frozen frost

merry christmas from my own slice o' paradise :)

Christmas this year is going to be spent at my grandparents' in northern Wisconsin. Of course, no trip would be complete without me taking TONS of pictures :) enjoy!

Brody's Northern he caught- that thing is almost 2' long!!

my 3-year-old cousin, Raelynn, aka Goobie :) isn't she adorable?!?!?!

Merry Christmas, everyone!! :)

i have the sweetest boyfriend =)

this is what he got me fore Christmas:*smile*

random facts about erica

1. i don't mind cleaning the bathroom. really- i don't. now, i never said it was my favorite thing to do, but i don't mind it. in fact, i really don't mind cleaning in general- when i'm in the mood to clean, anyway.
2. i don't know why my pictures aren't as good as everyone else's. maybe it's just me, but i think some of the photos that win scholarships and all those big contests are boring and almost anyone can take those shots. what about the ones that i take that no one else thinks about?
3. sometimes, when i can't sleep, i get up and take pictures. or read a book. or do some push ups or crunches to tire my body out a little.
4. i have no idea why i felt the need to share these with you- i just did. =) i hope you enjoyed my photos- i took them this week =)

snow pictures

i got some snow pictures! even if they were shot through the windows of the house... =)

oh, there's no place like HOME for the holidays...

having been home for almost a week, i am still excited to be here. eventually i'll want to go back to winona 'cause i'll be sick of my family, but i'm not there yet. =) but maybe not. i'm not sure if i will be ready to go back. partly 'cause the classes i'm taking next semester don't excite me, and partly 'cause i'm back with people i know and love- back in my comfort zone. but january is a long way away, so for now i'm just going to be happy that i'm home =)

yesterday was d and i's 10 month anniversary. WOW. 10 months!!!! it's gone by so fast, it's crazy. but then again, this year has flown by, too. we watched christmas movies last night on lifetime. turns out he loves those movies =) [ ssshhhhh- don't tell anyone- he'd be mad ;) ] i also went to the w-sr h.s. band concert last night- it was weird not being in the band, but they did a very good job. i got to say hi to some friends, promising them that i'd come bug them at school sometime next week. =) heehee- i love being done with school for the semester =)

we've had lots of snow- no pictures yet, tho. =( maybe i'll get to go out and get some pics today. hmmmmm....... =)

SNOW!

it snowed (really snowed) for the first time last night- i'm hearing reports of anywhere from 9" to 1 ft. of snow here!!!! all i know is that it is gorgeous! and that i woke up way early for no apparent reason...and made good use of it by taking pictures! =) enjoy!

someone isn't going to be happy they left their bike out...

icky. =(

this past week has been a struggle- i'm not feeling 100%- heck, i'd take feeling 65% right now, but it just isn't working. i've been really tired the last few days and can't find the energy to do what i need to. my stomach has been feeling funny too- hungry, but when i eat i feel sick. i'm trying really really hard to eat better- more fruits and less chocolate and pop- but i dunno if that's working or not. half the time i can't tell if i'm hungry or gonna throw up (haven't yet, thank goodness). i'm achy too, so i think the weather's gonna change here soon.

i just have one, little, tinsy, tiny question: CAN I FEEL BETTER ALREADY?!?!?! (pretty please with sugar on top? thanks.) that's really all i want for christmas- to feel BETTER. and not have the one step up and 5 steps back thing goin' on. seriously- it sucks! either let me feel better and keep improving, or make me feel worse and keep it that way- one or the other! i would, of course, prefer to feel better, but i hate this constant tug-of-war. just pick one already.

random thoughts/update

wow. been way too long since the last post, which was pretty depressing, so here's a happy(er-ish) one! =)i can't believe how tall brody's getting- i swear he grows 2" every time i turn around!!! i don't like it that my li'l brother is growing up! i can hardly give him piggy-back rides anymore =(

Thanksgiving was really awesome- home for 5 WHOLE DAYS!!! it was so nice to be able to spend time with both of my families- mine and D's- for more than 2 hours at a time before heading back north. we had a great time- lots of laughing, with both families. finals are next week, then we're off for "winter" break til jan. 10th =) i'm excited!!! of course, thanksgiving also means decorating for christmas, so here's on of our "favorites"- the singing, farting reindeer. (he's usually not wearing the santa hat, though)
on a down note, josh's aunt passed away sunday morning from cancer. she was only 56- the same age my grandma and cousin were when they passed from the same disease. (makes me and my family a little nervous about that age...) the funeral was today, and jordan and i went home last night for the funeral before returning to winona earlier tonight for me to take my *first* final. (it was an easy test) dustin was a pallbearer for the funeral- he's been really close to their family for awhile, and laura- the aunt- thought the world of him. i was proud of him- he shed a few tears, but did a great job.

when we got back, jordan and i found a box of 100 multi-colored mini lights in our mailbox. jordan had donated $3 to the "you light up my life" campaign that raises money for under-privileged children in return for the lights. m'lynn had given me a strand of colored rope lights that had yet to find a home, so after supper, jo and i decorated a little. =) it was really fun, and we've decided that we're going to keep the lights up all year because it makes the room seem so much more "homey". the rope lights are strung up by our beds and the mini lights are around the window.