christmas...

two weeks after chritmas already? guess it's about time i get a post together, ya? on christmas eve, i ended up leaving the office around 10:30, rushing home to pack everything up, and head back home for a few weeks. we started off with a visit to my grandma's, then to dylan's aunt and uncle's place for the majority of the night with dylan's brother and parents. after that, we went back to his parents to his exchange gifts with them. then! after that, we went back to my parents' for the night.

it's like santa's workshop. 

for dylan's side, we all had to wear onesies. 

it's christmas morning! 

books! i love my books.

i'll be honest. i was a little confused when i opened the fitbit. i had never mentioned one, didn't really even know what they were, and i definitely don't exercise. i had no idea why dylan got it for me and basically planned on returning it. then i started looking at it online, i realized i would give it a shot. i think it's fair to say, this thing has me obsessed with reaching all my goals! mostly the step goal. sorry for overreacting, dyl!

my mom really needed to replace her small purse camera, so an upgrade it was. along with a dvd and a bracelet. she's a tough one to buy for.

we tricked my dad into thinking we just got him a wireless speaker (he's wanted one since he saw dylan's)

nope! we had something big hiding in the bathroom the last few days.

a smoker! i think he was pretty stoked with it. and hey, dylan can't wait for some smoked meat in the spring.

now gifts from the parents. these iphone lenses are actually pretty cool and work great.

more books. i'll be kept busy for a while.

dylan's haul from my parents. games, video games, gift cards, luggage. he does well.

and finally some shared gifts. thing for around the home, gift cards, etc.

but the best gift...

was a beautiful hardcover flat lay book with thick pages of pictures of our trip to italy. amazing.

*book from picaboo*

well, that's it for christmas 2015. always a blast. until next year! 

christmas eve...

it's christmas eve! we stopped by the market one last time before it closed down for another year. this time i made dylan wait in line to get a cute picture in front of the heart. worth the 5 minute wait i think ;) 

i hope everyone has a merry christmas! i'm off to work for a bit, but i hope to be gone long before the office closes at 1. we've got a busy day ahead and i can't wait!

potluck #1...

two weekends ago we hosted a potluck with 4 of our friends. we were so busy on saturday - cleaning, getting groceries, cooking, setting everything up (making the perfect christmas playlist;)), etc. you look around thinking, "is everything perfect? did i get that last dust bunny that's hiding in the corner?" but then you realize that's it's likely only you who notices that stuff. we covered the turkey, ham, wine, and dessert, while the others covered stuffing, potatoes, salad, buns, and cranberry sauce. we basically had a traditional christmas dinner covered. everything was absolutely amazing.

 the only picture i have of the red velvet cake i made.

 we even turned on the fireplace for our guests!

 ready.set.go. 

dinner is served.

we basically used every utensil, serving dish, plate, bowl, etc in our kitchen. it's safe to say it was a complete disaster the next morning. no doubt it's a lot of work hosting a small dinner, but it's definitely fun.

christmas ready...

we put our christmas stuff up pretty early this year. i think mid-november we had it up, then it sat lightless (and ornamentless) for about a week until we bought a few more strands. when we knew the parents were coming for a visit, we knew we had to get out butts in gear and get it done.

 we have light!

 i actually started decorating the tree one morning before work at 7am and then i came home at lunch to do a bit more. 

a sorrento souvenir tucked in there.

 a little card decorating thrown in.

/

i'm in love with this little wooden and tree branch reindeer we picked up at the local market.

 he's so cute :)

a little grinchmas.

presents are slowly getting wrapped.

i've watched approximately 84 cheesy made for tv christmas movies, with some classics thrown in, thus far. i just love coming home from work, turning the tree on, and cuddling up on the couch. it really is the best time of the year.