Since I've been home for exactly a week,

I have:

• gotten my hair trimmed. I desperately needed it.
• taken Christmas photos with my family (not all of it, but the ones I live with most the time at my mom's house.

My baby sister Monica (7) and I

Bottom: Monica. Middle (left to right): Joey, Mikey, me. Top: Michael.

• spent tons of quality family time... with my family, of course.
• gone to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP) @ Universal Studios' Island of Adventure for the second time. MY SIBLINGS DIDN'T REALLY LIKE BUTTERBEER. IDK what's wrong with them. I can't get enough of that stuff.

• bought my roommates their Christmas gifts from WWoHP. They're going to love 'em! I also bought us a bottle of pumpkin juice to share in our apartment :) It's so yummy.
• gone caroling with the ward and ward member missionaries. It was super fun, touching, AND we handed out about four or five Book of Mormons/Books of Mormon (ever since the movie "The Best Two Years", I've seriously questioned what the right plural form of the "Book of Mormon" is, hah).
• seen Joeffrey, Josephine's older brother! He returned from serving a full-time, two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in NYC, NY. It was SO good to see him! He's changed so much :)
• read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (by Suzanne Collins) in their entirety. I've started Mockingjay. I'm seriously in love with these books and I can't WAIT for the movies to come out. My mother's read 'em, my brother's read 'em, my other brother's reading them. They all loveeee 'em! They are seriously such a good read and I would highly recommend them to EVERYONE.

• fallen head over heels for Peeta Mellark (if you've read The Hunger Games and are a female, you'd understand). I think them picking Josh Hutcherson to play Peeta for the movies was an absolutely perfect choice. I'm so psyched for the movie to come out!

• thought about what I'm making/getting my family tomorrow while I go shopping for Christmas gift-making supplies! I'm excited :)
• discovered that the Double Tree hotel gives you fresh, warm cookies whenever you stay there. SO YUMMY.
• found out that DAVID ARCHULETA IS GOING TO SERVE A MISSION! Watch the video of him announcing it this Monday at his show in Salt Lake City, UT:

Cool story: my mother knew about this a week before he made it public. My mom is friends with his aunt, who was the one who told my mom. She told her to keep it under wraps until he announced it, though. AND I've met David Archuleta. My double claim to fame! hahah not really.

• made delicious Buckeye Balls with Jackie and Manda!

• Received pretty swell gifts from Nelly and Jackie:

From Nelly: this adorable purple bow headband and equally adorable coconut piggy bank (it has shells for hooves and its butt/tail unplugs to take out the coins)!

From Jackie: this super awesome "I am T-Pain" mic (I've promised to record and dedicate a song to Jackie and her sister Johanna with it) and Awkward Family Pet Photos (from the same guys at http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com).

I've had a pretty swell, wonderful Christmas break with my family and Nelly, Jackie and Manda thus far :) I can't believe it's already been a week! Two more and I'll be thrown into a super busy schedule of making art and working at Tokyo Sweets at the Provo Towne Center!

♥ Melizza.