The Post Holiday Blues?

Hi All,

It feels like we rush, rush, rush to get ready for Christmas and then in a blink of an eye its over. Am I right?! Oh well, until next year. This year's Christmas was one for the record books I think. It was actually the first one G and I actually spent together (the entire Christmas trip I mean). We also spent 24 hours in the car to spend Christmas with our families. We started off the long weekend heading to Georgia to celebrate with his family. And to do a bit of wedding planning- to be honest, we only did cake tasting and decided on the cake. We had an enjoyable time- would you believe it was G's first time experiencing a 'Dirty Santa'/White Elephant gift exchange?! Me neither. It was a blast. We picked up the remainder of his things (what couldn't originally fit in the car when we moved him up here) and then it felt like the trip was over in a blink of an eye. We then hit the road Christmas Eve to head to Va Beach to celebrate with my family. We started off celebrating with my mom and then stopping by to see her side of the family. On Christmas morning, we headed to my best friend's house to see her and her girls. And then it was off to my grandmother's house where G got to meet my dad's side of the family for the very first time. I warned him ahead of time of how crazy our family can be so I think he was prepared but he's convinced they went easy on him. I told him that's probably true. And then that Christmas celebration was over. I tell you- we spend at least a month getting in to the holiday spirit and then it flies by before you even know it.

So we headed back to Alexandria where we proceeded to pick up our brand new KEYS to our apartment. We will be right near Old Town which I'm very excited about. Our furniture gets delivered tomorrow and then the internet is hooked up on Saturday. Still trying to decide on a cable company. Thinking maybe we don't need it for awhile if I invest in an Apple TV/Roku type device with all of my gift cards? And signing up for Hulu Plus/Netflix... I know we'll need cable once college football comes on but I think we could get away with MLB.tv during baseball season. Not sure- weighing the options. It just seems like the satellite company and the cable company want to rip you off (DirecTV has great prices but the provider of DirecTV in my new complex has significantly higher prices than the normal DirecTV packages- otherwise its a no brainer between DirecTV and Comcast).

Anyways, I know I haven't posted in a while. But its been busy up here in NoVa- getting G settled in to the area, getting ready for Christmas, travelling for 7 days straight- it felt like there was driving on each of those days but it was only 3 out of those 7, picking up our keys, planning a wedding, etc. Hopefully in the new year things will settle down. Don't hold your breath though- its full steam ahead until March 30!

Until next time,

Christina

PS- if you have any thoughts or suggestions on the cable/no cable debate- let me hear them...

November Recap

Hi All,

How did I let a whole month slip by without posting? I guess because its been one busy month with not one but two trips to Georgia. So as most of you know, G and I have made the big move to (and back- for me) DC - Alexandria to be exact. We are both officially here as the second of my two trips to Georgia were to pack up his car and bring him up. He did the driving, I just simply gave him company on the long ride. I'm so glad we survived the six weeks apart. I knew we would, I know many people who have gone so much longer, but it was definitely tough. Its hard to get through a stressful day without your companion by your side. Them simply being there helps to de-stress yourself. The time apart is over and I look forward to getting settled in DC.

As for what I did during my two trips in Georgia. The first was for Thanksgiving. We had dinner with his family and then we hit the stores for Black Friday shopping. We started at 8:30pm and went all the way until 5:30am the next morning before going home, getting a few hours of shut eye, and going right back at it. But it wasn't all just for shopping either- the whole visit. I took advantage of being in Georgia to do some wedding planning. We met with our officiant- he is awesome, a perfect fit for what we are looking for. We met with a photography company- decided against booking them as they are too pricey for us and even if we went with their cheapest package, they couldn't guarantee our pictures would be ready for six months (ummm- NO THANKS). Last but not least, I picked out flower girl dresses and bridesmaid dresses. Definitely thanking the Junius clan for taking time out of their busy holiday weekend (one filled with the stomach bug even) to meet up and pick out dresses. I definitely went with a dress that didn't fit with what I originally thought I wanted. But its perfect and beautiful and fits the vibe of the ceremony/reception. We also figured out what the guys are going to wear too. I felt wonderful at all the things we got accomplished over the holiday weekend in regards to our wedding. 

After a short, exhausting week at work (lets just say I didn't get back until 12:30am Monday morning which put me behind on sleep), I was on another plane back to Atlanta. This time out of BWI. Which I have never been too. It was a nice airport and even though I was afraid I was going to miss the MARC train (I didnt), it was an easy, if  a little long, commute. On Friday, I had a blast hanging out with Carol while G was at work. I helped her pick out her dress for our wedding (would you believe it was the first one she tried on?!). She then took me to this amazing store filled with jewelry, purses, shoes, etc. that is inexpensive. Its a lot like Charming Charlies. I left with 4 pairs of earrings and a small Xmas present for a friend and it was only $12. I definitely plan on going back. We ran a few more errands, and then it was back to meet G so we could go to two wedding meetings before dinner. We booked a DJ and a photographer. Both are perfect for us. A photographer who doesn't buy into the wedding hoopla and is there to produce pictures for you. In our budget, this is what we need. The DJ was so laid back and fun, I can't wait for him to get our reception going. I'll skip over Saturday as I'm sure everyone is still heartbroken over the final score. However, I had fun watching the game with everyone and everyone loved the pumpkin dip I made (Thanks Steph for the recipe). Sunday was a long drive back.

So after two weekend trips to Georgia and accomplishing a lot of wedding tasks, I'm ready to relax. But oh wait- apparently my wedding dress already came in! I thought they took months?!?! So it looks like I might be on the road again this weekend to Va Beach to pick it up. I guess I'll rest after the wedding?

Until next time,

Christina