On the heels of 2015...

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!  Mine was quite nice.  I spent Tuesday night with BF celebrating our Christmas.  We went to Capital City Brewery for dinner, which is one of our favorite spots to stop.  We then made a last minute trip to Best Buy.  My beloved ipod Classic decided to completely die that day at work right before all my holiday travels.  Unlike most of the masses these days, I prefer to have a separate gadget for my music, so I picked up an ipod Touch as my Christmas gift to myself.  ;-)

Back at my place we exchanged gifts.  BF went over the top with too many gifts, but it was a good mix of the ideas from my Etsy favorites and his own ideas.  I got two cute pairs of earrings, some new Fitbit bands, a Stay Puft marshmallow man coffee mug (!!!) from Ghostbusters, and some Nebraska and Mizzou football gear!  He did such a good job, and I think he really enjoyed his gifts from me as well.  Successful first Christmas!  I also LOVED the card he got me.

I left at the crack of dawn the next morning and my travels went very smoothly.  The next few days were comprised of cookie baking, Christmas dinners, gift exchanges, shopping and watching the Nebraska bowl game.  I also went to see "Big Eyes" with my mom.  We were originally going to see "Wild", but it was sold out both times we tried to go, so this was our second choice.  I actually really enjoyed it!

I got back yesterday around 5 pm after a hellish day of travel that started with a 4:10 am wakeup and included delayed flights, incredibly long security lines, airline changes, flight changes, hours spent in airports, and an almost lost bag.  I was so glad to get home!  The travel problems nixed my afternoon plans to hang out with BF and his daughter, so instead he came over after he dropped her off.

We ordered in pizza because the weather was crappy and my day was so long.  It was nice to just spend time together after a hectic day!

Back to work today and I was not happy about it!  I was really enjoying the time off.  This work week is weird because of NY's.  My office is open the full day on NY's Eve, so I will be here until 5 pm unless I decide to be brave and ask my supervisor for an early departure!  Then I have Thursday off. I'll be driving out to BF's house after work on Wednesday, then driving back Thursday night so I can go to work Friday, then back there on Friday.  Sigh.  Neither of us can take that Friday off, so it's just a bummer!

Our New Year's Eve plans are incredibly low key.  We're going to go out to dinner locally and then come back to watch the NY countdowns on TV, then toast and share our first NY's kiss at his house at midnight.  :-)  I'm really looking forward to it!  I'm going to pick up some libations this evening in preparation!

Saturday is our year anniversary, which is craziness!  He has his daughter until 6pm that evening (sigh) and then we'll head out for dinner at an undecided location.  We'll be spending the night at a local hotel just for something different.  The room has a whirlpool tub (yay!) and the hotel has a pool and hot tub, and it will just be nice to do something a little out of the ordinary!

I got BF a really lovely anniversary card,but that's it at this point.  We just did Christmas gifts, so I don't know if either of us were expecting to do gifts for anniversary times.  My thought is that a card and a night out is enough of a gift.  Should I get something small just in case?  I don't know what I should do.

Anyway, that's my holiday summary.  I hope everyone is having a great end of the holiday season!  :-)

Upswing

So last night after work I decided to go to the new PromptCare by my apartment.  With traveling only a couple days away and with me still feeling so crappy, I wanted to be sure I hadn't acquired some sort of secondary infection.  The place was fancy and new and there was nearly no wait, which was awesome.  The Dr. I saw was also awesome and explained that basically, this is just the last chapter of the horrific flu that I had.  My throat is hurting from all the coughing, and the coughing is often the last thing to go in this case.  So he gave me a new RX for a cough medicine with hydrocodone in it. It's the strongest one he could give me and what he rec'd based on my coughing and how much it was disrupting everything.

It tastes disgusting, but I think it's really helping, so I'll suck it up!  It does make me a bit sleepy, but luckily I just have one work day to get through and I can fight through the sleepiness.  I slept really well last night and woke up feeling the best I've felt in days.  Still nearly no voice, but I'm trying to rest it as much as I can and hoping that it will return by the end of the week!

After the Dr. visit I came home, ordered dinner and spent the evening wrapping gifts for BF and watching DVR.  It was lovely, but lonely since BF has my cat right now.  He's going to watch him while I'm out of town, and it made more logical sense to just leave him there Sunday night when I came home than to drive back this week to take him there.  So it was just me at home with a pile of presents!  I'm pretty happy with my gifts for BF even though they are pretty random!

