Key learnings and holiday recap

Woo! I'm back from a few days off! I hope everyone had a great holiday and that Santa was extra good to each of you. 

I'll get to the holiday recap shortly, but let's bask in some key learnings!

Key Learnings:

• Baked Cheetos are insanely addictive. Bags on them can disappear easily

• It's okay to eat a plateful of fudge for breakfast, lunch and part of dinner

• Hiding in your bedroom at home is totally acceptable to get some alone time

• Parents need to share the television because I can only handle so much Fox News and CNBC

• Even though you have a designated room at home, you have absolutely zero privacy. Parents will still come in your room, with or without permission

• Reading the same book at Border's over the course of two days is fun, and cost-effective

• Homemade cinnamon buns are a-m-a-z-i-n-g, way better than store-bought

• Hiding disappointment at Christmas gifts is tougher to do as you get older

• Text messages from friends on Christmas can totally make your day

• After a tough day at home, nothing says "tomorrow will be better" like beer...or scotch

• At Wisconsin weddings, Packer gear, scrunchies, bad faux fur and open-toed shoes with nylons are common sights

• Despite multiple outfit/accessory options, it's okay to stop showering daily and wearing full make up while home for the holidays, no one judges

Holiday recap and gift FAIL

Overall, my holidays were good, although the crazy weather did throw a wrench into a few things. But everyone got along, there was no crying (at least on Christmas Day) and everyone was in good spirits. Even when we're strung out on stress and no sleep, all of my Christmas celebrations had laughs, which makes everything all good.

And, I don't want to sound bitchy, but Santa came to visit me this year and honestly, it was a partial FAIL. I love buying gifts for people and picking out perfect items for everyone on my list. I take great pride in this, but I know not everyone does that. For example, dad and I went to Crate & Barrel to pick out wine glasses and champagne flutes for my apartment and Christmas morning, I eagerly anticipated opening up my gifts to find them. 

Turns out, I didn't get the glasses I picked out because he thought I would like other ones better...that look nothing like the ones I picked out. I didn't like the new glasses and now have to go through the hassle of returns, while my dad takes this personally. It's not personal, I tell him, but he doesn't seem to feel that way. Sometimes, maintaining the element of surprise as an adult is very tough.

Now I have a total of four gifts to go back, with replacement items (from my list) already purchased. It's just so much work and frustration. But it's okay.

Despite a few bad apples, I did get my new kitchen knife set and back-up hard drive for Lulu, so it wasn't all bad :) And dad did surprise me with a Longchamp Le Pliage nylon tote. I have one in blue and use it all the time in summer. It's a perfect size and is perfect for the rain because it dries easily. Yay!

And based on the other gifts I got, including a nifty decanter and bar set from friends, it appears as though I need to drink more. Ironically, I also received three bottles of champagne, so, I guess I can start working at meeting this goal. 

What about everyone else? Was Santa good to you too? What was your favorite gift this year?

Snow!

When I left Chicago, we had several inches of snow, but it wasn't too awful. However, Wisconsin was NAILED with snow, at least 10 inches, and it basically shut the city down. This meant I lived in my wellies for the first few days home because we had so much snow every day. The snow even caused my mom to reschedule our Christmas Eve activities until Christmas Day. Roads were awful and it was ungodly slippery, but I was spared from shoveling duty so I can't complain too much. 

Here are some snow pictures from outside our house pre-Christmas. Overnight Friday, we lost five inches of snow from the mild temps. Crazy global warming.