St. Nick's Day

So I wanted to start out and wish a happy birthday to my friend Sarah. Sarah and I have been friends for about 19 years and I am so thankful that she is a part of my life. On Thursday she welcomed in another bundle of joy, Alyssa Russel, and I wish I could have been there to visit her and meet her. Sarah I miss you like crazy and I am so grateful you are in my life. I also am so happy that you have such a wonderful husband and two beautiful little girls, you deserve every happiness in life. I love you and miss you and can't wait to meet little Alyssa when I come home this summer.

So tomorrow is St. Nick's Day. I am always brought back to my childhood on this day. I always was so anxious to wake up on Dec. 6th to see what St. Nick had brought me the night before. Sometimes he would come early, but Fred and I weren't allowed to look in our stockings until the day of, so we would feel the outside to try and figure out what was in there. I remember one year I got a giga pet. Those were those crazy electronic toys that were supposed to represent pets, you had to feed it and walk it and clean up after it. I was so excited that there was a giga pet in my stocking, that I didn't sleep hardly at all that night. Then when I opened it the next morning I was so excited it was a dalmatian. I started taking care of it right away. I actually remember at one point I had two, because I was "babysitting" one of my friends pets. Oh the things that we get excited about when we are kids is just hilarious.

I also remember that every year, St. Nick would bring us a Christmas movie. We got movies like The Santa Claus 1,2 and 3, Jingle All the Way, Elf and Fred Claus to name a few. We always could guess which one we were going to get that year, but it was still fun to see what was there in the morning. St. Nick even came to me at college. I would get care packages filled with candy and lottery tickets and little trinkets to decorate my room.

Another fond memory I have from St. Nick's Day is from my roommate Sarah (yes I know a lot of Sarahs) She loves Christmas and everything to do with Christmas, so she crocheted a stocking for my roommate and me. I woke up Dec. 6th to find a stocking filled with treats hanging on my bedroom door. It was such a sweet surprise, she has always been such a thoughtful person.

This year I am not doing anything special for St. Nick's Day, just going to tutor and enjoying a walk outside. I can finally get outside because today is the first day in about four days that it hasn't been pouring rain. I am getting a little antsy to get outside and I am grateful that I will be able to do so today. Even though I am not doing anything special, it is sure fun to reminisce about the traditions that I had in my household. I look forward to rejoining those and starting new ones when I have my own family.

With the holiday season fast approaching it is easy to feel a little homesick. I am however very lucky that I have found a second family here within the Peace Corps. We really come together when it is most needed and support each other in every way possible. It is a great experience and I am very blessed. I hope that everyone at home has a Happy st. Nick's Day and that you are able to enjoy the candy that he brings. I think the candy I miss the most would have to be the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, those were always my favorite and are ridiculously tasty! Well enjoy your candies and your families. I miss and love you and look forward to being together again in the future.

Mi-a dor de voi
Va pup
Va iubesc

Pana mai tarziu
~Sarah B