What I learned in 2008

2008 wasn't my best year. It also wasn't my worst, which is good, but I feel like I've learned a lot (in no particular order)...

1. Living alone is one of the best things ever. Roommates can be stressful. VERY stressful. (Not including a good friend who swooped in to save the day and lived with me for the remainder of my lease after my first roommate up and moved one day. Thank you again.)

2. DVR might be the second best thing ever. I really don't know how I ever lived without it.

3. Tyra Banks is crazy. Though I still watch ANTM, she seems to be getting crazier by the second.

4. It's fun to be in a magazine. Though it's a tiny shout out in Marie Claire, my family got all excited for me and it was a lot of fun. My Grandpa even showed every nurse in his Quincy nursing home...kind of embarrassing, actually, but still very cool.

5. Certain jellyfish glow. I camped out on an island on the Cape in August and those little glowing things were everywhere. They fascinated me, even though I have an unnatural fear of jellyfish. Until that day, I had never actually seen one "in the wild" before.

6. Irish accents still get me all giddy. And that's all I'll say about that. Sigh.

7. It's good to live by your best friends, even if it's only for the summer. And it's really fun when they move here from a faraway city and you actually get to see them face-to-face and not just via Gchat. Hooray for all of us being together again!

8. Speaking of Gchat, that is right up there with one of the best things ever.

9. I adore Starbucks from September to December. When they get rid of the fall and holiday drinks, a little piece of my heart cries.

10. It's ok to grow up. Some aspects of it are even pretty fun.

11. Blogging is a good time and it's definitely not as scary as I thought it would be. I love to write, but I have an odd fear of writing. Doesn't make sense, does it?

12. I spend more than half my time at work proofreading. And I now realize that I really don't like it.

13. I have an unhealthy obsession with the Olympics. And getting to try on a real 2008 Beijing Olympic gold swimming medal while playing flip cup at a house party was one of the coolest things ever:

I was SO excited, can you tell? 

I really wanted to steal it...

14. Yes, the Cubs actually can break your heart a little more each year. It's so sad.

15. Apparently I love vampires sagas. And after reading them, I finally started to embrace my "porcelain" skin. Thank you Cullens for making it more attractive to be pale. Ha.

More to come, probably...

And on a side note, I just got back from seeing Seven Pounds. It's so good! I cried like a baby, but I really liked it. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

I love my "Christmas break"

Yep, I've been MIA lately. I got back last night from my weekend to Quincy, Illinois. It was 65 degrees there for awhile, then a fun little thunderstorm frenzy popped up with a few tornado warnings thrown in (kind of creepy for December) and the temperature dropped like a rock. Sigh. I love Christmas. Not winter. But the trip was a lot of fun and it was great to see my Grandma and Grandpa and my Dad's whole fam. We spent the whole day Saturday at a winery. The wine flowed and many deep (and slurred) heart-to-hearts with family members followed. Good times.

 

So now that I have this week off, I'm absolutely loving all my free time. This morning I slept in, ran up to the outlets with my Mom to exchange a couple things at J.Crew and now I've been sitting on my bum for hours watching the John and Kate + 8 marathon on TLC. I love today. And I can't wait to continue my relaxation tomorrow...

Did you have a nice Christmas? I hope so! My Christmas was wonderful. The best part (besides Christmas Eve at my Grandma's) was my family's Pajama Christmas Day. We literally stayed in our pjs and watched movies all day. It was so fun hanging out with my parents and brother and sister like that. I'm already looking forward to next year.

And I hope Santa was very good to you, too. He certainly was good to me...I got some fun stuff! I'm really excited about my new fun red crock pot and cookbooks. Now I can actually learn to cook. And I love all the clothes, pajamas, books, Philosophy stuff, dvds, etc that I got. I can't wait to play with/wear/watch/read them all.

But the most exciting thing? My cute little iPhone. I'm in love with it. It has a charming little green case and is now chock full of fun applications (I'm addicted to the App Store). I think I've run out of batteries every day since I've had it because I can't stop playing with it. And it's so nice to have a phone that finally works...though I haven't tried it in my apartment yet. Eek. 

