Honestly, today has been great. I’ve got to spend some time with my family, receive and give presents to and from wonderful people, and bake cupcakes. I love baking, and it shows in the presents my family gave to me.
For those who don’t know, those are icing tips. Along with them, I got cookie cutters and sprinkles, so that’s a pretty good implication of what my interest are.
Which are very different from my brothers I tell you. One of my brothers got documentaries and a miniature catapult for Christmas. He actually built a really awesome fort to storm with the catapult, but I didn’t take any pictures of that, though I really should have. I do have a picture of the catapult itself though.
Anyway, my siblings are happy with their gifts, which makes me happy, because I like it when my family’s happy. I honestly think that when you come down to it, that’s what Christmas is about; happiness. It’s about being happy yourself, and spreading that joy to others. That’s why we carol, shop, bake and decorate, even though it takes time and energy. So, enjoy your day. Do what makes you happy. Spend time with your family if possible, and somehow spread just a little bit of joy into someone’s life.
Have a wonderful Christmas.

Christmas is in exactly one week. I am almost done making my friend’s presents for Christmas, but not quite there. I usually hand make as many presents as I can, because it tends to be more meaning for less price, but it does cause me to get really busy. When I was younger, that wasn’t a problem because I didn’t really do much, but now that I’m older it can be a bit…much sometimes. Which is why I just bought a few of my friend’s presents instead of making them.
The thing is my friends are worth the time. If you’ve read many of my post, you know I brag a lot about how I have awesome friends. And because they’re so awesome, I don’t mind putting in the effort, because they’re worth it, and this year I’ve been blessed with even more friends that have just been plain out amazing.
And they’ve inspired me to put out a goal for myself that for this last week until Christmas I help as many as I can find that I think need help. I’m not really good with people, so I tend not to help as much as I should, but I want to make a special effort this week, and I hope that that special effort will carry over into the rest of my life.
I subtitled this blog “What good have I done in the world today?” I love that quote, and it reminds me to put a special effort into being a good person, and to help others. After all, my goal is at the end of the week to be able to sit at my computer and I know that I helped others, that I was kind, and that I will continue to lift others up. That is the goal of this blog; to life others. And sometimes I’m not very good at it because I’m a mess and I know it, but I figure that as long as I keep trying, eventually I’ll get good at it.

For some reason, I’ve always been somewhat self-concious about my appearance. Which is sort of weird, considering that I’m usually considered very pretty. Of course, it’s not like I’m my best friend, who’s the one who usually is considered the beauty. I mean, just look at her… She’s pretty. She’s really, really pretty. She’s also photogenic, unlike most of the rest of us.
But she’s also a lot more than a pretty face. She’s a thousand inside jokes, she’s a genius, she’s days at band camp, and pure musical talent. She’s a kind girl who managed to make friends with the grade weirdo, and the schemer who is determined to get things her way. She’s stubborn, and she’s strong minded, and she doesn’t take “You can’t do it” as an answer.
Appearance isn’t and never has been what has made her my best friend. Because appearance doesn’t create friendship; it doesn’t create love. It might create interest, but that’s not the same thing. Her and I might have people notice us because of our appearance, but we make friends with our weird geekiness.
Our friendship and love comes from moments that those when we laughed over things no one else would understand, had the craziest conversations, and just kept doing it every time we saw each other.
See? These probably don’t make sense to you if you weren’t there, but to us, these were priceless moments. We didn’t have to look our best, we just had to be there. And that’s when I felt accepted, that’s when I felt loved.
And maybe there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look nice. I try to look nice. It just in the end didn’t matter, because honestly my friends couldn’t care less. And to anyone who hasn’t had the experience of being accepted for being who you are, I encourage them to keep trying, because one day they’ll find it. I know it can be hard, because I’m not usually accepted, because I’m the weird good girl who talks to much and dances to music no one else can hear, and yet somehow I found it.
And I’ve found that in the pictures I’ve taken, my favorites tend to be those of us laughing so hard we couldn’t stop.

Recently, I’ve been having a tendency to feel depressed, even when nothing actually is upsetting me. It’s really annoying, and I don’t really understand what’s going on all the time.
But I’ve got some great friends who’ve helped me get through it. Made me laugh when I was done, and kept me from feeling so bad. They’ve been amazing, and they’re one of the most major reasons I can keep going on, no matter how bad things get.
Love you guys! Really, I couldn’t do it without you!