today felt like it was about 72 hours long. and i think that's how thanksgiving usually feels (for me, anyway). you wake up and you start cooking (er, your mom starts cooking...you watch...i'm not sure if the domesticated part of me will EVER awaken) and it takes forever and then you finally eat. eating usually takes about two minutes. but today we spent a solid amount of time around the table....my mom, dad, brother, his friend from college, my uncle, my grandparents. the conversation covered anything from the slaughtering of animals in pakistan (where my brother's friend was from) during celebratory events to corrupt government spending to arranged marriages to Obama and his blackberry. Haha, which after typing out all seem to be pretty heavy conversations, but in actuality it was quite light and humorous.

anyway, long-winded way to get to my point. and actually, i'm not sure what that is yet. oh yeah, 72 hours. after we eat, we watch football and nap (duh). then we watch Christmas Vacation because it is a tradition. We also watch this movie on Christmas Eve. It is Our movie, and I know thousands of other families love this movie too, but it still feels special to me. Clark (Chevy)=my dad, and not necessarily because they are actually that similar, but just because. I can't explain it, but I'm sure there are other people out there who understand what I mean. Sidenote: are there any other people in the world with the name Chevy?

i found out today that i am in the top three for that contest i kept writing about. so thank you to everyone who voted - honestly, thank you thank you thank you. we find out on monday who the winner is, but i am grateful for being in the top three, and being a step closer to winning, and it is all because of the awesome people i know and the awesome people who like my music.

it is easy to feel disheartened as you're trying to follow a dream that to the rest of the world seems really far-fetched. it's hard not to see it as far-fetched, yourself. it's kind of a battle, every day, against doubt. when you start to pay attention to exactly how often you doubt yourself, it's really frustrating. anyway, that's not what i'm trying to get into. i'm trying to say Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for all of your support this year....I'm getting really excited for 2009.

Love

Lauren