Christmas Vacation

No, not like the movie...cause I've never seen it.

Done judging me? Good.

I've been gone from the blogsphere (writing, not reading) for almost a week!

Thursday was my last day at work. Friday, Morgan and I flew to Minneapolis (with a layover in Chicago where our bag got lost) for a brief weekend visit with her boyfriend, B. We went to the Saints v Vikings game and then to a bar to watch the Patriots beat the Broncos. Sorry Tebow. And we got to visit with our cousin (who we haven't seen in years).

cousin, Mike

After a long layover in Dallas (where I was tempted to skip my flight and stay), we made it home on Monday. Since then, I haven't left the couch for more than an hour at a time. Except to go to bed.

Last night, Morgan, Rach, and I exchanged gifts. Love them. (The girls. And the gifts.)

Tomorrow, I'll be headed to my mom's for a few days. And this is where I say goodbye to you all. Because she has AOL dial up. And I can't even try to mess with that.

Have a very merry Christmas!

Christmas Bonus

Do people really get Christmas bonuses at their jobs? They do? Well, I don't. And I'm jealous. I'd love to have an extra wad of cash around the holidays so that I can spend it on myself all of my friends and family.

Buuuut. I think I may get something better.

Vacation.

Today is my last day at work until January 2nd. That's 11 week days, people. 11 days of paid vacation. I'd pick that over a bonus any day.

Tomorrow, sister and I are headed to Minnesota to see her boyfriend, B, for the weekend. Anyone have a parka I can borrow? It's so cold up there. 

I'll be going to my first NFL game on Sunday. I have to apologize to all my favorites...BenJarvus, Tom Brady, Gronkowski, Danny Woodhead, Wilfork, Zoltan Mesko (I really just love his name)...

Zoltan!

My first NFL game and I won't be watching my favorites. Instead, I'll be watching the Saints beat up on the Vikings. B, being from New Orleans, is a die-hard Saints fan. Morgan is a bandwagoner. I could care less. 

But I like football, so I'll watch what I can get.

We're also going to the Mall of America (uh oh). 

I was born in Michigan but have adapted to the Mississippi weather -- any tips on how to stay warm up there? Except thermal underwear. That's what everyone suggests and I just...no. I can't do it.

Are you going on vacation this Christmas?

Christmas Cards

It's December 14th. 11 Days until Christmas.

And we still haven't taken a Walter Family Christmas card picture.

We usually have our cards picked out in November. And they're usually pictures from an Ole Miss football game...but that's not happening this year. Sorry Rebs.

2006

2009

If we don't have time to take another picture, here are a few recent ones of us. 
Help me pick?

Merry Christmas! Love, Boobs.

Merry Christmas! Love, Faye the giant

Merry Christmas! Love, squinty eyes and sunglasses

Merry Christmas! Love, ...this one's actually not that bad.

We just need to get dressed up for five minutes tonight and snap some pics.

Have your Christmas cards been sent?

Christmas Nostalgia

Christmastime makes me nostalgic. It's like the Ghost of Christmas Past is all up in my face. I've been dreaming of the days of old, back when I wasn't a grownup. I miss those days. (Don't we all?)

When we were younger, we spent a lot of Christmases with family in Dallas. My favorite thing about the trips... the time spent with family? the food? the gifts?

No.

The radio. Dallas has the best radio stations. 

As kids, my sister and I would come equipped with our tape player/radios and blank cassettes to record The Edge radio all.day.long. Thanks to iHeartRadio, I'm listening to it right now. 

I also almost miss a few of my ex boyfriends. Damn you, nostalgia.

Christmas Quiz

Christmas is right around the corner. Only 13 days away. I finally started my shopping...but I'm not finished. Man, I need to get on it.

We sang Joy to the World at church yesterday morning. That song is what signifies Christmas for me. Now I am really in the Christmas spirit. 

So, naturally, it's time to do the Christmas Quiz. (Stolen from Kai.)

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? For Christmas, I have to say egg nog. I drink hot chocolate year round, but egg nog really feels like Christmas.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Santa presents are not wrapped. He's way too busy for that!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White. So classy.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Not usually, but we're having a party Thursday night and there will be lots of mistletoe...and hopefully cute, single boys.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Decorations go up the day after Thanksgiving and come down on New Years. 

