Christmas Wishes and Such!

"Tomorrow is Christmas, it's practically here!" - The Grinch

Yes, and what a joyous time of year this is. I'm excited beyond words for my first Christmas with Tasha, though sad that it also marks my first Christmas not with the family at home. There is still time, and Air Canada has one-ways to K-town for about $350+ the extra hundred or whatever for surcharges. Of course if I did that I'd be too broke to come back!!
It's been a great year, many changes and a lot of moving forward after a rather lethargic 2K4. I can't believe that I'm already halfway through my graduate degree, I nailed the straight A's that I always hope for (the 79.5 in my Canadian Political Thought class will presumably be rounded up to an even 80 on my transcript.....I hope), I've learned a ton and re-enforced a number of viewpoints I already held. So the "business" side of my life has definitely been an A+ this year.
So too, for the first time in my life, can I say that about the "personal" side of my existence. I have the most amazing girlfriend in the universe (I know that everybody says that, but how many of you out there can claim legitimately that someone who you love and who loves you would move 5000km to be with you?), and I am completely in love. It is the most amazing feeling, and compared to the bleh and the despair and the emptiness I felt last year at this time, it is literally a world away. I love you, Tasha, with every ounce of my being.
And so yes, tomorrow is indeed Christmas. The tree is half-loaded with presents (Tash is at work so I've taken some liberties to get a jump on things), the apartment is getting clean in anticipation of tomorrow's festivities, the cookies still need to be baked (luckily NORAD informs me that Claus is still in eastern Russia), and there is much holiday cheer to go around the place. I'll upload a couple pics just to get an idea of the fun taking place here.
Until I catch you again on the flipside, everybody out there reading this: have yourself a very Merry Christmas, best wishes to you and all your loved ones, and enjoy the very best of this lovely wonderful season.