Christmas Day Antifears

• Max misread the name "Nelly" as "Nehliel"
• I saw a red fox!
• Night hike at Riley Trails with Dylan, Joey, and Anna
• I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that a woman placed her small dog in a dog carrier on the counter as I rung her European up at JCPenney
• Dylan and I ran into Dylan at Meijer- Christmas shopping was a struggle for Dylan but we got really good Eclaires 
• I drove Sophie and Thomas to the edge of Allegan and we saved some shoes from teh middle of the road on the way
• I found my calling and it is winning at scattegories for three consecutive rounds
• I went to a really nice Christmas Eve service last night
• Steve gave me and Tiffany red velvet cake balls that Julie expertly crafted
• I participated in the first ever WO Choir alumni openhouse
• I am having a fire in the fireplace and I remembered to open the chute
• Jon Van Oss gifted to me a really great Rufus Wainwright CD

Double Scoop Anti Fear List because I forgot last week

• I tied bows into the hair of Joanna, Anna, Eric, another Eric, Jeremy, and Luke in celebration of Anna's birthday.
• I also made Luke a lacey garter but then used the lacey fabric to tie a bow on Anna's money plant from Charles
• Roger and I sang Phantom of the Opera songs while Luke played the piano in Birmingham 
• Fudruckers has very very good food
• Someone- I don't remember who- told me a tale of salmon loaf which is meatloaf with salmon I think
• I helped Anna help an indigo snake shed
• I celebrated the completion of my Pre Calc and Chemistry finals by reuniting with the nature
• I reunited with a lot of awesome people and the awesome Holland Civic Theatre Christmas show
• Dylan and I hiked Riley Trails and talked and climbed a dead tree I should not have lead us in to climbing
• The joy that the Goon Christmas Album brings me
• Andrew and Alex decided that they will now call Luke Ann from Arrested Development because Ian didn't realize that he had just met Luke the previous Sunday. Him? him?
• Coining the term "bottom skimmies" for the bottom oreo layer of Monica's bursday cake
• Heading to Joe's after swing dance with really awesome friends and laughing a lot and stopping on the way to blues dance with Luke at the Chapel party
• Pooge has been sharing very good music things with me as of late
• I wore my WOSWE dress to the Christmas concert and went up on stage for the alumni portion and people thought my dumb self satisfying humor was funny
• Cookies and misadventure video games and bears with Ricky, Hannah, Allison, and Dylan
• Going to Russ's and discussing great things and listening to great music with Ally, Addie, and Sam
• Having a very unique Christmas party with my friends
• Jon Van Oss is just as sassy as ever
• Loudly appreciating Jordan's joke via laughter when no one else appreciated it
• Macaroons at Ambrose with Soph and looking directly past each other- no eye contact
• I learned Lindy and Charleston swing!
• I reunited with Anna and she called me a pissbaby
• I taught Anna's friend the froghop
• Swing dance Lauren uses many bird metaphors and is going to introduce me to her other lindy hopping zoologist friend who keeps coatis sometimes
• I played worm with my siblings 
• 
  

Animal of the Day (for my best friend Sophie): Victoria Crowned Pigeon

The Victoria Crowned Pigeon is one of three large land pigeons in its genus and hail from the New Guinea area.
These pigeons make deep whooping noises. They know how to commemorate the joys of life with good noises.
The Victoria Crowned Pigeon is exceptionally beautiful with a crown of feathers,  maroon-purple chest, and black barring on the wings. These guys and gals are about 30 inches long and can nearly 8 pounds. This makes the Victoria the largest living pigeon on earth.
Victoria Crowned Pigeons have a wing chord (wing length) of  14-15 inches. These wings make a loud clapping noise win the pigeon flies.
The pigeons like to travel in groups, and walk about the forest floor looking for fallen fruit. If they are disturbed, they will retreat into the canopy.
Males tend to get along, but may have feuds during mating season in which they puff up their chip, raise their wings, dash at each other, and occasionally hit each other.
Males swing their head and wag their tail to attract the ladies to made late during the wet season and during the dry season and likely continue a monogamous relationship. Males proceed to help the female build a nest to host a single egg.
The chicks leave the nest at a small size but parents continue to watch over them for 13 weeks. Part of the care includes feeding the young crop milk. Both male and female pigeons (along with flamingos) produce a milk that they regurgitate for the young.
Victoria Crowned Pigeons have a vulnerable status: they are sought after for their plumage and are the least common in wild of the the crowned pigeons.

ANTI FEAR LIST THURSDAY LIVE FROM THE ALMANIAN DUNGEON WHERE I WAS STUDYING

• Going to the EPA comment and information session on a local Super Fund site: learning about the situation; being able to understand all the terminology; being inspired to not become a snappy journalist or a robotic scientist. 
• Also static stylized Christmas music and story telling on the drive to the EPA thing
• Falling asleep at the very end of keeping Luke company/keeping Luke awake while he practiced piano and I studied Chemistry. 
• Anna telling me to go to class because I was singing lots of Christmas carols and wearing an "I Dearly Love Christmas" sweater shirt and quoting Elf. 
• Doc shared with Glee Choir that he knows what "bitchy resting face" is. 
• Trying to fist fight Jacob but the setting, Student Congress, was not appropriate
• Strobel asked me to write an editorial for the West Ottawan
• Wrapping my head in a Mrs. Pierson esque scarf wrap during rehearsal and most definitely impressing Luke-as the rolling of his eyes clearly showed.
• Monica set me straight and made me eat dinner with her and Paige and Audrey and Dalia instead of studying. 
• I finally came up with an idea approved by The Economists and we are going to make Elf Spaghetti with lots of junk food on it tomorrow. 
• Chase and I can't perform the post chemistry lab hug anymore so we shall do post prayer meeting hug instead.
• I modeled a scarf while coyly ringing a hand bell during choir 
• Making cinnamon rolls and eating pineapple and drinking coffee with Raquel and Kelila before church- Raquel tricked me into thinking she was going to be gone to Mexico for a super long time
• Misadventure to Grandville with Dylan and Kelila and the best smoothie I have ever had 
• Nature adventure with my siblings and the creation of "The Tree Youth" and then Christmas tree and coffee 
• Playing Munchkin with Dylan, Brianna, and Justin using my chem flash cards and then Soph and Thom came
• Thomas expecting me to get his phone out of a very deep and curved heating vent with my college knowledge
• Making cinnamon roll waffles with Sophie and her MOM
• Lane gave me another handmade pipe
• Sophie and Andrew work together at Jimmy Johns 
• Photoshoot with gourd and Monica and Paige
• Talking about the oldest plants and botany with Uncle John
• Reuniting with Kelila and exchanging tassels