Christmas Vacay 2K8

As of twelve noon today I am officially on CHRISTMAS VACATION! The joys of working for a school. I was just as excited as the little kids today, counting down the minutes on the clock. We are getting new carpet in our offices over the holidays, so we had to pack up all our desks and filing cabinets and then move our computers, printer, scanners, etc. etc. etc into the chapel. It was more of a chore than I thought it was going to be. I hit up the Galleria on the way home, before it got too busy this evening. I grabbed a gift for Mark's parents - these adorable luggage tags at Brookstone -- that I thought would be fun for when we travel to China. I think they will make some good stocking stuffers. I still have two more gifts to buy, but they require a trip to Wal Mart, which will likely be INSANE this weekend. I might go first thing tomorrow morning, and hopefully beat the rush.

I put my tree up in my apartment the weekend after Thanksgiving. I love how the Christmas lights make everything feel so cozy. When I leave my place for a few hours, I always leave the tree plugged in so I can see it glowing right when I walk in the door. But then I always have this fear that it's going to catch fire while I'm gone and the complex will burn down and all my stuff will be destroyed. It's a fake tree. I am probably overreacting a tad.

It has been so foggy here all week. Yesterday they predicted "freezing fog," but it turned out it was too warm in the morning. I kind of wanted too see what this freezing fog was though. Is it like driving into sheets of ice? Instead we have mildly warm, slightly brown fog that's lingering everywhere. It's not too pretty. Although I can't help but think that the vampires are out and about in this weather. Twilight, anyone?

.5 Snow Days

This morning my school had a delayed arrival due to the "Artic Blast" that hit town last night and this morning. Every morning I leave my apartment to head for work at 7:08 (seriously, I have it down to the very minute) and get to my desk by about 7:25. I resisted getting out of bed until 6:25, waiting to watch the names of the schools that were closed or delayed scroll across the bottom of the TV screen on the morning news. I saw all our neighboring schools, but finally groaned and started brushing my teeth just shy of 6:30. As I prepared to walk out the door around seven, my boss called and said we weren't opening until 10:00. Awesome. So much for sleeping late. So I put on my PJ pants, and had the most productive extra two hours of my entire week. I wrapped all my remaining Christmas presents. I finally finished the calendar I have been working on in iPhoto for months and ordered it (express shipping) for my parent for Christmas. I unpacked my suitcases from this weekend. I did some shoulder exercises with my free weights (my weights instructor at the gym swears they are the easiest muscle to define). I watched the Today Show and Regis and Kelly and played with Gus. I emptied the dishwasher. If only work could start at 10:00 every day.

I had this zany idea to join a running class after the first of the year. My friend Laura inspired me because she is going to train for a half marathon and has signed up for a group that meets three times a week at five thirty in the morning to run. There's no way on earth I could do that. But I found a group that meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 7:15 and runs for an hour. They put you in a small pace group of people that run at the same speed as you and the trainers help you increase your distance and endurance. It's a "101 Class" for non-runners. I am trying to convince Mark to do it with me, and also myself to believe that I would actually willingly go run outside in January and February. It could be a good New Year's Resolution though.

I have this really bad habit of forgetting to bring wedding gifts to weddings. I always forget them in the car. Then I drive around with them for weeks after the wedding, waiting to run into the Newlyweds and deliver the gift. I went to a wedding the weekend before Thanksgiving and finally gave the bride the gift today. This after taking it to dinner with the bride's sister last night to give to her to pass along, and then FORGETTING THE GIFT AT THE RESTAURANT. I guess we were having too much fun and the bottle of wine was taking a little too much effect. I didn't remember until I drove down the icy tollway and was pulling into my garage. At that point I was not going back to retrieve it. So I made a second trip to Houston's at lunch today and then finally dropped off the gift at the bride's office this evening. It was a set of cookie trays and a big wooden rolling pin, and I added these cute Christmas Cookie Cutters to give it a cookie baking theme. Good thing I have her nine whole days to get those cookies together!

Jet Setting

Only 2 weeks after I went down to the post office and applied, my passport has already arrived!! I feel like I can just pack up and go now. London? Japan? Why not! We're only 6 months away from China. I feel like it's forever, but also like it will be here before we know it.

