Ready to Start

The first four months of school at my new job were a fun, wild ride. I absolutely love my new coworkers; my students make me laugh most days; I feel challenged and inspired all the time.

(How sweet is this? High schoolers--or their parents--getting gifts for their teachers??? Thank you to my awesome students!)

But I'm not going to lie and say I'm not thrilled to have two weeks off. Because I am definitely thrilled.

I have to throw in a little brag here: I actually woke up early and got my workout done!!! A lovely lower body Tabata workout from Tina's Best Body Boot Camp. I felt fantastic!

After work today I dropped off a meal for a friend who recently had a baby, battled traffic, and came home to my husband, who already had his first day off today. We spent the evening watching Harry Potter, eating more delicious veggie burritos (what made them SO good? I don't know, but I don't really care--they rocked my world), wrapping a few more gifts, and baking cookies.

I've been wanting to bake several cookie recipes, but I only got around to healthy oatmeal cookies (the other day) and these chocolate-white chocolate bites of deliciousness. I searched "white chocolate cookies" on Google, and Ina came to my rescue as always. I love the Barefoot Contessa. These cookies were AMAZING! I added Christmas M&Ms to about half the cookies.

I can't wait to share these with my family over the weekend. I hope they'll be a hit.

Also happening this weekend?

My parents are hilarious. I asked Mom if I can make Julia's boeuf bourguignon for Chistmas Eve. Since my brother and sister-in-law will only be around on the 23rd, we decided to do my dinner that night, and my parents made this adorable Evite. Aren't they cute? I can't wait!

As you can see, I'm ready to start relaxing, enjoying my break, spending time with my husband and family, truly relishing the Christmas spirit. I also started something else very important today:

The first of my #26ActsofKindness: I bought a $5 gift card at Trader Joe's and handed it to the person behind me in line, along with the note above. The shopper seemed quite grateful, but I didn't realize how nervous I was about giving her the card! I guess I thought she would resist it, but she was definitely thankful and not resistant at all. I can't wait to do more random acts!

Off to get some sleep--we have lots of packing to do before we leave tomorrow.

And Scout's coming with us! :-) He loves my parents' house. He stayed with them for three weeks during our wedding and honeymoon and got suuuuuper comfy. He especially loves running up and down their hallway--much better than our cramped apartment!

I leave you with a quote from Miracle on 34th Street: "Christmas isn't just a day; it's a frame of mind!"

What are you eating/making/baking/serving this weekend and next week? Any suggestions for us?