*The Houston kids celebrate Christmas Eve in style*

Well, it’s been quite some time since I’ve written a blog post, and now I’m going to earnestly try to get back into the habit. Before the holidays, I was pretty much a bum, and didn’t feel that the fact that I was out of money and extremely homesick was something worth posting.

Going home for Christmas saved me. I saw so many friends and a great amount of my family, which was awesome. As is the case with any short trip, there were those who I didn’t see and really wanted to, or those who I only saw very little, and wish I could’ve seen much more, but the good news is I’ll be home again in March, and will hopefully make it all up. Santa Claus was so generous this year, I actually cried, to which my sister remarked, “Oh my God! Annie cried before Mom!!!” I’m not quite sure how I’ll live that one down...

Another highlight of my trip home was the food. Holy crap was it good. From my first burger and beer at the Shed the day after I got home (mmm, mmm good!) to scallops wrapped in bacon, turkey dinner with all the fixin’s, a shirt sleeve at Sweetwater’s washed down with a P.O.B, rasin filled pudding, turkey noodle soup, Gram’s rolls and of course all the splendiferous microbrew my not so little stomach could hold…absolutely amazing. I only ate pasta once, and the sauce was so good, props to chef Kristin, ‘cause it was capital D-elicious.

New Year’s Eve in Times Square was the great party everyone says it is…at least that’s what I gathered from the television. My ringing in of the New Year was mellow this year (by choice) as I had dinner and drinks with friends, and then rang in the New Year in my car on the Stagecoach Rd all by my lonesome. On Tuesday I flew back to Rome, and was stoked about watching both The Departed and The Devil Wears Prada for a second time (seriously, I like both those movies.) Meryl Streep is one of my favorite female actresses, and I feel like The Departed is somewhat of a new Usual Suspects…think about it.

The jet lag wasn’t too terrible, in that I had no commitments to suffer through, so I slept six hours when I got back, stayed up for another four, and then slept for twelve more…ah sleep, how I love thee. When I was in the U.S I was surprisingly popping up at the crack of dawn, so excited and happy to be home and knowing that I had all sorts of things to do with my day. While I’m excited and happy to be back in Rome, I’m also willing to let go of that ‘Up at dawn thing’, understandably.