Festive Weekend Recap

We had a great weekend of festive holiday activities and it was the perfect way to kick off the week of Christmas.

On Friday we hosted a holiday sweets and spirits party. It was so amazing to see so many friends. I'm always amazed at how just many people can squeeze into our apartment. I didn't take many pictures but here are few.

The fire pit pre-party. I'm so glad P convinced me to get this so
that we could use the outdoor space in 40 degree weather

The spread of sweets including peppermint brownies
and the peanut butter "cheese ball" from Pinterest

 

The youngest and cutest party guest Evelyn.
I'm so glad she and Evelyn made the trip down from Maryland!

P & I celebrated SEVEN very happy and loving years together on Saturday. We didn't get any pictures but we had an amazing time listening to the Washington Chorus at the Kennedy Center and eating at Cafe du Parc.

On Sunday my friend Jenny hosted the 4th Annual Cookie Decorating gathering. I loved catching up with the ladies over food and cookie decorating.

Some of my yummy creations

Last night we continued the holiday fun by checking out the free Zoo Lights. I decided that since we don't live in a neighborhood where we can drive around and check out lights, walking around the National Zoo is the next best thing.

Now we just have to survive one more day at work before heading to Ohio on Thursday to spend Christmas with P's family!

Monday Mash-Up

Today's post will be a mash-up of sorts....a little weekend recap, Christmas prep, and other general ramblings.

1. I had a FUN FUN FUN weekend with my sister Meredith in Salisbury, Maryland. We had a whirlwind weekend that included a holiday dinner with her coworkers, a marathon Christmas shopping trip, cookie baking, delicious Mexican food and a movie. It was so nice to finally see her place and have a weekend to hang out together!

2. Yesterday I got to spend some quality time with Allison and her new baby girl Evelyn. Ev is such a beautiful baby and I loved spending time holding her. I swear my friends have the sweetest, happiest babies.

3. Tonight I ate at Graffiato with our friend Jessie. YUM. It is Mike Isabella's, of Top Chef fame, Italian influenced restaurant. We split broccolini with feta and walnuts, citrus scallops, and a calamari pizza. So good.

4. P will be done with finals tomorrow! He has been non-stop studying the past week and I'm so excited for him to have some time off the next three and a half weeks before starting his last semester of law school!

5. I only have THREE more Christmas presents to buy. Now about that wrapping....

6. Winter is here in the District and it is cold. I'm not ready for the Ohio cold next weekend!

7. I had a serious case of the Mondays today - I couldn't find my keys, got to my car and realized I had forgotten my badge, and kept asking a coworker if diet cokes (which I desperately needed) cost $6.25 or $6.35.......from the vending machine....I obviously meant $1.25 or $1.35

8. There are only seven more working days lefts until we leave for Christmas in Ohio, I can't wait!

9. I have yet to figure out exactly which desserts to make for our Sweets and Spirits party this Friday. I may have to check out my friend Nicole's blog, Sweet Peony for some inspiration

10. My new all time favorite holiday candle is Yankee Candle's Christmas in Paris

Hope you all have a great week!

Holiday Music

The day after Thanksgiving I am ready to crank up the Christmas music. Here are some of my favorite songs and albums:

• “Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime”, Paul McCartney version – I LOVE this song, it is my all time favorite. It  first caught my ear when working holidays at Eddie Bauer during Christmas. It is so fun and immediately gets me in the Christmas Spirit.
• “All I want for Christmas is You”, Mariah Carey version - What girl doesn’t love belting out with Ms. Carey to this holiday favorite?
• Straight No Chaser – if you haven’t heard this all male a cappella group you have to check them out! They are amazing and have a really fun version of 12 Days of Christmas
• Glee Christmas album – this is a new favorite. They sing all my favorites!
• Hanson Christmas album – I can’t believe I just admitted this on a public forum, but it really is a good Christmas album…I promise! Aubrey and I bonded over our shared loved of this album our freshmen year so it will always be a favorite!
• Elf Soundtrack - this is one of my favorite movies to watch in December and the soundtrack is just as good
• Love Actually Soundtrack - this is a good mix of Christmas and non-Christmas songs

What is your favorite holiday music?

Will Run for Chocolate...

....and I did! 9.3 miles of running to be exact.

I had signed up for the Will Run for Chocolate 15K in October hoping it would be an easy run to train for after completing the Wicked 10K Halloween weekend. After the knee/leg injuries I endured through October that caused me to skip out on the 10K I had lost all hope that the 15K would be feasible. My plan had been to pick up my race packet on Friday evening and then sleep in Saturday. While at work on Friday something hit me and I decided that I wanted to give the race a try. I'd been back to running (very lightly and short distances) over the previous week without any pain. I knew a couple of girlfriends running the race and thought it would be something fun, plus it ended with hot chocolate and fondue - talk about motivation!

The motivation - yum yum!

The race itself had some glitches on the organizers part but once it get started (an hour late) it went better than I could have ever expected. I started the race out reminding myself to just have fun with it and don't focus on the time. Much to my surprise at the 10K mark I had beat previous 10K race times by 5 minutes! By mile seven I was exhausted but knew I could get through the last 2.3 miles as long as I took it easy. I finished well under my two hour goal (I thought it would take at least that due to my lack of training) and felt great! I'm still shocked that I actually completed the race but have never felt so confident in myself as a runner. I think I hear the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in DC calling my name!

It Really is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Happy December! Like most people I LOVE December! It is hard to not smile at the sights, sounds, and smells of the holidays. Here are some things that I'm extra excited about this December:

• As of December 13th, P will only have ONE semester left of law school!
• Hosting a holiday party in the city full of sweets and spirits
• Celebrating seven amazing years with P
• Visiting Ohio for what will hopefully be a white Christmas
• Seeing the city decked out for the holidays
• Spending a weekend with my older sister Christmas shopping and baking cookies

Our tree!