Other than that, it's a slow news day over here.

Another Year

I am 26 now. Past the middle of my 20's. On the side closer to 30. Yikes. Where did the year go? I celebrated for two weeks straight, first in Austin, and then in South Bend. This weekend I am looking forward to watching the games from the comfort of the couch!

I've got a date tonight with Laura -- Chick-fil-a and a Nicholas Sparks flick. Sounds like the perfect ending to a birthday celebration.

Following Sadie's lead, here are some things to celebrate on this Monday morning, when I for one would love to be in my bed, under the covers

* Getting to see so many of my DG girls in Austin this weekend. It was a reunion weekend in true PC '01 style with a large Mexican dinner, tailgate hopping, walking 20 blocks to the stadium, a Longhorn victory, a night out downtown and brunch at Trudy's Sunday morning, sans showers
* Cats who sit on shoulders and hang upside down
* Pedi-cab rides when an actual taxi cab is no where to be found and the call center is experiencing an "unusual amount of call activity"
* Longhorn football games!
* My Texas Tech born and bred brother doing the Hook Em and singing the Eyes of Texas
* Super BF being a great sport about his 8th year in a row of watching his Cowboys be defeated by the Horns
* New puppies named Maggie Mae
* One week until my birthday!
* One month until Thanksgiving!
* Two months until Christmas!
* A trip to South Bend this weekend to attend my first ever Notre Dame football game
* Homecooked dinners in Muenster with Halloween goodie bags for all
* Halloween costumes! What do you wear when the highs are in the 40's??
* Wedding Weekends with old friends and fun

What reasons to you have to smile this Monday?

Whew

During the past 6 weeks at work, my office put on 15 events. I worked every weekend in September and a handful of Tuesday and Thursday nights as well. This week I am celebrating surviving with a 3 day work week. Hello long weekend!

How bout them Longhorns! I love beating OU! Just as soon as the game was over, this guy quickly stripped off his burnt orange to show his true colors. I can't complain. This is only the second time ever that I've gotten him to wear a Texas shirt. We're excited to head to Austin in two weeks when our schools play each other. We should both still be undefeated, which always makes for a fun match-up!

Raise Your Glasses

In two short weeks, one of my very best friends will be getting married. In case you’ve been following along, I still have not received the 30 Day Shred in the mail. WTF Amazon?! I only have 15 days left now, so there goes that plan. But anyways, I’ve known Stephanie since we were five years old so, do the math, that’s 20 years that we’ve been friends. That not only amazes me, but also makes me feel very old.

Last night I was at the gym for a spinning class and it suddenly occurs to me that I have to give a toast at the wedding. In front of 198 people (latest guest list tally). OMG. What am I going to say? Luckily it will be a co-toast with Mary Beth, but still. As I pedaled along, I started to think back on moments I could mention in my speech. Moments that would be both touching and funny. I want laughter and tears during my toast. I remembered the day I met Stephanie, when she knocked on my front door the morning my family moved to Dallas from Tulsa. I remember roller skating around the neighborhood with her, spending hours playing dolls, Barbies, school, house, office, and countless other pretend games. I remember how every year for Christmas, we’d always get several of the same things, something we knew Santa had worked out for us. In Middle School we made up dances in our living rooms and filmed hours of goofy movies on my parents’ video camera. My mom would drop us off at the mall, where we’d spend the twenty bucks we made babysitting on Sun Ripened Raspberry body lotion at Bath and Body Works. We went through my brother’s Jesuit yearbook to pick out all the boys we had crushes on when we started high school and studied together for exams before Christmas Break. In college, we went to school several states away but still stayed in touch. I remember on my 22nd birthday she left me a voicemail saying that I only had one year left to find a husband if I wanted to fulfill our childhood dream of getting married at 23. Then just after we graduated from college, I called her up to talk and she told me she had met a boy that she was going to marry. And now here she is, getting ready to walk down a real aisle and really marry this boy - not for pretend like when we were kids and I always ended up playing the role of priest.

I grew up with Stephanie and I am beyond excited for her big day in a few weeks. I can’t believe the moment we’ve dreamed of since we were in kindergarten is really here for her. I hope my toast does it justice. Waiter, bring on the champagne. Better keep it coming before I have to get up in front of the microphone!