Home for Christmas

It's been exactly a year since the last time I came home to Keizer, Oregon. It feels strange to be absent for an entire year from a place that is so familiar. Although I am unmistakably home, the little things that have changed since my last visit scream for attention. Like how the dog no longer jumps into my arms, and now uses a "stepping stool" to get onto the couch. Like how the cat is fatter, and my dad drinks Coors Light. There's a new dishwasher in the kitchen, and a wire-less internet router. My bedroom is, well--no longer my bedroom--now it's simply a place to lay my head for the duration of my stay.

Life sometimes changes in an instant: a graduation, a move across country, a new job, a new home, meeting a girl. But for the most part, life changes in small, subtle ways. And then you come home for Christmas and you realize that all these little things amount to something that makes you want to update your neglected blog.

To my faithful few: I hope your Christmas celebrations were met with a sense of expectation and joy. If you're a strange combination of person who lives in Keizer and reads my blog, I hope we meet in person.