Yesterday was fun. We had my brother’s birthday party. The pizza was good, as was the cake and ice cream. Then Blaine open his gifts. He loved his present from me - Rob Zombie’s Halloween. He and Mitch watched it while Allyson, Trey, Bart, mom, grandma and me played Phase 10. Then I went to Wal-Mart with my mom, Bart, Blaine and Trey. We stopped by Culver’s for ice cream after we dropped off Trey. All in all, a good day.

I don’t have any plans for tonight. I think I’m just going to stay in and work on some random stuff I’ve been meaning to do. Not the most exciting way to ring in the New Year, but oh well.

I need to redo the layout here. Hopefully, I’ll be able to manage to come up with something. I’ve been trying for months. It’s ridiculous. I did manage to make a new layout for my fanlisting collective last night. One that I was actually pleased with, so apparently it’s possible.

My grandparents seem to be on the go a lot the last few days. Not that I’m really complaining. That means I get the house to myself, which is nice. They’ve been on the hunt for a new Bunn coffee maker. The old one broke, and it’s basically the only kind they’ll settle for since they’re so fast. They tried using another kind, but it just took too much time. Impatient bunch, they are.

I was looking at some Samsonite luggage, and while I don’t actually need any since I’ll probably never go anywhere, there was this red hardside one that I liked and thought looked so cool. I suppose I just have a thing for window shopping and thinking about what I’d buy if I had the money or need for something like that. I was doing a lot of the same the other day when I went shopping with my mom since I wasn’t able to find much in the way of my size of clothing. It’s so frustrating and annoying, but what can you do?

It’s been a few days since I’ve blogged. Oops! I went shopping with my mom yesterday. We went to Kohls, Fashion Bug, Goody’s, the mall and then finally Wal-Mart. I bought a few things while we were shopping. I got a new pair of shoes, a couple of shirts, and then some stuff from Bath and Body Works. I also bought Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer, but I ordered them from Overstock.com.

I had an appointment to get my eyes checked at Wal-Mart, and I picked out some new frames. I’m so anxious to get them. I hate the ones I have now. I went back to wire frames, and I upgraded to the option where my lens are even thinner than they are now. I had to pay $30 of that, but I figured it was worth it.

My mom also by Trivial Pursuit - 80s, 90s and Pop Culture, and after picking up Trey and going to eat at Steak -n- Shake, we came here and Bart met us and we all played the game. Allyson even came out after she got off of work and played the game too. Her and Trey were a team and they wound up winning. It was a lot of fun. It was nice to hang out with the family and do something together.

I forgot to look while I was at Wal-Mart. I wanted to pick up some new notebooks and pens. I got a new idea for a story, and I need a new notebook to use for keep notes. And I need new pens because they seem to disappear around here, and I’m picky about the kind of pen I’ll use. It’s weird, but it’s just one of my many quirks. I need to order some promotional pens with my name or something like that on them so that people will quit stealing them from me! Makes me angry. Oh well. I’ll live.

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.

My mom likes to forward emails to me that she gets from her friends. Normally, I don’t like forwards, but a lot of the ones my mom sends are pretty funny. I suppose that just goes to show how similar our senses of humor are. She sent me one yesterday with the subject ‘Reason For “Holy Shit.’” I have to admit that they were pretty amusing to look at.

This one, as pictured below, looks like someone has been using a little bit too much creatine ethyl ester. Honestly, though, I’m not sure if the picture is even real. There were quite a few of them that I wasn’t really sure about. Either way, they were fun to look at. Good for a laugh.

Speaking of my mom, I went shopping with her yesterday. I finished the last of my Christmas shopping and bought my brother’s birthday present. Overall, it wasn’t too terribly bad at the stores. A bit crowded, but nothing like Black Friday. My mom also took Tori and got her ears pierced. It cost $30, which is just insane. I was really surprised, though, because Tori didn’t cry. She’s tougher than me. That’s for sure.

Ugh, last night my brother, sister and I were talking about our skin. We all seem to be in the midst of the dry skin or acne crisis. I was looking at skinceuticals, and I wonder if it actually works. The problem is that I’m not exactly sure which thing I need. My skin seems to bounce back and forth between dry and oily. It’s very weird. Maybe I’ll be able to buy something after Christmas. I’m expecting some money as gifts, so that will help.