Day before yesterday I was up for 29 hours, then I went to sleep for about 19 hours. My schedule is so insane because I have SO MUCH going on, emotionally. I haven't been able to catch up mentally, which is why I haven't been able to write about it in any real way. Now thanks to many many dreams last night, I feel emotionally caught up but there is a new development that makes me uncertain all over again, and I am waiting to see what happens before I pour it all out. Sorry for the crypticness, I think you'll understand when I finally make that megapost.

I've been communicating so much lately (phone, IM, email) -- more in the past two weeks than in the rest of this year combined. It feels really good, like a dam broke and all of this connection is flowing into and through me. So many possibilities, so much hope, so much newness.

I also seem to be changing shape; I think from a combination of using the HealthRider and just using so much emotional energy that my body is burning more fuel. The best thing is that I'm starting to feel muscles in my midsection, legs, and arms (on the inside, not the outside). I feel so much stronger, so fast! It feels good.

You know the amazing artist I posted about a while back, Willow Jenkinson? She is framing and sending me Devotion to the Matron as a gift! I loved it so much I wanted to buy it, but she offered it as a gift and I wasn't about to say no. The COLORS! The FACES! It's absolutely my favorite of her pieces so far. AND I GET TO OWN IT. THE ORIGINAL. It's going in my sanctuary ♥

I might be meeting Ava in two weeks. I'm trying not to get excited until the tickets are bought but -- I'm excited anyway, can't help it!

Also, I've been meaning to post about this for a long time -- I met Kimberley (darkpool), Jason (thesaj), and Aranatha (babythyme) at the end of February! Kimberley is one of my oldest LJ friends -- I 'met' her in April, 2004. About a year later I LJ-met Jason, and a year after that they got married, and about a year after that, Aranatha was born. (okay, enough timelining) They came into Atlanta for a conference and gave me the opportunity to finally meet them!

I was surprised on meeting Kimberley because her writing style can come across as formal and reserved, but in person she's SO bubbly! I know that if we lived close we'd spend a lot of time together. And I'd spend a lot of time babysitting too, because Aranatha is absolutely the most adorable child EVER. She was so HAPPY, smiling and cooing all the time! I could not stop grinning because she just radiated the most pure joy I've ever seen! I wanted to go move in with Kimberley and Jason and be their nanny, haha. And Jason was so outspoken and free -- I found it very interesting to listen to him rant about this and that, and rant along with him *giggles* My poor partner was a little overwhelmed by 1) new people 2) new places, and 3) loud conversation!

( the adventure of meeting them, and photos! )

Day before yesterday I was up for 29 hours, then I went to sleep for about 19 hours. My schedule is so insane because I have SO MUCH going on, emotionally. I haven't been able to catch up mentally, which is why I haven't been able to write about it in any real way. Now thanks to many many dreams last night, I feel emotionally caught up but there is a new development that makes me uncertain all over again, and I am waiting to see what happens before I pour it all out. Sorry for the crypticness, I think you'll understand when I finally make that megapost.

I've been communicating so much lately (phone, IM, email) -- more in the past two weeks than in the rest of this year combined. It feels really good, like a dam broke and all of this connection is flowing into and through me. So many possibilities, so much hope, so much newness.

I also seem to be changing shape; I think from a combination of using the HealthRider and just using so much emotional energy that my body is burning more fuel. The best thing is that I'm starting to feel muscles in my midsection, legs, and arms (on the inside, not the outside). I feel so much stronger, so fast! It feels good.

You know the amazing artist I posted about a while back, Willow Jenkinson? She is framing and sending me Devotion to the Matron as a gift! I loved it so much I wanted to buy it, but she offered it as a gift and I wasn't about to say no. The COLORS! The FACES! It's absolutely my favorite of her pieces so far. AND I GET TO OWN IT. THE ORIGINAL. It's going in my sanctuary ♥

I might be meeting Ava in two weeks. I'm trying not to get excited until the tickets are bought but -- I'm excited anyway, can't help it!

Also, I've been meaning to post about this for a long time -- I met Kimberley (darkpool), Jason (thesaj), and Aranatha (babythyme) at the end of February! Kimberley is one of my oldest LJ friends -- I 'met' her in April, 2004. About a year later I LJ-met Jason, and a year after that they got married, and about a year after that, Aranatha was born. (okay, enough timelining) They came into Atlanta for a conference and gave me the opportunity to finally meet them!

I was surprised on meeting Kimberley because her writing style can come across as formal and reserved, but in person she's SO bubbly! I know that if we lived close we'd spend a lot of time together. And I'd spend a lot of time babysitting too, because Aranatha is absolutely the most adorable child EVER. She was so HAPPY, smiling and cooing all the time! I could not stop grinning because she just radiated the most pure joy I've ever seen! I wanted to go move in with Kimberley and Jason and be their nanny, haha. And Jason was so outspoken and free -- I found it very interesting to listen to him rant about this and that, and rant along with him *giggles* My poor partner was a little overwhelmed by 1) new people 2) new places, and 3) loud conversation!

( the adventure of meeting them, and photos! )

Day before yesterday I was up for 29 hours, then I went to sleep for about 19 hours. My schedule is so insane because I have SO MUCH going on, emotionally. I haven't been able to catch up mentally, which is why I haven't been able to write about it in any real way. Now thanks to many many dreams last night, I feel emotionally caught up but there is a new development that makes me uncertain all over again, and I am waiting to see what happens before I pour it all out. Sorry for the crypticness, I think you'll understand when I finally make that megapost.

I've been communicating so much lately (phone, IM, email) -- more in the past two weeks than in the rest of this year combined. It feels really good, like a dam broke and all of this connection is flowing into and through me. So many possibilities, so much hope, so much newness.

I also seem to be changing shape; I think from a combination of using the HealthRider and just using so much emotional energy that my body is burning more fuel. The best thing is that I'm starting to feel muscles in my midsection, legs, and arms (on the inside, not the outside). I feel so much stronger, so fast! It feels good.

You know the amazing artist I posted about a while back, Willow Jenkinson? She is framing and sending me Devotion to the Matron as a gift! I loved it so much I wanted to buy it, but she offered it as a gift and I wasn't about to say no. The COLORS! The FACES! It's absolutely my favorite of her pieces so far. AND I GET TO OWN IT. THE ORIGINAL. It's going in my sanctuary ♥

I might be meeting Ava in two weeks. I'm trying not to get excited until the tickets are bought but -- I'm excited anyway, can't help it!