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? My mom's cheese log. (I have a thing for appetizers.) Cream cheese, jalapenos, onion, and mom's other secret ingredients all wrapped up in Velveeta...served with Triscuits. Yums.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Watch out, I'm getting sentimental. The Christmas after my father passed away, we found a "letter from Heaven" under the tree. 

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't really remember when I figured it out, because I kept it a secret so he didn't stop coming. I told my mom and sister I knew Santa wasn't real around Easter, because I let it slip that I knew the Easter bunny wasn't real either. But thankfully, they never stopped coming.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? A gift? We open them all! This is one tradition that I will always have -- sorry future husband, it's already decided. Gifts from family are opened on Christmas Eve after church (while watching It's a Wonderful Life). Why? Because you have to make room under the tree for the gifts from Santa. Duh.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I have yet to have my own Christmas tree. This year, Rachel decorated our Oxford tree with red and green balls and bows. Our tree growing up was adorned with white lights, red bells, homemade and sentimental ornaments, and sometimes candycanes...but we'd usually eat them all before Christmas.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I love the snow...as long as I'm looking at it from inside the warm house. (I was born in Michigan and had a few Christmases there. I loved to sled. But there isn't enough snow in Mississippi to sled on...so it doesn't count.)

12. Can you ice skate? Confession: I've never been ice skating.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I was super excited when I got my first iPod because I was angsty and it meant I could listen to music in my ears all day and not have to listen to my mom and sister. Truth. (Sorry guys.)

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Celebrating with family -- not Santa or cookies or presents -- the birth of Jesus Christ. Yup.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I love pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, but we don't usually have one for Christmas. I'm not a dessert person. I like Mom's cheese log.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? The church service on Christmas Eve that we go to every year. It's the same songs, the same message, and it never gets old. When we hold the candles and sing Silent Night...I get chills every time.

17. What tops your tree? Growing up, it was an angel and then a bird. Rachel put a lovely bow atop our Oxford Christmas tree.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? I knew I had grown up last year when I realized giving was more fun. Buuut that was just last year. My first 22 years, it was all about receiving.

19. Candy canes: yuck or yum? Yum. Until you want to save them for later and wrap it back in the plastic and it's all slimy and gets stuck. That's yuck.

20. Favorite Christmas show? Show? Movie? It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street (THE ORIGINAL) are my favorites. 

21. Saddest Christmas song? Christmas Shoes. Tears every time.

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Mary Did You Know. (Or Merry Christmas Baby -- the Hanson version, of course.)

Are you ready for Christmas?

10 Things + Confessional

What better way to end the week than with little roundup? 

(And a countdown to drinks tonight.)

[1]

After spending the past 4 days shut off to the world while reading The Hunger Games, I am depressed and confused. What a heavy book series. I'm glad I read it, but it was tough.

Oxford has a local bookstore called Square Books. There's also Off Square Books and Square Books Junior. I don't know who calls the shots, but whoever decided this series should be housed at Square Books Jr. should be fired. Definitely not for kids.

[2]

I finally started Christmas shopping (online, of course). And nearly finished in one day. I only have a few people to buy for this year (i.e., no boyfriend) so it hasn't been bad.

I had a harder time coming up with my list of things that I want this year. I'm a giver.

[3]

Currently in Oxford, it is 34°. Today's high is 52°. I'm not really a fan of the cold. I like boots and scarves but come on? 34°?

Next weekend, I will be here. Kill me.

[4]

My mom sent me a picture of her decorated Christmas tree earlier this week. It used to have all of our homemade ornaments and family memories hanging from it. Since my sister and I have been out of the house for 7 and 5 years, respectively, she decorates it differently.

It makes me sad.

[5]

I need a new car. Badly. My air doesn't work. Which means, not only do I not have heat in this 34° weather, I also don't have defrost. It's scary. Thankfully, my sister works nights and gets home right before I have to leave for work, so I have been driving her car. She's the best.

But it still bothers me that I have to scoot the seat back, flip up the mirror, and change the radio from a station that plays this to one that plays this. I need a new car.

