Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!
I hope you all have had a good one so far
We've spent the majority of the day in our jam-jams
Taking turns opening presents
Drinking so much coffee
Eating cherry kringles.
I love Christmas morning
My mom and I were the firsts ones up it was a gloomy morning here which I think is perfect for Christmas.
It'd be too weird if it was snowing.
It's actually supposed to blizzard later today which makes me really excited. I love snow and the past couple years it's been sparse in these parts. I'll be posting pictures of the festivities later this week.
Merry Christmas and be safe!

Christmas time pictures

Well, well we have snow. Forgive my not-pretty back yard and someone else's chair on my porch. I have to work an 8 hour shift today and I'm not excited about the drive, but what can you do. Drive slow. 

I have Christmas pictures as promised! Starting with our Christmas play at church. It was a small and simple one which was adorable. I remember the huge productions that I was in when I was little. I was always terrified and there were lines to remember and songs to sing and make-up to wear, and so many people!

The Stars were my favorite. 

And the sheep were Ben's favorite, they were too cute!

Christmas morning has always been my favorite. We play it super low key and stay in pajamas as long as possible. This year my brother, sister-in-law, and my dog neice Gracie were with us. It was a perfect. My parents bought Ben and I a bed earlier this year for Christmas but of course my mom bought us a bunch of little things to open and! I got a new pair of boots which was awesome. Because I have such an issue with shoes I haven't bought boots since high school and it was past time for that pair to retire.

Ben loved the socks I got him. He's a total sucker for socks and ties which is pretty awesome I mean, look at that face.

My brother and sis-in-law got me this. I'm excited to start it. I've been working on Neal Stephson's Zodiac and the writing is interesting, but I haven't gotten into the story much and I got one of those 'give us our book back' letters from the library.

We drank coffee alll day. It was the best.

My mom loves decorating and Christmas is no except she put my decorations to shame for sure.

(We're down another kitten! So that leaves one kitten and one cat left, whew, I feel like I can start really  cleaning again)

My niece Gracie. She's a year old and smarter than all of us. 

She really doesn't like to be still, but I had her ball so she had to sort of pay attention to me, but look at that face she's not happy about it.

What are your Christmas traditions? Did you have a good one? Drink lots of coffee?

Be safe and enjoy the snow!

Madson family Christmas

A couple weekends ago Ben and I visited his family in Indianapolis. I tried to stay true to my promise of using an actual camera to take photos. 

Ben's parents have 3 Boston terriers and his sister just got an english setter puppy so it was a busy house!

and one lonely cat who stays upstairs all the time.

Only 3 more days till Christmas and my family just came to town!

I'm excited to be around them!

I love the holidays.

What I've been reading lately.

With working at Target my brain has strongly refused to do anything.

My current reading reflects that...oops.

After trudging through A Casual Vacancy (which I did not finish)

I think my brain wanted to go to the land of rainbows and kittens-minus the kittens I'm already queen of that place. So, I stuck with digital comics for awhile.

I found Mystic a brilliant fantasy series with stunning artwork. My only complaint is that it wasn't long enough.

I was introduced to Deadpool and...I don't think I'm ready for that side of super-heros yet. I caught up on the X-Men/ Avengers world. A lot has happened since Jean Grey died and I still can't stand Emma Frost. (Also, if you ever have upwards of two hours the Charles Xavier wikipedia page is the most detailed page I've seen yet and Prof X has apparently done everything there is to do in the universe.)

I did read Jane Eyre. I chose the graphic novel version because I didn't know how I'd like the story. I ended up really enjoying the whole thing and plan to read the actual book. 

I also picked up this book. I've read A Wrinkle in Time when I was younger and this adaptation did the story justice, and to this day it still freaks me out. 

I'm also listening to Interview with a Vampire on audiobook and now I know why Anne Rice is the queen of all things vampire.

I do plan to pick up an actual book soon. Right now it's a toss up for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series or Castle in the Sky. It's so tough to choose!

I hope you have a Happy Wednesday!

Latergrams

I have my final interview today at the hospital!

We're wrapping things up and I'm giving her a massage.

That part is pretty standard in all massage interviews.

But that means we won't be decorating and cleaning and organizing today.

We will be doing kitten damage control. They ripped open some Goodwill pages and drug 

clothes everywhere and somehow knocked over our table by the door with

alll our change on it... I'm sure you can

picture it.

So, while I have to delay Christmas pictures I do have some "latergrams" to share with you.

They do involve a lot a cats because that's our life now.

This happens to be my favorite picture ever. I'm thinking about getting it printed.

Something, something sunrise. 

The best sushi dinner ever

A lunch beer on a lunch date.

This is Boo, or the mama cat. She never lays with me so this was special.

It's Christmas music time!

I know this is a bad picture but I had to act fast.

This is in the bathroom of a movie theater the opening night of Breaking Dawn (which I didn't see)

and that is a pink cocktail with a lime in it. I just got so much humor out of that.

Well I hope you enjoyed my cats! I promise to start using a real camera again now that I'm actively blogging again.

Have a Happy Thursday!

What we're doing on our day off.

Ben doesn't know this yet, but since Thursday is a day off for both of us we will be cleaning

organizing and

Christmas Decorating!!!

I've been super jealous of reading about everyone around me decorating and putting up trees.

It's our turn! 

Honestly, I hated Christmas up until the year before last.

I was working at Starbucks with it's blasting Christmas music and horrible, angry customers 

and all my co-workers and I were at war with the "holiday season."

I saw all the non-Starbuckers happy and enjoying the season. One night I was sitting with Tazo the Cat

and we were both being grumpy (he's always grumpy and I was too then) when I made a decisison.

"You know what, Tazo?"

No response

"I think I'm going to start liking Christmas."

No response

"You ask why? Well because I'm tired of being mad about it"

No response

So I went out and bought a whole six Christmas decorations.

It was a start.

Now I love decorating and Christmas music and I can't wait to do it!

I feel like I'm tardy to the party even though it's not December.

Que pictures of Christmas decorating that I lust after.

I think I need to do this for my tree!

I'm sure there will be more to come, hopefully I'll have pictures of my own Christmas decorations tomorrow!

Happy Wednesday!

Dear Diary

I think I've always had a blogger identity issues.

I read all these cute blogs and I want to be like them.

It would be nice to have some followers.

I know to make a good blog I need good content, good pictures, and good writing.

I know I've been lacking on almost all of these fronts.

Sigh, but I miss blogging.

I've gone through a life slump.

My massage career has come to a road block, and I've been working on climbing over it, 

but it's going to take some time.

In the meantime, I've gone back to making lattes-

in a Target.

I didn't think it would bother me as much as it does, but I'm stuck in a uniform (with a hat. I hate hats)

working for people who are new to the coffee game (it's only be open for six months)

and all of the people I went to high school with are home for the holidays and shopping at Target. 

I know it's not true but all these factors make me feel like I've failed.

I'm angry about where my life's at and at the same time I don't want to face the reality of it.

I come home and crash on the couch, turn on the tv and turn off everything else.

I'm quick to temper, sad, and scared.

Then I realize that I'm just letting life slip by me. 

The only thing I do outside of work is watch tv and stress about what to do with four three-month-old kittens (that no one wants-are you kidding me?)

I need this blog. I need something to do that will keep my brain working.

Keep me wanting to read, write, move, anything besides just existing.

So, I'm going to keep trying with this blog even if no one follows me, or no one even reads it

because I need this to get me to the next step.