Also, I've been meaning to post about this for a long time -- I met Kimberley (darkpool), Jason (thesaj), and Aranatha (babythyme) at the end of February! Kimberley is one of my oldest LJ friends -- I 'met' her in April, 2004. About a year later I LJ-met Jason, and a year after that they got married, and about a year after that, Aranatha was born. (okay, enough timelining) They came into Atlanta for a conference and gave me the opportunity to finally meet them!

I was surprised on meeting Kimberley because her writing style can come across as formal and reserved, but in person she's SO bubbly! I know that if we lived close we'd spend a lot of time together. And I'd spend a lot of time babysitting too, because Aranatha is absolutely the most adorable child EVER. She was so HAPPY, smiling and cooing all the time! I could not stop grinning because she just radiated the most pure joy I've ever seen! I wanted to go move in with Kimberley and Jason and be their nanny, haha. And Jason was so outspoken and free -- I found it very interesting to listen to him rant about this and that, and rant along with him *giggles* My poor partner was a little overwhelmed by 1) new people 2) new places, and 3) loud conversation!

( the adventure of meeting them, and photos! )

On my birthday, my partner took me to the used book store and I got awesome new music, and then SabR and Kazi showed up at the house (I was sooooooo happy because Kazi wasn't feeling well and I was afraid she wasn't going to be able to come but she did!) and after they tortured my poor horny cat for a bit we went out to the mall (blech!) to try to find a snow leopard poster (because I wanted to get one as a birthday present to myself) but had no luck. So we went back home, picked up my partner, and went to O'Charlie's (I had never been). SabR and Kazi love the cheese potato soup there -- they said it was the perfect 'dog slobber' consistency, which made me glad I didn't order it! (but eventually they got me to try it and it was pretty yum) Then we headed over to my partner's parents' house for desert -- they made spice cake for me! :D after yum desert and coffee we got into SabR's car (Vince) and headed out on the 2 hour drive to her house... ending in an insane race down a windy dirt road. >:-[ I was hanging on to the 'oh shit' bar, heh. When we finally got there we checked our respective LJs (HA! I LOVE having friends who understand the appeal of LJ!) and piled into SabR's full-size bed (three adults and a dog!) We cruised youtube for a bit (while I stroked Kazi's hair) before going to sleep. Apparently I banged into the wall all night, but I felt fine!

Next morning SabR scorched me a bagel (and then made a non-burned one) and we went out to this awesome little coffeeshop that sold used books and paintings by a local artist (which were awesome and I am kicking myself for not having my camera!), then headed to her grandparents' ranch. We got stopped by an evil santa who snarled at us for not seeing the sign that he had propped on the wrong side of the road, and debated whether or not to just drive on and make him jump out of the way... but we were good and settled for tearing out when he turned the sign around to 'slow.' Then I got to meet the horses! Jiddan, Hawk, Shetan, and Scarlette. It had been years since I'd been around horses and I was just in awe -- they are such incredible animals. So powerful and so gentle. Scarlette especially -- I just wanted to sit with her for hours and pet her and meditate.

Then John (Kazi's boyfriend) arrived and we all went out for lunch at their favorite mexican restaurant, but afterward Kazi felt really sick and left with John to go home :-( So SabR and I went back to the ranch and she saddled up Hawk for me and put a bareback pad on Shetan for her (so freaking cool, I want to be good enough to be comfortable without a saddle!) and we went riding! I think the last time I had been was about 10 years ago -- holy crap, I'm old! I can say 'it's been a decade since I did such-n-such' :-o anyway, I was very very nervous and rusty, so we just walked the horses and talked... there is nothing like riding a horse. NOTHING can compare, it's so free, so wild! (yes, even walking, heh) I wish I could do it more often... hm, maybe I should look into getting lessons again.

Then SabR drove me all those miles home, and hung out at the house for a bit before making the long drive back. She's so freaking generous, doing all that driving (and she refused to let me help pay for gas, but next time I will for sure). I so loved spending so much time with her and Kazi ♥ Thanks so much for spending time with me on my birthday, girls!

I didn't take any photos on my actual birthday, but I have these from a few weeks ago when Kazi & SabR & Brad came over, so I will share them now!


Kazi & SabR ♥ Bel!

( many photos, much movement-blurriness (which I like! I only dislike unfocused blur, movement blur shows life) )

Thank you to Kate, first person to tell me happy birthday! I loved the text message, it made me feel so special. Thank you to Kimberley, for the Christmas/birthday present of chai tea and awesome book! I have already had a few cups ;-) And thank you to Hannah-love for trying to call me, sorry it didn't work but hey, I'm one of those people that honestly believes it is the thought that counts. And thank you to Brian for calling to wish me happy birthday, that made me absolutely beam. And thank you to firekat for calling in a tizzy over getting the date wrong, hee hee, and I am very happy to be able to anticipate your present! yay mail! And thank you to Kate and Hannah also, I sooooo can't wait for your packages to arrive. And thanks to Meliae and Sidhe and Kevloid and Aulii for the birthday messages!!! I grinned sooooo much reading them! *blows kisses to all of you* ((if you did something and I didn't mention it, please comment and tell me because I don't want to stay forgetting it!))

On my birthday, my partner took me to the used book store and I got awesome new music, and then SabR and Kazi showed up at the house (I was sooooooo happy because Kazi wasn't feeling well and I was afraid she wasn't going to be able to come but she did!) and after they tortured my poor horny cat for a bit we went out to the mall (blech!) to try to find a snow leopard poster (because I wanted to get one as a birthday present to myself) but had no luck. So we went back home, picked up my partner, and went to O'Charlie's (I had never been). SabR and Kazi love the cheese potato soup there -- they said it was the perfect 'dog slobber' consistency, which made me glad I didn't order it! (but eventually they got me to try it and it was pretty yum) Then we headed over to my partner's parents' house for desert -- they made spice cake for me! :D after yum desert and coffee we got into SabR's car (Vince) and headed out on the 2 hour drive to her house... ending in an insane race down a windy dirt road. >:-[ I was hanging on to the 'oh shit' bar, heh. When we finally got there we checked our respective LJs (HA! I LOVE having friends who understand the appeal of LJ!) and piled into SabR's full-size bed (three adults and a dog!) We cruised youtube for a bit (while I stroked Kazi's hair) before going to sleep. Apparently I banged into the wall all night, but I felt fine!

