it's time to get out of the desert and into the sun

This week has been a very productive week....at least it feels that way, because I'm exhausted.

I worked on one of my Christmas projects during the week, and finally got it done last night. This is a big feat, because I've been working on it for more than a year. I also started to plan a little more for my other Christmas projects and gifts. Now I've got some momentum going, so it'll be a little easier from here on out.

I did get to decorate for Christmas this past week. There wasn't a lot to it, but my favorite part is complete - the Christmas tree is up! When my parents got their dog 5 years ago, they had to get a "temporary" tree, one that they could put on top of a table where the puppy couldn't eat the ornaments. Since he is all grown up, they've gifted the tree to me. It's a 4 foot tree, and although I would love to have a real, giant tree this one does just fine and puts me in an excellent mood. [I wouldn't even say a Christmas-y mood, because it's just a general happiness.]

I also finally got all of the boxes emptied and recycled from when I moved. Yes, three months ago. But that got me motivated enough to start putting some more stuff up in the apartment. I finally hung my decorated bulletin board where I hang all my jewelry and I've got some ideas where I want to put some artwork and pictures.

Friday and Saturday were pretty busy days, which is why I am so exhausted today. Friday was mostly a day of preparation for Saturday. Friday afternoon I met up with my old roommate to take care of some final things from our old apartment, and I got to sit down with her for almost 2 hours and catch up which was really nice. Even though we both live in the same city, we haven't seen each other since moving out because we work completely opposite schedules. Afterwards I picked up some groceries and went home to....... brine a turkey! After Thanksgiving, Zach and I got a turkey for a very good price. We figured it'd make a really nice meal and a lot of leftovers for soup and sandwiches. So I got that all set to sit overnight, and I also got some meat marinading and made a batch of teriyaki beef jerky [which has already been entirely eaten].

Saturday my parents came down, because I was hoping to buy a used couch that I'd found on Craigslist, and I needed a vehicle that could transport a couch. Unfortunately the seller was terrible at communication and just stopped replying. But since I was going to be roasting a whole 13.5 lb turkey, I convinced my parents to still come down (and to bring the dog!). So we ended up inadvertently having a mini-Thanksgiving. We had turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, stuffing, and roasted carrots and onions and topped everything off with apple pie.  It might have been one of the best turkeys I have ever eaten. The meat stayed very moist and was super flavorful. I happen to think that Zach and I did a pretty awesome job with the whole meal. Plus we got to spend the whole evening with my parents and the puppy. Zach got my dad started on some video games, which I'm sure my mom is very excited for.

I'm currently in the process of making turkey stock out of the carcass so I can make some soup for this week. The rest of the evening I will be busy working on some more Christmas projects. If any of you have a special request for a Christmas card, let me know and make sure that I have your address!