Hello, 2012!

So happy to see you!

2011 was a year of ups and downs, the very exciting and the very scary. And sometimes a little mix of the two. Hey you gotta have some balance, right?

2012 seems to be starting off on the right foot and here's to hoping that it stays that way.

I managed to wrangle a whole week off of work for Christmas, and what a lovely week it was. Once I finally managed to get on a bus (I overslept for the Megabus and ended up buying a last minute greyhound ticket that actually ended up being more convenient) the start of my week was chalk full of family time. My mom and I finished up some shopping on the 22nd then I headed over to my dad's house to set up the tree with him (he always waits until I'm in town to put the tree up, it's tradition) while watching Miracle on 34th Street. The 23rd consisted of quiche, presents, and a trip to the Pabst theater in Milwaukee to see A Christmas Carol. All such wonderful things. The Pabst is one of my favorite theaters. I managed to get a photo of the stage, but an usher quickly scolded me for trying to take pictures. so I didn't manage to get many good ones of the rest of the theater.  I got to sleep in on Christmas Eve day and I pretty much stayed in my pjs for the entire day drinking Bailey's and coffee with my mom and watching HGTV.

My mom's family's Christmas is always held on Christmas day and it's always filled with lots and lots of food, games, and noise. My mother has 13 brothers and sisters, about 10 of which live in the area and bring their families to Christmas lunch. It's a lot of fun, and a lot of loud. Especially when we exchange gifts. We play gift take away which can get rowdy with a normal group of people, and my mother's family is much rowdier than a normal group of people.

I hope everyone had as charming a holiday break as I did, I feel fully restored and ready to start off a new year full of new challenges and adventures.

Coming soon: 3 days in Chicago: Lots of museums, lots of shopping, lots of FOOD.