Next morning SabR scorched me a bagel (and then made a non-burned one) and we went out to this awesome little coffeeshop that sold used books and paintings by a local artist (which were awesome and I am kicking myself for not having my camera!), then headed to her grandparents' ranch. We got stopped by an evil santa who snarled at us for not seeing the sign that he had propped on the wrong side of the road, and debated whether or not to just drive on and make him jump out of the way... but we were good and settled for tearing out when he turned the sign around to 'slow.' Then I got to meet the horses! Jiddan, Hawk, Shetan, and Scarlette. It had been years since I'd been around horses and I was just in awe -- they are such incredible animals. So powerful and so gentle. Scarlette especially -- I just wanted to sit with her for hours and pet her and meditate.

Then John (Kazi's boyfriend) arrived and we all went out for lunch at their favorite mexican restaurant, but afterward Kazi felt really sick and left with John to go home :-( So SabR and I went back to the ranch and she saddled up Hawk for me and put a bareback pad on Shetan for her (so freaking cool, I want to be good enough to be comfortable without a saddle!) and we went riding! I think the last time I had been was about 10 years ago -- holy crap, I'm old! I can say 'it's been a decade since I did such-n-such' :-o anyway, I was very very nervous and rusty, so we just walked the horses and talked... there is nothing like riding a horse. NOTHING can compare, it's so free, so wild! (yes, even walking, heh) I wish I could do it more often... hm, maybe I should look into getting lessons again.

Then SabR drove me all those miles home, and hung out at the house for a bit before making the long drive back. She's so freaking generous, doing all that driving (and she refused to let me help pay for gas, but next time I will for sure). I so loved spending so much time with her and Kazi ♥ Thanks so much for spending time with me on my birthday, girls!

I didn't take any photos on my actual birthday, but I have these from a few weeks ago when Kazi & SabR & Brad came over, so I will share them now!


Kazi & SabR ♥ Bel!

( many photos, much movement-blurriness (which I like! I only dislike unfocused blur, movement blur shows life) )

Thank you to Kate, first person to tell me happy birthday! I loved the text message, it made me feel so special. Thank you to Kimberley, for the Christmas/birthday present of chai tea and awesome book! I have already had a few cups ;-) And thank you to Hannah-love for trying to call me, sorry it didn't work but hey, I'm one of those people that honestly believes it is the thought that counts. And thank you to Brian for calling to wish me happy birthday, that made me absolutely beam. And thank you to firekat for calling in a tizzy over getting the date wrong, hee hee, and I am very happy to be able to anticipate your present! yay mail! And thank you to Kate and Hannah also, I sooooo can't wait for your packages to arrive. And thanks to Meliae and Sidhe and Kevloid and Aulii for the birthday messages!!! I grinned sooooo much reading them! *blows kisses to all of you* ((if you did something and I didn't mention it, please comment and tell me because I don't want to stay forgetting it!))

On my birthday, my partner took me to the used book store and I got awesome new music, and then SabR and Kazi showed up at the house (I was sooooooo happy because Kazi wasn't feeling well and I was afraid she wasn't going to be able to come but she did!) and after they tortured my poor horny cat for a bit we went out to the mall (blech!) to try to find a snow leopard poster (because I wanted to get one as a birthday present to myself) but had no luck. So we went back home, picked up my partner, and went to O'Charlie's (I had never been). SabR and Kazi love the cheese potato soup there -- they said it was the perfect 'dog slobber' consistency, which made me glad I didn't order it! (but eventually they got me to try it and it was pretty yum) Then we headed over to my partner's parents' house for desert -- they made spice cake for me! :D after yum desert and coffee we got into SabR's car (Vince) and headed out on the 2 hour drive to her house... ending in an insane race down a windy dirt road. >:-[ I was hanging on to the 'oh shit' bar, heh. When we finally got there we checked our respective LJs (HA! I LOVE having friends who understand the appeal of LJ!) and piled into SabR's full-size bed (three adults and a dog!) We cruised youtube for a bit (while I stroked Kazi's hair) before going to sleep. Apparently I banged into the wall all night, but I felt fine!

Next morning SabR scorched me a bagel (and then made a non-burned one) and we went out to this awesome little coffeeshop that sold used books and paintings by a local artist (which were awesome and I am kicking myself for not having my camera!), then headed to her grandparents' ranch. We got stopped by an evil santa who snarled at us for not seeing the sign that he had propped on the wrong side of the road, and debated whether or not to just drive on and make him jump out of the way... but we were good and settled for tearing out when he turned the sign around to 'slow.' Then I got to meet the horses! Jiddan, Hawk, Shetan, and Scarlette. It had been years since I'd been around horses and I was just in awe -- they are such incredible animals. So powerful and so gentle. Scarlette especially -- I just wanted to sit with her for hours and pet her and meditate.

Then John (Kazi's boyfriend) arrived and we all went out for lunch at their favorite mexican restaurant, but afterward Kazi felt really sick and left with John to go home :-( So SabR and I went back to the ranch and she saddled up Hawk for me and put a bareback pad on Shetan for her (so freaking cool, I want to be good enough to be comfortable without a saddle!) and we went riding! I think the last time I had been was about 10 years ago -- holy crap, I'm old! I can say 'it's been a decade since I did such-n-such' :-o anyway, I was very very nervous and rusty, so we just walked the horses and talked... there is nothing like riding a horse. NOTHING can compare, it's so free, so wild! (yes, even walking, heh) I wish I could do it more often... hm, maybe I should look into getting lessons again.

Then SabR drove me all those miles home, and hung out at the house for a bit before making the long drive back. She's so freaking generous, doing all that driving (and she refused to let me help pay for gas, but next time I will for sure). I so loved spending so much time with her and Kazi ♥ Thanks so much for spending time with me on my birthday, girls!

I didn't take any photos on my actual birthday, but I have these from a few weeks ago when Kazi & SabR & Brad came over, so I will share them now!


Kazi & SabR ♥ Bel!