Now I feel like I should give it a name or something. It's not just a phone—it's so much more. I'll have to think of a good one...

And I love the camera on the iPhone! Just had to throw in this pic of my dog Rufus that I took:

Love it. Too bad my other dog Nellie is camera (and apparently iPhone) shy. Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Have fun gearing up for the New Year!

Merry Christmas!

In the wise words of *NSYNC, "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" everyone! Cuddle up with family and friends, drink some hot cocoa and soak up the holiday cheer. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Oh the weather outside is frightful

It just keeps snowing and snowing and snowing and....

I have never seen so much snow in my entire life. I know I'm only 23, but the weather over the last few days has been absolutely insane. And usually I love snow, especially around Christmas time, but this is a but much.

I got back from Boston late yesterday afternoon and I had a wonderful time, despite the many snow-related, stress-filled moments. But I am lucky that I even got to Boston, and I'm even luckier that my boyfriend did, too. After all, it was his family, his house and his Christmas party we were flying out for. 

You already know that my flight was cancelled an entire day before I was scheduled to fly out. They put me on the 6:30am flight on Saturday morning...and then the craziness began:

Friday: The snow was slow in coming, but eventually slammed into Chicago and then made a beeline to Boston. Thanks Mother Nature. Thank goodness my flight was changed, but unfortunately my boyfriend (let's call him J), who was flying form Milwaukee to Chicago was

 delayed. When he finally made it to Chicago 3 hours late (it's about a 15 minute flight) he found out that his flight to Boston was cancelled. Try as he might, he couldn't get booked on a single other flight and was told he'd have to go on standby.  He ended up sleeping on a little refugee cot at O'Hare airport next to a large German man he nicknamed Haas. (On the plus side, Haas invited him to explore Michigan Avenue with him if the were both stranded. My boyfriend politely declined.)

Saturday: I got to the airport at 4:15am and found J. He was 16 on the standby list for my flight. We waited and waited, and then I had to board and leave him behind. They started letting the standby people on and went through 9 people before they closed the door. So I jetted off to Boston, while J was stranded at O'Hare. Meanwhile, the weather in Boston was getting worse by the second and my flight couldn't land right away. So we circled and circled and circled some more before they told us we would land in Hartford. But when we finally landed, we were in Boston. Odd. So I met J's parents who so kindly picked me up at the airport. I felt bad that I made it there and J didn't (he is their only child), but they were just happy I made it in safely. 

So I went back to J's house and helped his parents get ready for their big family Christmas party that very night. I baked, I swept and watched the snow pour down (it was literally raining down snowballs at some points). J called to check in and couldn't get on the other 3 morning flights. We were all so nervous he wouldn't make it in. When he called to tell us he made it on the 1:45pm flight, we were ecstatic . But then it was delayed and delayed and delayed some more. And then he called to say all the flights to Boston before and after him were cancelled because of the heavy snow. Some of the people who were stranded couldn't get rebooked until December 26th...

But finally his flight took off. In the mean time, his family party started and luckily I had met most of his family before, so I felt pretty comfortable with everyone. When J finally arrived around 8:30pm and we were all so happy to see him.

Sunday: Boston Pops day. Still snowing a TON. We drove to the T to get to the city and it took us FOREVER. We saw so many spin-outs and could only go about 15 miles an hour on the highway. Nothing was plowed or salted or sanded or whatever. It was very scary. I took this from the car as we drove:

When we finally go to Boston, NOTHING was shoveled. Since I was dressed up for the night, I was wearing flats and tights (dumb, I know) and I had to wade through really deep, ice cold puddles. EVERYTHING in Boston was closed due to the weather. It was crazy. When we got to the city it was sleeting....then it poured rain...then the temperature dropped and everything froze...then it snowed again. 

But we were able to get to the Pops and it was a blast. I loved it! And when we came out...it wasn't snowing anymore! Hooray!

