Empathy

During a quarterly forum meeting at my work, they showed this video, and I had to share.  Even if you don't work in healthcare, we truly never know what is going on with our coworkers, strangers we encounter, and even sometimes our family and friends.  It's a wonderful reminder to remember that when someone rubs us the wrong way, or comes off as cold, rude or unkind.  Of course, there's always the off-chance they could just be an asshat, but let's try and give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

 

Would You Quit?

You just won a million dollars.

Would you quit your job?

{via}

 

I tend to think the obvious, easiest and most popular answer to the above question would be a resounding yes!  But, to me, this isn't all that much of a no-brainer.

 

First things first, a million dollars is a lot of money - but it's not a billion dollars.  I mean, a million won't even buy me a mansion in my neck of the woods.  So while it would be nice to quit the old job and roll around in money all day, I've got bigger goals than a million will buy me. 

 

Secondly, I work for money and for satisfaction.  I don't work for just the paycheck, but the feeling I get from working, and working in healthcare.  I wouldn't want to give that up for just about anything. 

 

So, what would I do?  I think I would probably, in fact, quit (Sorry, employer!  The good news I don't see myself winning a hot million anytime soon) my job, but simply to send myself back to school instead.  And I wouldn't stop going to school until I was done.  Not done with my RN, not done with my Masters,  but done with every bit of education I could cram into my brain because a million dollars might just give me the luxury to do so.

 

Oh, and I'd go on a badass vacation.

 

What would you do?

Happy Nurses Week to Me: Dansko Nursing Shoes Review and GIVEAWAY!

Next week is Nurses Week 2013, and it's always a fun week for us nurses.  It's one week where we tend to get a few extra thank you's and depending on how generous our employers are (mine is very!), sometimes we even get a little gift or treat!

Speaking of treats, Dansko surprised me for Nurses Week this year!  I was delighted to receive an email from them asking if I'd like to participate in their Nurse Week celebration, and of course I was glad to!

First things first, a little announcement for all you nurses out there who love Dansko product! Dansko is sponsoring an enter-to-win contest for anyone who visits a Dansko retailer during Nurses Week (5/6-5/12) and tries on Dansko apparel or footwear. Five lucky nurses will win a Dansko prize pack! To find a Dansko retailer near you, check out their find-a-retailer page.

Dansko didn't stop there, though!  They also offered my some brand new shoes to replace my very loved pair that I've been wearing every single day for nearly two years. 

Dansko gave me a few options and I settled on the Sedona Elise in White Smooth Leather.  The shoes arrived pearly white on my doorstep and I couldn't wait to try them out at work!

But first, a photo shoot:

I've been wearing the Elise shoes at work for a few weeks now, and they are great!  They have a little bit of a heel on them, so it's been great to give my dragging scrub pants a break from hanging out under my shoes!  I was a little nervous wearing the shoes to work for the first time, afraid they might hurt as they got broken in.  I was very happy to find out that there was no pinching, no hurting, no nothing!  The shoes felt as if I had been wearing them for months, except for that they were sparkling white!

Dansko couldn't forget all my nurse readers, too!  They were kind enough to offer a pair of the Sedona Elise shoes to one lucky Stress Case reader!  Enter via Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was given 1 pair of Dansko shoes by Dansko for review, and offered one to giveaway to one of my readers.  All opinions are my own.

Things Thursday: Things I'd Like to be in Another Life

1. A Doctor.  I will always wish I would have had the study habits and natural ability to go down this road. 

2. Wedding Coordinator, but not J.Lo style where she falls in love with the groom.

{via}

 

3. A Lawyer.  I may make fun of my Handsome Hubs for all his law-talk, but I totally think this is something I could have done had I put my mind to it and wanted to.

 

4. A Teacher.  I think it would have been fun to teach high school.

 

5. Marketing Big Wig - I almost went down this road (though who knows if I would have ever become a big wig).

 

6. Portrait Photographer - I love to take photos of people, and have gotten very into it since receiving the most generous gift, my DSLR from HH last Christmas!

