best friend is getting married. Wedding no. 1 and 2 are in MN, and no. 3 is in SD. And we live in MI. You can do the mileage math.

Thank goodness for Amtrak.

As much as we love our family and friends, couldn’t you all just have waited one more year to get married? Not that one year will guarantee we’ll be any closer, but at least we could put off all this traveling until then. Or y’all could have spread them out more. Or something?!

Don’t get me wrong; I have no problem traveling great distances to reach family and friends, and we’d do anything for our loved ones, but seriously, three in 6 months? Oy.

How I Spent My Wednesday Night

With friends. And, yes, I do have friends.

Laura

Mia (left) and Lauren (right)

I think Spring is coming. Though I love the Winter, Spring is always a relief. I’m not sure why. Perhaps because everything happens in the Spring or Summer, and the coming of Spring is preparing me for the whoosh of time passing that is always Spring and Summer.

We’re solidly in the 30s for the next week or so, and we’re up near 60 today. Despite that fluke weather pattern back in December that got us near these temperatures, this seems for real. Even if we get a snow storm, which could always happen, it’ll melt rapidly.

This Spring, and subsequent Summer, has a lot in store for us–three trips to MN (one for two bridal showers and two for weddings), and four graduations (one for me, one for my big sis, two for my best friends in Cali and MN).

And I start real life after this Summer. I’m not sure what that is going to entail, but I have an application for a freelance proofreading position with a science textbook publisher in my e-mail drafts box, so we’ll see. We’ll see.

I am winding down here–three weeks from today, I’ll be back in MI. It’s kind of bittersweet. I’m looking forwad to getting some major projects accomplished when I get back (working on Cellar Roots for this year [ginormous undertaking, but one I'm excited about], getting caught up at the Journal, and just plain preparing for school to start) and spending some quality time with the hubby, but at the same time, I love MN and all that it brings with it–wonderful family and friends, and an environment I am happy to call home.

Soon enough, we will be able to call it home again, but, for now, we can wait in quiet anticipation for another year to pass while in MI. Not sure if we’re going to be at the same residence (with gas prices rising, we’re wanting to move closer to Nate’s place of employment, which is currently 40+ min. from our apt.), but again, all an adventure. I just can’t believe this adventure is coming to a close so soon.

More details on the internship to come, especially once I get all my work for my summer class underway.

I made it just fine. No worries. I started my internship on Tuesday, and it’s been going well. I’m super busy all the time, and I feel like I’ve dropped off the face of the planet because I haven’t talked to any of my friends since I’ve been here (with the exception of a little chit-chat with Miss Black, but it’s not the same).

I have the day off tomorrow if y’all want to touch base. I would love to hear from you, on here and over the phone. Feel free to call. The phone is (sorta) fixed. I’m going to T-Mobile to see if I can get an exchange. If I have to call customer care, that’s fine. I just prefer dealing with a human being face-to-face.

I’ll try to start updating on the internship, as I’m learning tons already. It’s fun, fascinating, and, in a weird way, exhausting. It kind of sucks being stuck at the bottom of the totem pole, but I’ll work my way up. I always do. Or at least I’ll keep trying all the way until July 27.

I talked to both of my girlie friends yesterday for good long times. It is wonderful to hear their voices and get caught up on lifelovehappiness.

I spent the day with the hubby, and that, too, was wonderful for the soul.

To keep you all abreast of the puffy face situation, I have a skin test on Thursday to see what’s causing the poofiness. ‘Cause it’s not the ibuprofen, according to my allergist. So, hopefully, there will be some answers on Thursday awaiting me at the allergist’s.

Answers. Hope. Happiness.

*Warning: Overtired, Lonely Girl Rambling at 1 in the Morning*

I miss you, girls. More than you know.

I got lost looking for the off-campus bookstore the other day. I got upset because I couldn’t find my way, and then I thought, damn, this would be so much fun if I had my girls with me. We’d just laugh and find a restaurant and forget about the damn bookstore. We’d do it another day, but we’d do it together.

I got a parking ticket tonight, even though my G.A. parking permit was hanging from my rearview mirror. Apparently, it’s hard to see in the dark of night. Duh. My windshield is shaped funny, and I know the cop didn’t see it. Still pissed as hell, though. Have to go deal with it tomorrow before work, and I already have a three-classload worth of homework to tackle. But I still have to go. By myself. If I was with the girls, they would go with me. I was never alone if I didn’t want to be. There were there by my side. Hell, they would have made me laugh when I found the damn thing because I know they would have been there after the third night class in a row.

Now I realize how I made it through that last semester of my undergrad. Oh, I had senioritis really badly. But I had Erin or Angel or both in every single one of my classes. And I knew I would see Brooke at lunch.

I miss you guys. Terribly. Our conversations, our laughter, our friendship. I know I haven’t lost you, but the closeness is lost. And that is devastating. Campus is just not the same without you.

And now I’m considering picking up a second master’s, just because I can. Just because I don’t have anything better to do with my time (with the exception of the hubby, of course, but he has a real job, and I know I’ll see him every night, anyway; he is the light of my life, just so you know).

And I know I can do this. I know I can make it through. But life would be so much easier if I had my girls by my side. At the very least, there would be more laughter. And the laughter is what I miss the most.

I got to talk to my friend, Josh, today for a long, long time. Today is now a good day.

Spendin’ time with my girls