Hi there and welcome to my first post of 2020! I took an unexpectedly long two week break from blogging and now I’m back. It felt good to be away and unplug for awhile. My apologies for not visiting and commenting on blogs but 2019 ended with such a low I barely had the energy.
So what was I up to for those two weeks? Well, honestly, trying to enjoy the holidays. I know many of you will recall that I shared the news about my brother and his second cancer diagnosis. After the initial relief we are now in the throes of dealing with what’s to come. It’s not easy and certainly not easy for my dear brother and his family. How I wish I could trade places with him! I’d do it in a heartbeat – my kids are older and he’s already been through this once. Sigh.
My precious niece was so excited for Christmas!
So the break started with a twist on an annual event in my family. For years we have had a holiday brunch at a dear friend’s home. This year we decided to have a dinner with a Downton Abbey theme. It was wonderful and we all had fun dressing up! I wore this dress and this crystal head piece. Loved the dress so much and I can’t wait to wear it again!
My brother and his family.
My sister and her family.
My crew!
I love this sweet girl so much!
Sunday night we had our annual gingerbread event with our best friends. We’ve been doing this for years! My love language is time and this checks all the boxes. We have dinner, decorate gingerbread houses and then go look at lights. It’s all kinds of holiday goodness wrapped up in one night and fills my heart with so much joy!
On Monday I met a great friend for breakfast and then went shopping for some last minute gifts. I bough the cutest sequin skirt and the softest hot pink tunic top. It’s honestly more of a lightweight sweater than a top.
Tuesday (Christmas Eve) we hosted our annual family celebration. One of our traditions is for my parents to gift all the kids pajamas. My mom kept the tradition alive this year and we were grateful to be surrounded by those we love.
Christmas Day is normally at our house but this year we switched it up and my sister hosted. Our hearts were all heavy on this day and we barely took pictures. I did get the very best manicure from the cutest 3 year old wearing an Elsa dress and Santa hat!
I might also note that we felt as we had hit the parent jackpot – we had to actually wake our boys up! All those years of 5am wake ups are a distant memory!
The days after Christmas consisted of me walking for an hour each day while listening to a new to me podcast (Serial). Of course this was almost laughable since I have eaten so much and have gained a good 7 pounds. The weather was gray and rainy and we saw 4 movies in 4 days! The movies: Bombshell. Richard Jewell, Uncut Gems, and Ford v. Ferrari. My favorite was Ford v. Ferrari – my father would have loved it!
We have enjoyed being home with our boys and sleeping in. I never take this much of a break from blogging but I’ll be honest 2019 threw me for a loop. It wasn’t all bad, I have to remind myself that I had two nephews graduate (one from college and one from high school), I met several blogging friends IRL (Paula,Melanie,Nina Carrie, Shelly,Kim, and Anna), celebrated our 25th anniversary, and vacationed in Austin with the best gals I know! But losing my dad and then my niece really overshadowed the rest and then my brother’s diagnosis was the icing on the cake. So I was happy to bid adieu to 2019.
We spent NYE at our best friends home. Dinner, drinks, and games is how we roll pretty much from year to year.I wore my sequin leggings, a new velvet blazer and a shimmery tank with my open toe booties (similar) to ring in the new year!
Do I have a resolution or a word for 2020? No. I do not. I am always on the quest for trying to live my best life from day to day no matter what that entails. I sure hope that I do not attend any funerals this year for my family members but if that is what 2020 brings then I’ll be there, once again trying to find peace and balance.
How about you? Do you make resolutions or choose a word for the year?