 

I mean, I'm no professional, but I did take this adorbs shot of Sister Singer and her Boyfriend YOLO.

 

7. Celebrity - I mean, if we're talking about things we'd like to be, they don't necessarily have to be things we have any business doing.

 

8. Professional Blogger - hell, I'll consider doing this now if someone has an offer for me!

 

9. Along the same lines as #8, an Author.  Which also, don't count me out just yet!  I've still got a lot of sentences left in these fingers and lots of years left to live!

 

10. A Make-up Artist - I used to be much more into makeup than I am now.  I was basically my friends' go-to girl for Prom looks back in the day!

 

P.S.

Spring Sweets Ladies!

 

The reveal link-up is tomorrow, use the button below to share with your readers!

Can't wait to see what everyone got from their new blog buddy!

 







<div align="center"> <a href="http://stresscasey.blogspot.com" title="Spring Sweets Swap" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/x449/stresscasey/2246fc06-a42a-45c3-b26b-c44ae240de0e_zpsde65e9b8.jpg" alt="Spring Sweets Swap" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

When I Grow Up

 

I love this linkup idea from Whitney and Erin!  I always think about what I'm hoping life might turn out like when I grow up, and am happy to share with my readers today!  Without further adieu...

 

When I Grow Up...

I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies.

Just kidding - am I the only person who automatically starts singing that after "When I Grow Up"?

 

I want to live in a gorg home in South Orange County (the best place in the world, in my humble opinion), maybe even in the community we live now.  If we're talking dream houses, we're talking something a little bit like these:

 

{via}

{via}

{via}

 

I'll be rocking an extra carat or two on my left-hand ring finger.  My dear Handsome Husband is already aware that I don't need a fancy car, expensive shoes or designer clothes - I want my fun money on my hand.

 

I'd like to have a little family with three or four kiddos.  I used to be totally sold on four, but something tells me I should try out one before I go signing myself up a family of six.  

 

I will still be driving an SUV of some kind, because the idea of going back to a sedan makes me groan.  My current favorites are:

 

Kia Sorrento

 

Ford Escape Hybrid

 

Told you I'm not about fancy cars.

 

As far as career goes?  I'm not sure where I'll end up, to be honest.  I have plans to continue my education exponentially, but I haven't quite decided which direction to go.  I could become a Nurse Practioner, work in Nursing Administration, become a Nurse Anaesthetist, or choose a specialty like Diabetes Educator or Nursing Instructor.  I have a few boxes to check before I have to choose a specific route, but these are always in the back of my mind.  What I'm fairly certain on?  I don't have plans to become a Stay-at-home Mom.  I have respect for the women who do that, and I do think there are many benefits, but I just don't think that is going to be the route for me.  However, I've never had to drop a kid off at daycare or miss their first words, so I'll get back to you.

 

I hope to have met and made many new friends, but I really hope I have the friendships that stand the test of time.  I hope Cute Apartment and I can raise our children as friends, maybe even cousins.  I hope Best Friend Fashionista is still a part of my life, and that Swagger and I and our lawyer husbands get together on the reg (yup, I said is Swaggs).

 

I would really, really like to own a business.  I know that is vague, but I have so many interests that I think could manifest into a small side business and I think that would be very satisfying.  Also, HH has a somewhat bizarre interest in owning a franchise, and I think that would actually be pretty fun also (though in real life?  I don't think many fulltime attorneys or higher-level nurses have the time for something like that!).

 

Most importantly (because I'm of the school of thought that if you put your energy into your marriage, you're a generally happier person in other aspects), I hope my Husband loves me just as much as he loves me today (maybe more!) and that we still laugh together every single day.

 

What do you want to be when you grow up? 

