2003-12-17 - 6:50 p.m.

Miracle #1: I got a letter in the mail from the loan consolidation people reducing my monthly payment to something I can actually pay - yay!

Miracle #2: DEAN

Miracle #3: We rode the Christmas Train. That's right. The Christmas Train! (Ok, Ok, it's the "Holiday Train" but I hate it when people say "holiday" when they mean "Christmas", and this is a perfect case in point, cuz' this was definitely not the Hannukah train) It's a train that rides around Santa Cruz, all decorated with lights, and you ride the train and drink hot apple cider and sing Christmas Carols and spread Christmas Cheer. And Miracle of all Miracles Santa Claus himself was visiting Santa Cruz, and they stopped the train and he and his wife got on and I got to meet them both!

Miracle #4: The Christmas train -- again! As I was leaving Santa Cruz on Sunday, just as I walked out to my car with Dean to kiss goodbye, the Christmas train went right by his house! It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend . . .

Miracle #5: A Meteor Shower! As I was driving home, the whole 6 hours back to LA Sunday night, there were falling stars the whole way - INCREDIBLE. How lucky am I?

I am definitely in the Christmas spirit . . . The girls and I got a tree this year and everything! I just have to laugh at this wonderful tree -- we bought it at the Mexican grocery store in our neighborhood, and it's only about 4 feet tall -- and it's the bushiest little sucker you ever saw! I mean, it's *BUSH-EH!* We put on two strings of lights, and you can barely see them! I love this little tree.

And last night, I baked pumpkin pies - again! I brought one to work and it was A HIT.

I just need *one more* Christmas Miracle -(That is, one more miracle, after the miracle where all the orphans in Romania are warm and adopted, of course) So please, cross your fingers and help me wish that Dean's Christmas present arrives from Japan in time for Christmas!

I ordered his present yesterday, and ordered the 5 day overnight express shipping, and everything looks ok with my order and with pay pal, but the charge hasn't shown up on online banking yet, and I'm afraid it won't get there in time for Christmas! And how sad would that be on Christmas morning if I had nothing to give him! And this present is so AMAZING, I just wish it would hurry and come!

Christmas is only 1 week away! Hip hip, hooray!