Fallen

I've fallen... (read on to find out how...)

...prey to local fashion.

I have lived in Latvia for about two and a half years. A couple weeks ago I bought a pair of shoes in Latvia for the first time ever. Why? Because I had no winter-y heels, and I needed some for the holiday season. The pair I bought were cute and probably on par with what you might find in a shoe shop elsewhere in the world and classified as "cool" right now.

Today though, after what feels like years of searching, I fell prey to the pointy-toe boot. Latvian girls don't wear any other kind of toe, unless you count the rounded pointy toe that has now become popular in the cowboy boot style of high heeled black boots. There are no high heeled black boots with square toes in Latvia (except that ONE pair that I found in my first spring here...but I swear that was a fluke, because I have NEVER seen another pair remotely like it). Anyway...that pair I bought two years ago is well worn out... and I have been madly searching for a new pair all autumn/winter. Well today, I saw this pair that has a pointy square toe (close?)...it was in my size, made of materials other than leather, and only 13Ls ($26 USD), and the last pair of its kind. I snatched em up, and then died a little on the inside. I was sad that I couldn't hold on to my morals and principles until March when I get to the States and could buy another pair of square toed black high heeled boots. I have fallen prey.

...into the Christmas spirit.

I made Joel buy me this little tiny potted Christmas tree a few weeks ago. It's decorated as always with ladybugs, silver balls and white lights. :) I'm just sad that I don't have any presents to put under it yet. Just as well, because the cat would probably bat them around and off the windowsill if they were there! If you look closely, you can see that instead of a tree skirt I have wrapped the bottom of our tree in aluminum foil, because it's the only thing that will keep Bumbi out of the soil. Ah well...it kind of matches the silver balls. :) I can't wait until Thursday when we will have our class holiday party at school, and then call it quits for 2 1/2 weeks. I'm very much looking forward to sleeping in, days without kids, going out to the country with Joel's family for Christmas, spending Boxing day with friends from school, and before all of that, finishing up the Christmas shopping. :)

...into a severe addiction.

Knitting has become a serious new hobby of mine. Above is pictures the scarf I knit for my goddaughter for Christmas. It might be a little wide, and possibly just a tad too short...but since it's only my third attempt at knitting ever, (and since she's two) I think she (and her parents) will forgive me. I started this scarf on Thursday. I finished this scarf on Saturday. This scarf used three skeins of special baby yarn. That's a lot of knitting for my hands in three days. I am improving leaps and bounds in my knitting... this one stayed at 25 loops the whole way. I did drop two stitches along the way...but this coming Thursday my young and hip knitting teacher will help me unravel to get rid of those holes and re-do it. Next, I will also learn another stitch (because I am still only doing one.) Oh but, why does it matter about this addiction? Well, only because I am pretty sure I might actually be giving myself arthritis with every pearl I do... I tried to pick up my needles this morning while Joel and I were watching a show, and it hurt so much I just had to put them back down again. The multi-colored scarf that I posted about in my last post is almost done...but it looks like getting to the end might take a while. I will keep trying though, oh yes I will. :)


...in love with an amazing man. (and that is what I look like when I'm in love... :) Actually, I want to change my profile picture, and I need to post the new picture before I can change it, but it gives me a good reason to praise Joel.)

I can be a crazy, crazy bat sometimes. REALLY. Something (winter, darkness, overwhelm, PMS...who knows) has gotten into me lately, and I have been picking fights, being unreasonable, and being immensely over-critical of myself in a drag him down kind of way a lot. Through all of this, however, Joel has been cool. Yeah, I've pushed him, even over the edge, and he's lost it...but he always comes back...ready and willing to smooth over whatever is going on. Ready to hold my hand, hug me, offer words of support or whatever I really need, instead of a fight.

Tonight in one of those highly conscious moments that you have sometimes, I realized just how happy I am to have found him. I never did think I would find him...even if I didn't know who he was, when I felt that way. I'm a lucky girl to have this guy in my life. And I can only hope that he feels the same way the next time I go off the deep end with him. :)

So there you go... fallen, in four different ways... some bad, some good. Each an experience. :)