December 8

       Ahhh, today was delectable. In a way, it was kinda like a day on the beach when the weather is perfect, you get a firepit for a bondfire later (because you will be there all day), you play volleyball and skimboard with your friends, and get a tan while doing it. Except . . . it's freezing cold here, there is no beach, no volleyball, no skimboarding, definately no tanning, and only one measly fireplace (that I've seen so far.) BUT, I experienced another version of a fabulous day today.
       First off, my Finnish friend, Jenni met me for tea this morning before her class so we could catch up before things get crazy over the holidays. Charming tea time! I had already decided to skip Shakespeare class again today, so I was extra relaxed already. After she left for class, I joined my friend Marta for breakfast and Barbra double feature (WAYYY better than Shakespeare, btw). We made toast, some with butter, some with peanut butter (which she had never had before - what?!?!), and some with nutella = yum. I never used to be a fan of hazelnut and chocolate together, but I officially like nutella on my toast now. That could be a new bad habit if I'm not careful. To top it off, we made some tasty cups of hot chocolate and then settled in for our movie day. First up, Funny Girl. My thoughts? - Omar Sharif was a creeper. Barbra was amazing. Second up, Funny Lady. More thoughts? - Omar Sharif was way creepier and had a diastima this time around, Barbra was great but a little too diva-ish. Those movies are long! I think we spent about 5.5 hours watching them altogether, but it was awesome. I don't remember the last time I had a movie day like that with a girlfriend (back home). The last time something like that happened must have been when I was home sick or something.
       I figured I should try to do something productive after we were done, since I skipped class and just loafed for most of the day so far. So, I hit up the music lab again and did some work on my e-music piece. It's coming along, but it's really hard to describe. Sorry.
       Then - FOOD. Instead of Bible study tonight, Gill and Martin just fed us and we all chilled at their house. Sarah, Kim, and I brought our own goodies as our contribution of gratitude for their hospitality. I made snickerdoodles, Kim made cream cheese cookies, and Sarah made some BOMB eggnogg (1 or 2 "g"s?) from scratch. They don't do eggnog(g) or snickerdoodles over here, so we enjoyed introducing our American treats to them. Gill also had tons of food that we all nibbled on until we were stuffed. I was wearing a lot of layers too which made me feel even more like the Michelin Man or Pillsbury Dough Boy with all that food in me. Somehow, Martin brought down a guitar from upstairs, and I ended up singing random worship songs while some people sang along and other chatted. Ahhh, a good ol' sing along by the fire with friends and lots of food. Classic. Gill kindly gave us a ride back to campus again, and I set about packing for Vienna. I can't believe I already leave TOMORROW! Ahhhh! I'm excited :)

Prayer RequestS of the Day: That I would have a safe trip to Vienna. Also, that my right wrist stops acting weird. I know that it's really sensitive to pressure (after overuse and abuse at Starbucks), but it has felt abnormally weak today. I'm not sure what's going on.