( many photos, much movement-blurriness (which I like! I only dislike unfocused blur, movement blur shows life) )

Thank you to Kate, first person to tell me happy birthday! I loved the text message, it made me feel so special. Thank you to Kimberley, for the Christmas/birthday present of chai tea and awesome book! I have already had a few cups ;-) And thank you to Hannah-love for trying to call me, sorry it didn't work but hey, I'm one of those people that honestly believes it is the thought that counts. And thank you to Brian for calling to wish me happy birthday, that made me absolutely beam. And thank you to firekat for calling in a tizzy over getting the date wrong, hee hee, and I am very happy to be able to anticipate your present! yay mail! And thank you to Kate and Hannah also, I sooooo can't wait for your packages to arrive. And thanks to Meliae and Sidhe and Kevloid and Aulii for the birthday messages!!! I grinned sooooo much reading them! *blows kisses to all of you* ((if you did something and I didn't mention it, please comment and tell me because I don't want to stay forgetting it!))

and now a mega-belated appreciation post! in random order because I don't remember whose arrived when:

( gorgeous purple silk shoulder bag with shimmery embroidered flowers )

valynn send me this utterly gorgeous bag. It's impossible to photograph correctly, but it's sooooooo beautiful. I immediately started using it when I got it, and I smile and think of Valynn every time I use it. Oh! And she sent it in a purple envelope! ;-D Thank you soooooo much Valynn, it was so very thoughtful. ♥

( Heather Nova CD from Nisha! )

invisibleglue sent me this CD, and I promptly listened to the entire thing (re-listening right now). It's more folksy than I usually like, but I really like Heather's voice and turn of phrase (I will be your misfit queen) and I feel just honored that Nisha shared her with me. ♥

( 2 lovely bookmarks, a sparkly dragonfly pin, and a purple etched shell )

darkpool send me these two bookmarks (which I had to take out of my two current reads to photograph) which are both so beautiful and so me. The spring green of the butterfly one is a color that means a lot to me, and the celestial patterns of the other one are just so intricate, and appeal to my love of night. The dragonfly is elegant and stylized without losing it's fierceness, and the shell just holds so much mystery to me. Anything oceanic calls to me... I used to daydream of being able to breathe underwater, living in the ocean. Thank you so much for all the thought and love you put into this present, Kyra. ♥

( a thick book and artwork from Kate! )

clown_frog blew. me. away. with this amazing Christmas/birthday present. That portrait of me? She painted it. Yeah! And then sent me the original (it's miniature, about 4x5 inches or 10x13cm) The original!!!! The colors are actually more vivid, but I had to take a photo since I don't yet have a working scanner. What really gets me are the eyes... she captured the true color of my eyes without ever seeing them in person. I love this painting so much, I think it is my most treasured material possession. AND she sent a thick book (which I have not yet read because I am simply glutted with reading material lately, I'm in the middle of about 6 books right now) ANDANDAND!!!!! She made a video of herself telling me happy birthday and talking a little and OMG she is so darn cute and I feel soooooooooooooooo special because she's so shy that that was quite a gift! *hugs the floppy* Kate, you are an absolute darling and I adore you! ♥ ♥ ♥ I so can't wait to meet you. ;-)

( a shower of presents from my hannah-love! )

shmee_ put so much positivity into this package. ;-) The butterfly in the middle was wound up inside the card and flew out, showering me with glitter, when I opened it! I shrieked and then giggled delightedly, of course. And stickers and a gorgeous faery card (filled with glitter and confetti of course) and a fae promise, and the beautiful journal filled with hannah-energy and embossed with a silver dragonfly, which is sort of the 'totem' (forgive me if I misuse the word) of both of us. I am intimidated by that journal though, because it is just so special that I can't bring myself to mark in it... but I will. It meant a lot to hannah and she chose to give it to me, which I view as a very sweet sacrifice which I will not waste. (and dammit I forgot to include the awesome bracelet hannah made me! I will have to photograph it soon)
( the garnet-winged fae and faery box )

But my favorite of her gifts is the faery pendant. ♥ hannah has one just like it, which makes me feel connected to her every time I wear my fae. I named her Shylana, and I wear her on a silver chain that drops her right above my heart. I wear her on days when I need to feel connected and strong and full of feminine creative magic. (red is, to me, the color of female power) She made the long trip from Belgium to Georgia in the little green box with a glow-in-the-dark fae on the top. I told hannah of my fascination with glow-in-the-dark things and she remembered and found this little treasure for me. ♥ ♥ ♥ hannah, you shine such a light in my life. ♥

( my updated postcard wall -- no longer all stiff and ordered! with Kate's painting framed in the center )

although it's already outdated because I got Nisha's lovely postcard today (thank you lovely!), but my 'rechargable' (hah!) batteries are teh dead so I shall have to take another pic soon. I still have the dreamcatcher Anika made me hanging in my corner... it speaks of love and generosity to me. The friendship may be over, but I no longer feel any anguish over that, and all the good is still cherished in my heart. (I did take the postcard down though -- that one from her city is from someone else. I have limited postcard space and some of you *looks out sternly* still owe me postcards!)
( my desk with all its reminders of love )

I feel like I'm forgetting something important... if you sent me something and I didn't mention it, I know it meant a lot to me but my brain is quite scrambled right now.

and now a mega-belated appreciation post! in random order because I don't remember whose arrived when:

( gorgeous purple silk shoulder bag with shimmery embroidered flowers )

valynn send me this utterly gorgeous bag. It's impossible to photograph correctly, but it's sooooooo beautiful. I immediately started using it when I got it, and I smile and think of Valynn every time I use it. Oh! And she sent it in a purple envelope! ;-D Thank you soooooo much Valynn, it was so very thoughtful. ♥

( Heather Nova CD from Nisha! )

invisibleglue sent me this CD, and I promptly listened to the entire thing (re-listening right now). It's more folksy than I usually like, but I really like Heather's voice and turn of phrase (I will be your misfit queen) and I feel just honored that Nisha shared her with me. ♥

( 2 lovely bookmarks, a sparkly dragonfly pin, and a purple etched shell )

darkpool send me these two bookmarks (which I had to take out of my two current reads to photograph) which are both so beautiful and so me. The spring green of the butterfly one is a color that means a lot to me, and the celestial patterns of the other one are just so intricate, and appeal to my love of night. The dragonfly is elegant and stylized without losing it's fierceness, and the shell just holds so much mystery to me. Anything oceanic calls to me... I used to daydream of being able to breathe underwater, living in the ocean. Thank you so much for all the thought and love you put into this present, Kyra. ♥

