Friday Facts!

1. Christmas is right around the corner! We did our part to enjoy the Holiday Season this week by exchanging Secret Santa gifts (that deserves a number in and of itself), curling up on the couch to watch a Christmas Movie (National Lampoon Christmas Vacation) and of course, enjoying some seasonal holiday drinks. We had quite a selection of festive cocktails: eggnog, mulled wine and my personal favorite, hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps. On top of that we had an amazing dinner of vegetarian lasagna (thanks to Carly's awesome cooking!), and an entire plate of holiday treats for dessert. We are definitely doing our part in celebrating the holidays in this house.

2. So back to this whole Secret Santa exchange. Did I mention that this is kind of a holiday tradition for Kristi and me? I mean, I don't know if it's possible to be Secret Santa experts, but if so, we definitely are. It's pretty safe to assume that when there are less people involved, it's a lot easier to draw yourself when it comes time to pick names. Having done this last year with 5 people, we were well aware that it might take a few rounds before everything works out right.

But this year, we had a man watching as we drew our names. And as everyone knows, men are way better than women at everything. So after a few failed attempts at drawing, this man got a bit impatient. He decided to do the drawing himself, to make sure none of us picked ourselves.

Alright, so now that you know the back story, flash forward to Wednesday night. We're all curled up on the couches, and as we've done all the years before, we pick someone to go first. They're supposed to give out their present, and the chain goes on from there. So Kristi goes to grab her present, walks in and starts heading towards Kim. Only one issue, I have Kim. She can't have Kim. But sure enough, she does. Soo Secret Santa didn't exactly go as planned this year. One very lucky Kim got two presents, and one (lucky?) Carly will be getting four presents, one from each of us.

Lesson Learned: Men have no business organizing Secret Santa.

3. Something else I learned this season is that Santa Barbara actually does have seasons! Want some proof? Here's a picture of the fall leaves on the ground in our neighborhood:

I have to say I actually like the fall season. I like wearing scarves and winter jackets and boots, it's a cute look. Now if I can just have a giant Christmas bonus that can go towards expanding my winter wardrobe, I'll be one happy girl.


4. Don't think we left out Scooby on these holiday celebrations, he got to enjoy the season too! 

Scooby getting the treats out of his stocking

5. The fam comes to visit this week, and I could not be more excited. Monday is "Bring your kid to work day," and since my sister will definitely fall in the age group of the other kids, I'm bringing her to work. It will be so nice to spend some much needed time with my family. 


6. Kristi and I just started what I'm fairly certain is going to become a holiday tradition. Considering we have quite a bit of our festive cocktails leftover, we needed to put them to good use. After dinner last night we made ourselves some hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps, put on our warmest winter gear (including the adorable mittens Kristi got us all as our stockings gift) and grabbed Scooby's leash. We headed out for an evening walk to appreciate all of the Christmas lights in our neighborhood (I'm gonna be real and say that our neighbors are seriously slacking on the holiday spirit, but we love our neighborhood so they're forgiven). We ended up walking for well over an hour, and it was such a great way to get a little exercise while enjoying the decorations of the season.


7. Have I mentioned that we finally got DVR? Turns out it's only $1-2 extra for each of us per month, and now we can record all of our favorite shows. Worth it? You bet. So in honor of our new best friend, the DVR, here are some of my favorite TV shows:

Glee! This has definitely been one of my favorites for some time, but I have to be honest and say that I'm not a super huge fan of this season. But let's be real, I'm not gonna ditch the Glee train now. I'm a loyal fan.

I didn't get into How I Met Your Mother until just last season, but I'm so glad I did! I LOVE Friends, and this is basically the next Friends, so I'm in love. This season has kind of thrown me for a loop with a few things, and I just can't wait til new episodes come back after the holidays.

I heard a lot of good things about Revenge, but didn't start watching until a few weeks ago. Thank goodness for Hulu, cause I basically watched all of the episodes in about 2-3 days. Ever since then, well, I'm hooked. 

New Girl! Definitely my favorite show right now. It's just SO good, and so funny. If you haven't watched it yet, do yourself a favor and catch up during the holiday break! You won't regret it.


8. Can you guys believe that it's almost 2012? That's CRAZY to me. Time is just flying by and it needs to slowww down. I'd really like to enjoy these next 5+ years so if someone could pull some strings and slow the clock down, that'd be great. Anyway, speaking of the new year, it's time to start thinking of those new year's resolutions. I've got a few decisions to make, such as a) what my resolutions should be, and b) if I'm gonna blog about them. I should be a good blogger and post my goals for 2012, but definitely a bit worried about if I slip up. But hey, there's no judgement here, right?


9. I've decided I need to plan a trip to San Francisco to visit these people: 

This picture was taken over 5 years ago. I'll say it one more time, can someone please slow time down? K thanks. But back to the point, I'm determined to visit San Fran within the next few months. It's happening, just gotta pick a date. 


10.  Can I just say that I am so glad it's Friday? This has been a really long week, so let's say it together now: TGIF. 

Happy Friday!!