Monday: I ran errands with J, exchanged gifts and went out to dinner with him and his parents. Oh and his parents just got a Wii, so J and I couldn't stop playing tennis, golf and bowling. I'm kind of obsessed with it now. 

Tuesday:  I knew Chicago was getting snow on Tuesday when I was supposed to fly, so I was a bit nervous. My flight was at 10:30am yesterday morning and seemed to be on time. So I said goodbye to J and skipped off to my gate. And then I waited and waited and waited. No plane yet. When the plane finally came, we started to board. And then we sat at the gate and waited some more. When we finally taxied out to the runway, we had to wait some more. Our pilot told us the weather was bad in Chicago...and it was. We got in about 2 hours late (not too bad at all) and the crowds at O'Hare were horrendous. I guess tons of flights were delayed up to 4 hours or cancelled altogether. My parents didn't think I'd even make it in.  So I was SO glad when I did. 

And guess what? It's still snowing here. But at least I had a great time and everyone made it back safe and sound.

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

I'm an idiot.

So I wrote the post that was posted earlier today last night, when I thought I would have no time tonight. But now that I found out my flight to Boston was cancelled and rescheduled to Saturday morning, I've got time to spare.  And thank goodness, because I am laying here blubbering like an idiot, trying to nurse the cuts and bruises I just became the proud owner of.

My Mom was down in the city today and swung by to pick up some stuff I need to bring home for Christmas. I was walking down my back stairs, carrying  a laundry basket with my Christmas presents when my feet slipped out from under me and in one big straight-out-of-a-cheesy-comedy moment, I flew up in the air, still clutching my laundry basket, and landed right in the middle of my back. Because I have a rather boney back, my spine took the full blow. Needless to say, I'm in a world of pain right now.

When I was finally back in my apartment, I started wondering if I dropped anything when I fell. The fall must have knocked something loose in my head, because I decided it would be a good idea to walk back down the icy stairs to see what I could find. So without putting a coat on, I threw on some boots and walked very, very, very slowly down the steps, gripping the railing. I got to the second flight of stairs down and BOOM! legs out from under me, flew through the air and BAM! landed right on my elbow. I burst into tears and to my horror realized the rather cute guy who shared the stairwell was standing above me. He helped me up and went down to look to see if anything had fallen from my first graceful fall, while I stood there crying tears of humiliation in my dirty, wet sweater, bleeding on my elbow (which is now black and blue) and hand.

Moral of the story: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" DOES NOT pertain to walking down icy stairs. For those of you who get to experience all the joys of winter like I do, good luck and be careful. Ice, especially black ice, is a total bitch.

Oh man, I feel like an old lady now...at least I didn't break a hip. But my back is swollen. Nice. 

Doin' the holiday hustle

Tomorrow is my last day of work for two wonderful weeks. My office closes between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day (which is awesome) and I was able to use my remaining vacation days to maximize my time off. I couldn't be more excited. Not only will I be able to relax and enjoy the holidays, but I'll also be able to get away from the "cesspool of sickness" that is my office, as the senior copywriter so nicely put it (every single person is sick, it's kind of gross).

So now I won't be at my apartment for about two weeks and I've been running around like a mad woman packing things, getting errands done and finishing up all my Christmas shopping. 

But once work ends Friday, the craziness really begins. I have to hop on the L, rush to O'Hare and await my flight to Boston. Unfortunately, Chicago is supposed to get hit with a snow/ice/sleet storm over the next couple of days. Not only that, but Boston is supposed to get hit with a big snowstorm, too. With those two combined, it should make for an interesting travel experience. Can't wait!

I am really excited to go out there, though. And then I get back on Tuesday afternoon, get to wrap tons of presents (I LOVE wrapping, seriously), and hang out at my parent's house. Then it's off to church and my Grandma's house for Christmas Eve. 

The most exciting thing? My family and I have decided this year will be a Pajama Christmas. Every other year we had to drive 6 hours to visit my Dad's family in southern Illinois on Christmas Day. I love my family, but spending the whole day in a car is NOT fun, especially when the only place open to get lunch is a really, really sad Wendy's in the middle of nowhere where people chain smoke and babies scream and everyone looks like they want to hurt you for being happy. But this year, we're not leaving until Friday, so we get to veg out all day on Christmas in our pajamas. I can't even wait.

