Holy Crap, It's Almost 2012...

I've totally neglected the blog over the past couple of weeks. I blame my family and the holidays. :)

I wanted to post a farewell to 2011...

2011 has had some good times (Hellooooo, New York City! Helloooo, Josh Groban concert! Hellooooo, spending quality time with family and friends! Helloooooo, lots of awesome, fantastic, wonderful things!)...and it's also taught me a thing or two (things that I'm still mulling over and keeping to myself for now).

I've been ill off an on for the past week or so. And tonight, I'm ringing in The New Year by myself. And I'm not sad about it!

I was invited to a couple of parties. Big ones, even.

But big parties have never been my thing. Not ever. (I have an old soul?)

I did go to dinner with a handful of friends tonight. And then I came home.

I came home and: 

*took a bath

*did a face mask

*"watched" Stranger Than Fiction while I...

*painted my nails (toes and fingers too!)

*started writing in my journal

It's been quite a happy, lovely evening, actually. (Stop feeling sorry for me! And quit thinking that I'm a hermit?)

HAPPY NEW YEAR in 3...2...1...

Welcome, 2012!!! I'm gonna OWN you!!!

CHRISTMAS!!!

There is so much to love about Christmas, you know...

Going home and spending time with the family. Playing games. Watching movies. Making tasty food with Mama, and eating the tasty food we made. Driving around town in a winter wonderland to see the lovely Christmas lights. Chasing my cute nieces and nephews around...

(I just realized that most of the things I mentioned can be done regardless of the time of year, but whatever; the fact remains that I love Christmas.)

I went home a couple of days before Christmas, and I did all of the lovely things I mentioned above.

We broke tradition this year, and instead of having turkey for our O-family Christmas Eve dinner, we had pulled pork. (Mom and Dad were given a mostly-thawed turkey a few days after Thanksgiving, and Mom couldn't even think about eating turkey, let alone preparing and baking one.) I had no qualms with that; pulled pork is near the top of my "favorite foods" list. (Let's not go there right now, though...that list is rather extensive.)

YUUUUUMMMMM!

Yeah. Lots of Dec. 23rd was spent in the kitchen with my mama. (I like spending time in the kitchen with my mama.) ALSO, Dad totally went with me and Mom to see the Christmas lights around town. He insisted on driving (won't tell you why--unless you ask), but he totally drove slow enough for us to enjoy the show :)

On Christmas Eve, Brent and I saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie. We totally loved it. (And nobody understands it less than I do, but WHAT THE HECK?! How is it that Jude Law is a stone fox even when he wears a mustache?!? Gah!)

Shortly after we got back from our matinee, I discovered that I wasn't feeling well. At all. Yucky tummy feelings, you see. I figured it would go away, but I felt worse as time marched on.

And by the time my brothers and sisters-in-law and nieces and nephews got to my parents' place for our Christmas Eve party...well. Whatever. I didn't eat dinner with my family that night. The worst part, though, was being in the same room as my cute nieces and nephews and not being able to chase them and cuddle with them and gobble them up.

Definition of self-control:
Being presented with this cute face and keeping my lips to myself.
It was agony, folks.

Anyway...my brothers/sisters-in-law and I did our gift exchange (Brent got me a cool hand mixer), and we watched the kids open a gift from my folks. (I love watching my kids open gifts!)

I ended up going to bed early that night, and then...

Christmas morning wake-up call...

On Christmas morning, Vance, Abby and Jane came over to open gifts with Mom, Dad, Brent and me. Janie got super excited about, I think, every single one of her gifts, so unwrapping took a while (which is fantastic!). I was most excited about my new Magic Bullet. (If you click on that link, I won't lie: it's a dumb infomercial, but I LOVE my Magic Bullet!)

ANYWAY...

Christmas ended up being very lovely (although the lack of snow was a bit disappointing). We went to church, and my little stomach flu (or whatever it was) went away (ish), so I was able to eat a bit of leftovers from Christmas Eve. We played games and watched a Christmas movie (I think?) and relaxed and totally enjoyed ourselves.

Aaaand I also enjoyed the rest of my trip to Utah.

I went with Mom and Dad to babysit Aaron and Amy's boys while they went to dinner and a movie...and since I was feeling better, I got to play with my nephews! (HOORAY!)

Silly Seth

You better believe I planted my lips on his cheeks as often as possible...

Wow...Jackson looks so much like his daddy!

 Umm...what else? I hung out a bit with Vance, Abby and Jane...

Oh, how I love my Janie...

The biggest bummer is that Goose and his family were gone for Christmas (they were visiting Janel's family in WA), so I didn't get to chill with them and chase their little ones around...

BUT! I met up with my dear friends Julia and Jamie for lunch the day before I headed back to Idaho, and that was LOVELY! 