 



2012 Goal Review

I don't really believe in New Years Resolutions.  I think most people end up failing at them, and that they are always uuber cliche.  However, I do believe in goals, and the end or beginning of a year is a great time to evaluate them. 

Last year, I wrote about ten things I wanted to do in 2012 - you can see that post HERE.  Today, let's see how the heck I did.

1. Buy a condo with my very Handsome Husband.   Check! We put an offer on a condo we absolutely adored in March, suffered through a horrific short sale, and closed escrow on the second-to-last day of August of 2012.  We have been soaking up the last few months as new homeowners, and this was a huge accomplishement for us!  You can read about our Hunt to Homeownership HERE.
2. Start making lunch more often.   Fail. I definitely improved over 2011, but still not where I'd like to be.  I don't see this getting all that much better in 2013 to be honest, but a girl can dream.
3. Work out more often. Note: It's a lifestyle change, not a "lose 10 pounds" thing.   Fail. I definitely did work out more in 2012 than I did in 2011, however, ever since I stopped running with Tutor Girl, I lost a lot of motivation.  I would really like to get better about this in 2013, so we'll see.   4. Read more books.   Sort-of Check! I read a lot during the first half of 2012, due in part to my awesome new gadget at the time - the Kindle Fire.  However, once we got close to closing escrow, I was using my reading time for pursuing Pinterest for home decor ideas, and after that I was using every available second to make Pinterest come to life.  I would like to read more in 2013, mainly because I have SO many fabulous books in my Kindle wishlist!   5. Further my education.   Sort-of Check! I took a whopping one class this year which, for me, is sad.  I would really love to be saying that I will become an RN in 2013, but I know that is not the case.  And not because I do not have the drive, motivation or dedication.  But because the nursing education market here in California really does not favor those trying to work and go to school.  For me to go to school, I would have to change positions, and would not be able to work full-time.  With a Handsome Husband in law school, this is simply not an option for me at the time.  For now, I am focusing my efforts on excelling in my current nursing role, perhaps taking some units next semester to prepare myself for the nursing program even more, and being a supportive wife for my student Husband.  I know he will be there for me when it's my turn, and I know that will come before I know it.
6. Visit my family on the east coast.   Fail. This one makes me sad, but spoiler alert: We are heading to the East Coast in 2013!  More deets to come!
7. Be a strong support for HH as he starts law school in the Fall.   Check!  Or at least, I'd like to think so! I would like to hope I've been helpful and supportive for my sweet HH, I guess we'd have to ask him to find out for sure!
8. Focus on growing my wardrobe in a thrifty and practical way.   Fail. I think the main reason this one was a fail was because HH and I were trying to save as much moola as possible for our move in 2012, so I really tried to keep purchases on the minimum.  This year, I really would like to grow my wardrobe, and on top of that?  I'd like to take more fashion risks.   9. Do more things for and with my girlfriends - I think I do pretty good now, but I don't ever want them to not know how important they are to me!   Check! From Girls Weekend last January (and another one just weeks away!) to lots and lots of girls nights out and even my Victoria's Secret party - 2012 was the year of growing my relationships with my girlfriends.  And you know what?  2013 is going to be, too!
10. Start thinking about having a little kidlet? Key word: Thinking. See HERE. (and also HERE.)   Check! I mean, sure, I thought about it.  

2012: A Year In Review

Check out 2011's review HERE.

January

We rang in the New Year  at our local Dueling Piano Bar, with my dearest friend, Cute Apartment.

Cute Apartment hosted a Very Merry Taco Tuesday Club Belated Christmas Party, which sadly was one of our last outings as the group sort of splintered in the coming months.

I managed to spell my own last name wrong, and document it at that.

Handsome Husband's family spent a Day at the Races in Santa Anita, and we made some moola by betting on horsies with cute names.

My favorite girlfriends and I took off the Arizona for Girls Weekend 2012, a tradition started the year prior in Palm Springs for my Bachelorette Party.

