Well, my Christmas was very nice. On Monday morning I went to my mom’s and we did our gift exchange there. Then Blaine and I went to Wal-Mart before coming home. We watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Then yesterday we all got together here and ate and exchanged what gifts we had left to do. I think I did pretty well in the gift department this year.

- tan corduroy pants & red sweater [I picked them out while shopping with my mom]
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [from my brother]
- eyeshadow + mascara combo pack [from my mom]
- $25 iTunes gift card [from my sister]
- iPod radio adaptor [from my step-brother]
- $125 [from my mom and her boyfriend]
- $50 [from my grandparents]
- homemade cookies [from my niece]
- a canister of peanut butter fudge [from my great aunt]

I think the best part of the holiday, though, was hanging out and playing games yesterday evening. My mom, Bart and Trey stayed until almost eleven last night. We played Phase 10 and Trivial Pursuit Junior. It was fun, but I think we’re in dire need of some new games. It was nice, though, because we don’t get together and do stuff like that often.

I think I’m coming down with a cold. I have a stuffy nose and my throat feels a bit sore. I need to get some cold medicine. I feel really drained, and even though I slept in today, I could easily go back to bed and sleep for a few more hours.

With the upcoming New Year, comes the resolutions and mine are the same as always - lose weight and find a job. If I could find a job until I graduate and find something more steady, I think that would be awesome. I could probably find something in market research, but I don’t know if I’m up for that. I need to get over my bashfulness fast.

I had to go into town today. I cashed the check Bart gave me for my birthday. Then I went by the Dollar General store. I needed to buy some envelopes, and I bought some Jolly Ranchers while I was there. I forgot how much I loved those things. Then I had to go by and fill up my car because the gas tank was just above the red line.

Yesterday was pretty uneventful even though it was actually my birthday. I got birthday wishes from lots of people, which was nice and Becca gave me a $15 gift certificate for Amazon. I bought Tegan and Sara’s album The Con and This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. Nikki told me it was her favorite book and has been telling me I need to read it for ages, so I bought a used copy. Hopefully, I get those sometime next week.

Well, it’s official. I’m 24 today. I think I’m handling that well. It’s just daunting to realize that another year has passed, and that it’s possible to another year older. Most days I don’t feel my age because it just doesn’t seem like I’ve been on this earth for 24 years. Most of the time I feel like it was only yesterday that I graduated from high school. How is it possible that next spring I’ll be graduating from college? It’s been a long road, but one I’m ready for. Maybe once I graduated and find a job, I’ll actually feel like an adult. Not that I necessarily feel like a kid, and not that I intend to become some sort of serious person all the time. I like that I can still laugh and joke around and have a real sense of humor. It seems like most adults just become so serious all the time that they just become completely and utterly boring. I don’t want to be like that.

Now that my birthday has arrived, I have several birthdays for friends and family coming up. My grandma’s is in early October, and two of my friends also have birthdays in October. My sister’s birthday is in November. Then we have Thanksgiving. Thankfully, I don’t have to buy gifts for that. Then in December my mom, grandpa, and brother all celebrate birthdays around Christmas time. I’ve been trying to come up something nice I could do for everyone for Christmas, but so far no christmas gift idea. I’ve been buying random things along the way, but I still have so much left to buy. My bank account hurts already.