four days in.

I am four days into this wonderful trip home and so far, it has been terrific.

It is cold and rainy here, but only a Vermonter like me could appreciate actually how "warm" it is here! Nick and I both got new phones this week and decided to send each other pictures; me so I could show him my new haircut, and him because he got an iPhone and just wanted to play with it. I laughed after the picture exchange though, because in my picture I was wearing a short sleeved shirt, and in his picture, he was wearing a hat and his winter coat. Yes, I am a long ways away from the East Coast snow.

Sunday night, I went to San Bruno to spend the night with Megan. I was disappointed at first because I wanted to see all her friends as much as I wanted to see her but all of them except for Caitlin weren't able to make it. In hindsight though, the night went perfectly. Spending quality time with Caitlin and Richard, but especially with Megan was the most important thing. We all got happy drunk and talked and laughed for hours. Megan finally showed me her wedding dress and she looks absolutely stunning in it. I have been excited for this wedding for quite some time but finally seeing the dress and being able to finally start visualizing June 13th has made me all the more amped! I just love weddings, but seeing how this one is for my best friend, let's just say it's going to be a phenomenal day.

On Monday night, Mom and John invited over Sarah, Derek, and Kevin, and much to my pleasure, Keeley and Dylan decided to stop by too. It is nights like these when I realize how lucky I am to be surrounded by people who are so warm and comfortable to be around. Renee, our new housemate, joined us for dinner and participated in the dinner chatter. Having housemates was an unusual living situation while I was growing up but I think it has really set an example for me in terms of seeing how people can be brought together to build friendships. I also feel blessed by how welcoming the people in my life are - Zoe came by for the tail-end of the night and was by no means a stranger or an outsider. Everyone was inclusive and so much fun to talk with. It is the stuff of great family dinners. It's also nice to be reminded from time to time that even though my immediate family unit consists of Mom, John, Taylor, Dad, Maria, and little Sammy, my experience of "family" goes way beyond just those six people, and for that, I am truly grateful.

And then last night happened. I am still laughing to myself just thinking about it. Nicky, Zoe, and I grabbed dinner at Pancho Villa's, headed back to Nicky's house to wait for Dave, and then the four us headed over to Marin Brewing Company. We knew we would be seeing a lot of people but we could not have expected the random, hilarious, and pleasing run-ins we would have. While I saw the few friends from M.A. who I was prepared to meet up with, I was NOT prepared to run into people I literally haven't seen in thirteen years! I recognized this boy named Brent from my third-grade class but didn't plan on saying hi because I was amazed that I even was able to recognize him in passing. Lo and behold though, he recognized me too and we had a great laugh over how the last time we saw each other we were playing kickball on the playground and now here we were, drinking alcohol at a bar. I also ran into Christine, my best friend from middle school, which was such a treat. We were literally inseparable for four years but really lost touch since I went to M.A. and she went to Redwood. We totally embraced each other and talked about our life plans and asked how our families were doing. We're hoping to have lunch this weekend before I leave, and I hope it works out.

Now it's Christmas Eve, and the festivities are slowly sneaking in. Mom is wrapping presents, all the Christmas lights are on, it's warm and cozy inside the house. Tonight, Tay and I will have dinner at Pop's house then go to church and sing carols. Tomorrow, we'll have breakfast and open presents, and then Mom's family will come for dinner.

I hope the rest of this week is as fabulous as the last four days have been. Merry Christmas!