They Don't Call it the Sunshine State for Nothing....

Wow. So, I know that it has been a couple of weeks since I last posted, but every time I get on to post something, I get distracted by everyone else's blogs! Did you know that you, my blogging friends, lead very interesting lives? And that you write well about them? Kudos, and my hat's off to you.

I suppose I should start by summing up my little jaunt down to Kissimmee, Florida, that I mentioned in my last post. According to their tourist page, "a day that starts in Kissimmee can become anything you want it to be." Well, that might be true for tourists, but I'm not sure that those who live there everyday feel that way. It seems to me that most people do the same things everyone else in America does, except that their class trip will be to Universal Studios instead of Adventureland. :)

In the past, we've gone to Sea World or Epcot together, but I said I just wanted to relax and be with my family as they do whatever it is that they would normally do. Since my sister is thirteen (-and-a-half) years old, that meant a lot of shopping! It brings me back to the good old days of shopping with my mom and telling her, "Mom, that is not what girls my age wear." My sister and I also saw Tangled in 3D--and we loved it! Well, I think she really liked it, but I loved it. I don't know why, but, although I have never liked really sappy movies, I have always gotten wrapped up in the magic of the best Disney movies. There was a summer when I was nine that I watched The Little Mermaid everyday, just to figure out how I could become a mermaid.

We also went to some "parties". My family has really good friends that always want to have dinners so that we can all come over and they can see me. It's a really nice sentiment, and I am always touched that they remember me, but it has to be more for my parents' benefit, since I always end up with my little sister and the other kids. :) In addition, we ate at my family's favorite restaurant that serves kababs, falafel, and other deliciously yummy Middle Eastern cuisine. And my dad almost had a heart attack when we went to Cold Stone and he spent $16 on three ice creams. Why anyone would mix gummy bears in their ice cream is a mystery to me....

So, I've been home for a little over a week now, getting back into the swing of things, and we have less than two weeks until Christmas! I am almost finished with my Christmas shopping; I just have a few of the guys to find things for and a couple of homemade things to work on (I want to make some flowers to attach to headbands for the nieces and was thinking about this one on Or so she says or this one by Little Bella Bean). We also had a wicked snowstorm this weekend that prevented me from going to a friend's wedding and seeing our children's Christmas program at church yesterday. It's sooooo cold! The day before I left Florida, it was 85 degrees outside. Right now, it is zero degrees outside, and it feels like 18 degrees below zero with the wind chill. Crazy! So, I'm just going to cuddle down into my blankets a little more and think warm thoughts. :)