It's a new year! How strange, and wonderful! I will be graduating in May, which is so great and I really can't wait (I say it all the time, but it always ends up being just as surprising). We were away for about a week, off to see his family then mine. I was there for my niece's first birthday and gave her her presents. I was upset I only got to see her one day, seeing that my brother will end up being in town for three weeks. But what can you do? Hopefully I can go back and see them once more before they leave. I received so many things I wanted this year for Christmas, more than I could have imagined. A Pyrex measuring cup (with a lid! so exciting, honestly), a blender, some yarn (I've began knitting and love it, though I'm mostly practicing just now), some knitting books, picture frames, six books that Zach purchased for me; all that I wanted, too (A Handmaid's Tale, The Great Gatsby, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, The First Man, An Unfortunate Woman, and Catch-22), some recipe books, and a sewing machine. The sewing machine was the only item I've wanted for such a long time. I couldn't be more thankful, and I also loved giving my presents to my loved ones (especially Zach's autoharp). But anyway, I couldn't have asked for anything more. My brother seems to be doing well, though I didn't get to meet my new niece yet! She's beautiful though, and I hope she stays healthy and innocent for as long as she can.
For New Year's Eve we stayed home because I worked until 10:30. We attempted to watch the ball drop online, because our television is in the closet and we don't have cable. It lagged, though, and we only heard it. That's okay though, we didn't mind. We drank some sparkling wine out of the Beatles glasses he received from his sister for Christmas and relaxed. I've been cooking like crazy while on break, and enjoying it so much. I have two more weeks off and plan on doing as much as I possibly can before I have to start my paper again!