( a thick book and artwork from Kate! )

clown_frog blew. me. away. with this amazing Christmas/birthday present. That portrait of me? She painted it. Yeah! And then sent me the original (it's miniature, about 4x5 inches or 10x13cm) The original!!!! The colors are actually more vivid, but I had to take a photo since I don't yet have a working scanner. What really gets me are the eyes... she captured the true color of my eyes without ever seeing them in person. I love this painting so much, I think it is my most treasured material possession. AND she sent a thick book (which I have not yet read because I am simply glutted with reading material lately, I'm in the middle of about 6 books right now) ANDANDAND!!!!! She made a video of herself telling me happy birthday and talking a little and OMG she is so darn cute and I feel soooooooooooooooo special because she's so shy that that was quite a gift! *hugs the floppy* Kate, you are an absolute darling and I adore you! ♥ ♥ ♥ I so can't wait to meet you. ;-)

( a shower of presents from my hannah-love! )

shmee_ put so much positivity into this package. ;-) The butterfly in the middle was wound up inside the card and flew out, showering me with glitter, when I opened it! I shrieked and then giggled delightedly, of course. And stickers and a gorgeous faery card (filled with glitter and confetti of course) and a fae promise, and the beautiful journal filled with hannah-energy and embossed with a silver dragonfly, which is sort of the 'totem' (forgive me if I misuse the word) of both of us. I am intimidated by that journal though, because it is just so special that I can't bring myself to mark in it... but I will. It meant a lot to hannah and she chose to give it to me, which I view as a very sweet sacrifice which I will not waste. (and dammit I forgot to include the awesome bracelet hannah made me! I will have to photograph it soon)
( the garnet-winged fae and faery box )

But my favorite of her gifts is the faery pendant. ♥ hannah has one just like it, which makes me feel connected to her every time I wear my fae. I named her Shylana, and I wear her on a silver chain that drops her right above my heart. I wear her on days when I need to feel connected and strong and full of feminine creative magic. (red is, to me, the color of female power) She made the long trip from Belgium to Georgia in the little green box with a glow-in-the-dark fae on the top. I told hannah of my fascination with glow-in-the-dark things and she remembered and found this little treasure for me. ♥ ♥ ♥ hannah, you shine such a light in my life. ♥

( my updated postcard wall -- no longer all stiff and ordered! with Kate's painting framed in the center )

although it's already outdated because I got Nisha's lovely postcard today (thank you lovely!), but my 'rechargable' (hah!) batteries are teh dead so I shall have to take another pic soon. I still have the dreamcatcher Anika made me hanging in my corner... it speaks of love and generosity to me. The friendship may be over, but I no longer feel any anguish over that, and all the good is still cherished in my heart. (I did take the postcard down though -- that one from her city is from someone else. I have limited postcard space and some of you *looks out sternly* still owe me postcards!)
( my desk with all its reminders of love )

I feel like I'm forgetting something important... if you sent me something and I didn't mention it, I know it meant a lot to me but my brain is quite scrambled right now.

and now a mega-belated appreciation post! in random order because I don't remember whose arrived when:

( gorgeous purple silk shoulder bag with shimmery embroidered flowers )

valynn send me this utterly gorgeous bag. It's impossible to photograph correctly, but it's sooooooo beautiful. I immediately started using it when I got it, and I smile and think of Valynn every time I use it. Oh! And she sent it in a purple envelope! ;-D Thank you soooooo much Valynn, it was so very thoughtful. ♥

( Heather Nova CD from Nisha! )

invisibleglue sent me this CD, and I promptly listened to the entire thing (re-listening right now). It's more folksy than I usually like, but I really like Heather's voice and turn of phrase (I will be your misfit queen) and I feel just honored that Nisha shared her with me. ♥

( 2 lovely bookmarks, a sparkly dragonfly pin, and a purple etched shell )

darkpool send me these two bookmarks (which I had to take out of my two current reads to photograph) which are both so beautiful and so me. The spring green of the butterfly one is a color that means a lot to me, and the celestial patterns of the other one are just so intricate, and appeal to my love of night. The dragonfly is elegant and stylized without losing it's fierceness, and the shell just holds so much mystery to me. Anything oceanic calls to me... I used to daydream of being able to breathe underwater, living in the ocean. Thank you so much for all the thought and love you put into this present, Kyra. ♥

( a thick book and artwork from Kate! )

clown_frog blew. me. away. with this amazing Christmas/birthday present. That portrait of me? She painted it. Yeah! And then sent me the original (it's miniature, about 4x5 inches or 10x13cm) The original!!!! The colors are actually more vivid, but I had to take a photo since I don't yet have a working scanner. What really gets me are the eyes... she captured the true color of my eyes without ever seeing them in person. I love this painting so much, I think it is my most treasured material possession. AND she sent a thick book (which I have not yet read because I am simply glutted with reading material lately, I'm in the middle of about 6 books right now) ANDANDAND!!!!! She made a video of herself telling me happy birthday and talking a little and OMG she is so darn cute and I feel soooooooooooooooo special because she's so shy that that was quite a gift! *hugs the floppy* Kate, you are an absolute darling and I adore you! ♥ ♥ ♥ I so can't wait to meet you. ;-)

( a shower of presents from my hannah-love! )

shmee_ put so much positivity into this package. ;-) The butterfly in the middle was wound up inside the card and flew out, showering me with glitter, when I opened it! I shrieked and then giggled delightedly, of course. And stickers and a gorgeous faery card (filled with glitter and confetti of course) and a fae promise, and the beautiful journal filled with hannah-energy and embossed with a silver dragonfly, which is sort of the 'totem' (forgive me if I misuse the word) of both of us. I am intimidated by that journal though, because it is just so special that I can't bring myself to mark in it... but I will. It meant a lot to hannah and she chose to give it to me, which I view as a very sweet sacrifice which I will not waste. (and dammit I forgot to include the awesome bracelet hannah made me! I will have to photograph it soon)
( the garnet-winged fae and faery box )

But my favorite of her gifts is the faery pendant. ♥ hannah has one just like it, which makes me feel connected to her every time I wear my fae. I named her Shylana, and I wear her on a silver chain that drops her right above my heart. I wear her on days when I need to feel connected and strong and full of feminine creative magic. (red is, to me, the color of female power) She made the long trip from Belgium to Georgia in the little green box with a glow-in-the-dark fae on the top. I told hannah of my fascination with glow-in-the-dark things and she remembered and found this little treasure for me. ♥ ♥ ♥ hannah, you shine such a light in my life. ♥

