On Christmas Eve, Arizona got an early Christmas present...RAIN! Too bad it wasn't a bit colder, otherwise we could have had a white Christmas. My family bundled up, put on our hats, and ventured out to go see Moana. Disney really knows how to kick it out of the park because this was another great movie. The whole family loved it; especially Dad since his idol (The Rock) was in it. Afterwards, we decided to stop at In-N-Out for a very high-class, gourmet Christmas Eve dinner haha. As usual, we opened up our new pajamas, then spent the rest of the night playing games until our parents sent us to our rooms so Santa could come. On Christmas Day, Whitney came around at 9:00 waking everyone up. We opened gifts, ate brunch, had the annual fashion show to try on all of our new clothes, watched movies, made dinner, and just hung out.
Next year, I'll be coming home from college to celebrate Christmas with my family, and I couldn't picture a better last Chrsitmas living at home. Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. Even though I have been sick, this year was no exception. At the beginning of the week, I started to get a cold. There was no way I was going to let myself be sick over Thanksgiving so I stayed home from school for a couple days and got a lot of sleep in hopes that it would go away. Lucky me, by the time Wednesday rolled around, I was back to feeling normal aside from a little stuffy nose, but I could deal with that. I spent the day with my mom starting to get dishes prepared for the next day. We made stuffing, chocolate pie, pumpkin buttercream cake, and started brining the turkey. This year, my mom decided she would do the turkey and desserts, and every body else was in charge of their own side dish. It was actually a lot of fun to have everyone in the kitchen together and gave me a little taste of what it would be like next year when I come home from college for Thanksgiving. Whitney made mac & cheese, Cole was dying for twice baked potatoes, and I chose to make brussel sprouts. When everyone heard that's what I was making, it was usually accompanied by instant groans. Mom and I were the only ones actually looking forward to them. Thursday came, and the longer I was awake, the more nauseous I started to feel. After hours of feeling like I was on the verge of throwing up, I finally did. As gross as it sounds thought, I instantly felt better. I went into the kitchen and made my brussel sprouts for dinner. We all finished our dishes, Mom set them up on the counter, and we all started dishing up our plates. Seconds after I sat down at the table, I had to hurry off because I knew I was about to throw up again. Turns out throwing up once wasn't magically going to fix everything. Afterwards, I still got to enjoy my Thanksgiving dinner. And guess what? Dad even enjoyed the brussel sprouts! Being sick might even be a good thing. Not only did I never have to feel beyond stuffed, I could have even eaten dinner over and over and over again if I wanted to! And hopefully, I'll be done throwing up by the lunch time tomorrow and I can always have my Thanksgiving dinner for lunch. Getting Ready for the Big Day Pumpkin Buttercream Cake Apple Sausage Stuffing Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries and a Balsamic Vinegar Reduction Turkey Time! Twice Baked Potatoes & Mac and Cheese Finally Time to Eat! (thumbs up for brussel sprouts!)
As far as birthdays go, I think it is safe to say that this has been one of the best ones I have had so far. My parents got me a hotel room In Tempe only minutes from Mill Avenue. The hotel was called Moxy, and it was probably the cutest hotel I have seen in my entire life. Lauren and I drove up, and when I walked into the lobby, my jaw actually dropped; it was very urban and decorated the same way I want to one day decorate my apartment. The hotel room was just as cute (I almost didn't even want to leave the room to go do anything). After spending way too much time gawking at the room and hotel and just about everything else, we changed into our suits and went down to the pool for a few hours. When we were done at the pool, Jaycie met us in the lobby and we went back upstairs to get ready.
As you would expect when you have a room full of girls, we stayed up for hours talking, then decided to turn on a scary movie. Too bad we didn't even get to any of the scary parts; as soon as it came on, we were all dead asleep within the first 15 minutes. If that weekend was any indication of how this year is going to be, there are many many more adventures and good times to come.
Almost every year, my family is at Lake Powell over my mom's birthday. It always ends up getting celebrated a few weeks later when we finally get home. But this year, we actually got to be at home on her actual birthday! It was so fun to go out shopping for her with my dad, and making her dinner and dessert (especially because she's the one that usually does that for us). Happy Birthday to the best mom in the world, she's such a good example, and I would be lucky to he half as great as she is when I grow up.
Downtown Gilbert will forever be one of my favorite places in Arizona. I love the vibe of this part of town at night; it's always bustling with people, there is good music, good food, and it's just a good time. And if you're going to head over there, make sure you stop at Liberty Market because it never disappoints!
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