Good times – Page 10

December 23, 2011December 22, 2011

To the cloud(s)!

“Christmas vacation… Christmas vacation…” That song always reminds me of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, one of the best holiday movies of all time. You know – the one playing during the opening credits cartoon of all the messes Santa gets into on his rounds. Still don’t know what I’m talking about? Oh geez. Here, just watch this:

Man, how I love that movie. But back to my point… it’s Christmas vacation! Well, technically not until after work’s over today, but I’m still counting it. We take off for Denver tonight, then head directly to Maui tomorrow. Yes, yes, yes! Can you tell I’m excited? I don’t even care anymore that I haven’t been in much of a holiday spirit because of the trip this year, because I am SO ready for some sun and relaxation.

I am still dreading being trapped in a flying tube for 8ish hours with a very squirmy 16 month old, but I just keep telling myself that kids cry, kids have meltdowns, kids need to get out of their seats and explore every once in awhile, but no matter how much shit happens we’ll be deplaning in Hawaii!

And if the flight does end up being a disaster? Well then just pass me a guava colada once we land and keep ’em coming! Actually, even if the flight doesn’t end up being a disaster, you can pass the guava coladas anyway.

Because it’s Christmas, boys and girls! Time to celebrate! And don’t forget to leave the milk and cookies out for Santa tomorrow night.

December 14, 2011January 4, 2012

That home of which I spoke

So the other weekend I took D down to Peoria to visit my dad and his side of the family. I only make it down there about twice a year max, simply because it’s usually a 3.5+ hour drive and I’m pretty lazy. Not kidding.

But we had a wonderful visit. We spent time with one of my aunts, who absolutely adores D; my grandma, who is also head-over-heels for this little girl; one of my uncles who my dad brought into town to stay the weekend with us; one of my aunts, uncles, and cousins on my mom’s side; and of course my dad and his girlfriend. It was really nice to just sit and be with everyone, and not feel like we had to constantly rush around or worry about gifts, like we do when we visit closer to Christmas. Plus there was no snow – a HUGE bonus when making the drive by myself with a 16 month old passenger.

Here are a couple snapshots from our trip, just because. I haven’t lived in Peoria since I went to college, and the home where I spent half of my formative years was sold when my parents divorced and my mom moved to the Chicagoland area. So it’s always kind of weird going back to my hometown without having an actual home there. Fortunately we are blessed to have family who loves us and always opens their doors.

Because who likes to wear shoes and socks when they travel?

D and her Great-Grandma Ruby, engrossed in a book

p10 — D and Grandpa, reading by the fire

D watching the Bears game w/her Great-Uncle Nate

December 8, 2011December 8, 2011

Only 2 weeks late {pictures!!}

So here it is, FINALLY. My Thanksgiving recap post. In pictures. Exactly 2 weeks late. Ahem. It was awesome.

tg1 — The table all nicely set and ready for food

We had enough food for a family of 10 and proceeded to eat leftovers until this week. R said we should really have taken some to a shelter, to which I agreed, but unfortunately they have pretty strict rules about donated food and its preparation/handling. So we are still finishing up the pumpkin torte. It was a wonderful day at home, just the 3 of us – our little family. And yes, that is a mini Packers jersey D is wearing. R wouldn’t even let me put a cute little holiday outfit on her. Hmpf.

And since I made you wait so long for some pictures, here are a few bonus shots. Because no day is complete without an abundance of D.

tg11 — D helping Mommy put her ornament on 1st

tg12 — She's now ADDICTED to her chocolate advent calendars

November 24, 2011November 22, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, wherever and however you may celebrate it. Eat, drink, be merry, relax, watch some football, and take time to really enjoy everything for which you have to be thankful. And then eat some more. For if you’re like me, the subsequent Thanksgiving meals are just as good as the original. Turkey and stuffing and probably more pie at 9pm? Why thanks!

There are far too many who will not be happy this Thanksgiving, so please let our thoughts be with them as well. If you are so inclined, maybe volunteer an hour or two at a local food pantry or donate to your city’s rescue mission or maybe even take some leftovers to a family you know who needs them. I’m sure they would be eternally grateful.

I’ll be taking a break to spend the long weekend with family and friends, so I’ll see you next week. Happy Thanksgiving!

p.s. You might want to check back sometime on Sunday, though. I may or may not have a special treat in store for you...

November 22, 2011December 6, 2011

Capture the Everyday

Remember Mel from Week in My Life fame? Well she also does a weekly link-up entitled Capture the Everyday. The challenges are to capture images that represent our everyday, with a different “topic” each week. I haven’t linked up before, but this week’s was just too fitting not to participate – capture something for which you are thankful.

I am so incredibly fortunate to have many, many things in my life for which to be thankful – my health, my sanity, my family, my friends, my well-being, my home, my job… But when I think of for what I am most thankful, the answer is pretty obvious. This…

And this…

Head on over to Adventuroo to see more of this week’s Capture the Everyday:

And for what are you most thankful now, in this season of giving, as well as in your own everyday?

November 21, 2011November 21, 2011

It was a great weekend

So that weekend that was shaping up to be so much fun didn’t disappoint. Starting with girls’ night out on Friday, we had a blast! Unfortunately, I have to admit that this was probably my least favorite of the Twilight movies so far. It just seemed kind of… bland? I guess that would be the best word to describe how I felt when we left the theater. Kind of like wait, what? That was it? That’s all they gave us?! Now if you haven’t seen it yet and are planning to, you might want to skip the next few sentences… Adios… Go on…

But those who’ve seen it, are you with me? I mean the wedding scene was pretty and all, but it lasted like 7 seconds. And the wedding night, which we were all so fervently anticipating, was over in about 4 seconds. Come on!! That was the best part of the whole book and you just skimmed over it?? It was actually almost comical. Boo, jerks. And then the rest of the movie kind of dragged. It’s hard to put my finger on, but I was just left with a blah feeling at the end. Oh well, we still had a blast getting together, and now we know they better step up their game for the final movie next year!

Saturday we got the Thanksgiving food shopping done, and I can’t wait for that feast! We are so fortunate to be able to put all the food on our table that we need and want, and this year I’m especially thankful to be celebrating the day at home, just our own little family of 3.

Then the Packers game yesterday was a great time too. Even this Bears fan does (usually) have fun at Lambeau Field. We left at 7:15 to head up to Green Bay, picking up our friend L along the way. Once there we met up with a group of about a dozen other people for tailgating, including our good friends J and K who live in Minneapolis. It was a very fun day, the Packers won, and we got to spend some time after the game in Curly’s Pub behind the radio sportscasters, since another one of our friends is one of the main personalities. Our table was right behind theirs and overlooked the players’ parking lot, so we got to watch all the Packers getting into their ridiculously pimped out trucks and SUVs to leave. Pretty cool.

The drive back went smoothly and safely, and we got home shortly before 8. It was a long day, and D was already in bed by the time we got home, but she had a lot of fun playing with Grandma. And Daddy had a lot of fun playing with the Packers fans. See…