( my updated postcard wall -- no longer all stiff and ordered! with Kate's painting framed in the center )

although it's already outdated because I got Nisha's lovely postcard today (thank you lovely!), but my 'rechargable' (hah!) batteries are teh dead so I shall have to take another pic soon. I still have the dreamcatcher Anika made me hanging in my corner... it speaks of love and generosity to me. The friendship may be over, but I no longer feel any anguish over that, and all the good is still cherished in my heart. (I did take the postcard down though -- that one from her city is from someone else. I have limited postcard space and some of you *looks out sternly* still owe me postcards!)
( my desk with all its reminders of love )

I feel like I'm forgetting something important... if you sent me something and I didn't mention it, I know it meant a lot to me but my brain is quite scrambled right now.

some icons I made for people that I've been meaning to post!

( for camilleyun, shmee_, scream_baby, mscrescendo, faetal, aubkabob, lilerthkwake, lyric1459, darkpool, lorelei_sakti, & paravati )

I LOVE it when people use their own photo as an icon -- I feel so much more connected to them because I can more easily connect words to a whole person, rather than just a sense of their self. So if you have a photo that you want to use as an icon, send it to me and I'll come up with something.

some icons I made for people that I've been meaning to post!

( for camilleyun, shmee_, scream_baby, mscrescendo, faetal, aubkabob, lilerthkwake, lyric1459, darkpool, lorelei_sakti, & paravati )

I LOVE it when people use their own photo as an icon -- I feel so much more connected to them because I can more easily connect words to a whole person, rather than just a sense of their self. So if you have a photo that you want to use as an icon, send it to me and I'll come up with something.

some icons I made for people that I've been meaning to post!

( for camilleyun, shmee_, scream_baby, mscrescendo, faetal, aubkabob, lilerthkwake, lyric1459, darkpool, lorelei_sakti, & paravati )

I LOVE it when people use their own photo as an icon -- I feel so much more connected to them because I can more easily connect words to a whole person, rather than just a sense of their self. So if you have a photo that you want to use as an icon, send it to me and I'll come up with something.

This is my Christmas thank-you post. ♥ I have SO. MANY. beautiful people in my life. I am the most blessed person ever, really. I need to look at my blessings more often because DAYUM!

Oh how much I love you. If I could bottle my love it would easily replace electricity all over the world for a day. When I really think about it, I get filled with so much energy that it makes me want to SCREAM! just to let it out. I need more outlets for my love, really. You all live too damn far away for me to be able to pour into your lives. I think maybe I should start visiting the local nursing home... My family always did that at Christmas time, and I totally forgot this year. That was probably my favorite thing about my family... and the last time I did it I felt God so close. And now I am actually confident enough to believe that they really would want me to visit, which means that I could even do it without the excuse of Christmas. hmm.

I have no idea of the order that these arrived in, so I'm going to go randomly through them:
Thank you wallbrat and 12thknight for the paidaccount gifts!
Thank you darling boobiequeen for the photo that I've been wanting for over a year! It's on my wall, and you can see proof in the photos further down in this post. ;-)
aubkabob, dahling, thank you ever so for the card, it made me giggle in true Aubka fashion. ;-D
camilleyun, you are so incredibly utterly kind, I loooooved getting your PURPLE christmas card with such sweet words. Thank you thank you -- I am so glad I get to know you better.
eternitywaiting, OMFG yo, you are AMAZINK! I was worried when I got the package, because I suspected it was jewelry and I don't usually like to get jewelry as presents 'cause I am teh jewelry snob artist -- but I should have known. eeeeeeeee PURPLE eeeeeeeeeeeeee DRAGONFLY!!!!! You wonderful wonderful lovely darling! And I loved it already, but then I realized that the shards in the wings are DICHROIC GLASS. Dichroic glass is to Bel what candy is to a 3-year-old -- !!! Thank you! *many kisses*
( photos of the necklace/earrings )

valynn!!! You just stunned me with your generosity and especially with including Ben! He was feeling left out with all of my friends sending me stuff while he got no mail, and your lovely thoughtful gift card really made him happy. ThankyouX80million!!!
darkpool, wow. You made me feel SO LOVED!!!!! Everything was so perfect and so suited me! I love the bottles, they went straight into my sanctuary, along with the candle holders. And the book will DEFINITELY come in handy, yay! and the note that came along with it just made everything 10 times as meaningful. I love that you got me the bookmark because you relate me with vibrancy. ♥ You blew me away. AND THE GYPSY KEYRING!!! wow. I think you hit just about every love of mine. ♥
( a photo of darkpool's presents )

maladroitkat, do you know how many times I picked up that book and almost bought it? At least four times! I suppose it was meant to be a gift from you to me, and I love it, thank you thank you! And the second book, OMG, gypsies AND egypt AND a deep theme???? I SO can't WAIT to read it!!! thank you!!!
( a photo of m-kat's presents )

alariya, darling, do you know how much I love you for giving to me when you are struggling so much? The act of giving meant even more to me than the awesome CD. (which would NOT photograph, mlurg)
lil_e_beth, thank you for the Christmas card, you're such a sweetheart! Did you make it? it's pretty. ;-)
ohsaycanyousay, thank you for the card -- you are amazing, I so appreciate you going to the trouble for me when your own life is tumultuous.
invisibleglue, I love the pendant! I don't know why, really -- it just reminds me of something a fae or dryad would wear. I love it, I doooo, thank you sweetheart! (that's what inspired the 'what charm would you be' poll -- I was thinking of making an lj-friend necklace) And I was so delighted by the tiny bow and darling wrapping! such an adorable thing, I actually saved the part of the wrapping with the mini-bow and mini-card, because it was just too damn cute to throw away.
( a photo of the pendant )

aslan_fan, I adore that keyring! "I am a nut" -- Dr. Talkavich quotes are forever golden. ;-D and I still haven't tried the tea, but I am so looking forward to it! And more than anything, decorating the apartment with frenetik was just such a sweet gift, and it really meant a lot to me.
( photos of elya's and Ben's family's gifts )

frenetik, dunno why I'm referring to your journal when you probably won't read this, but nevertheless, thank you, my love. You AMAZED me with how perfect your gifts were! Limited edition purple duct tape! and purple glass, and cinnamon candles, and purple paint, and the scents from BPAL. but most of all, my warrior faery. ♥ You are the BEST HUSBAND EVER, all the time and not just right now, and I treasure you.
( photos of Ben's presents, including the delightfully detailed fae )

and Rebecca, I know you won't read this, but I love you for thinking of me and choosing such perfect gifts. I am sure I'm going to frame the purple & green dragonfly photo, it's just incredibly beautiful and incredibly me. And I suspect that you put coins in the machine until you got the dragonfly tattoo, and I think that's one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me.
( a photo of rebecca's presents )