It's going to be a crazy week, but it's going to be a blast. And two full weeks without work? It's going to be amazing! It's like I'm back in school again and get a holiday break...yay!

Good news! I saw a dog today.

Ok so maybe I'm not as excited as Buddy the Elf, but I'm thrilled about the pretty great week I'm having so far. And here's why:

Monday:

• Had to meet with my boss first thing in the morning—he told me I was getting a raise. A very, very small one, but my first one ever as a working girl. I was so excited. What a great way to start the week!

• My coworker made amazing brownies. Brownies are always a reason to be happy.

• I went to my parents' house to decorate the Christmas tree and my Mom made one of my favorite meals—cider stew. And she made brownies, too. Double brownie day!

• My parents picked out the perfect (live) tree and my Mom, Dad, sister and I decked it out with as many ornaments as possible. It's a total masterpiece now, if I do say so myself:

I always love the ornaments we made as kids, like this little gem:

Yep, that's me when I was 4. Apparently I loved Minnie Mouse...and penguins.

Tuesday:

• It snowed...it was pretty.

• I had 1/2 a vacation day to use, so I slept in.

• We all got little Christmas bonuses at work, which was very unexpected, very appreciated and very exciting.

• The creative team got to leave an hour early to go out for our annual Christmas dinner "Meet for Meat". We went to Twin Anchors, an amazing restaurant in Old Town. 

• After dinner, we went out for drinks at a bar nearby. The only two other people at the bar got ahold of a microphone...and proceeded to put on a "comedy" routine. The one guy started ranting about life, trying to be funny. It was totally awkward, but we were forced to listen to it. Then the other guy grabbed the microphone and proceeded to serenade us with songs like "Blue Velvet". He gave little dedications before each song ("this is for the dreamers out there, hope you find your love") and then forget half the words to the songs, so he hummed along instead. It was awful to watch, but it was probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Good times.

Wednesday:

•Finished all my Christmas shopping!

• Only two days of work left and then I'm off for two whole weeks. Can't wait!

Another time, another place

Lately, I've been wondering what it would be like to live in a different era. Call me crazy, but sometimes I really think I would have loved growing up in another time. 

Last Thursday, when I was with my high school friends, we were playing with the conversation starter cards my one friend had. I was looking at the box and immediately loved the third question. I begged her to read it out loud, which she did: "If you could live in another era, what would it be and why?"

I immediately jumped up and yelled "The 1950s! Absolutely! I'm so traditional and those are my people. I'd fit in. I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I know that's what I want."

My friends stared at me for a minute and then burst out laughing. It was pretty funny, I suppose, but I was dead serious. 

Sometimes I really do think about it and how much I'd love to be in the 1950s. There's something so appealing about the simplicity of those times. Things seemed so traditional and easy-going and the focus was on family and being together. All the great movies and music were new and exciting. Boyfriends swapped sweaters and class rings, girls got to wear  dresses all the time (I love dresses), sock hops were the rage and chivalry was alive and thriving. It seemed like such a happy, carefree time. 

And yes, I'm sure there were a lot of not-so-peachy aspects of the 50s (not to mention a cookie-cutter housewife role for women), but I like to romanticize it. Growing up, I loved shows like Happy Days and movies like Grease and comics like Archie because they took place during that time. When I found out that they weren't actually made during the 50s, I was devastated. Even as a little girl, I fell in love with those times. I felt like I could really connect to it and couldn't wait until I could sit at the diner sharing a milkshake (with two straws) with my high school sweetheart. 

But as much fun as it would be, it would also mean I'd have to live through the 60s and 70s and I can tell you for sure that I would NOT want to do that. Nothing about that era looks fun to me. The hair, the drugs, the music, the clothes...ick. So I think I'll just enjoy being a good old Millennial (I think that's what I am) right now.

What about you? Have you ever wanted to live in a different time?

