Baby It's Cold Outside!

A lot has been happening as our family counts down the school days until Christmas vacation (only 6 more...you actually thought I was joking?!) Thanksgiving came and went in one big turkey coma and even though it was fun, December is my favorite time of all! I started decorating for Christmas a few days into the month as I accumulated more items from some amazing post Thanksgiving shopping deals and finally brought out the things I had been collecting since July! This is the first time since getting married that Linc and I have been "home" for the holidays and are able to decorate. We don't have a tree just yet, but I have tried to make every other part of our house as festive as possible! From the foyer all the way to the back door and around to the garage my house is now filled with treasures that I wish I could leave out all year round. I probably could, but I won't. Not yet anyway...

Other big news in the Hamilton household is that Lincoln started a new job this week and traded in his trusty BMW for a slightly cooler, more supped up Altima- complete with seat warmers and satellite radio. He definitely needs it though as his commute went from rolling out of bed and walking into the loft to now driving 80 miles round trip!!! Yikes!!! He is such a hard worker and so dedicated. The best part is that he also gets two weeks off for Christmas break so we get to be home together! He is also working side by side our good friend Mark who we know from California and we've been able to hang out with him and his wife Jane a lot more often. Another couple that we knew from sunny CA lives just down the road and sometimes we show up at their house unannounced to see what they'll feed us. Other times we're invited and just arrive fashionably late...like two hours into a birthday dinner...

Now that Linc isn't home during the day we set the pups up in the garage. We moved the living room rug in there (since I am pretty sure there is dog pee all over it anyway...thanks Tess) and bought them a nice cozy bed and dogloo. Tessa even wears a little fleece coat to help keep her a little extra toasty while they're hanging out. Christmas music plays softly in the background off their new clock radio and there's even a mini pee-pod in the corner for them to use! So far they seem to really enjoy it. The first time we left them alone in there we set up a doggie cam to check out what they would do. Both pups happily chewed on bones until we came back about ten minutes later! Better than leaving them cooped up in their cages all day!!

My other favorite thing that has happened so far this month is the love of my life and favorite twin sister came into town to do a little shopping and we met up for dinner to exchange gifts and catch up on life. After pigging out on lobster ravioli and pomegranate martinis (yes, we ordered the exact same thing. Great minds really do think alike!) we had a mini photo session and parted ways. We have been so lucky to see each other a lot more often in recent months and after all that I think I was able to convince her to come back for New Years and celebrate her anniversary at our house!! I know you're reading this Twinny...you're coming right?!

I am really excited to have two weeks off at home to relax, unwind, and spend time with my most favorite people in the world. I hope you are having a blessed holiday season so far and have lots to look forward too as well!