postscript: Christmas '14

our annual Christmas photo

The holidays are over, and I couldn't be happier. I'm not a scrooge, but I'm not overly sentimental, either. The holidays are always hectic and I can hardly afford them. It's nice to be able to take a breather. All that aside, Christmas went pretty well. It was great seeing family, especially my extended family in Kentucky, whom I hadn't seen for about a year. I made out pretty well in Christmas gifts: some excellent candles and oil lanterns, a couple knick-knacks, and all the debt I had to my parents was forgiven. That's an excellent gift right there. Also: I got a new car!

It's a 2000 Honda Civic, a 5-speed manual transmission.

I've never driven stick before, but I'm catching on. 

"I pretend I'm flying a WW2 fighter plane," I told Ashley.

She thinks my quirkiness is cute.

Might I add how manly I feel driving a stick? Quite manly.

Grandpa and Grandma Barnhart got me several books I've been wanting: the new Civil War trilogy by Jeff Shaara, an award-winning history of the European theater in World War 2, and a book on spiritual warfare. Once I'm finished with The Challenge of Jesus, I plan on beginning the historical fiction. I figure that'll be a good breather from all the intellectually-stimulating books I've been reading as of late. Sometimes you just gotta lose yourself in a book without trying to retain information.

Also, I got a Christmas haircut.
(Ams lost her patience with my hair)
Here you can see why:

call me Big Haircut