I got together with my blogging buddies, Neely and Amber, and co-hosted the Fabulous Valentines Challenge here on this little blog.

I started my Lots of Link Love series, and have loved spending the year recapping my favorite posts around the blogosphere.

February

Cute Apartment, Tutor Girl and myself headed to San Diego for my first-ever (and sadly, so far the only) Blogger Meet-up!  You can read about it on their blogs HERE and HERE.

HH's fam hosted another quarterly Poker Tournament, and Handsome Hubs himself took home the trophy this time!

We celebrated our first married Valentine's Day together, which truthfully was quite uneventful, but for some very sweet surprise gifts in my car after class from HH.

Tutor Girl and I hosted a Springs Sweets Swap on our blogs!

I had a friendship end unexpectedly, that truth be told still leaves me quite confused and hurt (10 months later).

We celebrated our first wedding anniversary, and I surprised HH with a dinner full of friends in San Diego.

March

As always, March was filled with birthdays - my Hat Daddy-o's, mine and HH's to name a few.

We officially started our Hunt to Homeownership on March 3rd - the day that we saw our home for the first time.

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day at a local pub, but not before being super social (as seen below) at a house party.

HH and I headed to Vegas for the weekend with Cousin Ronomon and Tutor Girl to celebrate our birthdays, anniversaries, and anything else we could think of at the time!

I celebrated my 1-year Blogaversary with a week of guest posts about Why We Blog.

 

April

We celebrated Easter with a brunch at Aunt Fancy Chef's House, and a dinner with Cute Apartment and her new boyfriend, Number Cruncher.

The fam, HH and myself headed to the little town of Blythe to celebrate some family anniversaries and birthdays - and spend some time with my favorite cousins.

Grandpa Backgammon celebrated a birthday in fun way with a night of wine tasting, lovingly planned by Gma Beach Bum!

The Family Golf Tournament came and went, and again I served my purpose as non-golfer, but super great photographer.

Twin Unicorn and I marched along with Grandma Beach Bum in the annual March for Babies Walk in Newport Beach.

 

May

Sister Singer performed in her last musical in high school, and we cheered her on like always.

We celebrated Mother's Day with a brunch in Newport Beach, followed by a fabulous Potluck at Grandma Beach Bum's.

I chopped off my super long hair to donate to Locks of Love.

HH and I headed to Palm Springs for the weekend with some of our closest friends to celebrate Memorial Day!

Felt like a real grown-up when I had to take a day off work to serve at Jury Duty for the first time.

June

Another month full of birthdays - Sisters Singer and Swimmer turned 18, and Gardening Mom celebrated one too (and y'all know I know better than to share a grown ass woman's age on this blog!).

We got together to celebrate Mr. Boot Camp's college graduation - fajitas, Patron and beer made for quite the little shindig.

Handsome Husband had a stomach ache one night that ended up being appendicitis and resulted in him having an emergency appendectomy - this was scary and I wrote about my minor parking lot breakdown HERE.

We watched Sisters Singer and Swimmer walk across the stage and throw their hats in the air as they graduated high school.

To round out their big graduation weekend, we headed to Arizona to celebrate their accomplishment and Fathers Day with Best Cousin and company.  Best Cousin wrote about it HERE.

We got together with some of our dear friends from San Diego to wish Twin Navy well on his adventure to Boot Camp (and incidentally, we will be seeing him again for the first time since next weekend!).

We jetted off to Florida for our long-awaited Disney World trip with my Sisters!

While I was in Florida, I had some fantastic bloggers share their stories about life When They Were 18.

July

We had a low-key 4th of July with multiple barbeques and some fireworks at our beloved local lake.

We were finally knee-deep into escrow for our first home, and we had an inspection near the end of the month.

The fair came to town, and we enjoyed a day with our friends.

I planned a fun Family Girls' Night Out at The Melting Pot, and we enjoyed martinis and fondue on a lovely Tuesday night.

