Holidays – Page 8

Categories: Holidays

Holiday Week: Christmas Town

Not my photo. iPhone’s do not take good nighttime photos. Credit here.

For my birthday, my grandma gave me a ticket to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens in Tampa. This was the inaugural year for the celebration and since I love all things Christmas, I wanted to go. I have been to Sea World’s Christmas celebration a few times and I absolutely love it. I love seeing theme parks dressed up for the holidays and the shows are usually spectacular.

So I had high hopes for Christmas Town!

The park wasn’t too packed for a Saturday night and the first thing we did was get in line for some eggnog and a fresh-baked cookie. My mom decided on a candy-cane Sprite which was basically Sprite with a splash of mint and a candy cane garnish. My eggnog was lukewarm and tasted like I was drinking Bubble Yum. So not my favorite. The cookie was good, though!

After our snack, we strolled around the park and looked at all the different shops. There wasn’t anything I particularly felt like buying. We passed SnowWorld which was a little snow-filled wonderland but seemed to be mainly for little kids and had a 2-hour wait. I realize this may sound funny to some of you who can actually just, you know, WALK OUTSIDE and play in the snow. Here in Florida (where I wore flip-flops and felt a little warm in my long-sleeved t-shirt in mid-December), we actually pay good money and wait in long lines to play in fake snow.

We sung Christmas carols on a train ride through the darkened park. I rode the fast-paced roller coaster, Cheetah Hunt, twice. And we took in a spectacular ice skating show set to Christmas music. (Which also featured a most adorable six-year-old girl.) We ended the night taking in a show by Jars of Clay, one of my all-time favorite bands. My mom said I had a goofy grin on my face the entire time and I just couldn’t help it! Their music has gotten me through some of my rougher moments and seeing them in the flesh was a highlight of my month. They put on a fantastic show, singing their Christmas classic hit, “Little Drummer Boy,” as well as other holiday favorites.

It was a nice Christmas-sy evening and I imagine it would be a great event for those families with younger kids, but I’m partial to Sea World and their celebration. I think there is more to do and see, but I’m also deeply in love with Clyde and Seamore so that may have something to do with it. I don’t believe it’s something I would go back for, as there really isn’t a whole lot to do for adults that warrants the $30 price tag. (As a side note, though, listening to my nephew talk to me about all he saw when he went there with my brother and sister-in-law was awesome. “I saw Cookie Monster wearing a SANTA HAT! And Elmo wearing a SCARF!”)

Don’t forget to enter my holiday giveaway for some wonderful goodies, from me to you. Go here to enter.

Categories: Holidays

Holiday Week: A Wishlist

My brother, my mom, and I still do Christmas wishlists. My brother was asking for mine in October. Call me selfish, call me materialistic but I get excited about thinking of what is under the tree for me. But I am also wholly excited to see my mom and brother and nephew open their presents from me. In the spirit of holiday week, I present to you some of the things on my wishlist this year:

Otterbox Defender Series iPhone4 Case, $60

I have never been a huge fan of the Otterbox cases because they seem so big and clunky. I like sleek cases, where I can easily slip my iPhone into my back pocket and go. But then I started dropping my phone. A lot. In parking lots. On cement. On the running path. My current case, which I’ve had for a few months, is battered and parts of it have chipped off because I’ve dropped it so many times. It’s time to realize I am too clumsy to not have a more protective case for my phone. Especially since I don’t have insurance on it so if it shatters, I am so screwed.

TOMS shoes, silver glitter, $54

I have succumbed. I want a pair of TOMS. Am I turning into a hipster? Perhaps, but I just want these shoes. I have been told they are super, super comfy and I am nothing but all about comfort. I just want to try some out and see for myself!

Kindle Paperwhite, $119

Do I need a new Kindle? No. I have the Kindle Touch, got it for Christmas last year, and it’s perfectly fine. (Except for some minor scratches.) But then I saw that Kindle released a new version. The Paperwhite. With new fonts and a built-in light for nighttime reading. And I just have to have it.

