Crazy, crazy end to a long week! I feel like I have a ton of things to take care of this week, but I think I can get it all under my belt without too much stress (I hope). Today I went home early this morning to have a pancake breakfast with mom, dad, Jackie and Tim. I made a beautiful fruit dish arrangement; I get a lot of satisfaction and simple joy from cutting up fruit and making arrangements of any kind. I guess it's a hidden hobby. Anyway, my aunt, uncle, cousin Justine, and grandpa and his caretaker Andre, and of course Kris, came over around 2ish and so we had a lovely afternoon of talk, more grand tours of the house, and the constant background noise of wide world of sports. For dinner, a scrumptious Italian feast; stuffed shells, sausage, and grandma's eggplant parmesian. Mom spent three hours yesterday making my birthday cake from scratch. She's kind of funny that way; she doesn't really have time for things, but there are particular "tasks" that she really takes to heart and puts extra effort into. Mom's also really good at home-made things, even though she'll deny it. When I was younger, we used to make Christmas sweatshirts with iron-on patterns, glitter, puff balls, and bells. Totally cheesy but it was the 90's. We also made a lot of decorations for Christmas and Halloween. Mom was pretty crafty. She still is, but in a different way these days. She's certainly exhibited her good taste and creative eye decorating the house. Anyway, the cake was scrumptious. I wish I had taken a picture of it, it was huge! Could have been a wedding cake! Yellow white cake with chocolat frosting; 3 layers! After dinner we did presents, which, at my age, is really just another Italian tradition of opening cards and glancing at the check inside. As a college kid though, I greatly appreciate it. Mom got me a gift certificate for the mall and Jackie said she would take me shopping this week so I am very excited about expanding my wardrobe. I don't care what anyone says, you can never have too many clothes. It seems like whenever I get new clothes, the ones I've been wearing all along suddenly disappear... We played a game tonight, too; a faded tradition mom and I are striving to return. I like games. Everyone always has so much fun and yet we rarely ever play. Even grandma and dad played. Speaking of grandma, I've seen a big change in her. At least, I've noticed a big change in her attitude towards me. The last time I left she said she loved me, which my dad's side of the family does not frequently verbalize. Today she was also very sweet to me and kissed me several times (also rare). I told her next time I came home we would play cards. "Spite and Malice," she replied laughing. So here I am, back in my little "NY apartment". Cozy and tired, enjoying the last fragments of the night before the crazy week begins. I've got a lot of French to do and even more reading to catch-up on. PS- It looks like Jackie and Tim are going to name their daughter McKenzie (as of right now). Carrie