August

The month started off extreme with our annual Arizona trip.

HH and I celebrated four years of being an us by going to an All American Rejects concert at the Fair!

My amazing Handsome Husband had orientation for Law School, and attended his first official day as a Law Student!

We headed up to Los Angeles to celebrate BF Fashionista's birthday at a fun sushi restaurant.

Cousin Ronomon had a birthday and we spent a day at the park celebrating.

Right before the month ended, we closed escrow and officially became homeowners!

September

We moved into our new home, and rejoiced that we had finally made it there!

Grandma Beach Bum celebrated a milestone birthday, and we had a lovely night out at the St. Regis to celebrate.

Our incredible friends helped us over one long weekend to paint the majority of our house, and we were insanely grateful.

October

I celebrated my one year anniversary at my big girl nursing job, and even got a little raise!

We got to head to San Diego for Alumni Weekend at HH's Alma Mater and spend some time with our old friends.

Gardening Mom and I headed to a family Halloween Party, where I rocked my Honey Boo Boo costume all night long!

Handsome Hubster was the coolest guy around when he brought my Halloween Layer Dip to work for a potluck.

 

November

We finally got to celebrate our newfound homeownership with friends and family when we hosted our Housewarming Party at the beginning of the month.

Tutor Girl did us a total solid and took some photos for our Holiday Cards this year.  See some hilarious outtakes HERE.

Best Cousin came for a visit and we had some wonderful girl talk.

Mother-in-Law Red celebrated a milestone birthday and we had a wonderful brunch at Grandma Beach Bum's in her honor.

We got to attend the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony for HH's (and Gardening Momma's) company again, and enjoyed some music, food and friends as always!

I spent a weekend in LA visiting with three of my favorite girls ever: Sister Swimmer, and Best Friends Fashionita and Swagger.

Cousin Ronomon hosted a fantastic birthday dinner for Tutor Girl in their home fit with amazing homemade Italian food.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with dinner at Gardening Momma's and dessert at Grandma Beach Bum's.

HH's family had their annual Ladies' Baking Day where we got to make tons of holiday goodies together!

The family weekend for HH's family continued, as we got together to take portraits as a group.

 

December

I hosted a little girls' night in when I had a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Viewing Party at our house.

We were very multicultural when we attended our town's Christmas Tree Lighting and Menorah Lighting all in one weekend.

HH and I got to pick out our first ever real tree together for our first Christmas in our new home!

Handsome Husband, Cousin Study Buddy and I hit the road up to Orange for a little shindig to celebrate the end of finals for our law students (first semester, that is) - all dressed to the nines in ugly Christmas sweaters of course.

Aunt Fancy Chef hosted another wonderful Ladies' Tea for us to celebrate the holidays together.

Gardening Mom has a beautiful Hanukkah Dinner, and I didn't consume nearly enough latkes to tide me over all year.

I hosted my first big holiday at our home: Christmas Eve.  With beef tenderloin, Christmas music, and a trip to see the lights around the neighborhood - the night was a wonderful success.

Handsome Husband and I had our first ever alone Christmas morning together, and it was glorious.

Christmas Day was long but lovely - presents at Gardening Mom and Hat Dad's, brunch at a local golf course with a gorg view, and an afternoon and evening of family fun at Grandma Beach Bum's.

We had a fabulous night out with some of my oldest friends at our very favorite dive bar.

And funny enough, tonight the year will end just how it started: at our local Dueling Piano bar with friends, booze and lots of laughs.



Scrubs GIVEAWAY!

When Dansko contacted me asking if I'd like to review a pair of their scrubs, I just about spit out my wine (what else would I be drinking?) in excitement!  Of course I emailed back, overly excited for my new work outfit.  I even got to choose between a few styles and colors - so much fun!