Ninja Express Chop, $20

I hate chopping vegetables. It’s one of the worst parts of cooking for me and why I usually opt for the easier (read: not as healthy) meals because my hatred runs that deep. So the easiest solution to this? Get a damn chopper, Steph! It does the work for me and I can stop shying away from all those healthy dishes that require so much veggie-chopping prep work. A win-win!

Vera Bradley All-in-One Wristlet, $20

100% of my bags and accessories come from Vera Bradley. My obsession with this store knows no real limits. I have an all-in-one wristlet currently that I have used throughout the year and it’s just about my favorite thing ever because it fits all I need. All my cards and money, a place for my license to be easily accessed, and a slot for my iPhone to fit easily. The chain even lets me hang my keys off it so I don’t have to lug a purse everywhere I go. The one I have now is getting dirty and old, so a fresh new one with a new design would make me very happy!

What’s on your wishlist this year?

Don’t forget to enter my holiday giveaway – some wonderful holiday goodies from me to you!

Categories: Holidays

Holiday Week: Confessions

1. I have been addicted to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Pandora station at work. It’s so peaceful and nice. And one can only handle so many Mariah Carey holiday favorites.

2. I always forget what a huge job writing my Christmas cards is. I get so excited to start them and then life gets busy and writing them keeps falling on the back burner. This year, I managed to get them mailed much earlier than normal. (And by much earlier, I mean 10 days before Christmas.)

3. Focusing on work is the hardest during December.

4. I have never spent a Christmas away from home. Christmas has always been one of those low-key holidays for my family and I like sticking close to home.

5. I am still obsessed with Christmas-themed window gel clings. It took me close to an hour to put all mine up this year and I’m getting to the point where I see new clings in stores and I’m like, “Dangit, I already have that!”

6. My favorite Christmas movie is The Santa Clause, because of all the memories attached to it. Elf is a very, very, very close second.

7. I still have yet to see Love Actually.

8. This year was the first year my mom and I actually didn’t get in a fight while stringing lights around our tree. Usually, we’re both stressed out and annoyed and end up angrily stringing the lights together. But I made us make a pact that we would not fight while decorating and we didn’t!

9. I used to insist on a real Christmas tree, but then we had a really bad experience with putting one up one year where my mom and I probably had our worst fight ever (and then ended up emotionally eating our feelings at Steak N’ Shake to a total of 2,500 calories each. For one meal.) so we go for artificial now.

10. I really, really want to get a white Christmas tree. My mom is forcibly against this. Scrooge.

11. My all-time favorite Christmas song is “Silent Night”.

12. I think “The Christmas Shoes” is one of the worst songs ever written. I’m sorry, but it’s awful.

13. My brother and I still give my mom a wishlist every year. We still do presents. We still act like five-year-olds during the holidays.

14. I still get sad that my brother and I don’t spend Christmas Eve night together, trying to stay up late and playing games until eventually falling asleep around 3AM – only to wake up bright and early at 6AM. Growing up is hard.

15. I genuinely enjoy the hustle and bustle of this time of year. Rushing around to different stores and trying to find that perfect gift – it’s all part of the magic for me!

Don’t forget to enter my holiday giveaway for some wonderful goodies. Ends on Sunday!

Categories: Holidays

Holiday Week: A Giveaway For You

Every year, I like to spend the week leading up to Christmas in full-time holiday mode on my blog. I originally began this because of Nora back in 2010 and this will be my third year doing this! I’m excited for all the posts I have planned for this upcoming week but I am the most excited about today’s post because after weeks and weeks of preparation, it’s finally here: my holiday giveaway!