I got him, in ranking order from silly to real gifts:

Boxers- because some of his look a little worn LOL
A stocking full of his favorite lip balm, body spray, candy and a meat thermometer (because he needs one, and it seemed funny to stick in there with that other stuff!)
A binder with proctector pages and a three hole punch to put all of his recipes in one place.  He and his daughter (and now me) love finding things online to make, and he saves all the recipes, but they are EVERYWHERE in no organized form.
Redskins Christmas Ornament
George Foreman Grill-we love to grill, but during the winter season we need a substitute
Michigan State Hoodie Sweatshirt-his favorite college team, but he has no Michigan State gear!

So it's a very, very random collection of things, but I'm confident he'll like everything, and it's a lot of little things to open, so it should be fun.  :-)

He's coming over tonight after work.  I imagine we'll go out for dinner since my house is grocery-less in light of my upcoming travel tomorrow, then we'll exchange gifts and just get some quality time hanging out before we probably get to bed fairly early.  My flight is at 6 am, so it's going to be a very early wake up call tomorrow!  :-o

My holiday plans should be fun.  If all goes as planned, I get into Omaha around 11 am and my mom will pick me up.  We'll get a quick lunch at Taco Johns (tradition!) and then go to my brother and sister in law's house to make Christmas cookies.  That night we'll go to my grandfather's house for dinner, and back at my mom's we're going to watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation to close out the evening.  I'll also have some wrapping to do since I'm bringing a few presents and can't wrap them (unless I plan ahead to check my bag..which I may do).

Christmas Day will be back at my grandfather's house, and then I think the plan is for me to go to my brother's that night.  We're going to watch Home Alone and just hang out, and then the day after I'll go back to my mom's.  I'm hoping to see a couple of girlfriends at some point for breakfast/lunch, and other than that it will just be time spent hanging out with the family!  I'm excited to give all my gifts, to see the family and friends, to see my mom's cats and my brother's dog.  I love having away animals!

I haven't officially packed, but 95% of what I'm taking is stacked together in my room, ready to be packed.  I'll do that tonight and be ready to go hopefully!  I'm crossing my fingers that none of this crazy weather on the horizon across the country affects my travel.  I'm hoping my super early flight helps me out, esp. since my layover is at Chicago O'Hare.  :-o

On a separate note....I want to wish everyone a super happy Christmas and a wonderful holiday.  I really love following along with all of your lives on your blogs, and  I love sharing this window into my own life with you all.  You guys are a great source of support and I really do feel like I have friends all over the place as a result of this blog.  I wish you the merriest of holidays and even though I hope to post again before this, a fantastic new year!  Cheers to a very happy and healthy and lucky and wonderful 2015!  :-)

Sick.

I've been sick for days.  The wednesday night before my holiday party I felt off.  I wasn't sure what the problem was, but I just didn't feel good.  I went home and felt accomplished to have gotten my nails painted, as I felt so bad that even that was in question at one point.

Thursday I woke up feeling crappy.  I desperately tried to rally as the day wore on.  I went to my hair appt. even though my throat was hurting really badly and I had very little voice.  My guess was that it was a sinus infection coming on, and that the sore throat was a yucky side effect.  I went to the holiday party with barely any voice, feeling pretty lousy.  It was loud and I had no appetite.  I had no voice and spent my evening trying to be heard over the music and the people. I took pictures with friends and with BF, and I looked great.  But I felt awful, and by 9pm I couldn't handle it anymore.  I was exhausted, sick, and we had to leave.

Friday morning I woke up feeling like death.  I called in sick and we went to the CVS Minute Clinic. The Dr. tested me for the flu on a whim and bam....there it was.  Influenza A.

The next few days were an awful, awful blur.  My throat was killing me, I was coughing like crazy, I had a 101 fever with accompanying chills/sweats.  BF stayed until late Friday afternoon when he had to go pick up his daughter.  I had to miss our plans that night to go see "A Christmas Carol" in Old Town Alexandria.  They went without me, and then headed home because J, his daughter, hadn't had the flu shot.

BF came back over Monday after work, and I was still miserable.  I didn't get back to work until Wednesday, and I felt pretty awful.  Tamiflu was gone by Tuesday, fever gone so I could return to work, but I was barely functioning.  Thursday and Friday weren't a ton better.  I missed my second holiday party at my old firm on Friday.

Saturday I finally felt like maybe I was improving a bit.  Still no voice, but the coughing, in particular overnight, was calming a bit and the sore throat was improving.  Same thing on Sunday.  However, at one point on sunday I coughed really hard and suddenly my ribs were hurting on the left side.  They are still hurting today---I managed to actually hurt myself coughing.