Sniffles

Oh how I love this cute little sinus infection I've developed over the last couple of days. I think I've gone though about 2 boxes of Kleenex in the past 24 hours. Good times.

I'd love to say I'm staying in bed and resting all day, but I've got way too much to do. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Oh and thanks for all the great restaurant suggestions everyone! I can't wait to get out there.

I think I'll go to Boston...

Oh no wait, I really am going to Boston. I leave on the 19th and get back on the 23rd, just in time for Christmas. I'm flying out with my boyfriend (he's from a 'burb of Boston) to visit with his family, go to his annual Christmas party and soak up the city I love so much.

I have a crush on Boston. Yes, it's possible to have a crush on a thriving metropolis. At the mention of it, my heart starts to flutter and I immediately want to talk about it and express my love. I've been there 5 times and every time I go I think I love it a little more. In fact, I could see myself moving there one day...but that's a whole other story.

Two years ago I was out there right before Christmas and my boyfriend took me to see the Holiday Pops (the holiday version of the Boston Pops) at Symphony Hall. He took me out to dinner then we went to the show, which was amazing. It was one of my favorite nights ever. For someone who loves the holidays as much as I do, it was the perfect gift. And I had always secretly wanted to see the Pops, but never told anyone (it seemed pretty nerdy). So when he surprised me with tickets for Christmas without knowing my secret wish, I knew he really understood me. I think that's part of why I loved it so much.

When I found out I was going back to Boston this year, I begged him to go to the Pops. And he surprised me with tickets again. I am SO excited. But this time, I want to take him out to dinner beforehand and treat him to a wonderful evening.

So here's a question for anyone from Boston: 

What restaurant should I take him to? It can't be too expensive or too seafood-y (sorry, can't stand it), and would ideally be close to Symphony Hall. Any ideas? I could really use some help!

And on a completely unrelated topic, the January issue of Marie Claire came out...and I really am in it! It's a tiny picture and story, but it's still really cool. I still can't believe that happened! My Mom saw it at Barnes & Noble and bought 3 copies. So funny. And Jessica Simpson is on the cover...so it's kind of like we're hanging out together, right? Ha.

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

I love Christmas music. 

I usually start listening to it in October. Yes, I know, kind of crazy, but I love it. It always puts me in a great mood. I used to be in musical theater when I was younger and sang carols before the The Nutcracker in my town every year (8 performances each time!). We all had to have long curls (loved those pink sponge rollers) and dressed head to toe in Dickens caroling apparel—bonnet with a bow and all—and I loved every minute of it.

It was nearly impossible for me to pick my top 5 favorite songs. So after the first one, they aren't really in order...

1. "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby. Hands down, my favorite Christmas song. It's so sweet and festive...and that Bing was quite a stud. Those eyes and that voice. Wow. Though he kind of looked like my Grandpa when he was younger, so I guess that's weird for me to say.

2. "The Holly and The Ivy". I don't know why, but this song always gives me the chills. There's something about the melody that is so haunting and beautiful.

3. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". How could you not love this one?

4. "Oh Holy Night". I have to have one religious carol thrown in here and this would be it. I've always loved this song.

5. "Fairytale of New York" by the The Pogues. I first heard this song while I was studying abroad in Galway, Ireland. I came back to the States right before Christmas and listened to this song nonstop—especially during the flight home, crying the whole time (yeah I haven't even tapped into my love for Ireland yet on this blog yet).  So every time I listen to this song, it's like I have a little piece of Ireland with me. Wow, I am such a sap!

And I also love:

•"All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey

•"Joy to the World"

•"Home Alone Theme/Somewhere in My Memory" by John Williams 

•"Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" by *NSYNC

•"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"

•"Sleigh Ride"

•The entire Nutcracker soundtrack

My biggest pet peeve of the season is that "My Favorite Things" is NOT a Christmas song. Yes, it mentions "warm woolen mittens", but as a huge Sound of Music fan, I can only ever associate it with Maria hopping around her room, singing to the von Trapp children and wrapping herself in the curtains (which will later become the children's play clothes) 

Today is random

I can't think about what to write about. Hm... So how about a Love It/Hate It list about today?

