Without a doubt, this has been our busiest and best holiday season to date. The combination of it being a "normal" year, Sawyer being old enough and more-than-willing to do ALL the things, and having the time, has allowed us to do some really great things We spent a day at Disneyland (we've never been at Christmas and a rainy morning allowed us to go on a ton of rides right away), watched Home Alone at the Walt Disney Music Hall in LA, did a Santa Run, saw the Enchanted lights at Descanso Gardens, and several other fun things. I've always said that I'd rather spend my money on experiences, rather than things! I'm usually a bit happy to see Christmas wind down, but this year I'll be a little sad to see it go.
I am incredibly thankful my family has stayed healthy through the holiday season. Sawyer had a nasty bug before Thanksgiving, but other than that we have been well.
Our Christmas card was so much fun this year! We always repurpose Sawyer's Halloween costumes and this year he was Marty McFly. On the cover he is doing the iconic watch-checking pose and there's a Santa flying in the sky with "Great Scott! We'll miss Santa!" (or something like that). On the inside Scott photoshopped present Sawyer into a scene I had taken of him photographing Sawyer for his very first Christmas card when he was eight months old.
I've been training for a half-marathon in February, and to make a long boring story short, I've finally gotten some food pain under control, so that's helping a lot. I don't think it's going to be a fabulous race or anything, but it's been good for me to have some structure in my fitness routine.
So, after managing to score Taylor Swift tickets last month, I landed another big concert victory- Lord Huron in Red Rocks in June. I LOVE this band SO much and had told Scott a week before that one day I'd see them there. When the tickets went on sale the next week I couldn't get any but managed to get some somewhat-reasonable ones through stubhub. I'm worried about it somehow falling through, but my friend who is going with me and I decided we'll just go anyway and explore Denver if anything! Between these two and another one in May, my concert budget it spent for 2023, haha.
The semester ended fairly quietly at work. I managed to pull a few extra kids into passing territory and did a good job staying on top of my grading from Thanksgiving to the end of term, so I never had to pull any essay-reading all-nighters. When return in January we're starting Sylvia Plath poetry, which is always super uplifting.
I'm a few books away from making my GoodReads goal for the year, which I know I'll pull off on the the 30th or 31st, per the usual. It's a tradition! Luckily next my second week of break is pretty chill, minus a day trip to Joshua Tree with some friends (I've never been!) and a few happy hours and dinners and whatnot.
Another big project for next week: completing my year-in-review book. I did through June over the summer, which puts me in a good spot for completing it, if I do a month or two a day once Christmas is over. I always give myself the due date of 1/1, since the site I use has really great sales and my books are LONG.
Speaking of Joshua Tree, I'll end the year with having gone to five National Parks this year! Yosemite, Sequoia, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Joshua Tree. Definitely got my money's worth out of my NPP (and before it expires next summer I'll be using it at Yosemite again, Rocky Mountain NP, and maybe another one of two).
My sister is due in a few months and I have been doing the same thing for her as I did my brother- Sawyer and I choose a kid's each month and send it to the little fetus to build her library (another niece! I can't want to meet her).
After the body shop having my car for five weeks after an accident last month, I FINALLY got my car back yesterday. Now I get to deal with car rental reimbursements from the other insurance company, since the other driver was at-fault, but I'm a persistent woman.
I'm so proud of Sawyer's reading lately! He always has a book in the car, asks to extend his required homework independent reading time, and is already at 200% of is AR goal for the trimester, which is only half over (I have very mixed feelings on AR, but I like how his teacher uses it). Needless to say, he is getting a ton of books for Christmas! I tried to do a mix of some of the easier series he likes, some challenging ones, and some in between.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas- maybe I'll actually put up a few posts when I'm off. I mean, for the three of your who read for fun and the person or two who is hate-reading ;)