[6]

I lied again about starting P90X. But I just got so wrapped up in those books that I didn't have time for anything else.

It starts (for reals) this Monday.

[7]

I hosted our work Christmas party on Sunday and made potato soup. It was a hit. Thankfully I tripled the recipe, so I could eat leftovers this week. I ate potato soup for about 7 meals, lunch and dinner. It was fabulous.

The recipe:

Boil 4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes and 1/4 cup chopped onion in 4 cups chicken broth. (Along with 1/2 tsp seasoned salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, & 1/4 teaspoon red pepper.) When tender, mash up some of the potatoes to thicken. (I usually scoop out a cup or two of cubes, mash what is left, and pour the unmashed cubes back in.) Lastly, add 1 8oz package of cream cheese. Simmer and stir until cheese is melted. It's phenomenal.

[8]

I want to go on a trip for NYE. Just down to the coast and just for 4 or 5 days. But, I can't (or don't want to) take Mosby with me. 

Should I feel bad about pawning him off on my mom so soon?

[9]

Brad surprised me with a super awesome gift for Christmas. When he told me he got it for me, it literally brought tears to my eyes. And I'm not a cryer. 

I don't think anyone can top this gift, but feel free to try!

[10] 

Because a few of these were confessions, not only am I linking up with E Tells Tales for 10 Little Things, I'm also linking up with A Blonde Ambition for Confessional Friday!

Happy weekend, y'all.

I Got That Feeling

I've been searching for a book to take me away. To give me the feeling of being in another world, surrounded by the characters. And boy, did I find it.

I remember before I read Twilight, thinking how stupid it was. It was back in the day when Facebook bumper stickers were all the rage. (Hey, can we bring those back?) I thought to myself, "If I see ONE more bumper sticker about wanting to be bitten by this Edward Cullen freak I am going to deactivate my Facebook." I didn't see one more. I saw 3287937298 more. So I did what any reasonable person would do...I went straight to the bookstore to see what he was all about.

I don't care who makes fun of me for what I am about to say...but the Twilight series is great. I love it. The books and the movies. The whole experience. I read the books lightening fast. I've been to the midnight showing of every movie. I'm almost dreading the final movie release because then what will I look forward to?

Oh, I know.

The Hunger Games.

After going through the same thought process (sans bumper stickers), I finally picked up the book. Before I saw the trailer for the movie, I had no idea what it was about. Something about hunger and a bird and archery. Lame.

After I saw the trailer, I was a little more intrigued. By page 23, I was in tears and could not stop reading. I finished the book this morning. (I went to sleep after finishing Part I and had the weirdest dreams.) I'm picking up book 2 on my way home from work. I was going to stop and get it on my way back from lunch but I knew I wouldn't get any work (or this post) done if I had it in front of me.

Is there going to be a pick Team Gale v Team Peeta thing happening?

If so, I'm Team Gale. For now. I think.

I have no idea what the next books have in store for me, but I can't wait to find out.

Confessional

It's time for a few confessions, guys.

1. Yesterday, I wore leggings-as-pants. By choice. After Nike shorts, leggings-as-pants are sorority girls' best invention. You know it's true.

2. I have yet to start Christmas shopping, but I've been buying for myself like crazy. Oops!

3. I have forgotten that I have a new puppy multiple times. Like, when he goes outside. Until he barks at the door, sometimes I forget he exists. Let's hope that doesn't happen when I have kids one day.

4. I will be listening to Britney Spears all day today in honor of her 30th birthday. And I'm not even embarrassed to confess that one.

5. I sent my mom a picture of the boy I have a crush on (to remind her of what I want for Christmas) and she responded with, "OMG! Are you with him???" To which I had to reply, "Oh, no. I got that from Facebook." Creep!

6. Back in October when I vowed to start P90X again...I didn't. But 2 of my DVDs were missing. I finally got them back and I am starting on Monday. For real this time.

7. I keep a running list of future bridesmaids in my head (even though I'm not in a relationship). It has gotten a lot shorter through the years and it makes me realize that the most important friendships will last forever.

What are you confessing today? 


(Link up here.)