What I'm Looking Forward To Back Home

It's official, the Christmas countdown has begun. I'm not ignoring Thanksgiving, not in the least, but this will be the first holiday-related post. With only 36 days until Christmas, and one and a half weeks into the snow season here in North Dakota, it's easy to get in the holiday mood, even if it is a tad early. But then again, since when does joy and coziness and festiveness have a time frame? I haven't seen my family since late August, and waiting until late December will be tricky, especially over Thanksgiving, but keeping in mind the things that I am most looking forward to makes the wait a bit easier. 

1. Chipotle: Sorry Qdoba, you just aren't the same. I know I'm spoiled because I can usually get authentic Mexican food anywhere I go, (one of the perks of being Californian) but oh boy do I miss it. Although, I just really miss good food in general. The cafeteria could always be worse, but home cooked meals are definitely taken for granted
2. Sunshine: So far, the snow hasn't been terrible and I'd go as far as to say it's borderline beautiful, but there's nothing like getting more than two hours of vitamin D on the daily
3. In'n'Out: I guess this goes along with Chipotle, and considering the next one is good sushi, maybe I'm thinking about food a little too much, but it's going to happen ASAP. I miss my animal fries. 
4. Sushi: Bismarck has a few sushi places which do the job, but knowing that your meal was caught a mere few hours before put on the plate is something that just can't be replaced
5. Cousin Time: I come from a very close-knit family, with over thirty cousins and the best time of year is when we all come home and bundle up in our pajamas after all the presents have been opened, all the noogies have been given, all the dishes are done and all the leftovers have been reheated 
6. Fresh fruit and avocados: Avocados don't exist in the midwest, and it's been really hard to adapt to seeing as I literally lived on avocados, orange juice and eggs over the summer (I know I sound like a foodie snob, I just can't help it...my mother raised me right)
7. Flip-flops: I'm going to need a pedicure, but it will be entirely acceptable to wear flip flops, even on Christmas, and I'm perfectly okay with that
8. Not having to FaceTime my mother: Being in the same time zone as my family is another thing that I've taken for granted; I don't know how many times I've tried to call and it's not a good time or she's already in bed (yes, she goes to sleep before me and it's not cool)