And now...I'm back in Idaho. I got my hair did this morning, and I've fallen ill once again. (Not a stomach thing this time, but still...what the devil is this all about?!)

Already looking forward to the next time I can spend some more time with my stupendous family...

Essence of Cinnamon, and Ugly Sweaters

I went to an Ugly Sweater Party this evening.

Jess made some homemade hot cocoa, and was sprinkling cinnamon into the mix (score!).

Seeing the cinnamon reminded Keri of something. "I've heard that if you put either teaspoon or a tablespoon of cinnamon in your mouth, you can't swallow  it."

Shalene wanted to know if it was true, so she volunteered to try it out herself.

Jess handed her the little jar of cinnamon, and I grabbed my camera...

She was a good sport, right? She was totally choking on essence of cinnamon for about ten minutes afterward (plus gargled, ate a brownie, and sipped water to help control the coughing). I asked her if she was sorry she did it and she said, "Nope. But I'll never do it again!"

I LOVE YOU, SHALENE! :)

While I'm at it, I might as well post the pictures that I took. (Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of everyone's ugly sweaters.)

Shalene, Brookie, Keri and Beth

Melissa rocked her Rudolph sweater!!

Keri, me, Brooke and Beth

I'm totally bummed because people told me my sweater was kind of cute (which is depressing to hear at an ugly sweater party!), but I tell you what, the neck was nasty, and it's got, like, a metallic glint to it! I'd never wear it under normal circumstances! In fact, I put the sweater on about an hour before the party began, and I sat on the couch reading trying to read; my sparkly sweater was so shiny that it TOTALLY distracted me, and I had to pull my blanket up all the way so I could concentrate on my book. 

PS I'm still reading the Hobbit; it's not that I'm not enjoying it--Tolkien is a stupendous writer, but I do NOT give myself much time to read! I'm almost done, though! Bilbo and the dwarves have already met Smaug; they're currently hiding and trying to figure out where he is and how to defeat him--meanwhile he's off trying to destroy the closest village. I'M GOING TO FINISH THE BOOK WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, because I still need to read "A Christmas Carol," but I can't just push The Hobbit aside, or I might never finish it! Gah!

Sorry for that tangent.

Turns out, maybe I lent my ugliest of ugly sweaters to Beth and Kari...

Kari and Brooker

 Hooray for Ugly Sweater parties, and for fun friends!

Christmas Lights...

Last night as I was driving home from the Temple (at about 9:20pm), I noticed lots of houses decked out in Christmas lights. And I totally loved it. I actually took the long way home (and may or may not have gotten slightly turned around in the process), driving around (unfamiliar) neighborhoods and subdivisions to really revel in the Christmas spirit that was so prevalent in my heart last night.

A few days ago Nearly two weeks ago, I posted about the things I love so much about this Blessed Season...

I forgot to mention another O-fam tradition, started in the early days of my youth.

A few evenings before Christmas, my family would pile into the Ford Aerostar van, and we'd drive around town to look at the Christmas lights.

This picture was taken on my phone a couple of years ago
on a drive around town with Mom and Brent.
ISN'T IT AWESOME?! It's, like, a real-life gingerbread house!

Some of us enjoyed this tradition more than others.

Now, I'm not going to name names, but...okay, yes I am. MY DAD was one of the fellas who didn't particularly love this tradition. (To each his own.) But he was a good sport, and he was typically the one in the driver's seat.

I honestly can't remember exactly when it happened, but one year (was I still in elementary school?), Dad was particularly unexcited about driving around to see the lights. He didn't really grumble much (or maybe he did?); what I remember distinctly about this time in particular is that Dad drove by each house at warp speed, and the lights seemed more like a blur of colors. There was absolutely NO slowing down to enjoy the lights, not this time. The entire trip (which took in a good portion of my hometown) took a total of something like 15 minutes--including loading all seven of us into and out of the van.

It was a total bummer.

And we haven't let Dad live it down ever since.

Anyway, last night as I was driving around looking at the lights, I called my folks at home--and who do you think answered, but my dear Dad!

I told him that I had a stellar idea: to drive around Brigham City the evening I get home for the holidays. And that I sweetly requested his presence. He told me, "I'll consider it," no less than five times.

Then he handed the phone to Mom; I asked her if he told her of my awesome plan (which he hadn't, probably because he's not excited about the idea. At all). But Mom likes my plan. And she heard Dad say (no less than five times!) that he'd consider it!

I think between the two of us, Mom and I can coerce Dad into coming with us.

And one of the girls will be driving; Dad will have to passengate (that's a word Mom came up with on the spot: a verb, meaning "the act of being a passenger." I get my brains from my Mama).

I'm still a little over a week out from heading on home for the holidays, and I've been excited about it since, roughly, the day after Thanksgiving.

