Penguin meat is delicious.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

In case you couldn't tell, I am back from the land of cheese!!

The ride there was the nightmare of all car-rides. First, an hour south of St. Louis, our battery basically dies. There are fancier words for it, but in the end we had to replace it. Took all of four hours. DEFINITLY fun. Then, as if we hadn't lost enough time, about an hour from Rockfort (it's in northern Illinois, you ignorant peoples) our front left tire blows. So, in the dark, foggy night at the side of an interstate, Dad gets to learn how to change a tire on a Suburban! A nerve wracking experience, to be sure. We lost another forty minutes there.

Of course, once we got there (at eleven at night. We left at seven. This kills us all) everything was dandy! I got to see basically all the relatives I KNOW, and a bunch of the others that I KINDA know, and a lot more people who I am sure I am related to, but don't even know there NAMES!! It was great. Hung out with Michelle, Tommy and Taylor for the party on Dad's side of the family (Tommy and Taylor are midgies. Except Tommy is now in seventh grade. o.O I cannot express my shock enough.) And, for the party on mom's side of the family, I hung out with basically everyone, cause I KNOW all those guys. Kevin (a cousin) decided my dad is batman, and that's why we moved to Joplin.

Also, Mom bought us adorable chocolate-mountain cupcakes from a bakery. They were in the shape of penguins. :D I loved them! Pure chocolate. I grossed mes soeurs out by describing the chocolate mouse, penguin guts I was enjoying. My sisters couldn't take so much sweet. Hense, I love penguin meat. And I got my SISTERS' penguin meat, too!! My sisters have no appreciation. (The brains are the most delicious.)

Those were the highlights! The trip home, we discovered that the trip up to Wisconsin can either be ungodly long (fourteen hours), or can be quickened through sheer willpower and less bathroom breaks (ten hours). The two average out to the estimated length of the trip for the rest of the world. *rolls eyes*

And that brings us to this morning! Finished with gifts, tres happy!! :D :D :D I won't bore you with the details. Except one detail. My sisters got ipod nanos. They have crossed over to the dark side. I am only glad that I am not forced to compromise my own beliefs, because I have had multiple talks with dad about their ultimate evil. Sigh.

Merry Christmas! Happy Eid!! All that jazz!!!

Ivy, out.

((PS- YOU HAD BETTER BE FEELING FESTIVE, BEN.))

Umm. Yeah. It's cold outside.

Which is a SUPREME understatement, but hey. It got us out of two days in school (who wants to go for three?!). So I'm rolling with it. Obviously, we have power back now, and even more obviously, we have internet. This, quite frankly, shocks and amazes me to no end. But again: NOT GOING TO QUESTION IT.

Anyway, honestly the most sad I am about this weather is the MASSIVE amount of tree damage going on around here... and basically everyhwhere else. Our poor trees! T.T It makes me so sad... darn ice...

((Don't take that in the wrong way, Ice Goddess. I love you anyway. Please don't go... bring snow next time, 'kay?))

On that note, I have some awesome sauce piccies to show.








For the record, you have to turn the second to last picture on its side. But look at my poor trees! My poor beeches! T.T I love those trees...

Sigh. It's a little sad... but hopefully, the trees will recover in time... but it's funny to me how the catastrophe of the trees drives home the mild emergency of an ice storm more than the loss of power to thousands of homes does. ^.^;; Aw well. I guess I just have my priorities...

On another note, I colored yesterday. You all should be proud! I love how snowdays give us so much free time. What kinda DOES annoy me, though, is now that the internet is back, I have to do one thing, and probably will do much less of another:

I will have to do minor research for Kez's class. Dang my conscious.

And, now that the internet is back up, I will be MUCH less focused on my thesis paper. As if I didn't have enough trouble starting on that thing when I DIDN'T have an unlimited source for distraction at my finger tips. God dangit.

Anyway, not much else happening here. Oh, wait. My lights don't work again. And I'm pretty sure the speakers on my computer are shot, too. Power goes off, lights don't work. Power goes off five or six more times, my speakers his and buzz at me, and won't play music. Oh, the inconveniences!

That's all!

Ivy, out.

Ruff H2Os A-hed.

... as my 'Urth' Science teacher would say. Or write on the board for our notes. He has a distinct sense of humor.

Either way, it's an astute sentence. ^.^;; NOT sure how much arting I will be doing in the immediate future, with finals coming up and a thesis paper due in Kez's. @.@ I feel dizzy just thinking about it. ... Of course, I'm not implying that I generally due as much art as possible even WHEN I have free time. What can I say? I am American, there fore I am lazy.

On the other hand, I'm happy. Not a genius Asian or Finnish teen or something, but pretty darn happy. Who thinks that a bad trade off, considering I'm not anywhere near dumb either?

Eh. That's just a blip of what my mind has been mulling over off and on for a while. I'll stop now.

Back to art! This IS an art post. I hadn't mentioned that yet, had I? Bad Ivy. Anyway, I DO have art, to some extent! Prepatory stuff for the next chapter. Ava's new outfit, and a sketchy junky thing. It's the basis for the next title page... I think it's pretty funny... :3

Last Christmas parade tomorrow! Hallejuha. I love concert season in the band. It is SO nice to start the day playing music. Infinitely relaxing.

Oh! And on the note of Christmas. My favorite part (after stuff like eggnog) of Christmas at my place is the decorations. My mom REALLY gets into it. At this piont, the middle floor is barely recognizable. And it isn't the cheesey Wal-mart decorations with cardboard/plastic Santa Clause figures with neon Merry Christmas lights either. She likes making her own stuff. Physically going out and buying a naked wreath, hunting down pretty ribbons and doo-dads, and making her own stuff. Garlands, wreaths, mini-trees, pillows, you name it. I'd volunteer to decorate more, but I don't think I would do her stuff half the justice. :3

Okay, done being boring now! Merry Christmas!

Ivy, out.