I fail at keeping this up-to-date, even when I’m on holiday and (supposedly) have plenty of time! Just now, I’m sitting here in the family room and thought I’d write a brief update on this day-after-Christmas(or as it’s called in other lands, Boxing Day!). This day was just lovely. A relaxing morning with coffee and family. Going out with Mom to Best NY Pizza for lunch…and of course the best part of that isn’t the yummy pizza(although that doesn’t hurt…), but just being with Mom and talking with her…which is always one of the highlights of my trip home. Always.

And then once we got home, I got to talk to Chris and Jo over Skype – truly, technology is a wonderful thing!! I got to see Lily as well!!! So so exciting chatting with the three of them for the first time since…well, since I left Aberdeen, three months ago. We talked about Christmas and Lily and Gilc and Buffy and Hobbit and I got to share some of what I’m going through in Houston…and well, I won’t be scandalous and chronicle my whole conversation! But it was just lovely chat. And I miss them so. And I am deeply thankful to God for giving me such friends and for blessing me by enabling us to stay in contact and get to have such sweet conversations. God is good, my friends.

And after I said farewell – what next? Well, Desolation of Smaug of course! Me and Maryanne and Laura and Mom went to see Hobbit II – hurrah!! I’d already seen it, of course, but no one else had. It was much enjoyed, with all the dwarves and Legolas(!!) and barrel-riding and dragony goodness. Oh and Kate from LOST(er, Evangeline Lilly) was the Mirkwood Elves’ Captain of the Guard! Fantastic role, I liked her a lot. Especially her conversations with Kili about starlight. Very non-canonical, but I don’t care, I loved it.

So yes, good times with everyone seeing that, I do declare!

Then we stopped at Blockbuster and grabbed a bunch of ’24’ episodes(Blockbuster going out of business…tragic, tragic) and had a sweet dinner of leftovers at home(because we’ve eaten too much good food this past week and have too much food in the fridge!!) and then me and Laura got to listen to some Tarja(my Christmas gift to her – I think she enjoys!) and me and Dad went for a walk in the cool evening air…and I have no idea how to end this sentence, so I shall just say – now we’re about to watch some ’24’ – classic Hogan Christmas tradition. Season Five, I think! Hopefully we get some ice cream too. Mint chocolate chip, I say.

Hope y’all don’t mind this rambling entry – I shall close as the family calls my name!