a tender tennesee new year's is the only new year's for me

Rumor has it that Christmas is over. You may be wondering what tipped me off. It was KOIT. Tonight it was back to normal light rock less talk, love songs after dark instead of the Christmas carols it has been playing since I've been back. But that's OK I can handle it, I'm just going to a KOITless land, Memphis. My flight leave tomorrow morning at 6am, what did I get myself into? I hate mornings, especially when it is cold and when I am completely unaccustomed to having a normal sleeping schedule. I'll be gone until the third and Amy said she wants to hear about what actually is going on in my life so that should be interesting. Some things are better left unsaid in mass e-mails.
But on things that can be shared,
-Last week I was gently tossing my phone across the room at my mom and it broke. Sadness, I know, but now I got my number transferred to one of my dad's old phones and at least 95% of the keys work.
- The same person won the Christmas Eve poem contest that won the Christmas costume contest last week. I would be bitter but seriously you can't really be bitter at someone who can write the best bad poem. I keep forgetting that to win you need to make fun of everyone in the room and anyone that should have been in the room but bailed. Next year that plaque is mine.
-Last Thursday and Saturday I worked for DMG Engineering. Sounds impressive, yeah? DMG just happens to be my brother-in-law, I am a firm believer in using all family-ties to my monetary advantage. Although I've yet to be paid, any job you can do while wearing your red flannel penguin pajama pants is a good one.
-Last night we played the Family Feud DVD game. Our team definitely should have won but when you are asked "what are the top five human foods that dogs like to eat?" meat, steak, beef, hamburger, and chicken should not all be counted as different answers.
So I hope your Christmas was cheery and bright and that your post-Christmas week is fabulous.
Love, Joy

if you don't think my posts normally contain important information than this one might just prove your point. but who knows, maybe not

Yesterday I didn't get dressed until 3pm, yup and even then what I was wearing looked quite similar to what I normally sleep in. "What caused this lapse in fashion judgment?" you may ask, but I think it was a culmination of many things. Although life here seems so much easier maybe that isn't always a good thing. I think I over compensate and just stress myself out. Just because there are things that I can do here doesn't necessarily mean I should do them. I was telling my dad the other day that I haven't been calling people back because I'm not driving a lot and when I'm at home I don't feel like being on the phone because it is a waste of time. He told me that I need to not worry about multi-tasking. I guess here I just feel my time is limited that I need to get things done, and save money, and hang out with everyone imaginable because when I am in Nicaragua I don't have those options. But honestly by Saturday night I was dead, and then all the family and babies were over.

Sunday night was my sister's 4th annual Christmas costume party. I was a Salvation Army bell ringer. I didn't win any prizes but when you are competing against an entire Christmas tree farm you can't really expect to win. Oh and the fact that I was too lazy to carry around my bucket and bell most people thought I was a Target worker. I also didn't get any monetary donations, but Tinsel Town Barbie did give me a pack of gum and some trash. For your viewing pleasure I've attached a picture.

Monday I spent shopping with my sister, and then we finished it up today. Speaking of today, the sweater I am wearing is shedding everywhere, it is like that prom dress I had with all the glitter. Except instead of leaving a trail of hot pink glitter I am leaving gray wool. Maybe it is not that close of a correlation.

I had not been going to coffee quite so much but today was really cold. I went to Starbucks three times. I think my drinks got progressively worse and the first one wasn't even that great. Oh well, I guess it is time to cut back again. Another problem that I don't deal with in Central America, Sampson's Frozen Cappachinos are always magically delicious.

