hippos and puzzles

well, i just realized that i haven't posted a thing in a week. (that may or may not have something to do with the 24 Kbps dial-up connection out here at my parents' house. you decide.) but anyway, i am here, safe and sound, and having a lovely time, in case you were wondering. it's been very relaxing. i've done some crosswords, and some soduko (sp?), and played trivial pursuit, and worked on a nigh-impossible puzzle, and watched the cosby show. it's been wonderful to see my family, and i actually feel pretty comfortable in the new house. i'm still not sure what to expect when i open a drawer, but at least i know where all the doors lead now.
christmas was great, though we missed darren, my brother-in-law. his job required him to be away in texas over the holiday, and it just wasn't quite right without him. we did have a lovely time, as you could tell by the pictures if the dial-up would hurry up. (just in case i haven't told you, i got a digital camera for christmas, and now i can and will post pictures of my family at will. i need to go get another memory stick, and then i'll be able to post pictures of the wedding this weekend too. soon, i will be digital camera savvy. watch out.)
perhaps my favorite christmas vingette was when my sister stephanie gave my sister tracy a stuffed hippo. apparently, when the local radio station started playing christmas music back in november, tracy chose the christmas classic, "i want a hippopotamus for christmas," as her favorite song for the season. she's been singing it to her co-workers, friends, and family with such reckless abandon that stephanie decided to make tracy's christmas wish come true. the stuffed hippo came with a cd of the song that she had to put on before she unwrapped it, and as soon as she heard the first few notes, she began jumping up and down, and performed the entire song with whimsical charm and gusto that i think i shall remember it forever.
"i can see me now on christmas morning
creeping down the stairs
what joy and what suprise when i open up my eyes
and see a hippo hero standing there!
i want a hippopotamus for christmas
only a hippopotamus will do
no crocodiles or rhinoceroseses
i only like hippopotamuseses
and hippopotamuseses like me too!"
oh trixie, no.

i've also gotten to see lots-o-people that i love that i don't normally get to see. last night i hung out with the ciemini (that's plural for cieminis), who i haven't seen since the summer. and sam is here from toulouse, who i haven't seen since JANUARY! yay for long lost friends, including lots more who will continue to arrive over the next 24 hours for the lord wedding tomorrow. hooray!
(p.s. i've been trying to upload some photos with our faster-than-the-speed-of-molasess connection this entire time, to no avail. perhaps the pictures will have to wait. boo, dial-up. boo.)