Love It:

Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets No Sugar Added hot cocoa. It's SO good. I'm usually not a fan of "diet" things, but this is amazing. I'm enjoying a cup right now with a dash of cinnamon on top. Yum.

John and Kate + 8. I LOVE this show. Aaden and Alexis are my favorites. And I honestly think Mady (spelling taken from their website...seems odd) has a behavioral disorder. She comes off as such a brat! Everyone thinks Kate is too mean, but with 8 little kids I think she has to be that way. Anyway, the show is one of my favorites. It's so cute and real and funny. Aw.

I walked to the bus stop tonight lugging my extremely heavy groceries and found the bus I needed waiting there...with one empty seat right next to the "shelf" to put bags. So not only did I get to sit, I also got to make sure no one stole my whole wheat English muffins or Lean Cuisines. Very exciting moment.

Gossip Girl. What a fantastic show. But seriously, Aaron isn't cute. And I really like Serena and Dan together...

Hate It:

Grocery shopping in the city without a car. Lugging groceries on the bus is NOT fun. And since I don't live by a good grocery store, it's unavoidable. I get all grumpy even thinking about doing it. 

Having to divide my time. That's very vague, but yeah. So frustrating.

That jerk who stole my wallet. I STILL don't have a new debit card and I'm still trying to reimbursed for the one purchase that went through when they stole my card. UGH.

The pile of dirty dishes sitting in my sink. Oh how I miss my dishwasher from my old apartment...

But I guess I better start washing. Farewell. 

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

I literally just walked in the door and it feels so good to be back in my nice little apartment again. 

After going nonstop for a week now, I am physically and mentally exhausted. It's been a wonderful, fun-filled week, but I think I could pass out now and sleep for days. I only got about 4-5 hours of sleep each night last week. And after being out until the wee hours celebrating the Marquette victory last night, I'm pretty sure my body hates me. 

I'm really looking forward to having a relatively quiet couple of days coming up. And I'm determined to go to bed early this week. The craziness doesn't start again until Thursday and then doesn't stop until the 28th. I have friend parties, family parties, boyfriend's family parties, coworker parties, a trip to southern Illinois and a trip to Boston to squeeze in there. I now realize why it's my favorite—and most exhausting—time of year. 

Ok, that's all I have the energy to type right now. This night owl is going to bed early. Sweet dreams.

I've been drinking since 2:30...

So please forgive my poor writing this evening. I just had to write a post, I was missing my blog the last couple of days. I felt like I was neglecting a good friend.

The last couple of days have been crazy. As much as I love the holidays, there's always so much going on...

Wednesday: Client party in the suburbs. Got stuck in traffic in the snow on the way there. Felt a little awkward since I'm a creative person, not an account person, so small talk isn't my thing. Chatted with my coworkers, avoided the almost all seafood appetizers (yuck), was insulted by a coworker and had to deal with the very embarrassing moment when one of our senior clients hit on me. He got way too close to me, backed me up against a wall and chatted to be about his time in the Persian Gulf War in 1991 (no joke). He asked me what I was doing in 1991. I told him I was 6...and he thought it was cute. Not so much. Because I'm naive, it took me awhile to catch on. Luckily, my coworkers saved me and now I'm the talk of the office. So embarrassing. 

Thursday: College alumni party at a nearby bar. Tons of fun. I was tired from the night before so I vowed to be home by 9. Got to the bar, realized it was free beer for the first hour, ran into tons of friends and ended up not getting home until midnight. And then I decided I just HAD to watch The Office. Good idea, Pam.

Friday: Company holiday party at a Chicago bowling alley. We got to leave work at 2:30 and it was a lot of fun. We all went to a couple of bars afterward, which was a blast. And then I got into a cab where the crazy driver was screaming about religion, premarital sex and drunk girls. I just nodded, slumped lower in my seat and prayed that he would get me home safely...and not yell at me for being one of those drunk girls. 

I haven't been out this much since college. Yikes. 