AND Ben's parents got us a fancy-fancy toaster oven, which will probably save us a ton on energy since we won't have to use the oven for everything. So very wonderful!
( and last but not least, my rearranged living room with the decorations that elya and Ben put up! )
( one last photo -- my updated postcard wall! )

This is my Christmas thank-you post. ♥ I have SO. MANY. beautiful people in my life. I am the most blessed person ever, really. I need to look at my blessings more often because DAYUM!

Oh how much I love you. If I could bottle my love it would easily replace electricity all over the world for a day. When I really think about it, I get filled with so much energy that it makes me want to SCREAM! just to let it out. I need more outlets for my love, really. You all live too damn far away for me to be able to pour into your lives. I think maybe I should start visiting the local nursing home... My family always did that at Christmas time, and I totally forgot this year. That was probably my favorite thing about my family... and the last time I did it I felt God so close. And now I am actually confident enough to believe that they really would want me to visit, which means that I could even do it without the excuse of Christmas. hmm.

I have no idea of the order that these arrived in, so I'm going to go randomly through them:
Thank you wallbrat and 12thknight for the paidaccount gifts!
Thank you darling boobiequeen for the photo that I've been wanting for over a year! It's on my wall, and you can see proof in the photos further down in this post. ;-)
aubkabob, dahling, thank you ever so for the card, it made me giggle in true Aubka fashion. ;-D
camilleyun, you are so incredibly utterly kind, I loooooved getting your PURPLE christmas card with such sweet words. Thank you thank you -- I am so glad I get to know you better.
eternitywaiting, OMFG yo, you are AMAZINK! I was worried when I got the package, because I suspected it was jewelry and I don't usually like to get jewelry as presents 'cause I am teh jewelry snob artist -- but I should have known. eeeeeeeee PURPLE eeeeeeeeeeeeee DRAGONFLY!!!!! You wonderful wonderful lovely darling! And I loved it already, but then I realized that the shards in the wings are DICHROIC GLASS. Dichroic glass is to Bel what candy is to a 3-year-old -- !!! Thank you! *many kisses*
( photos of the necklace/earrings )

valynn!!! You just stunned me with your generosity and especially with including Ben! He was feeling left out with all of my friends sending me stuff while he got no mail, and your lovely thoughtful gift card really made him happy. ThankyouX80million!!!
darkpool, wow. You made me feel SO LOVED!!!!! Everything was so perfect and so suited me! I love the bottles, they went straight into my sanctuary, along with the candle holders. And the book will DEFINITELY come in handy, yay! and the note that came along with it just made everything 10 times as meaningful. I love that you got me the bookmark because you relate me with vibrancy. ♥ You blew me away. AND THE GYPSY KEYRING!!! wow. I think you hit just about every love of mine. ♥
( a photo of darkpool's presents )

maladroitkat, do you know how many times I picked up that book and almost bought it? At least four times! I suppose it was meant to be a gift from you to me, and I love it, thank you thank you! And the second book, OMG, gypsies AND egypt AND a deep theme???? I SO can't WAIT to read it!!! thank you!!!
( a photo of m-kat's presents )

alariya, darling, do you know how much I love you for giving to me when you are struggling so much? The act of giving meant even more to me than the awesome CD. (which would NOT photograph, mlurg)
lil_e_beth, thank you for the Christmas card, you're such a sweetheart! Did you make it? it's pretty. ;-)
ohsaycanyousay, thank you for the card -- you are amazing, I so appreciate you going to the trouble for me when your own life is tumultuous.
invisibleglue, I love the pendant! I don't know why, really -- it just reminds me of something a fae or dryad would wear. I love it, I doooo, thank you sweetheart! (that's what inspired the 'what charm would you be' poll -- I was thinking of making an lj-friend necklace) And I was so delighted by the tiny bow and darling wrapping! such an adorable thing, I actually saved the part of the wrapping with the mini-bow and mini-card, because it was just too damn cute to throw away.
( a photo of the pendant )

aslan_fan, I adore that keyring! "I am a nut" -- Dr. Talkavich quotes are forever golden. ;-D and I still haven't tried the tea, but I am so looking forward to it! And more than anything, decorating the apartment with frenetik was just such a sweet gift, and it really meant a lot to me.
( photos of elya's and Ben's family's gifts )

frenetik, dunno why I'm referring to your journal when you probably won't read this, but nevertheless, thank you, my love. You AMAZED me with how perfect your gifts were! Limited edition purple duct tape! and purple glass, and cinnamon candles, and purple paint, and the scents from BPAL. but most of all, my warrior faery. ♥ You are the BEST HUSBAND EVER, all the time and not just right now, and I treasure you.
( photos of Ben's presents, including the delightfully detailed fae )

and Rebecca, I know you won't read this, but I love you for thinking of me and choosing such perfect gifts. I am sure I'm going to frame the purple & green dragonfly photo, it's just incredibly beautiful and incredibly me. And I suspect that you put coins in the machine until you got the dragonfly tattoo, and I think that's one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me.
( a photo of rebecca's presents )

AND Ben's parents got us a fancy-fancy toaster oven, which will probably save us a ton on energy since we won't have to use the oven for everything. So very wonderful!
( and last but not least, my rearranged living room with the decorations that elya and Ben put up! )
( one last photo -- my updated postcard wall! )

This is my Christmas thank-you post. ♥ I have SO. MANY. beautiful people in my life. I am the most blessed person ever, really. I need to look at my blessings more often because DAYUM!