I finally settled on the Geri top in navy, with matching Gina pants in the matching navy color.  I chose navy because I don't have any navy scrubs, and I am a long time believer in the whole navy is a neutral debate (is this actually a debate?), and thought it would be a lovely addition to my ever-growing scrub collection!  I'm also a little boring, and love a good solid colored scrub set, so this was perfect!

In my hustle and bustle of moving, unpacking, planning a housewarming, and then trying to recover from the craziness that was August-October, these cute little scrubs just sat there waiting for me to try them on!

And finally I did - and I'm so glad!

 

These Dansko scrubs are so soft and comfortable (I may or may not be wearing them as I type this).  They are like wearing your most comfortable pair of pajamas (and everyone's second reason behind the whole saving lives and helping the world thing for becoming a nurse is wearing pajamas to work).  The navy is a really pretty dark shade, and will look adorbs with some of the print tops I have.

 

One thing to keep in mind:  these run a bit big.  I ordered both the pants and the top in a medium and I'm sort of swimming in the top (not usually a problem for me in tops if you know what I mean...who am I kidding, not usually a problem for me in clothes).  I did wash and heat dry the top, so I'm thinking it's just going to be a big comfy one - which is fine, but had I known, I may have ordered a Small, which would have been good for the fit and also for my self confidence cause God knows I don't get to wear a size small very often!

 

You can see Dansko's entire line of scrubs at Dansko.com/atwork if you or someone you know is lucky enough to get to wear pajamas scrubs to work on the daily!

 

Speaking of lucky, Dansko was kind enough to offer to give away a pair of their fantastic scrubs to one of my readers as well!  Enter below via Rafflecopter to grab a pair of these, and you know, with the holidays coming up, maybe there's someone you know who would love a pair of Dansko scrubs!  The winner will be able to select their own style and color of choice from Dansko.com/atwork.  Good luck!

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nursing Link-Up: The Dress Code

I am so excited to be linking up for the first time with Renee and Anna for their monthly nurse link-up!  I have wanted to join them for the past two link-ups but haven't got a chance to sit down and get the post out - so glad to be joining them now!

The month's theme is:

The Dress Code,

focusing not just on clothes but all the little things nurses have hanging on them daily - srubs, stethoscopes, tools, and whatnot!

Here are some of my favorite nurse-y things!

My Stethoscope and Stethoscope Tag

My stethoscope is a fabulous Littmann, the king of stethoscopes if you ask me, and it was a nursing school graduation gift from my Handsome Husband.  The tag was a Christmas gift from MIL Red, and I adore it!  It is so stinking cute and doctors and patients alike are always commenting on it!  (It is from Etsy - you can view the seller's shop HERE.)

My ID Badge Necklace

I feel like such a dork wearing a name tag.  Every single time.  Except when I wear this adorable necklace with my ID badge on it.  It was a gift from Gardening Mom, and I literally wear it every single day!  It is cute, and makes you completely forget you're wearing a dorky name badge!  (It is from Brighton, and you can find it HERE.)

All-time Most Flaterring Scrubs

I promise you, this is not what I look like in regular clothes.  Add about another 15 pounds to this image is more like it.  These scrubs?  They are magic.  They make you look hot...in scrubs...not an easy feat.  (They are NrG by Barco, and you can find the top HERE and the pants HERE.)

Sorry for those of you readers who are not in the medical field and found this post a total snoozefest, but I can't wait to check out some more nurse blogs!

Over and Out.

National Nurses Week 2012

Did you know it's nurses week? 

I can guarantee my husband doesn't know, because I have seen no impromtu flowers or cards full of admiration for my choice of career.  But that's beside the point.

Here is the thing about nursing.

It is so rewarding.

And this is coming from someone who has had a pretty rough last week or so at work.

But that's why it is so great,

mid-way through a shitty shift,

you hold a child's hand and make them feel better,

or explain something to a parent to ease their anxiety,

or simply catch a baby's unexpected laughter mid-visit,

and you're back,

and you remember why,

despite the horrible feat aches and headaches,

the demand on the job and the doctors,

and the complaints about things you have no control over,

you remember why you became a nurse:

To help people.

