On the third day after Christmas...

3 days after the big day with the big guy and I bet the last thing you want to do is read a post about Christmas. Too bad. Now that you've started reading you just can't stop. 

I had a spectacular Christmas this year. Especially for someone who couldn't think of anything they (I) wanted and then they (I) ended up with a MacBook Pro. Happy first post from my new Mac! Didn't you notice that this post just seemed more superior than all the other posts? Yeah, I thought so. It is all because of this baby. 

We broke several of our Christmas traditions this year. The biggest one being that we didn't celebrate Christmas at my grandparents house--we had it at our house. Can you believe it?! Spending a Christmas at home for the first time in my whole super long life? Crazy. It was worth every crumpled up piece of wrapping paper and every bow found under the couch. 

I found something that I love almost as much as peanut butter m&m's, Christmas lights, and not making decisions: the look on a person's face as he or she opens a really exciting gift. It is pure bliss, I tell you! Makes you smile all Chistmas-y and Santa-y! Especially because I got to sit by this guy and see his reaction over and over again...

I tell you what, if you have a FreddieFriend type of friend then I am sure you've got it just as bad as I do. As I went into my annual deep state of depression on December 26 I told Freddie that it was the saddest day of the year. Christmas was over, decorations were still up after everything even though they didn't need to be, and you have to wait a whole year for Christmas again. A whole year! Before I started weeping hysterically (okay, not really but go with it) Freddie told me that it was a great day because it is the first day that we get to play with all of our toys that we got for Christmas. I started to disagree and say that I could have used my wok yesterday on Christmas (p.s.--I got an awesome wok too) and Freddie pointed out that I had no ingredients and the stores were closed on Christmas so no, I could not have played with my wok on Christmas. I needed it to be December 26. What a guy! He deserved lots of x's and o's for Christmas. 

Know what we did next? Went to the store on that fine December 26 day and bought ingredients to make yummy stir-fry for supper. 

Pictures from the ho ho ho-iest of days! (Note all of the happy schmappy faces.)

Merry 362 days until Christmas! ;)

she was just a spoiled brat

Disney has been done. We (Me, MC, Russ Moore, Lil' Ann, FreddieFriend, Uncle John) got back on Sunday from a fabulous 6 day trip to Orlando for some Disney Christmas fun. Disney at Christmas is B-E-A-UTIFUL. No really, I don't think you understand how beautiful it is. 

Look!

And, see this?!

Over here!

Christmas is for sure my favorite time to be at Disney. Okay, so maybe I say that about every time I go--so what? You only wish you were as awesome as Disney (Six Flags, I'm talking to you).

This trip was my fav for many reasons. Some of which include:

• Getting to spend Christmas-y Disney with Freddie and seeing him take a bajillion pictures. Seriously, paparazzi of Disney was in the house (of mouse) and I loved it.
• Finally getting to see my brother. And my bhabff (best hoe and best friend forever).
• Basking in the Osborne Family Lights. I want to pitch a tent on the street and live there during this time. Fake snow, Christmas music, and 3 million dancing Christmas lights? Who wouldn't want to live there?!
• Learning that grown males need leashes. You know the kids on leashes you always see in crowded places? Hello Russ, Freddie, and John, you now have a new Christmas present--a man leash. We spent more time looking for them or waiting on them than we spent actually being with them. 
• Going to Disney 20+ times and still being able to do and try and eat new things. 

While all these things were fabulous and wonderful, the best part of the trip comes from Russ Moore's birthday party day. After a very stressful and busy afternoon spent park hopping and trying to secretly plan something for Dad's birthday, Mom was able to set up a dinner reservation. Ann, Uncle John, and Dad were determined to ride Tower of Terror 30 minutes before the super secretsies birthday dinner. Worried that they would not make it back in time for our reservation but not wanting to reveal the secret to Russ Moore, Mary Caroline called Russ and said that his elder daughter (oh p.s.--that is me) was starving and wanting to eat right now and in order to try and please everyone the restaurant could only take us right now if they could come and meet us. Disappointed and Tower of Terror-less Russ Moore came moping back to the restaurant, sat down, looked at me and said, "Well I wanted to ride that but the giant black hole at the center of the universe that sucks all the light out of everything (oh p.s.-- that is me again) insisted we eat right away." 

