Christmas in Michigan

Looks like we only broke out the camera to capture Jack in action. Typical. Jack wasn't so sure about opening presents but he did love his new rocking horse (which Ryan proceeded to get stuck in) and bike trailer. He also enjoyed being stuffed into his stocking.

Nicole and Stephanie came out to Detroit for lunch which was a great way to end our very short trip to Michigan.

Mom's Visit

My Mom finally got out to New York the weekend before Christmas. She was very excited to see all the holiday decorations and we both really enjoyed her Christmas present from me - two tickets to see the new Broadway revival of Godspell! The show was excellent and we both loved the updated jokes and more rock less folk to the music. Sean and I also enjoyed showing her around to our favorite places in Astoria and making sure she had a whole wheat everything bagel.
Thanks for visiting, Mom! And thanks for being the first follower of my blog!

Through the years
We all will be together,
If the fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Favorite holiday songs

John Lennon, Happy Xmas (War is Over)

Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24, Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Christmas Lights, Coldplay

I Pray on Christmas, Harry Connick Jr.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Judy Garland, classic

Christmas is All Around, Billy Mack/Love Actually Soundtrack

Of course, Amy Grant's Home for Christmas album is always my favorite, but youtube doesn't have a good selection of videos for those songs...

Real Life

Sean (singing softly to self): I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know...all I want for Christmas is Ruth, Ruthhhhh baby

Christmas Tree

Last year, in an attempt to be festive without taking up a lot of space, I let Sean talk me into buying a tiny fake Christmas tree from a bargain store nearby. I bet this tree is pretty toxic and flammable, and I hope that we can upgrade in a few years, or actually get a real tree, at which point I will probably find out I am allergic to Christmas trees.


Anyway, last week we got out our tiny tree and boxes of ornaments which is always a fun moment. Last year our parents gifted us with ornaments from their trees that "belonged" to us. Sean has more than one Cinderella ornament. I have a collection of embarrassing school photos in mini frames.


This year, we placed our tree on a box to make it a little taller. As you can see from the photo, it's now as tall as me when you include the horrible angel that I won as a Thanksgiving family Bingo prize last year.


Right now, nothing can replace the trees we grew up with which were always a normal size and covered with lights and ornaments, but I'm looking forward to building up our own holiday decoration collection more each year so that when we someday find ourselves spending Christmas morning in our own home, the tree will be covered with memorable, tacky, and ridiculous ornaments that can rival the "naked baby" on my Mom's tree.

Shopping Local

Sean and I are big fans of the "shopping local" trend. This includes buying groceries that are from the area, eating at restaurants that emphasis local foods and shopping at small independent stores. We don't get to do as much of the last one as we'd like so I'm thrilled that we just made our first trip to SITE on 34th Ave. in Astoria. They had so many unique and cute items that would make perfect gifts, including an adorable baby selection and very nice jewelery. There were also plenty of New York and Astoria themed products. We bought a few Christmas gifts and will definitely be back!

The Real Christmas List

New passport with my real name on it without filling out any paperwork

1 bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side

Plants that will stay alive in our apartment

A new dresser that fits all our clothes without leaving wood chips on them

Immersion blender*

A new workout/yoga wardrobe and gym bag to support me actually wanting to visit a gym

More time in the day to make sleeping 8 hours, working out and cooking healthy meals easier

Perfume in a scent I like

A vacation and the days off required to take one

Never having to call an insurance company again





*Ok this one is on my actual list, I want one so bad!!