Dinner Parties and Deb Balls

          I have yet to be home for a full week and I already feel like I have been doing stuff non-stop. I arrived home late Monday night and have surprisingly spent a good deal of my time home, tucked in my bed fast asleep. In fact, the first night that I was home I probably slept a good 14 hours. It may seem like a long time, but it was a much needed sleep after the lack of sleep from exams week... When I haven't been sleeping I feel like I am always doing something whether it be Christmas shopping, seeing friends, running errands for my parents, reading (I have already read 2 whole books since being home!), or watching Games of Thrones (which I was reluctant to watch until my friend Mike convinced me of it, and now I am a bit addicted...). I could not be any happier to be home. I don't think I can even find the words to describe how much I have missed home recently. I have missed my family, my pets, my friends, my mother's cooking, the warmth of my bed, and the southern comfort of Greenville. I don't only miss my home, I miss the South. I won't deny that one bit. I go to school in the mid-west, which really isn't that different than here, but at the same time they are so different. I miss sweet tea, the friendliness of everyone around, being able to run into someone you know almost everywhere you go, southern food and the beautiful warm weather, I could probably go on and on.

          This past week, I was thrown back into Southern/Greenvillian culture at full force. I went downtown the other night with some friends and low and behold, ran into probably 40+ kids that I went to high school with. It was basically an informal reunion, which was great since I don't get to see them that often, one of the downfalls of not staying in state to go to college. And leave it to Christ Church kids to travel in packs and have these large impromptu reunions, this is our life. I'm not complaining at all, I really do love it, but if you know my high school or went there, you know this is pretty typical. Who can blame us? We went to a school with 300 kids, 70 in our grade and half of us had been in school together since kindergarden and almost all of us together since lower school. We grew up together.

         Also, since arriving home we have already hosted two small dinner parties. On Friday night we had my best friend Anna and her parents over for dinner, which has become quite a lovely tradition. I'm not sure when our parents started becoming such good friends but I feel like ever since the Kokens came sailing with us for Spring Break senior year, they have been lovely friends. And then tonight we had a second small dinner party with our friends Kathy and Eric, and my cousin Carlos came too. Daniel came home today! He only gets to stay for a few days and ends up having to leave on Christmas day but it very nice to have him in town even if only for a few days. So Daniel was at dinner tonight as well as Ellen and her friend Mary.

          Here is where things get really Southern. Last night, I attended the Debutante Ball. I took my friend Connor (who goes to Wash. U, about 3 miles from SLU) as my date and we went with my friend Rebecca and her friends from University of Richmond. It was an absolutely lovely evening! I feel like this is the part where all my northern/mid-western friends will begin to roll their eyes... It is a white tie event, so all the girls go in evening gowns and have to wear long white gloves, and all the guys must be in tails and white gloves as well. So classy, I know. The event takes place near downtown at the Poinsett Club, which is all decorated for Christmas and stunning. The debutantes are debuted by their parents and/or grandparents and after that the evening is full of dancing and socializing. It was the epitome of classy southern society. I know this probably sounds completely ridiculous and you might not understand it, but when we were at the ball last night, I felt so at home. More at home than I have in a long time, like I said I miss the South. I am a southern girl at heart, and will always hold all things southern near and dear to my heart. Yes, I live in the mid west now but the south will always be my home. The ball was packed last night, there were close to 600 people there!! And I am completely serious when I say that probably close to 75-100 of them were recent graduates of Christ Church. Which once again it was so nice to see and catch up with people that I haven't seen in a very long time, but it doesn't surprise me that that many people from high school were there. It was the type of event that Christ Church graduates would be at. I was so sad to see the Deb Ball end, but I have so many great, fun memories from last night.

          Well, it is 12:02 AM on Monday, which means it is officially Christmas Eve! I should probably get some sleep. So until next time, enjoy a few photos from the ball!