Russ Moore say whaaaaaat?! Did y'all catch that? The part about the black hole at the center of the universe that sucks that light out of everything?

He eventually found out that was a cover and this was his birthday surprise. But that happy ending part of the story doesn't matter. All that does matter is now we know how Russell really feels about his middle child! My poor life! So sad! Being the middle child and getting blamed for everything is so hard! How will I ever survive in this cruel world?!

I know, I'll survive by moving here!

In other news, 3ish days until Christmas! ! ! !!!!!!!

Also, I would like to thank Russ Moore for giving me something about which to blog that makes me look so pathetic and sad and makes people feel sorry for me and want to send me lots of Christmas presents. I love you!

Just kidding about the presents, just read my blog erry'day. Best present ever. 

thy branches are so lovely

I am fairly certain that I would be best friends with the people whose blogs I read. I mean, the bestest friends. Sharing stories, lunch dates, twinsies blog posts, sounds like super fun, right? Every time I refer to these people as my friends my mother gets quite annoyed. "Emily! They are not your friends! They don't even know who you are. You sound weird." Chyeah, Mary Caroline. Whatever. Don't be jealous one day when I start hanging out with my blogger peeps and somehow forget to mention my mom!

I say all this for a reason, of course. One of the blogs I follow is doing a guest post everyday about Christmas trees. The posts feature short stories and pictures of how people decorate their trees and why they love them. This idea is fabulous and I have to steal all fabulous ideas so...meet the Moore family Christmas tree!

Every year our tree is literally a vomit of ornaments. Let me tell ya, it is an experience. Our tree theme is different from the usual color or ornament genre themes that most people do. The theme is The Story of the Russ Moore Family (circa 1983). One look at this baby and you get a gist of our lives. Each year Joseph, Ann, and I get a new ornament--MC created this tradition so that when we move away from home we have already established our own little ornament collection (That women, such a genius).

When we moved into this house almost 15 years ago we got a bad case of high ceiling fever and went out and bought a 12 ft. tree. While Russell and MC have put their feet hehe down and we've taken it down a few feet, Ann and I refuse to let the tree get below a 9 footer. Hellooooo, I still have the high ceiling fever and it is not going away.

We have the picture ornaments:

Handmade (and so beautiful) ornaments from a young Joseph, Emily, and Ann:

Handmade (and actually beautiful) ornaments cross-stitched by MC:

Handmade ornaments form years and years of ornament parties:

A plethora (+more) or ballet ornaments:

Ornaments for my own grown-up collection (some obvious great choices, cough Luke Skywalker cough):

City of Newnan ornaments that sit up high on the tree:

Ornaments from Ann's pig obsession and J's cat obsession (I had normal Queen Amidala obsessions...):

Just downright pretty ornaments:

Uncle John also spends hours putting strand after strand of lights on the tree. He starts this process by wrapping the trunk in lights. This ends with Russ Moore huffing and puffing and cutting off the lights every end of December. But that is a story for another time...

Basically, year after year, this tree is the best. Even if it isn't 12 ft. tall, I still manage to find room in my heart to love love love it. Doesn't it just make you want to smile and sing and be all Christmas-y forever and ever?

Merry 13 days until Christmas!!

clap your hands, stomp your feet

It's that time of year again...

CHRISTMAS!!

...but that is not what I am talking about. I'm talking about the time when I make a happy list. Between finals and papers and a lot of too much Christmas candy eating, I think it is the perfect time for a happiness list. Let's get happy!

