Quick Holiday Update

We're so near! Christmas is almost here! I haven't been to church lately, haven't sent out even one Christmas card, purchased even one gift. To say that I am behind on things this year, would really be an understatement.

Next year, I promise I'll up my game.
At least we did decorate cookies and make homemade hot chocolate according to Martha Stewart's recipe. Yum!!

I am excited for the new year. Every year has the potential to be great, but this year, things are lined up in such a way that I am not just hopeful, but excited even.

What will we be doing on New Years? Not sure yet, but we are definitely hitting the town while grandma watches Alyssa. I'll work out those plans in detail, I guess, this week. Okay. Off to get ready for Lesli to come over for lunch!

A Dilemma

Is it really a dilemma when I have made my decision? It's only every now and then that I wonder if I shouldn't reconsider. Then I snap back into reality and realize that my initial answer is the correct one.

An incomplete decision? Not really, I guess. It's there always on my mind...the other option isn't. So the feeling that is overwhelmingly present in my heart/mind is the one I should go with, right? Hmmmm...

It's not often that my heart and my mind are on the same page, but I can say in this case, that they actually are.


Sort of.



This didn't help at all, did it?





One thing is certain-- Alyssa is my favorite person to be around. She is just amazing. She is my world.

Men I Love

I have had a long-standing celebrity crush on Christian Bale.
He had me at Huey Lewis and the News.
I usually don't like gory movies, but his performance made me put that aside. 3:10 to Yuma? For realsies. He is still my favorite.





Next up, Jeff Bridges.
Yes, he's old. His is not a legitimate crush like the one I have for the man above. He's magnificent and I respect him. He's what I imagine a man should age like.
Here's to you, Mr. Bridges.






Honorable mention goes to James Franco and Mark Ruffalo whose eccentricity and intelligence never fail to keep my adoration engaged.
Okay, I have to get back to Christmas Cupid. Yeah, you read that correctly. Shut it.

This weekend...

Our mantra was: Get fat and be lazy.

Seriously. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were spent eating not just one or two or even three cookies at a time, but as many as I could put down before getting nauseous. We had ribs on Friday, Philly cheese-steak and mac n' cheese on Saturday, and pizza today. I had alcohol, midnight grilled cheeses, popcorn, french fries, and gluten-free donuts.

And how much did I run on these three days? Not even two feet. I didn't even pretend to struggle over whether or not to run. I just woke up and indulged in playing with Alyssa and munching on comfort food.

How much progress did I make in preparation for the week? (Grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, cooking?) Nothing. Not a thing got done. I didn't even tidy our place up. At one point, Michael made the suggestion that he put things in a bit of order, but I talked him out of it.

So, all week I'll be scrambling to make up for lost time.

Thanks a lot, Megan. Thanks a whole lot.

Really, we were layabouts. My motivation was partially hormonal, and partially emotional. Tomorrow, I pick myself up again by my bootstraps, and put my lackadaisical self back on track.

With that out of the way, I can celebrate- I finally saw The Deathly Hallows Part I!!! I love the Harry Potter cinematic series. Admittedly, I cannot count myself among the literary fans, as I have only read one book- the last one, which I did enjoy immensely.

Off to be lazy for the remaining time I am allowing myself to be...maybe with some ice cream?

Coming Full Circle Brings Us Back to Square One

Dear Diary,

We're right back where we started.





No, thanks.

What Makes You Happy.

If you were to ask yourself, what made you happy today, what would it be?...

Here's my list:
Sleeping in till 8 with my family.
Seeing Alyssa and her cousin get along, even if only momentarily.
Eating chocolate chip cookies AND rice and beans in the same day. Two favorites.Yummy!!
Being able to run.
Seeing Alyssa and Cameron happy to play outside in this unusually nice weather.
Being able to hear the things that my sweet little baby says. She's 2 going on 20 sometimes? God, I just love her.
Music. Always always and forever.
Reading a bit of The Count of Monte Cristo.
Watching Running Wilde and Arrested Development with my husband.
Seeing my family.
The weather.


THE END.