Thanks.

Today and every day, I have a lot to be thankful for--wonderful family and friends, a job I enjoy, and films starring Ryan Gosling. But one thing in particular I've been reminded of recently is how blessed I am to have a strong and healthy body. I've watched loved ones struggle with debilitating cancers, and I've also seen my parents put their children to shame by running, biking, and lifting weights regularly as they approach their 60s. I have had amazing experiences like climbing mountains and running a marathon. All of these things remind me not to take this body for granted, to care for it the best that I can, and to try and use it to its full potential.

Which naturally includes filling it with a Thanksgiving feast:


I am also thankful for the Costco rotisserie chicken which made my first homemade Thanksgiving quite painless. Not pictured: the pumpkin chiffon pie that we will consume for breakfast tomorrow.


Our new roommate is a vegan, so her feast was a little sparse. (Don't worry, there was also cranberry sauce, roasted chickpeas, and my favorite chocolate cake recipe that just so happens to be vegan.) Which reminds me! I am also thankful for cheese.

Merry and bright.

Oh, hey. So Christmas was pretty great. It was lovely to escape the city for a little while and spend 10 days with my favorite people. It helped that while NYC was beset with frigid winds and crazy blizzards that shut down three airports, I was enjoying 60 degree sunshine without a care in the world. My parents' house was inhabited by 14 people, with several more coming and going depending on the activities. It's nice to be in a house full of people who share your priorities, namely: eating a lot, silliness, wearing sweats, hugging, and playing video games.

Some highlights:


Christmas Eve feast.


Nerds.


Getting some work done.


An amazing Thai dinner, prepared by my brother's future mother-in-law (p.s. I am awesome at wrapping won tons now, if you require services of that nature).


San Francisco.


A birthday.


In-N-Out. (Twice.)


Hugs.

A zillion more pictures here.
While the break was probably the perfect length and it was nice to get back to real life, it has been extremely hard this week to force myself to do stuff like concentrate on work and wear real pants. I don't like to think of myself as a hero--I'm just doing what I can. And I'm already looking forward to seeing my peeps again this summer.

Anticipation.

Yesterday morning, after going to bed too late and tossing and turning most of the night, I woke up naturally at 6:30 and couldn't go back to sleep. Normally I would be annoyed and exhausted and have to drag myself out of bed, but this time I felt like I was jumping out of my skin with anticipation. After forcing myself to try and concentrate on work for a few hours (seriously, we were all having a maaaaajor case of senioritis in my office), it was off to the airport to head home to California.

Although the box of treats I was carrying home on my lap was seriously testing my self-control, we both made it home in one piece. Over the last week or two, my friends have listened patiently as I waxed poetic about my awesome family and how much fun we have together over the holidays. Many of them have had the same reaction--some variation of, "How do I get in on that?" Consequently, my little brother David has quite a few suitors trying to get in on the Ostler action. He has informed me that he has no problem whatsoever with older women.

Happy Bacontine's Day.

This sign was planted in front of a meat vendor today at the Lincoln Square Greenmarket. I think it pretty much sums up all of my Valentine's Day hopes and dreams.

I spent the evening with friends, seeing Confessions of a Shopaholic and laughing at inappropriate jokes at Cold Stone. Ironically, the two movies that sold out first on this holiday were He's Just Not That Into You and Friday the 13th.

And then as I entered the subway to head home, I approached the Metrocard turnstile to find a girl vomiting in the corner while her boyfriend looked on. It was like a Valentine straight to my heart.

Recap.

Oh, hello.


So I don't know if you've heard this whole business about it being 2009, but apparently it is. Also notable is the fact that I am now back to having a real life (job, getting dressed before 4pm, etc.) after almost two weeks home with the fam in California. It was glorious. I shan't try to relate every detail, because I sometimes feel that talking about how awesome my family is makes other people feel badly about themselves. But here are the highlights:

- the playing of many games, mostly trivia-based or Wii-based, some frisbee-based
- delicious food
- Christmas morning with Emaline alternating between "Oh, it's wonderful!" and "I can't believe it!"
- lots of hilarity
- 14 people living in my parents' gorgeous new house, and not feeling crowded
- Sing-a-long Sound of Music at the Castro Theatre for my Aunt Nancy's birthday, which was amazing. In addition to singing along (the lyrics were up on the screen), audience members were encouraged to shout out comments and make noise at appropriate (and inappropriate) moments--especially cheering for Maria and the Captain, and hissing for the Baroness. The Castro crowd was particularly enthusiastic about lines such as "chase every rainbow" and "the gayest parties."
- In-N-Out
- ringing in the New Year while sipping Martinelli's in the hot tub
- making a family resolution to Be More Fabulous in 2009

Photographic evidence can be found here. And if you think 70 pictures is a lot, consider that I took over 300 to begin with. You're welcome.

In the air there's a feeling of Christmas.

The only time I changed out of my sweatpants yesterday was for a night-time dip in the hot tub. There has been fudge and claymation Rudolph and niece-chasing and peppermint bark and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol and old home movies. It's good to be home.

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!

The final countdown.

Really looking forward to it.

City lights.

Things I enjoy today:

1. The Hanson Christmas album
2. Starbucks salted caramel hot chocolate
3. The image stabilization on my new camera
4. Christmastime in NYC

Giving thanks.

I've only spent two Thanksgivings in my life away from my (blood-related) family. Some people dread going home for the holidays, but that's only because their family is not as awesome as mine. My first time away was in 2004 at the BYU London Centre. We played football in Hyde Park, I got tackled by a 300-pound guy, we had an amazing feast cooked for us, and then we dragged our mattresses into the classroom and snuggled in our pajamas while watching Shrek 2.

The second was today. We went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. We bought delicious hot chocolate from some kids on the steps of a brownstone for $1. We took a nap. We got dressed up and went to an excellent Thanksgiving dinner at a nice restaurant on the Upper East Side. We ate home-made pie and lounged around watching Home Alone and listening to Christmas music and laughing a lot.

I'm thankful that when I can't be with my biological family, my other family is there to take care of me. Though we meant to go around the table and each say what we're thankful for, we kept getting distracted and never actually got around to it. But that's what I would have said.