Friday we threw our annual Christmas party. What began in 2015 as a girls’ white elephant exchange, turned into a full on Christmas party in 2016. It’s something we look forward to hosting every year as a time to gather as adults, dress up a bit, and enjoy each others’ kid-free company.

Last year I cancelled it the week of because of Covid concerns. I was hosting my family for our first Christmas without dad and the possibility of that falling through gave me too much anxiety. Ironically, I had over 7 people bow out the week of this year due to Covid (good news, they are doing well).

Those of us that were able to gather did so. Getting to spend some quality time chatting and celebrating the Christmas season with friends made for such a fun evening and really ushered in the holiday spirit!

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Saturday morning I woke up somehow feeling energized. We pulled the house back together, spent some time running the dog and kids around in the backyard, and got in a workout. Then by 1:00, my late bedtime caught up with me. With football on TV, I passed out on the couch with my little snuggle buddy who apparently was feeling her late bedtime catch up with her as well.

At 4:00, it was GAME TIME! I was so excited to watch Georgia take on Alabama in a year that has been so solid for us. That excitement faded by halftime into “what the heck is Kirby doing and let’s at least try JT Daniels!” Congrats to Alabama; and here’s hoping that we study those films and are ready for Michigan on New Year’s Eve!

It worked out well enough that the game wasn’t worth watching to the end, as David and I had a fundraiser to attend for The Christian Mission. So we got gussied up again.

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It was such a beautiful and fun evening for a wonderful cause. The girls were very jealous I got to hang out with Santa.

Sunday meant meal planning and groceries, and one last event to attend- Hailey and Kaitlyn’s first piano recital! They’ve only been taking lessons since the beginning of September and their amazing teacher put together the sweetest recital at her church for all her students. I was so proud of the girls for practicing their pieces and performing them confidently. Since I have zero musical talent myself, it really is so amazing to me!

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Nobody asked, but since I wondered when my girls were young how long they would want to match for, I can tell you that sometimes they still ask to match. Maybe they both just liked this dress a lot, but they requested the same dress for the event!

That afternoon we went on a walk, watched some of the ESPN selection show, played a lot of chess, and watched The Santa Clause 3 while I made dinner (lemon dill salmon with lemon garlic pasta and roasted asparagus). It was a great weekend, and now we are looking for a lower key week to catch up from it all.

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Today’s agenda: pick up new books from the library, read a lot, practice math facts, take Finley on a long walk, get to the chiropractor, make a reel for an upcoming partnership, and make a yummy dinner that I plan to share tomorrow. I hope you have a great Monday!