"I've been up all night, and I might sleep all day. Get your dreams just right, and let 'em slip away, I might sleep all day." ~counting crows

I'm back from (sometimes) sunny South Carolina. And I'm exhausted. We were supposed to come back last night but our flight was cancelled because of the weather in Newark, so they put us on a 6:15am flight this morning. We had to get up at 4:00am. Not fun. But we had a great trip. We spent most of the time packing up stuff in the house. My grandparents aren't moving until August, but they have so much stuff that they really needed to start getting ready early. It felt like we did so much work and yet looked like we had done nothing when we left. My aunt, uncle, and cousin from NYC were there with us. It was great to hang out with Bess. On the first day she told me she was so glad I was there with her, and I felt the same way. I love Bess. She's the cousin with whom I'm closest. She's 13, but she seems much older (she's 5'9", so she looks much older as well). Every day we would collect a bunch of stuff (miniature tea sets or some other item that our grandmother collects), put on a movie (we watched "She's the Man," "Yours, Mine, and Ours," and "Charlie's Angels"), and wrap and pack the trinkets. We went shopping a few times. We tried on these gorgeous shoes (can you tell which feet are mine?):

Along with some other crazy clothes. Here we are again in our shoes (taking a picture of ourselves in the mirror):

Bess is one of my favorite people. We're very different, but we get along so well. She's loud and outgoing and cuddly and uninhibited and I love it. Whenever we're walking (through a store, around the house, anywhere) she'll put her arm around across my shoulders or around my waist or link it through mine, or she'll drape herself over my back and lock her arms around my neck or my waist. She loves hugging and touching, and sometimes it's nice to have someone to hug. I wish I could be the kind of person who feels comfortable initiating physical contact like that.
Bess, however, is not necessarily the kind of person you want to be around before 6:00am. She has way too much energy and requires those around her to exhibit the same amount of energy. Luckily she watched a movie by herself on the plane ride home this morning and let me read my book quietly.
A few years ago Bess and I went to see the Broadway production of Little Women together. Of course she talked throughout the entire thing. Usually that annoys me to no end, but during this particular show I actually appreciated it (although I did keep shushing her for the sake of those sitting near us). I absolutely hated the show, so Bess made it more interesting. She has some sort of commentary for everything. She'd say things like, "Ooh, that's the ugliest wig I've ever seen." Or, "Why on earth did people ever think those kind of clothes were a good idea?" Or, "Ew, he's waaaay too old for her." She's pretty funny.

It was great to spend time with my grandparents and my aunt and uncle as well. I love my family so much.
I can't believe I have to go back to school in a couple of days. I'm not looking foward to it.