Little did she know...

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Here's the albums that I have been listening to on repeat this year. First off, this golden album from Sufjan Stevens. Forty two songs . You won't be sorry. (P.S. Anybody know how to pronounce that first name?) This next album is technically for kids, but it's f antastic listening for advent! And my new all-time favorite Christmas album: The Light Came Down . SO. GOOD. I mean, Josh outdid himself. I am crying giant tears of sorrow because I can't be at one of his Christmas concerts. What are you listening to this year (Or every year)?

One of the reasons that I l.o.v.e Christmas season is all of the lights -they make things so sparkly and warm and cozy!  First married Christmas. I'm a fan. one of my favorite hand-me-downs from my grandma's Precious Moments collection. We can see who the favorite is around here...

( First things first, my gal pal Leah recently passed on her very own Liebster Blog awards,  which I posted about here , and was kind enough to mention me! You should go check out her blog and listen to her awesome sauce playlist. ) Confession:  I just really like these guys. They make me laugh. They get my humor. They love Jesus a lot and are humbling in their passion for him. They are pretty great road tripping pals. And. We share an equal music obsession. Also: they have to at least tolerate me back because, well, we're related ;)  Amendment:  I cannot believe that I forgot one of the bestest endings to the year/new beginnings that I have had in a long while, which should have landed at the end of my last post. Thanks to a not.so.subtle reminder, I am making an amendment to the recaps: This holiday season was seriously one of the best! Not only were all of my sibs but one back in the States, but we also got to get together with the cous...

People, it has been a month since I left Joburg and I wish these pictures could come alive for you and you could hear the voices and and laughter and could feel the hugs and kisses and could smell the smells and hear and just BE. Shoot, I wish  I  could do all of the above.  I said goodbye to  my brother and his new wife  as they went back to Moz on Tuesday... and I wanted nothing more than to sneak in with them and be dropped of at OR Tambo.... note: it's small and the pictures go fast. sorry. just means you have to watch it multiple times :)  In other news, I a.Dore these people. The holidays were a grand thing with the all the sibs together (minus the Peter. lame sauce). Lots and lots of driving back and forth for me. Lots and lots of lost sleep.... but totally worth it :) Have I mentioned that these are some of my best friends and heroes? Legit. And as usual, we overdosed on coffee and "discussions" and stayed up to the wee sma's talk...

one of my only laments about my time in SA was that I never really saw a proper sunset. and then, my first night(s) in NE I was reminded just how much I a.dore sunsets in my homeland.  my (US) roommate decorated for Christmas while I was gone -holla!  [and got new curtains, HALLELUJAH.] In other news: I am a lucky duck because I get to celebrate Christmas x3: with some of my church family , with my work family, and then spend a little less than 24 hours with my (almost) entire family -I'm talking Brasil relatives and Mozambique relatives all here at the same.time. this is inexplicably happy! I can hardly wait to get home :)  [just missing the BFF brothah from the same mothah supposed to be twin of mine.] I was looking back through my journal and SO MUCH has happened this past year that sometimes I get blown away when I stop and think about it...but that's another post for another time. One thing is for sure though: despite how much has changed and h...