Christmas week

Merry Christmas week~! Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la laa lala la la..... Such a busy weekend coming up but SUCH a sloooow work week!  So slow, the days sure are dragging.  But it's nice to look out my office window to see all the snow on the gound in P&G park, it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. My coworker burned me a copy of Love Actually and Elf soundtracks so i have been  enjoying those while i slowly move the through the day.

To here is whats on the docket for CHRISTMAS WEEK!
Wednesday: Work all day and then dinner with my cold roommates at F's house in Covington. And then maybe open one gift with matt before Christmas
Thursday: Work most of the day, pack and get read to head to Cleveland when matt gets off work. Then DRIVE to Cleveland
Friday: CHRISTMAS EVE relax with my family, help my mom out, hopefully see my best friend C for a little bit, and then in the evening my mom's family comes over for dinner/
Saturday: CHRISTMAS DAY!! Relax and spending the entire day with my family, playing games, opening presents, eating, who knows... i cant wait!
Sunday: Brunch with family friends and then the entire dad's side of the family will go to his cousin denny's house for the first Christmas gather without our grandparents. Maybe this is a new tradition, i am looking forward to it.
Monday-- i think we will drive home after brunch, but we may stay till tuesday-- we haven't decided yet. AND i may need to be back at work for an interview on Tuesday but i am not sure. Hopefully i dont have to be back til Wednesday.

Lots of stuff going on... lots of eating!! Hopefully i dont gain too much wieght with all the delicious food awaiting!!

Merry Christmas WEEK!!!!

The Reason for the Season

I have been getting rather scrooge-like over the past couple of days and i need to snap out of it. I am just frustrating by my lack of ability to get things done and depending on others to get it done. Like a certain few gifts i just cant do by myself... and need specifically matt's help.  I need to not get mad at him because i honestly think... he just doesnt get it!  But i wish he did because i just want to check things off my list as CHRISTMAS IS LESS THAN 2 WEEKS AWAY! So in the spirit of loving the season, I decided to write a list of why i love the season:

1) I love the anticipation of seeing a reaction after giving a gift
2) I like writing christmas cards
3) I love receiving christmas cards way more
4) I love relaxing by the light of the Christmas tree
5) I cannot get enough of Charlie Brown Christmas, Dr. Suess' Grinch, Elf, or the Muppet Christmas Carol, o so many others!
6). The anticipation leading up to Christmas
7)Saying Merry Christmas to strangers
8)SNOW during Christmas season
9)holiday cookies, dinners, food, food, and more food.
10). Holiday parties
11) Time off work
12) Christmas music on in the background every where i go!

I cannot forget the meaning of the season, even when i do feel a little bit stressed. Happy 10 days before christmas!!

And now i leave you with a couple of my holiday favorites:

A Snowy Christmas time Sunday

Yesterday was a quintessential holiday Sunday! I woke up, it was cold with snow covering the street and the large tree out my window. It was beautiful. I had plans to meet my sister in law for High Tea at the BonBonerie (YUM!). It was part of her Christmas present for me and it was great to spend some quality time with her and talk. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family around me, we had a great time.  I came home and hung out with matt as the snow fell, we went to the grocery together and invited E and C over for pizza. It was reeally snowy as the day went on... It felt just like christmas! My house ACTUALLY felt clean,  i had a delicious lunch, a great dinner, and ended the night watching a movie with them by the Christmas tree light as the snow fell outside.

It really is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

JUST have to finish up shopping and wraaap presents!

Merry 12 Days of Christmas!

And thus the beginning of December

Helloooooooooo December. My most favorite time of the year!  My christmas tree is up and decorated with bubblers and old style lights, my garland is up with lights and ornaments, and every place in my house i have touched with Christmas. Except for the fact that i feel like my house is so disorganized right now. Whenever we leave to go anywhere-- for just a COUPLE OF DAYS, -- it takes us forever to get back on track. and Matt does practically nothing unless asked. He doesnt mind tripping over his suite case for weeks after a trip. IT DRIVES ME NUTS!!

I am feeling a bit cynical this morning, i am not sure why. Perhaps its because i am SO sick of waking up so hot and stuffy at night. Or that i haven't slept well. Or that sometimes when i dwell on it i want my husband to be more motivated.  Or maybe it's a combination of other events happening concurrently right now.  i am not sure.  I am stressed out about finishing my Christmas shopping, and never feeling like i have any time!  I dont have time or the energy to work out lately, i know this is not productive.

I am hoping once i get my, you know what, i will have a new sense of calm. But until then....
Perhaps a small recap of life since November.

First, i went to NYC this past weekend to visit my sister. My parents were supposed to go as a mini family vacation but they got SUPER sick the week prior and cancelled their flights. We still had a good time though: we walked through central park, the Christmas market at Columbus Circle, window shopped on 5th Avenue, saw the Rockefeller Christmas tree, met up with matt's old roomate for drinks, toured the UN,  ate incredible meals, drank margueritas at 2 in the afternoon, visited the Guggenheim, and did some sleeping in. It was packed but also a fairly relaxing weekend.

This past Monday Matt and I met with with E and C for drinks after E's important doctors visit. It was unplanned but so fun to meet up with them.  We ended up going to PF Changs for dinner after dinner at the dive Pilot Inn. I never go there, E picked and it was kind of a treat for me. Well C decides it might be a good idea to order champagne, and thus we have a new Champagne Monday! How random.  We tend to eat 'french style' with those two, 4+ hour dinners with lots of drink and food.  It was a great start to the week, to start the week off with tons and tons of laughing. It makes me feel thankful at this time of the year to have such wonderful people in my life.

Tomorrow is my office Christmas party so i am looking forward to get out of work early. I need to get boat loads of stuff done and make a stop in at Fidelity (scary!). I need to make an ach transfer to pay for my very first new car. I am not talking much about it, i dont want the attention.  I haven't mentioned it to anyone really besides my immediate family because i feel a little hypersensitive about the whole thing. Thus this the end of that topic.

Things are starting to really slow down at work at this time of the year. I am getting complacent and i dont like that feeling. Starting next week i know fewer and fewer people will be in the office.  I have another Finance holiday party next week, as well as a free breakfast for everyone in office building. Ill take the good with the bad on this one.

I have not much more to write, and i dont want to be too synical on a wednesday.  Merry Christmas season to all. And happy Hanukkah to other:)