Today I woke up with a sore throat, and my cough has felt like more of a problem again.  I'm tired and frustrated and so OVER being sick.

I don't know if this is normal, residual flu crap, or a secondary infection or what.  I predict I'm going to end up back at the CVS Minute Clinic tonight just to find out for sure.  I'm supposed to fly to Omaha Wednesday, and I do NOT want to fly feeling like this.  I'm supposed to celebrate Christmas with BF tomorrow night, and I do NOT want to feel like this.  In general?  I do NOT want to feel like this anymore!!!  I truly have not had a voice to speak of in 10+ days!

Glad I took my feeling better energy last night to go wrap up my Christmas shopping, as I am NOT feeling it tonight.  Tonight is probably Minute Clinic, wrapping presents and packing, and hopefully early to bed.  I cannot handle this anymore!!

I don't want to even think about everything this flu has ruined....the holiday party I was so excited about.  A Christmas Carol.  The second holiday party.  Holiday dinner with two girlfriends.  Ugly sweater party on Saturday where I finally met some of BF's friends, but I had no voice to use, so I was about half as much of myself as I wanted to be.  I'm tired of this thing ruining everything I'd been looking so forward to.  I want my remaining Christmas to be left in tact!!

Picture Pages

And now for a picture post, just because I can!

Gold Digger Glitter Eye Top Coat

Eyes and cheeks, minus the gold above!

My standard holiday party earrings :-)

My two layers of gold polish

Not the most comfortable, but they're cute!

This is a scandalous amount of cleavage for me.  Ha!

Mirror selfie as a preview

Good times ahead tomorrow!  Super excited for my luxurious hair appt. for a trim and a blowout to get the day started.  Tonight will be painting my nails, gathering all my things to take tomorrow, and hopefully a workout to start the night off right....and to make me feel less guilty about all the eating and drinking that will take place tomorrow!  :-)

10 Things

* I'm so hooked on the Serial podcast that I now regularly listen to two other podcasts that exist solely to DISCUSS Serial. Can't believe tomorrow is only Wednesday...

** I picked up my party dress from the tailor last night and now I suddenly love it after being MEH about it since it's purchase.  That may also have to do with the fact that my only frame of reference prior to that was the dressing room at Macy's, which was bathed in DRESSING ROOM LIGHTING, which is the devil.  I already own shoes that will work with the dress, I'm going with jewelry I already have.

*** There is a strong possibility of a picture filled post in the next day or two, detailing all aspects of Holiday Party attire, just because I can.  :-)  

**** The weather outside is frightful, but not snowy.  It's cold and rainy, which is one of the worst combinations.  I have to go to the trainer at 8:30 PM tonight and it's a real bummer knowing I'll have to leave the house after getting to hang out where it's warm and dry for an hour or so first.  No trainer on Thursday because of the party, though.

***** I haven't received any Christmas cards yet, which feels a little surprising.  However, they are not as popular as they used to be, and I don't often send them anymore, so I can't complain.  They are fun additions to my mailbox, though!

****** Last night at Ulta I bought this sparkly, pixie dust-ish nail polish for the party.  I also got a couple of eye shadow colors and a golden, glittery eye shadow topcoat I'm going to try out.  I'm weirdly excited about each of these items!  Please see **.  :-)

******* Can't wait to get started on my Christmas shopping this week!  I am a late starter, that happens often.  :-)  I pretty much know what I'm getting everyone, so it shouldn't be too challenging. Most will be online shopping, too.  I ship everything for my family straight to Omaha and so only my gifts for friends, BF and BF's daughter will come here.  I found a cute pair of earrings on Etsy for BF's daughter that I think she'll really like.  

******** I've pretty well sorted out BF's Christmas gift.  I'm going with things I know  he wants, no matter how practical or boring they seem to me!  Right now the main gifts are a Michigan State hoodie and a George Foreman grill. His is on death's door, and we love to grill, even in the wintertime, so faux grill it is!  I also plan to fill a stocking with things that are a mix of practical and fun, like socks, boxers, lip balm, a Christmas ornament or two (as he has woefully few personal ones), etc.  I may get him a dress shirt or two, I may get him Big Bang Theory Season 6 on Blu Ray...it all depends on how generous I'm feeling and how much everything I'm planning to get him costs.  