And I'm kinda getting sentimental for our upcoming drive around town to see the lights this year...

AVIATOR?

I bought a vest last week. From Target. (Oh, how I love The Target!)

I wore it to work on Thursday, and didn't realize, until Nicolas mentioned it, that my vest has a very...aviator look about it. No harm done, though. He said he liked it, and I felt like I was wearing it well.

Fast forward: I got back to work after lunch and saw Jami at the front desk as she waited fir a client to no-show. She looked up and said, "I like your vest." And then she started to laugh. Heartily.

This got me thinking that maybe I wasn't wearing it as well as I originally believed?

Jami assured me that she really did like it, but that it would be fun if I wore a pair of aviator sun glasses, just for fun. While she took a picture.

It just so happens that our friend Dustin (who works with us) had a pair out in his car. So he got them. And I put them on. For a picture.

Jami and Dustin wouldn't let me look at myself in a mirror until after the picture was taken...

I totally pulled it off, yes?

Not sure what's up with my face, however. I want to say I was winking...but I'm not entirely sure if that's accurate...

Number Eighteen

A couple of days ago, my friend shared a link on Facebook; a link that listed America's 25 Coldest Cities.

Some of them weren't exactly surprising: Fairbanks, Alaska; Fargo, North Dakota...

But do you know which city made the list?

Idaho Falls, in her subarctic glory, sits in her throne in the number eighteen spot.

Now, I'm not sure how they went about making this list, but apparently the stats for 2009 (a cold year indeed!) are as follows:

Average winter temperature 2009: 24.5 degrees
Coldest day: -16.6 degrees, December 10
Warmest day: 59 degrees, March 28
Days with snow: 42%
(source)

I laughed to myself when I read through the list on Monday evening; of all the places, right?! Because I LIVE HERE!

I was laughing much less on Tuesday morning when I went out to turn on my car, and defrost/scrape the ice off my windows.

We've experienced negative temperatures in the mornings here. And it's still only the first part of December! (Those temperatures are reserved for January, people!) Also, if you factor in windchill, it's felt even colder.

IT'S FELT EVEN COLDER THAN NEGATIVE.

Yipes. Looks like I may go through lots of hot cocoa and hot apple cider in the coming months...

Ginabean Loves Christmas...

You guys?

It's December 3. And do you know what that means?

THREE WEEKS UNTIL CHRISTMAS EVE!

I love Christmas SO MUCH! I love going home to spend time with my family. (I could actually stop my list right there, and my Christmas would be COMPLETE.)

We have some fun traditions (and maybe some silly ones?). When we were little kids, my brothers and I always got to unwrap a gift on Christmas Eve, and it would always be a new pair of jammies. (Now? We're all grown up...but the still-single children of my parents--namely, me and Brent--still get a Christmas Eve gift, but it's something more sensible. I'll leave it at that.)

Also, each Christmas morning, we'd wake up (no earlier than 6am), gather round my folks' bed, have a family prayer given by Mama (that always seemed to last SO LONG!), then go to the front room and find our stockings. Then Dad would give us our gifts one at a time so that we could watch everyone open each gift. Also, each year we get our own box of cereal. (Where was the year that we all opened our individual boxes, and we all got frosted mini wheats--except for Goose, who got Fruity Pebbles. Can you guess who helped Dad pick the cereal out that year?)

Ahhhhh! TRADITION!

Since we've all grown up, we've...adjusted some of the traditions at the O-household. Now we usually get together on Christmas Eve for dinner and a gift exchange and all that jazz. (Yep. I'm excited for Christmas Eve.)

Other stuff I enjoy about the Christmas season?

MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER Christmas albums. I grew up with Mannheim Steamroller and I own most of their Christmas albums, and their music just lifts my spirit. Every time I listen to them. Especially Silent Night and Greensleeves. Honestly: they're both so beautiful I  could cry...

Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL is spectacular. Aaron introduced me to the tradition of reading it every year. I usually read it shortly after Thanksgiving. This year will be my fifth year. I love the story and its message. (I haven't read it yet because I have to finish reading The Hobbit first.)

Speaking of A Christmas Carol...it ain't Christmas without watching THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL. I don't even care if you judge me that I think this is the best Christmas Carol movie I've ever seen; I think nothing can touch the Muppet version. Nothing. I watch it at least twice every Christmas season. (Seriously? What's better than combining the genius of Charles Dickens with the genius of Jim Henson? NOTHING!)

Also? For some reason, Muddy Buddies make me think of Christmas...

Aaaand also: SCARVES. I love scarves. Dressing in layers is my thang anyway, and I don't love feeling cold, so covering my neck is an idea I can get behind. (And I totally do.)

This is what Christmas looks like at our place:

O CHRISTMAS TREE, O CHRISTMAS TREE...

Lovely...

Oh, yes. I love scarf season.