Now I'm off to Milwaukee in the morning to see my boyfriend and go to the big Marquette vs. Madison basketball game. I can't wait!

Sidnote: I went to Starbucks this morning and the same barista took my order. I told her what I wanted and she said, "Ok and that's for Jes...". I immediately stopped her and said, "Nope, still Pam." She smiled and was like "Oh yeah! You remind me a lot of Pam from The Office. Now I'll be sure to remember! Must be your hair color or something..."

That made my day. Not only do I LOVE The Office, but I love Pam (makes me proud of my name) and I LOVE that she gets to be with Jim. Now this will help me live vicariously through her. Hooray for fictional characters!

Ok...I need to go to bed big time. Goodnight!

I'm a night owl

Every night, I go through the same routine. Around 9 o'clock, I start to get really tired. I kind of take it easy, lounging on my couch, telling myself that tonight's the night I'm going to bed early. 

Then I start playing on my computer, catching up on emails, etc. And suddenly it's 10:30. So then I flip through channels to put something good on while I brush my teeth and wash my face...I have no idea why. 

When I'm finally ready for bed, it's around 11 and I ALWAYS get a second wind. I'll finish watching a movie that's on TV or remember one more thing I wanted to look up online and then BAM! 11:30. Shoot. Getting way too late. 

So then I do my night checks (hey, I live alone, I have to make sure there are no monsters in the closet), and finally hop into bed. 

And then I can't fall asleep. So I just lay in bed, watch TV, check and recheck my alarm clock (I'm paranoid of oversleeping) and freak out over every sound in my tiny apartment. 

Finally, around 12:30 I drift off to sleep...

I've gotten into such bad habits, but I can't help it. My best intentions to go to bed early are always squashed. Even now, it's 9:30 and I'm exhausted. But once I get up and do my dishes, try on my outfit for our client holiday party tomorrow night and get ready for bed, I'll get my second wind and be up until the wee hours.

And tonight I REALLY need sleep. My next few days are insane...

Ok and now I'm procrastinating and delaying my bed time even more. Bad Pam!

Son of a nutcracker!

Since I love Christmas so much, it's only fitting that I write about some of my favorite things. 

So I now present to you my top five favorite Christmas movies:

Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?

1. Elf. No surprise here. I could watch this movie all day, every day the whole year and I still wouldn't get tired of it. I love it. It always makes me laugh. My brother and I constantly quote this via text message, everything from "Good news, I saw a dog today" to "Francisco...frannnciscooo" And "I just like to smile. Smiling's my favorite" is my favorite movie quote ever. Love it.

We invite you to ask yourself this one simple question: 

Do you believe in Santa Claus?

2. Miracle on 34th Street. Ok confession, I've never actually seen the original version, though I own it. But I LOVE the new version (own that, too). There's something so magical about this movie and yes, I'm proud to admit that I do believe in Santa Claus.

Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.

 

3. It's A Wonderful Life. I cry every time I watch this movie. The classic Christmas movies are some of the very best ones. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And that George Bailey is such a good man...

If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion 

love actually is all around.

4. Love Actually. How could you not love this movie? It's cute and funny and I love it. My favorite couple? Jamie and Aurelia, of course. And I love how all the characters are connected. The first time I saw this movie I remember being amazed by it all. Such great stories.

You'll shoot your eye out, kid.

5. A Christmas Story. The Christmas Eve staple. I like this one based solely on tradition. Every year TBS plays 24 hours of A Christmas Story, and every year I get sucked in. After Christmas Eve Mass, after my Grandma's house, while I'm drifting off to sleep, the next day after we open gifts, while we eat breakfast...I can't get enough of it. And that's the only day of the year I actually watch that movie. 

Honorable Mentions: Home Alone ("Look what you did you little jerk") and How the Grinch Stole Christmas—the animated version, NOT the Jim Carrey version ("I wouldn't touch you with a 39 and a half foot pole")

So there you have it. Now I'm going to pop in the original Miracle on 34th Street for the first time and hop into bed. 

...and to all a good night.