[: Christmas :]

Ok, so I realise it has been over a month since I updated, but this is due to three main factors:
1) I have been ultra busy
2) I am lazy
3) I have a new found burning hate for technology
But now I am sitting here in a free lesson and I'm gonna try update you, but this will be broken into a few different posts. This one consisting of the Christmas period.

Christmas was incredible. Oh my god, I have never seen so many presents! Santy certainly delivered. I can't wait to get the photos up to show you! The night before I popped down to check out what was under the tree, but in the morning (after Grainne waking us up at 8am overly excited) I basically had a heart attack as we could hardly even get into the living room there was so much stuff. And then the unwrapping began.
Grainne, Brendan, Megan, Lisa and I sat around in the living room in our pajamas for a good few hours unwrapping presents. Megan...oh man...I think she had a little freak out over how much stuff she was getting!! I got some fantastic body/face scrub stuff from my parents (thank you so much) which is still keeping me going. From Grainne and Brendan I got slippers, pajamas, a bathrobe, body stuff, and gloves. From Grainne's sister I got some really good hand/nail/feet stuff. From Lisa I got an absolutely beautiful copy of Alice in Wonderland which I love to pieces. And I got a few other things here and there. I felt to spoilt!
It was really hard having my first Christmas away from home and my whanau, but there was so much going on that it kept my mind occupied which was good. All day we had people coming in and out of the house, so much food to be eaten. That night we went to Grainne's...moms? i think. We ate loooootttttsss of food (spuds, turkey, ham, more spuds, veges, gravy, white sauce, more spuds), and there was loads of delicious cake. Afterwards, whilst everyone was good and near comatose (Brendan even went off for a nap) we sat down and watched a bit of Emmerdale (only in Ireland), then Mamma Mia, and then there was lots of singing and dancing around the house. Seriously great craic!
The next few days basically consisted of getting fat (we're still working on Lisa's unlimited supply of chocolate that her parents send her every so often. Haha)
It was really really awesome. Very family orientated. Very food orientated.
Oh, and Brendan proposed to Grainne a few days prior!! Very exciting! The wedding is in December 2011, and hopefully I'll be able to come back for it.

-Rachel
xox

(oh, forgot to mention I went to mass for the very first time. Didn't feel as awkward as I usually do. Was a really nice service. Shook hands with strangers. Yay!)