1. Almost being done with school. Let me tell you, I only have one final left and a) I have gotten really good at finding things to do other than study and b) it hasn't hit me yet that this semester is purty much doneso. Yo. 
2. All TLC shows. TLC, how do you know the ways to grasp and maintain all my love and attention? Now if only you could erase all commercials...
3. Making Christmas trees with my Christmas tree maker app. What whaaaat! Fun for all! Want me to e-mail you my latest creation?!
4. Having multiple end of the semester/Christmas/homework parties with the Agnes folk. These parties mostly consist of eating which has caused me to become a giant blob of blobby blobness that blobs around everywhere. But it is too much fun to stop! Self-control is lamesies!
5. Watching Ultimate Proposal videos. Bhumi and I are obsessed. And it is amazing. I don't believe these proposals are real life. Helloooo, false high expectations for our futures, nice to meet you. 
6. Counting down to the Disney trip. One week. Time for hot chocolate and cookies and Mickey and the Osborne lights and happiness all around!
7. Getting to remember what a great dog Cello was. I miss her so much more than I thought and the silliest things remind me of her. I thought of 100 more things about her that I will miss, but I decided not to add a part 2 to that sad blog because MC is all about celebrating the life so.. DOG, I am celebrating yer life. 
8. Dating Freddie and getting to hear his awesome laugh all the time. I would type it out to show you all how great it is but...
9. Finally putting ornaments on our tree at home. It is b-e-a-utiful. Even if it's short. Don't tell MC I said that. 
10. Wearing THIS Christmas sweater and getting to have Santa with me at all times. BFFs for ever for reals. 

p.s.- my roommate made a happy list awhile ago. Check it out. And gimme your lists!

cello rhymes with jello

I've never been much of an animal person. That is an understatement. Although, maybe it is just that animals have never been much of an Emily person. That sounds about right. Regardless of who is not fond of whom, pictures of snuggly fluffy baby animals do nothing for me. Petting animals does not make me feel calm or stress-free. And cats, don't even get me started about cats. I used to sit on the couch with a pillow on my lap and push them off if they tried to jump up on me. This was after one night as I sat on the couch minding my own business and one of our cats just reached over and scratched my head. Caaaats... but anyways, back to where we were. Emily + animals = nothing.

But then, during the summer of 1999 an ad in the paper caught my mom's eye. "Sanctified Puppies" it read--a dog had given birth under a church and the puppies needed to go. While my brother and I were singing away at Bible Camp, mom went and picked up a sanctified female puppy. It was way too early for the puppies to be away from their mom. She was the tiniest little puppy. The Moore family, who had been strictly a cat family, now had a dog, Cello. No, not jello. Cello. Like the instrument.

Moore family rule #344: cats are named after composers and dogs are named after musical terms or instruments.

Today is a sad day--Cello has to be put down. She had gotten very sick what seemed like very quickly. We've been holding on because well, she's Cello! She's the last Moore child! The third Moore daughter! But after last week we all knew, Cello was in too much pain. She could barely walk, she didn't eat. She looked like she had aged 50 years within a few weeks. 

I never thought much about this moment, the moment when Cello would not longer be around. We've gone through lots of cats during my lifetime and I was never upset about them. But that dog somehow managed to up and catch my affection and make me love her. And for that, Cello Moore should win some kind of medal because Emily Moore does not like animals (have I said that before?)

Cello, I will miss coming home and having you get so excited to see us. Your humans! Coming home!

I will miss the way that no one was good enough for you except a few special people. I somehow made  the cut. 

I will miss the way you veraciously barked at that brown UPS truck, even when you were riding in the car. 

I will miss the way you whined like a baby every time Mr. Diddy's truck pulled into the driveway. 

I will miss the way you rolled around in the grass for what seemed like hours ONLY when I walked you. You sneaky dog. 

I will miss the way you were attached to MC's ankles like you were trying to suck up and win the fav child award. Nice try. 

I will miss the way you got so excited every time we packed our bags because you were sure you were going on a car ride. 

I will miss the way you were scared of your own farts.

I will miss the way you tried to hide and make yourself invisible any time there was a storm. Or a loud noise.

I will miss the way you hid in the corner whenever you had the cone of shame on your head. 

I will miss the way you would slide across the hardwood floors whenever Joseph would play with you. 

I will miss the way you let me french braid your fur. You were such a fashion forward dog.

I will miss the way you wagged your tail so hard it sounded like a whip hitting the floor.

I will miss the way you always tried to steal my space heater every winter. 

I will miss MC calling you her daughter.

But mostly, I will miss knowing you are there. Curled up on the floor. Loving us no matter what.

Cello Moore, we love you.
p.s.-All Dogs DO Go To Heaven