And we do.

Phone Photo Fun!

Big week of phone photos in my world, so I thought I'd show some of them off this week!

If you're coming by my blog for this first time,

Welcome,

and I hope you'll take a little looksie around!

Currently, I am hosting a Fabulous Valentine's Challenge with 2 other awesome blogger ladies - Neely and Amber! 

Enjoy my life in phone photos!

Babysitting Cousins Teeny Girl and Halloween for the night

Helping Sisters Singer and Swimmer get beautified for their Winter Formal dance

Spending some time with one of my close personal friends, beer

Drinking water out of jars at the Case de Kindergarten Teacher and Twin Unicorn

Some healthy lunches during the week

Super sweet new toys at work!

What's been going on in your life this week?

Linking up with:

Somtimes and Always: Work Edition

Linking up with Megan again!

Sometimes: I feel overwhelmed by my to-do list.

Always: I feel lucky to have a job that I can enjoy while checking things off the list.

Sometimes: I wish I could dress up in fancy business clothes and go to work.

Always: I remember how much I hated wearing those clothes at old jobs.

Sometimes: I cannot stand the sound of kids crying in the waiting room.

Always: The sound of kids laughing makes up for it.

Sometimes: I wish my job was more procedure-oriented.

Always: I remember how skeeved I got about suctioning, and think "this ain't so bad."

Sometimes: I wonder if I make a difference in my patient's lives.

Always: I know they make a difference in mine, and that's enough for me.

Christmas Gone for a Whole 'Nother Year

In December...

Mother-in-Law Red and I kicked off the month with Christams shopping at the mall.  Finished shopping on December 1st?  Success.

I attended Handsome Husband's Aunt Fancy Chef's annual Ladies Holiday Tea, and soaked up the holiday spirit.

L-R: Me, MIL Red, Gardening Mom, Grandma Beach Bum, Tutor Girl, Aunt Fancy Chef, and Cousin Study Buddy

(And no, contrary to what this picture may suggest, I am not, in fact, 6 months pregnant.)

I attended my first Holiday work party at my big girl job!

I spent some long overdue time over some glasses of wine and piece of chocolate cake with an old friend, Miss Art Teacher.

Handsome Husband and I got to head up to San Luis Obispo for the weekend to celebrate the graduation of his Cousin Eyeshadow!

We spent a fabulous weekend in Las Vegas with a wonderful couple friend - Twin Beauty School and her boyfriend, The Bouncer.

Best Friend Kindergarten Teacher made my day when she came by to join me for lunch during her winter break from work.

Cousin Ronomon and Tutor Girl hosted us for a fabulous dinner full of story-telling, laughs, and plans for a future trip to Vegas? (Spoiler alert: in March).

They served us these gorgeous things for dessert!

We kept on with the family traditions with HH's family with a baking day at Aunt Fancy Chef's House just days before Christmas!  So much sugar in one kitchen!

L-R: Aunt Fancy Chef, Cousin Study Buddy, Grandma Beach Bum, and Cousin Eyeshadow

Gardening Mom hosted another wonderful Christmas Eve dinner, this year fit with everyone's favorite kinds of potatoes along with prime rib and other fixins fit for a feast!

We celebrated another wonderful Christmas with presents at my parents' house in the morning, brunch, and an afternoon and evening full of family time with HH's family!

Clockwise from upper L corner: Sister Swimmer basking in her Hello Kitty presents, HH and I after brunch, Tutor Girl and family opening gifts, Annual photo of us and Cousin Eyeshadow at Christmas at Gma Beach Bum's House

We had a week full of fun dinners when we got to dine with HH's friends YouTube Star and Mr. Defense (we even got invited to Mr. D's families home and spent the entire night getting to know his whole family...love friends who become like family).

And I better be gettin' one of these at midnight tonight: