holly and gingerbread

i just went to an amazing midnight mass. they had an amazing choir and i had never been to mass on christmas. it was very uplifting. going to our church just didn't work out today considering my mom is exhausted, my sister is completely uncooperative, and we wanted to open some presents. we had christmas eve at my grandmas which i thought would be a struggle, but it ended up fun. the funniest part was when my grandma got angry at my sister for "not doing anything and being helpless." she won for the most ironic statement of the year.

yesterday was an amazing day as well. zach came over around 1, helped me do all the slave chores for my mom, and then baked gingerbread with me. i started to get worked up but he brought me back down, somehow, someway. he made me feel really amazing - a way i haven't felt in a long time. then we went to dinner at a japanese restaurant, went to a family cocktail party, and ended up at mullens. seeing all of my friends was fantastic. everyone was in a good mood and so many people showed up that i hadn't even expected. i was reminded why i love cleveland and how great it is to come home to people that still care after 4 years of the whole back and forth for school thing. i feel like i've lost nothing and gained more than i ever expected considering i live out of state. so thank you friends - i love you.

santa is about to come! merry christmas!