I decided to help the poor man out and gave him a link to my list of Etsy Favorites.  He was really struggling with what to get me, and has been struggling on what to get his family and his daughter. He did a good job on my birthday, so that counts for something, so I don't ultimately see anything wrong with helping him out a little.  I guess it's not much different than him asking me what I want!  I don't want gift giving to be stressful, you know?  I'm more interested in our time baking cookies with his daughter, or watching Christmas movies in the coming days, or him showing up on my arm for my holiday party.  

*********  I feel like Clark Griswold waiting to have my review and get my bonus memo.  My speculation is that I'll get all the numbers on Friday, December 19th, as last year we got them on the corresponding Friday.  We don't get the money until the January 15th check, but I'm a big nerd and I like to plan out how it will be allocated once I find out.  Last year was my firm's worst year since it's inception, and this year was it's best, so I'm hoping for good things, but reminding myself that bonuses are just that...bonuses!

********** I have thirty three minutes left until I can leave this office, commute home and spend a little time on my couch, eating leftover homemade tortilla soup from Tuesday and relaxing under the glow of all the Christmas lights in my apartment with my little Riley cat.  Can't wait.  :-)

Twinkle, twinkle

I seriously love Christmas!  We got my two trees up and decorated last night.  One is my little original tree, which I think I will be putting in my bedroom.  The other was the bigger 6 ft. tree I inherited from BF when he got a new 7.5 ft. one last weekend.  We had to go to Target to get more lights, as some of mine died, and so we were a bit slowed in the process.  I did get stockings hung and a couple of decorations out aside from the trees, but I still have other lights to hang probably tonight. Love it!

Must give serious props to BF today.  My little tree was pre-lit, and I'd had it for a few years.  Well, the lights on it died.  We ended up spending a good hour on the floor of my apartment untangling and unhooking these lights from that tree, which was seriously tedious!  I was losing my mind and I only did half the work!  In the end we got the lights off and put new ones on, so it was a success.  But thank god for his help or I probably would have just tossed the whole thing.  :-)

Tonight I have trainer again.  My inner thighs are insanely sore from my workout with him tuesday. He warned me we would be doing assisted pull-ups today again.  We've done them once before and they are NOT my favorite.  I feel very spotlighted when I do these, and I'm not a fan of that.  Plus, the machine is really loud so I feel like it just calls more attention.  Can't wait to get it over with!

Weather is chilly, but not freezing, and it's Thursday, which is almost Friday.  I'll take it!

No big weekend plans.  Will go to BF's tomorrow night after work.  We may try to go see Mockingjay in the early afternoon since we never managed to see it in Charleston.  Beyond that we'll be watching the Big 10 football championship game and the SEC Championship game, which my alma mater is actually playing in....Go Mizzou!  BF's daughter will be there until Saturday at 6pm, and then we're on our own.  Looking forward to a nice, low key weekend!

December!

Seriously guys, how is it December already?  :-o  I really can't fully wrap my head around it. Suddenly it's December and that means it's time to start Christmas shopping and going to holiday parties and decorating trees and looking for mistletoe to kiss under.

Thanksgiving was nice!  We spent nine hours in a car driving to Charleston for three days and then nine hours back.  It was long and tedious, but we all made it and it was good to see BF's family.  We stayed with his sister, BIL, mom, 3 year old nephew, 2 dogs and a cat.  :-o  It was quite overwhelming!  We managed, though, and the Thanksgiving dinner was delicious.  I got an ornament in the Market area of downtown Charleston and also a really cool art print that I fell in love with.  It's waiting to get framed soon!

I feel like this trip really solidified my bond with BF's daughter.  We had a really good time, and we were often stuck in the third row seating of a large SUV that we traveled around Charleston in.  It allowed for much goofy quiz taking and showing of multitudes of pictures on her phone.  :-)  

Dropped my holiday party dress off for alterations last night.  Wasn't going to buy a new  one, but found one on clearance that I liked at Macy's so I grabbed it.  The length was a bit awkward, just below my knee, so I took it to get it shortened a bit.  I think just that small alteration will make a big difference in how cute the dress will be on me!  Now just trying to sort out what shoes to wear!  Party is a week from Thursday.

December is a pretty crazy month.  Two holiday parties, one ugly sweater party, lots of Christmas shopping to do, holiday luncheons at work, decorating my apartment and my tree, and making plans for celebrating Christmas with BF before I go out of town, and then making NY's plans, and then making one year anniversary plans for January 3rd.  Craziness!

I'm super excited to decorate tomorrow night with BF.  I can't wait to have my pretty tree up all glowing and sparkly.  Just makes my apartment feel so warm and festive!  I have a new ornament that I got in OBX this summer as well to add to my collection.

Boring update, I know, but I wanted to check in!