Oh how much I love you. If I could bottle my love it would easily replace electricity all over the world for a day. When I really think about it, I get filled with so much energy that it makes me want to SCREAM! just to let it out. I need more outlets for my love, really. You all live too damn far away for me to be able to pour into your lives. I think maybe I should start visiting the local nursing home... My family always did that at Christmas time, and I totally forgot this year. That was probably my favorite thing about my family... and the last time I did it I felt God so close. And now I am actually confident enough to believe that they really would want me to visit, which means that I could even do it without the excuse of Christmas. hmm.

I have no idea of the order that these arrived in, so I'm going to go randomly through them:
Thank you wallbrat and 12thknight for the paidaccount gifts!
Thank you darling boobiequeen for the photo that I've been wanting for over a year! It's on my wall, and you can see proof in the photos further down in this post. ;-)
aubkabob, dahling, thank you ever so for the card, it made me giggle in true Aubka fashion. ;-D
camilleyun, you are so incredibly utterly kind, I loooooved getting your PURPLE christmas card with such sweet words. Thank you thank you -- I am so glad I get to know you better.
eternitywaiting, OMFG yo, you are AMAZINK! I was worried when I got the package, because I suspected it was jewelry and I don't usually like to get jewelry as presents 'cause I am teh jewelry snob artist -- but I should have known. eeeeeeeee PURPLE eeeeeeeeeeeeee DRAGONFLY!!!!! You wonderful wonderful lovely darling! And I loved it already, but then I realized that the shards in the wings are DICHROIC GLASS. Dichroic glass is to Bel what candy is to a 3-year-old -- !!! Thank you! *many kisses*
( photos of the necklace/earrings )

valynn!!! You just stunned me with your generosity and especially with including Ben! He was feeling left out with all of my friends sending me stuff while he got no mail, and your lovely thoughtful gift card really made him happy. ThankyouX80million!!!
darkpool, wow. You made me feel SO LOVED!!!!! Everything was so perfect and so suited me! I love the bottles, they went straight into my sanctuary, along with the candle holders. And the book will DEFINITELY come in handy, yay! and the note that came along with it just made everything 10 times as meaningful. I love that you got me the bookmark because you relate me with vibrancy. ♥ You blew me away. AND THE GYPSY KEYRING!!! wow. I think you hit just about every love of mine. ♥
( a photo of darkpool's presents )

maladroitkat, do you know how many times I picked up that book and almost bought it? At least four times! I suppose it was meant to be a gift from you to me, and I love it, thank you thank you! And the second book, OMG, gypsies AND egypt AND a deep theme???? I SO can't WAIT to read it!!! thank you!!!
( a photo of m-kat's presents )

alariya, darling, do you know how much I love you for giving to me when you are struggling so much? The act of giving meant even more to me than the awesome CD. (which would NOT photograph, mlurg)
lil_e_beth, thank you for the Christmas card, you're such a sweetheart! Did you make it? it's pretty. ;-)
ohsaycanyousay, thank you for the card -- you are amazing, I so appreciate you going to the trouble for me when your own life is tumultuous.
invisibleglue, I love the pendant! I don't know why, really -- it just reminds me of something a fae or dryad would wear. I love it, I doooo, thank you sweetheart! (that's what inspired the 'what charm would you be' poll -- I was thinking of making an lj-friend necklace) And I was so delighted by the tiny bow and darling wrapping! such an adorable thing, I actually saved the part of the wrapping with the mini-bow and mini-card, because it was just too damn cute to throw away.
( a photo of the pendant )

aslan_fan, I adore that keyring! "I am a nut" -- Dr. Talkavich quotes are forever golden. ;-D and I still haven't tried the tea, but I am so looking forward to it! And more than anything, decorating the apartment with frenetik was just such a sweet gift, and it really meant a lot to me.
( photos of elya's and Ben's family's gifts )

frenetik, dunno why I'm referring to your journal when you probably won't read this, but nevertheless, thank you, my love. You AMAZED me with how perfect your gifts were! Limited edition purple duct tape! and purple glass, and cinnamon candles, and purple paint, and the scents from BPAL. but most of all, my warrior faery. ♥ You are the BEST HUSBAND EVER, all the time and not just right now, and I treasure you.
( photos of Ben's presents, including the delightfully detailed fae )

and Rebecca, I know you won't read this, but I love you for thinking of me and choosing such perfect gifts. I am sure I'm going to frame the purple & green dragonfly photo, it's just incredibly beautiful and incredibly me. And I suspect that you put coins in the machine until you got the dragonfly tattoo, and I think that's one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me.
( a photo of rebecca's presents )

AND Ben's parents got us a fancy-fancy toaster oven, which will probably save us a ton on energy since we won't have to use the oven for everything. So very wonderful!
( and last but not least, my rearranged living room with the decorations that elya and Ben put up! )
( one last photo -- my updated postcard wall! )

eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!! I got your present darkpool!!!! Ben opened it to see if it was wrapped, and he's going to wrap it for you so that I get the joy of opening it. ;-D He said he knows I will love it.

and eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! I got your present eternitywaiting!!!!! And I read the card, you cute thing you! I have no idea what the present is, I'm going crazy with wondering. But it's a good crazy.

and eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got YOUR present, maladroitkat!!!!! I was totally surprised! Sometimes I like surprises, when I still get to anticipate some. ;-D Ben's wrapping your present too!!!

I am so so so so so loved. *dances*

eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!! I got your present darkpool!!!! Ben opened it to see if it was wrapped, and he's going to wrap it for you so that I get the joy of opening it. ;-D He said he knows I will love it.

and eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! I got your present eternitywaiting!!!!! And I read the card, you cute thing you! I have no idea what the present is, I'm going crazy with wondering. But it's a good crazy.

and eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got YOUR present, maladroitkat!!!!! I was totally surprised! Sometimes I like surprises, when I still get to anticipate some. ;-D Ben's wrapping your present too!!!

I am so so so so so loved. *dances*

eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!! I got your present darkpool!!!! Ben opened it to see if it was wrapped, and he's going to wrap it for you so that I get the joy of opening it. ;-D He said he knows I will love it.

and eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!! I got your present eternitywaiting!!!!! And I read the card, you cute thing you! I have no idea what the present is, I'm going crazy with wondering. But it's a good crazy.

and eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got YOUR present, maladroitkat!!!!! I was totally surprised! Sometimes I like surprises, when I still get to anticipate some. ;-D Ben's wrapping your present too!!!

I am so so so so so loved. *dances*