Thursday, December 29, 2011

Holidays at Home

My aunt's magnificent "fun" tree - about half as big as the "fancy" tree.

Christmas day is always over far too quickly. Yet, it's so much different than when I was young. As a kid, everything is over fast because it's a whirlwind of wrapping paper and piles of presents; I would rush and weed through gifts with excitement to see my final hoard. Now, though, there's a clear point during the morning-of that signifies the holidays have peaked. For me, it's just after the first present is opened. Presents, while lovely and always fun to open, aren't the highlight of Christmas anymore. It's the wrapping of presents for family and friends; the anticipation of getting items I've yearned for -- and, just maybe, some surprises; the feeling of wandering from my bedroom on the morning of December 25, with dreary eyes from lack of sleep, and pouring my first cup of coffee...

Condessa bowls and mugs from Anthropologie via Pinterest.
My Christmas present to myself.

Nothing tastes quite like the first cup of coffee on Christmas morning. The salty smell of bacon and the delectable sweetness of scones warrant a mention as well.

Presents are opened slowly now. They're savored. My family -- sister, father, mother and, now, my boyfriend -- linger together around our lovely, fake fir tree and give each present the attention it deserves. My sister, per tradition, plays the Christmas elf (a job she once hated but now enthusiastically embraces) and delivers presents to everyone. One by one, moving clockwise around the room, every gift gets displayed upon its reveal. We 'ouu' and we 'aww', where appropriate. We're always on our best behavior on Christmas morning.

We may be just five people, but this process can last for hours. Never long enough, in my opinion. And looking out on the thoughtful treasures I've received, I'm honestly speechless at the generosity of my family and friends.

Coffee Branch Brass Cuff Bracelet by Unique Art Pendants / Bee Happy Rose Ring by Liz Hutnick


Two of my favorite blog gals are now on my bookshelf: Molly of Orangette and Grace of Design*Sponge

 Symphony of Science's auto-tuned  "Glorious Dawn" spoken by Carl Sagan on vinyl
Florence + the Machine's "Ceremonials" on vinyl

Subscription to BUST magazine // House This? ring from ModCloth

Pearl earrings by Aubepine via Etsy

I'm not going to say I don't love getting presents -- I'd be lying through my teeth. But each year, the experience of opening each item alongside the ones I love outweighs the final collection of gifts. Every time.

I'm blessed in so many, immeasurable ways.

The holidays are drawing to a close now, and soon there will be resolutions to uphold. Work will begin again in full force and this feeling of ease and relaxation will fade away. I'm actually excited about the start of the new year and things getting back to normal, however. The holidays, while wonderful, tend to be highlighted by lethargy and a shocking ability to overeat. 

More than anything, though, I must say I'm grateful for this opportunity to have Christmas with my whole family while also living in my home. For the last several years, Seattle has been Home to me, and seeing my family meant long days of travel and/or leaving my dogs behind -- then, of course, having to leave and make it back for work. This time, all were in one place and it filled me with such joy that I never wanted it to end.

And yet... I can't help but smile at the thought of where we might be rooted next year. The uncertainty is rather exciting.

But rest assured: I'll wake up cuddling with this puppy, under my smooshy, Anthropologie comforter, no matter where I'm living.


So how about you? What was your Christmas morning like? Was it quiet with just your immediate family, or was the house packed full? Did you get anything that surprised you, or did your family use Amazon Wishlists like mine did?

Sunday, December 18, 2011

A Las Vegas (and Digital SLR) Virgin

Don't worry. I am aware that it's been over three weeks since returning from my Thanksgiving escapades in Las Vegas and that I am only now posting about it. Yes, I'm aware that this post will be a shell of the greatness it could have been since I put off writing it for so long. Oh, and of course, I'm aware you weren't waiting on baited breath...

I have no real excuse, but let me offer up a few.

First and foremost, I am not a good photographer. No, no, let me finish. Approximately four weeks ago I purchased myself a heavily discounted -- but perfectly brand new -- Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR camera. It was time to pull out the big guns because, my friends, my Android Vignette camera app was just not cutting it anymore. Vegas allowed me my first chance to use it, and I learned very quickly that it is going to require a lot of practice before I am able to take hundreds of photos consecutively that I am happy with. As Jon puts it, "It might take ten thousand photographs before you have this camera working for you like a pro."

Maybe my standards are too high, but I only want to the best for you.

The lack of beautiful photos (and literally no good ones of actual human beings) made my confidence dwindle to nothingness and I felt it would be impossible to show my virtual face.

Secondly, after returning home from Vegas -- a drive that, round-trip, allowed master Jonathan and me to spend a wonderful and totally stress free *sarcasm* 28 hours in the car together -- I came down with a debilitating cold and wanted nothing to do with thoughts of any kind.

Third, and lastly, I'm lazy. Really and truly.

So here they are. The few, the select, the slightly short of worthy. Photos from my very first trip to Las Vegas.









Yep! Those were the only decent ones out of hundreds. But I suppose the important point is this:

I had an absolutely amazing time.

Jon's mother and step-father treated us to a VIP experience, and we could not even begin to thank them for including us in their holiday. To name just a few highlights: we were blessed with a magnificent suite at Mandalay Bay; an Italian-inspired Thanksgiving feast at Maggiano's; perfect seats and a jaw-dropping experience at The Beatles' LOVE show; numerous boozy adventures which included Red Square, Minus5º Ice Bar, The Chandelier, and The Foundation Room (my favorite); a dark, mood-lit, and delicious steak dinner at Strip House; and a soulful, gospel brunch at The House of Blues.

Mostly, though, we just explored and relaxed. The Strip is H.U.G.E. and it proved impossible to walk back and forth along it the way we had planned. (We're getting so old.) My feet, and Jon's too, just didn't hold up.

It's strange to think of just how excited I was to visit Las Vegas -- my first time ever, at 25 (and a half!) years old. Honestly, other than wishing I could have visited my dear friends, Nick and Liz, who lived in Vegas for a few years after college, when I had the chance, I've never been that interested in going. When I was young, I had friends whose families went often, but my parents never even hinted that going was something worth doing. And unlike how I would often ask my dad why we couldn't go and see the PG-13 movies like all of our friends could, we never asked why Las Vegas wasn't a go-to spring destination like it was for so many others we knew.

Jon was that other kid growing up -- the one who was always off to Vegas with his family, and then, later on in life, with his friends.

To be honest, I'm glad I had never gone before. Seeing it with virgin eyes -- after all the movies and television shows and celebrity news articles that sing its histories, sins, and praises -- was rather exciting. I was star struck by the lights and the sheer size of it all, but also by how sad some parts look, and silly it all seems.

An amusement park for adults.

I'm excited to go again and try something new. I was really drawn to the MGM Grand, with all it's old-school glamour and classic movie photos and memorabilia. Also, New York, New York was maybe my favorite of all of them -- if, say, I chose to take my future kids to Vegas. It was probably the cheapest place to eat on the strip (that we found); that massive sandwich from Greenberg's Deli above was only about $10.

Next time, hopefully I'll have that darn camera figured out. At least the photographer at the Minus5º Ice Bar knew how to take a high quality photograph.


* All images property of People Just Float.