Itty-Bitty Blessings

No, I actually didn't. (Touch a blue rhino, that is.) That was just the random title that I wrote in my cousin's missionary email today, and it kinda stuck to me... Aside from that creative burst, I'm feeling GOOD today, for multiple reasons. First of all, finals are over!!!!! I'd write a whole paragraph on how relieving that is, but it'd just be cliche. Second of all, I attended two Christmas programs today, one of which was the homecoming of my dear friend. This sparked a lot of Christmas reflection, and those swirling thoughts and feelings continue to warm my heart. Third, do you realize what was on TV today?! Sound of Music- -The Sing Along version!!! How did I not know that existed?? My world is changed. For reals. And my Mom made me a cheese log, which I ate while watching Sound of Music. *sigh* Life is too good. Let's not forget, however, some of the BYU campus gems that I've been saving up to write about. Here goes! A week or so ago, I was walki

As usual, the selection of little blessings for this week is somewhat akin to the selection of drinks at Swig. (The hip high school drink place- Kirsten took me there last week. They let you choose from a billion types of soda and then mix it with crushed ice or ice cream or syrup flavoring or who knows what else, making their menu literally endless.) Therefore, this week shall be a list week. 1. Went to my first Jazz game. The real miracle? I actually enjoyed watching the game! I don't want to ruin a good thing by speaking prematurely, but I think I may have a seed of basketball love growing in me. Yay for progression and change! 2. This week, after (Mysterious Moment X, which cannot be explained on a blog post), I felt deep satisfaction when I remembered what good people I've chosen to surround myself with. What a joy to be in a time of life where I can live fully, based on the dictates of my own choice and conscience, and can trust my friends to do the exact same. 3.

She meaning me, of course. I'm back, with a couple Thanksgiving updates and little miracles to share. 'Tis the season, right? So as Julie Andrews would say (or sing, rather) "Let's start at the very beginning... A very good place to start." ..... Empanadas!!!!!  Yes, empanadas are the beginning. For those of you who don't know, they're a sort of Chilean hot-pocket type thing with either melted cheese, or a yummy meat mixture (called pino) on the inside. They can be fried or baked, and they're super yummy and we used to eat them all the time over in Chile! It just so happened that I was having a really rough day last week- one of my close friends was having a hard time and I stayed up the night before trying to help her, but I woke up the next morning with a feeling of frustration. Some things are just out of my hands, and this was one of those times where all I could really do was observe and share part of the suffering for my friend's wr