On Friday I might go to work. Really, who would want to waste a day working? But a girls got to do what a girls got to do. And it will get me out of babysitting.
Merry week of Christmas!
Love, Joy
PS Tune in next week for the results of the "2nd Annual Christmas-Eve Poetry Contest"

I wish I was ambidextrous

Hey you, how's it going? Today I started one of my glamorous jobs, it's in the interior design industry. Move over Ty Pennington, I'm stealing your job. OK maybe that isn't going to happen quite yet. It is all in who you know and I know my cousin, and she needed help stripping wall paper in her house. Billy thought it should only take us two days but if we continue at the same pace I think 2 weeks is a more realistic approximation. I just wish my left hand was more useful, because seriously my right side is very very sore. Although I'm sure it's not a problem that Ib Profin can't fix, I mean besides Salvation what problems can't Ib Profin fix? Maybe you shouldn't answer that.
Last week I went to Davis, I love that place, why did I ever leave? I know the whole graduation/I hate school thing but lots of people take more than four years. I guess we're all lucky I didn't take that route because without my departure you wouldn't be getting this e-mail. During my visit, besides hanging out with really cool people, I got to go to Zia's. Oh how I have missed their sandwiches! And I went to Border's twice. Why didn't I go there more often? They don't kick you out for not buying anything and you don't get as many dirty looks for being loud during finals week as you do at coffee shops.
From Friday to Tuesday I was in Pasadena and Huntington Beach with my mom. While I was there I was able to continue putting my major to use. I socialized. That is what you do with Sociology, right? Good thing I went to school for that because some of the people I had to hang out with were pretty lame. Just kidding, I love you all dearly.
Tonight I went over to my sister's to watch Gilmore Girls tapes. It was BYOTV since they just moved and their TV hasn't made it over yet. Some people may not think that watching TV is a good bonding time but I totally disagree. If you're with the right people any activity can be used to make you even closer.
I guess in the States I mostly just hang out with people, which happens to be my favorite thing to do. It also is one the things I do the least of in Nicaragua. Now I have less to write because I communicate verbally with much greater frequency.
It is getting late and I need to get rested for day two of attacking walls with the steamer and scraper, I know you are jealous.
Love, Joy

i heart malt-o-meal

Hello group of faithful followers. Last week I got a phone call from someone claiming that my updates are not filled with anything noteworthy. He, of course, believed that his phone call was worthy of being included in the next update. People, I know it may not seem like it, but I do have standards. When I received the phone call I was at Peet's coffee with madre, I got the peppermint latte, it was a little heavy on the peppermint. I almost died when I was trying to get the last bit of foam and ended up with a shot of pure peppermint, so then I had to pour my mom's tea in the cup to try to wash away the terrible terrible taste left in my mouth. This Monday at Peet's I got the gingerbread latte, my sister thought is was disgusting but after a while it really grew on me.
Yesterday my mother volunteered my dad to help me set up Christmas decorations, if you have ever embarked on a project with my father you may realize the challenge that this presented. But as the Good Book says "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Now we have lights up outside and a nicely decorated tree, and the attic is cleaned. Plus it gave me an excuse to listen to Amy Grant's "A Christmas Album" which is my absolute fav. Now as I was decorating the tree I came across many hand-made decorations, I feel I must take this time to apologize to my parents, grandparents, and whoever else I felt like bestowing my crafts upon. I really did think they were cool at the time. Hopefully, over the years, my craftiness has improved.
As far as artistic talent goes goes, this weekend I went back to my roots. On Saturday night I stayed at my grandpa's in Lake Tahoe, as well as being the coldest house I have ever been in, it also contains the most collector's items. I mean as a self-proclaimed collector, whatever he buys is automatically a collector's item, right? And he is an artist so mixed in with art-work he has purchased over the years there are hundreds of Vern Lee replicates and originals. So really, making crafts is a way to stay connected to my heritage. And also spreading out my stuff in every room of the house is in my blood, therefore maybe I should stop fighting it.
On Sunday I went to the second coldest house ever, in lovely Shingle Springs, Nevada. But after three hours it warmed up from it's original 42 degrees to a nice 65. My last week in Nicaragua was one of the coldest in history and it had a low of 65 in the morning. So needless to say the climate here is a little different than the nearly constant heat and humidity in Managua.
Oh, I've made some discoveries about myself lately, like that I really do like Malt-O-Meal. If you haven't eaten it lately you don't know what you are missing out on. And no you don't have to have it with Ovaltine. This morning, or I guess early afternoon, for breakfast I had corn Chex which happens to be another one of my favorites so next time you are in the cereal aisle you should pick up a box of that too.
Love, Joy
P.S. If you were still wondering and couldn't pick up on my subtlety, no I haven't started working.