Cheers!

photos by my hubby

Last night my good friends Colin and Rachel got married at one of the sweetest weddings I've ever been to. Everybody cried pretty much the whole time, and the whole thing was nerdy and cute and perfect. What a way for these two to ring in the new year!

What happened to December?

(me at my mom's on Christmas morning...presents and accordion in hand!)

OMG, this month went by crazy fast! Apologies for not updating in forever, I've just been busy busy busy. We had a new hire at work and they changed everything up in my classroom so that's been crazy. And this month I saw tons of movies, went to a Christmas mariachi show, went ice skating, threw a Home Alone Christmas party, went to Disneyland, baked tons of cookies, celebrated birthdays and Christmas, gave and received oodles of presents, and tonight my dear friends Colin and Rachel are getting married...whew! It's been a whirlwind!

Best of 2013 post coming soon, and plans for 2014! Crazy year!

Christmas Tunes!

Since it's the first work day of December, I've begun subjecting my coworkers to Christmas music. And I have a LOT of Christmas music. Here are some of my favorites!

Bing and the Andrews Sisters? This thing is gold.

Best Tracks: "Mele Kalikimaka" and "Jingle Bells"

This album is fantastic! It's multicultural, multilingual, and multifabulous.

Best Tracks: "Auld Lang Syne" and "Elohai, N'tzor"

Frank. Christmas. That's all.

Best Tracks: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Adeste Fideles"

This album feels appropriate for sunny southern California, where the words "white" and "Christmas" don't make sense next to each other.

Best Tracks: "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "We Three Kings of Orient Are"

Not even ashamed of this one. Okay, I am a little. It's Liberace!

Best Track: Christmas medley...you've gotta hear it!

Lounge-y and fabulous.

Best Tracks: "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Mambo" and "(Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With The Bag"

See above description!

Best Tracks: "Warm December" and "Exotic Night"

A total classic for 90s girls. Remember when Mariah Carey looked like that?

Best Tracks: "All I Want For Christmas Is You" (obviously) and "O Holy Night"

Herb Alpert. Yum. For those who like their Christmas tunes with a lot of brass.

Best Tracks: "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Las Mañanitas"

Surf rock Christmas! Is there anything better than that?

Best Tracks: "Frosty the Snowman" and "Silver Bells"

If hearing this album doesn't make you want to go to a Christmas tree lot and take home a scrawny little tree, you have no heart.

Best Tracks: "O Tannenbaum" and "Christmas Time Is Here (Instrumental)"

The Ronettes and Darlene Love? Come on now.

Best Tracks: "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and "Frosty The Snowman"

AW look at his little reindeer face! So cute. This one is only for fans of the movie, unless you like sickeningly sweet singing reindeer, or Burl Ives.

Best Tracks: "There's Always Tomorrow" and "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas"

Oh Zooey. I do like your singing voice.

Best Tracks: "Blue Christmas" and "Christmas Day"

The Squirrel Nut Zippers take on Christmas!

Best Track: "Indian Giver" and "Sleigh Ride"...their rendition of this classic is fantastic.

This album is magical to me. We used to listen to it every Christmas morning when we came downstairs to open our presents. There's not a more beautiful thing on this earth.

Best Tracks: "The Monastery Bells" and "Silent Night, Holy Night"...and the whole thing.

Have any I should add to my collection?

Happy December!

I love this time of year! I love it almost as much as October (haha) but we won't get into that. I've got my Christmas tree up, my Christmas cards are ordered, I've started my Christmas movie marathon, and I'm planning a super fun and cheesy Christmas party. The thing I haven't quite done is finish my Christmas shopping, but I still have a little time! CHRISTMAAAAASSSS!

Speaking of Christmas movies, Cinemark is doing this cool series of Christmas films on the big screen! A group of us saw Elf last weekend, and today we're seeing White Christmas! Next weekend is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and finally It's a Wonderful Life. Love!

What are your favorite things to do this month?

Happy (Day After) Thanksgiving!

There’s a lot to be thankful for this year. I’m thankful as always for my amazing husband who takes such good care of me. I’m thankful for my family, especially my crazy and awesome sister Dri. I’m thankful for reconciliation. I’m thankful for new beginnings. I’m thankful that Wednesday didn’t get eaten by that coyote. I’m thankful for my job, which is a lot of hard work but I get rewarded with little hugs and kisses and cuddles all day. I’m thankful for my fingers and my piano. I’m thankful for cinema. I’m thankful for my home. I’m thankful for my bed. I’m thankful for yummy food, especially pasta and cookies. I’m thankful for my friends, who are fantastic. I’m thankful for parties. And I’m thankful for being alive!

Night Film

Don't you love falling into a good book? A coworker of mind recently lent me Night Film by Marisha Pessl and I was HOOKED! It's about disgraced investigative reporter Scott McGrath, who finds himself obsessed with learning about the final days of Ashley, a young woman who committed suicide. She was the daughter of cult filmmaker Stanislas Cordova, a cult horror filmmaker who is shrouded in mystery and who brought about McGrath's downfall several years earlier. McGrath teams up with two unlikely sidekicks and together they uncover bit after bit of Ashley's extraordinary and dark life. It was SO GOOD, you guys. It incorporated news articles, photo galleries, doctor reports, and lots more to tell the whole story. And just when you think it's done, it tells you about an app that lets you scan images in the book for hidden audio files. Hooooooked! I loved the film references, the fact that Ashley was a pianist...I couldn't put it down! So good.

What have you read lately?

Craig's 30th Birthday Weekend

This past weekend we celebrated Craig's 30th birthday, beginning with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themed party (why not??) and ending with a trip to LACMA and Himalayan food with our friends! I was so happy that he didn't have to work for once, and we all had a great time!

Happy Birthday, my love!