...aaaand it's all over

That was a nice little Internet break! Well, I say "break" but I was still on Twitter and Facebook here and there....so, ok it wasn't really a break, but a break from my normal routine!

Anyway, it's also been a nice general break (not having to go to work is quite generally awesome). Time has gone fast though - Christmas is so funny, there is so much build-up and anticipation and then before you know it the gifts are opened, Boxing Day sales are done, and you're halfway through vacation! How does this happen?! In any case it's been a good year - Christmas Eve was quiet, had a yummy dinner of lobster crepes and watched Muppet Christmas Carol (best.movie.ever.) and Christmas Vacation (NEVER stops being funny). Christmas Day we slept in, ate breakfast, didn't get to the gift-opening until noon (!) and no surprises there (my mom is not very good at being secretive - I pretty much knew everything I was getting hah). My big gift was this baby though:

Anyone who has known me for more than, oh, five minutes knows I love coffee and that I especially love espresso-based drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. Also, I live alone and I only ever make one drink at a time so I hate wasting a whole filter and pot of water on ONE mug of coffee, and then dealing with cleaning the whole thing. This machine is perfect for me because I can make tons of different drinks depending on my mood, only make one at a time, and not have to deal with messy filters and cleaning - you just put the pod in and that's that! My mom also got me a package each of coffee, cappuccino and latte pods so I'm set for a while! I got lots of great gifts, but this was the one I was most looking forward to. Can't wait to try it out tomorrow!

The boy came over in the afternoon and we gave him the stuff we put together for him (I made him a stocking and my mom got him a 6 pack - thoughtful right? lol), had yummy turkey dinner and cocktails and watched Toy Story 3. I went to his place that night and spent the day with him Sunday (again being lazy, eating lunch at Applebees, etc), then went back to mum's and we went to see The Tourist (my verdict is 'meh'), then went to bed early in prep for shopping Monday.

I wasn't sure if I'd go because money has been tight and I hate the huge crowds, but I got some money for Christmas and there were a few things I wanted to pick up so we decided to go for it. Of course we woke up to a major rain/wind storm in the morning which almost detered us (I said almost...there are not many things that would deter us from shopping in the end) but we still got to the mall for opening at 8am. Omg, BEST time to go ever, there were hardly any people there then; SUCH a smart idea on our part! I picked up a grey sweater ($25 from $70!), 2 pairs of black tights, 2 knit headbands and a knit hat ($15!), black skinny cargo pants, a calendar, cute pink notes that say "Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake" and a new umbrella! The deals weren't amazing but pretty good. We didn't get home until 2:30! Then we went visiting with old friends in the evening (the lady who invited us used to babysit my sister and I, and she's also the aunt of my childhood bff, so it was a great chance to catch up with other family members too).

Today I'm off to a friend's bridal shower and my mom is having friends over for dinner, so I'll probably catch the tail end of that visit. Going to head home tomorrow to clean and put all my new stuff away (gawd, that's not going to be a fun job). I think tomorrow I'm going to go skating (the Canada Games are in Halifax in 2011 so they city built a big speed skating oval in a big park in the middle of the city and it's open for public skates and events!) and going to see Black Swan with a friend, then Friday is New Years Eve (gah, how did that happen?!). It's funny because the boy and I were going to go to this dress-up party, then decided not to and stay in a make sushi instead, then I got a text this morning saying I won a ticket! hah. So, guess we'll be going to the party after all! It's just around the corner from my apartment, semi-formal and they are having food and entertainment (dj's, fire breathers, etc)...ya know the usual. This year is wierd because my best friend and her man are living away now so everyone I normally spend the night with is sort of scattered around, but I'm still looking forward to it. It's sort of the beginning of a new chapter with my new man, which I suppose is appropriate (speaking of a new year and new chapter, I'll be posting about my resolutions - as will everyone, I'm sure - in the next couple of days - looking forward to laying out a positive path for the coming year).

Didn't I say I was on vacation? In typical 'me' fashion, my vacation has actually been quite busy so far lol. Ah well, at least it's busy with things I WANT to do and not HAVE to do (like work). Let me see, what can I fill Saturday, Sunday and Monday with.....hmmmm...