Over the past few weeks, I have spent my time mulling over ideas for what to put in this giveaway. After an entire year of listening to me jabber on and on about anything and everything, I wanted to do something special for those of you who are still here and supporting me. This blog is easily one of my favorite hobbies and I enjoy the relationships that have formed because of it. Because of the support and advice I have gotten, I have found new interests, new ideas, and have pushed myself out of my comfort zone more and more.

This giveaway isn’t sponsored by any company. I spent my own time and money to put this together and I don’t say that to toot my own horn, but to say that these are things I would want in a giveaway myself and every single item was lovingly selected with YOU in mind.

So what will you win? Oh, just a few fab things…

A beautiful black-and-silver scarf
A gorgeous Eisley necklace, from Your Wishcake’s Etsy shop*
Aloe-infused socks to warm you up and make your feet feel amazing
Lavender vanilla hand cream
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Hot chocolate packets
A journal, to jot down those blog ideas or lists at the last minute

Sounds like something you want to win? I hope so! The way to enter is easy: just leave a comment on this post with your one holiday confession. Make it good! I will choose a winner by random drawing and announce it on Christmas Eve.

This giveaway will remain open until Sunday, December 23rd at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be announced on Monday, December 24th.

*Eisley necklace provided by Kerri of Your Wishcake for the purposes of this giveaway. She is a true gem.

Categories: Holidays

Moments From Thanksgiving

… a calm morning of cinnamon rolls for breakfast, cleaning, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and just hanging out. I love mornings like that.

… cleaning up the kitchen with my grandma after dinner. While we told her she didn’t have to, she was adamant she wanted to do this and kept saying how blessed she was to be able to do that. She doesn’t take anything for granted – not even having the ability and strength to do something as menial as cleaning a kitchen. Because of her, I felt blessed to be able to be in the kitchen with her, cleaning up, throwing away food, and wrapping up leftovers. We worked in tandem and I know this is one memory I will always carry in my heart.

… playing Apples to Apples with my family. I love this game so much and it’s not fun unless you have a big group. It’s even more fun to play with grandparents who don’t quite understand the silliness of the game. Trust me: we were cracking up at my grandpa’s expressions and some of the things he was saying. I could play that game for hours and hours!

… baby Mia. She is 6 weeks old, completely adorable, and so lovable! My mom held her for a long time – she was so content in my mom’s arms. (For me? Not so much. I don’t have that magic maternal touch it seems.) It’s so fun to have a baby in our family again and it’s special to watch my young cousin as a mother. She is so content with her daughter and has softened in dramatic ways. I just can’t wait to watch this little one grow up!

… my nephew being in the best mood! He kept us entertained with his antics, including reading a dinosaur book to his parents. (Is there anything better than a child “reading” a book? Sometimes: no.) Four years old is my new favorite stage. So fun!

… the dinner itself! While the stuffing didn’t turn out well, the rest of the meal was super yummy and I went back for seconds. I’m pretty sure I had two cups of mashed potatoes yesterday. I am reckless when it comes to mashed potatoes. And the turkey turned out perfect: juicy and delicious!

… trash-talking with my brother about the football games. Seriously, I have so much fun with him when we talk football. Of course, he knows like a billion kajillion more than I will ever know about football so I usually end up looking stupid but whatever. It’s fun! And a part of Thanksgiving.

… how enamored Dutch was with Mia. He couldn’t stop staring at her and even managed to get a few kisses in! Luckily, my cousin was laid-back about it and didn’t mind Dutch getting close to her.

… a calm, fun time with my family. It was a drama-free day and my heart was so full of happiness and love for what I have when it comes to my family. After I wrote and published my post on Thanksgiving, I was worried my day would bitterly disappoint me but it fulfilled all my expectations in every way!

… ending the night by watching episodes of New Girl, writing this post, and reading a great book. It was the perfect end to a fantastic day.

…oh, and this. This happened on Wednesday night around 11:30 p.m.:

(For those that don’t know: that means I completed NaNoWriMo. I wrote 50,000 words. In 21 days. Far, far, FAR exceeding my goal!)

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