Scatterbrained 3

I woke up this morning to a lovely four inches of snow blanketing the ground outside. I am home for the holidays in Portland now, and it was such a pleasant surprise to wake up and see a kind of Winter wonderland out my window. I gazed out my window for quite a while before forcing myself out from under my warm covers and heading downstairs for some breakfast.

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I just love Portland. Being away for three months was tough--tougher than I ever expected it to be. I saw sides of my internal self that had never been exposed--those parts that only show their face when one is thrown into circumstantial extremes. Being in a place of comfort is easy. It's easy to grow spiritually. It's easy to feel that feeling of belonging. It's easy to feel that life is solidly moving along and is sure. Yet, through being away, I have grown, grown, grown, and grown some more in ways that being comfortable could not have done.

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I love being home. It's home. It's Portland. It's where my heart is. Yet, I'm realizing that I do miss my friends. My USEM class, as I've raved about before, was/is just so amazing. We were all stretched incredibly in ways that resulted in change for the better. Each person was/is so unique and only adds to the fun of the group. They are going to be missed in my heart.

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Listen to Joanna Newsom. She's amazing. She may take some getting used to, and her stuff is kind of an acquired taste. But, if your taste allows, she's great. Download "Peach, Plum, Pear" or "Sprout and the Bean."

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This summer I'm going to Avena's house. Okay, Avena? Okay. It's settled then. Oh, and I'm also going to Ukraine with Diana. Okay, Diana? Your dad said so. Okay. It's settled then.

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Oh, because of the snow, we didn't think it would be smart to drive, so my mom, two of my brothers, and I walked the two miles to church. It was great fun.