clear skies and a wheel to sit behind

on monday, all of my friends had finals or studying monopolizing their lives, so i decided to strategically run into people in the library. i couldn't believe i couldn't find anyone i knew on all five floors, and usually i see way too many people i know there while i am dressed in sweats. (mother-this is not that often.) anyway, so i settled down behind a table, pulled out my computer and earbuds, and settled down with a furrowed brow to...write on my blog. yep.

when i woke up tuesday morning, i decided the library was out. and when i walked outside on to 500 n, it was the most beautiful december day, and i seriously was skipping down the sidewalk, smiling so huge because it was so pretty. i could finally see the mountains and the sky, and the snow was still white. i made whitney go on a drive up the canyon with me. my grandparents were so nice to let me borrow their huge white van! i missed driving while i was in paris. the metro is fun, but public transportation starts to get annoying sometimes, and i was starting to want to be able to drive places when i wanted to go there...it was nice.

also, lucky whitney for being with me in pretty places when i have my camera. people will think i'm obsessed with you or something...

(yep...that's my jacket.)

also, look who greeted us on our way up to sundance. I don't think i've ever seen this many deer in utah ever:

8 months is way too long

at least that's what i thought when i got to utah on saturday night. on sunday morning, the sidewalks were built up with slush and water and snow and i had decided to wear some really great heels. good idea. i ended up almost completely soaking my favorite heels, getting roxanne's car stuck because i couldn't make it over a giant puddle, and staring at a puddle for a long time before sam, roxanne's sam, came and lifted me over the puddle as he had been doing with roxanne while we walked to and from the conference center. later that day, i walked around on 800 n for a long time trying to get to the sidewalk because it was slushy and puddly everywhere, and i seriously couldn't even get to the sidewalk. i don't know if i've ever made a worse fashion practicality decision...have i?

how???

don't worry! i still thought eight months was way too long without being here. the last time i saw the lady above, we were saying goodbye in dublin. the last time i saw roxanne, we were saying goodbye in rome. some people i had seen for the last time in london, and all of my other lovely friends, i hadn't seen since APRIL, beFORE i went to England! EIGHT months. there were a lot of glorious reunions. i wish that i had cute pictures of all of them! but alas, you can't really take good pictures of having fun conversations and laughing and eating on the couch of people's apartments, can you?

and this last week, all of my luggage, a large suitcase, two overly stuffed carry-on-sized bags, and one huge study abroad backpack barfed all over whitney's house. isn't she the greatest.

it's great to be back in the states!