Planning in advance this year definitely allowed me to enjoy the holidays more because I had more time to focus on the important moments while they were happening instead of getting caught up in all of the minute details. Okay, let's be real, I was still a stress ball. One of the most overwhelming things about the holidays is planning all of our travels! Somehow, everything always ends up working out in the end.
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| My work holiday party |
The first two weekends in December we spent with our coworkers at our respective holiday parties. The Friday before Christmas we drove up to Cleveland. We went to the Janesz family Christmas party and then to a holiday party hosted by our friends. The remainder of the holiday was spent mostly in comfy clothes relaxing. I read and watched countless movies. Alex made beer with his dad and gamed with his siblings. We went to church a couple times. That's the short version, but all in all it was a visit filled with lots of R&R and quality time with family and friends.
We headed back to Lexington in a blizzard the day after Christmas. I went into the office for a couple days to get caught up on a few work things and send out the payroll checks. After unpacking we promptly repacked for a long weekend in Cincinnati. We enjoyed dinner and a gift exchange with my parents. The next day we spent with Alex's family and members of the Harshman clan at his Grandpa's house. That evening we met back up with my parents for our traditional Peterson-Janesz Cock and Bull English Pub gathering. As always it proved to be an enjoyable evening.
It's such a wonderful feeling to have a tradition that brings our two families together! We have a little too much fun I think...
The next day we went to my parent's church and had the pleasure of seeing my mom play handbells during the service. It was an interesting experience because it was also the first time we had seen the renovated sanctuary. My entire life (or as long as I can remember) it's been the same, and now it's not. As much as we move on in our lives, sometimes it's still surprising when the things from our past change too.
That afternoon we partook in another Christmas tradition - Swedish pancakes, at my Aunt and Uncle's house. Since I was in elementary school we have always made Swedish pancakes for our Christmas meal with my dad's side of the family. My dad has Swedish roots on both sides of his family. They are less cakey and have the consistency of a crepe. We make small sand dollar size ones in a griddle and then you top them with lingonberries {or lingonberry sauce}, which have a similar flavor to cranberries. When my cousins and I were young we would have contests to see who could eat the most. I still love them. They're delicious, but they also remind me of many happy memories.
That evening I met up with a few of my college roommates for dinner. As always, we had so much to talk about and there never seems to be enough time. It was great to catch up with them. We've been through so many different situations with one another, and it's special to see where we've all ended up knowing everyone's back stories and hardships. Love them!
New Year's Eve we went to the Newport Aquarium with my parents and explored. We had a late lunch and just enjoyed the afternoon. That evening Alex and I had a low key New Year's Eve with some close friends. A perfect close to a hectic holiday! It felt like our second visit was over before it even started. I hate that feeling when a trip, a weekend or a holiday finally comes to an end. I just feel disappointed that I can't spend every waking minute hanging out with my family and friends. The fact that I can't though, is what makes it that much more enjoyable and special when we are together.
Now we're both back to work, our resolutions are hanging on the fridge and our calendar is filling up for the next few months. It's almost half way through January already! Alex has started his second semester at UK and it looks like this year it's going to be just as busy as last year. Phew. Life is crazy, but oh so good.
