a little break

I cannot believe that December is almost over! It was a very busy month for us to say the least. Between work work work, Christmas shopping, some hard family times, some great family times, a Christmas tree, Christmas cards- okay you get the point & the list could fill this entire post. It was crazy busy!

Overall we have had a wonderful break so far- that last week of teaching was so long because we could taste Christmas break it was so close. I am trying to avoid thinking about work this week (other than on Wednesday which we have labeled our "work" day over break- we will literally be working around the clock to prepare for the next week- but then Thursday we will break again and put it off of our minds.)

Last week was busy but in a good way- I started off last saturday with a baby shower for my dear friend Katie and her baby girl Ella. I made the bunting in the background of this photo- I'll maybe share the DIY soon :) Cannot wait to snuggle with Ella when she arrives so soon!

Then we celebrated Christmas with my family & my brother-in-law's birthday. We also continued our annual tradition of going to see A Christmas Story & (my personal favorite) It's A Wonderful Life at our local vintage theater The Naro.

We packed our bags, said goodbye to Scuttle & our Christmas Tree and headed west to celebrate Jesus' birth with Josh's family.

After a wonderful Christmas visiting family, we headed south toward Atlanta to celebrate another birth- our nephew Edmund Michael Searcy. My heart melted- he was the cutest. Congratulations Kaitlin & Steven.

We came back home last night and we were greeted with purrs and kitty snuggles from Scuttle. It has been a good break so far and we are looking forward to a week of relaxing at home. My plan this week is to:

1. Begin our 2014 travel plans including a trip to FL to visit our favorite friends Dan & Ally and a European backpacking trip this summer (I am SO ecstatic!) 

2. Cook REAL food. Like the kind you get raw ingredients for- the kind of food I would make if I didn't work sixty hours a week. (also I am excited because I'll be testing some recipes from this cookbook I received as a Christmas gift!)

3. This sort of goes along with #2 but I am going to try my hand at re-creating this delicious meal I thoroughly enjoy/crave/dream about at a favorite local joint The Handsome Biscuit. 

4. Continue and maybe even finish A Brave New World.

5. Thrift. I miss thrifting. 

Any fun plans for the new year? 

a little break