Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

Dad and I caught a very late afternoon flight home. I became nauseous on the plane, which is becoming a habit for me. The flight wasn't all that rough, so it may have been nerves or it may have been motion sickness. This time dad was prepared with the powerful anti-nausea stuff-- the kind that dissolves in your mouth. The only problem with the medication is that it knocks me out for awhile, which messes up my sleep cycle.

I don't remember anything about arriving at the airport near my home city or actually getting home. Someone must have put me in bed. I woke up about forty minutes ago in a place I felt I had never been. Even though I couldn't see color in the dark, the room felt very foreign, and it didn't feel like my bed.

I crawled out of bed and felt my way along the walls for a light switch. When I found it and flipped the lights on, I still wasn't sure where I was, but I stepped into the hallway and recognized it as the upstairs hallway in our home, at the near end next to a sitting area with a baby grand piano that my aunt and overly indulgent uncle who are also my godparents had bought me as a Christmas gift when I was seven. (We have a full-length grand piano in the living room, so I wasn't desperately in need of a piano, but it is nice to have one of my very own that will travel with me when I make my first real home after college, and it has beautiful tone. My parents haven't done a lot to spoil me, but the same can't be said for my Godparents.)

At that point I realized that I was in what had formerly been our guest room, but that it had been slightly remodeled and thoroughly redecorated.
I had no say in the colors, but it is exactly what I would have picked if it had occurred to me to combine the colors in that way. The new hardwood floor is practically white. The walls are white with black and pink embellishments painted on the upper and lower borders. Much of the floor is covered by a big bright pink and very soft floor rug. The queen-sized bed that was formerly there is now in my old room. In its place there is a twin Westin bed. (I sleep in a Westin bed when I'm at my Uncle Steve's and Aunt Heather's house, and Westin beds have to be the most comfortable in the world.) The comforter is jelly-bean-pink, with white and black throw pillows and accessories. The sheets are incredibly soft. I've always slept on cheap and uncomfortable sheets at home, but someone shelled out a few bucks for a much higher thread count this time. I eventually found a birthday card signed by my Godparents, Aunt Victoria and Uncle Ralph. My actual birthday isn't until December 2nd, but my aunt and uncle recreated the room early as my birthday present.

Mom, who was waiting until I woke up, told me that the plan had been to redecorate and move me into the guest room all along, but that my aunt and uncle had become involved and had taken it much further than the original plan. My aunt actually did much of the work herself, except for putting in a window seat and some hired help with the painting. They bought my brother a new Westin double bed for his early b'day present so he wouldn't feel too left out. He's much bigger than I and can benefit more from a double bed, although he can still fit in a twin bed. He had a double bed before; it just wasn't one of those comfortable Westin ones.

My mom said my aunt got the idea for the pink, black, and white because my uncle likes jelly beans and always has, but he likes the regular cheap kind as opposed to Jelly Bellies or the other gourmet varieties. The cheap jelly beans are sold pre-bagged, and my aunt keeps them in a jar in her kitchen. My uncle likes red, green, and purple jelly beans the best, so he eats them first. After he finishes those, he eats the orange and yellow ones. He doesn't like the pink, white, or black ones, so they're always the ones left in the jar at the end. My aunt decided that she liked the color combination, and that if she ever had a daughter, she would decorate her room in black, white, and pink. Aunt Victoria and Uncle Ralph only had boys, though, so she's been holding onto the decorating idea for a long time. She even put a clear glass jar with fake pink, black, and white glass jelly beans in it (I have no idea where one would even find fake jelly beans) on my new shelf as an accent. The furniture is black and white, and aunt Victoria used a musical motif as her theme. She did an outstanding job. I wish I could take the whole room with me when I go away to college. I wanted to call my aunt and uncle right away to thank them, but it was less than an hour ago when I woke up and discovered the new room, and my aunt and uncle are dairy people who go to bed and get up early. I texted them, and I'll call as soon as it's a proper time.

My mom made some oatmeal for me because I was asleep when I would normally have had dinner. I took some more anti-nausea medication because I'm still feeling a bit barfy, and my mom wanted me to keep my dinner down. I'm getting sleepy, so I'll blog more tomorrow.

I do want to give a quick shout out to my online friend Matt, who has written and posted a Nativity story that feels just like you are there in Bethlehem witnessing Jesus' birth. It's most definitely a worthwhile read.
http://www.thatschristmas.co.uk/page4.htm

A very late goodnight to anyone who happens to come across this anytime soon. To all others, enjoy the extra hour, which I think comes this weekend. I'm slightly disoriented, so please forgive me if I don't know the correct weekend for the return to standard time.

Alexis, who is very grateful for a new room and a delighful family