"Productiveness"

Is that even a word?! I don't know, but it's what I portrayed this week while ALSO being incredibly lazy and enjoying my vacation!!

So, I had an entire NINE days off work for Thanksgiving. It was much needed and GLORIOUS. I started it off by helping my high school bestie, Sarah, celebrate her 25 years of living on Friday night. We had so much fun just hanging out with friends. On Saturday, I intended on cleaning my house, but instead, I bought new tires for my car and went shopping while they were being put on. I thought it was a great compromise to go shopping after spending a LOT of money for new tires instead of cleaning as planned. Afterwards, H and I went to see The Blind Side with Sarah and Kaitlin. It was AMAZING. I highly recommend that you see the movie - it was fabulous. We went to dinner at the Marietta Diner (yummy!) and then went with Kelsey to a restaurant in Alpharetta for some great dessert. (Yes, I know, you're wondering why I went somewhere else for dessert after being at the Diner, but it happened.) On Sunday, H and I had to work at the Gwinnett Arena for ALLIANCE. It wasn't terrible, but it was nothing to blog about either. Moving onto Monday... nothing too exciting again, but PRODUCTIVE is key here! H and I went to my school to clean my classroom and put some things away. Then, we took Kay shopping for a suit coat and ran errands. I got a Mary Kay facial that night.

Tuesday started the real fun. H had to get her wisdom teeth taken out, so we were at the oral surgeon's office bright and early. She did VERY well and has recovered nicely... "like a champ" in the words of Kay. We lazed in the den and watched movies all day long. It was great and really helped me to truly relax. I did clean the bathrooms and vacuum the house that night (ya know, 3 days later than I had planned, but at least it got done!!!) On Wednesday, I went over to my parents' house for my sister and I to hang the icicle lights at their house. Then, we came to my house and hung my icicle lights. They don't look so hot right now since #1, they're brand new and not hanging the way they should, and #2, a fuse keeps blowing so they won't stay on, but I'm fixing that this week! That afternoon, my grandma, mom, Kay, H, and I went to see The Rockettes at the Fox. I just love them!

I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday morning and then headed over to my parents' house for family time. I stuffed myself completely full with turkey, jello, green beans, corn pudding, sweet potatoes, broccoli, bread, mashed potatoes, and a yummy version of pumpkin pie. Of course, it was all fantastic!! And the time with family was nice also.

On Friday, H and I watched some more movies between me working in my front yard with help from my parents and Andrew and watching the Auburn/Alabama game. Sad ending but it was still a great game. It is GREAT to be an Auburn tiger and I am proud of those boys for playing hard! WAR EAGLE!!! We continued our work in my yard on Saturday - we completely took out 6-7 bushes and most of the monkey grass and LOTS of weeds. So, it now just has 7 bushes and a small tree. I would like to plant some flowers and move a couple of my hydrangea bushes to the front of my house. We'll see what the spring brings. :) Today was another relaxing day with another movie and running errands to get ready for this week.

While I dread going to work tomorrow, I feel refreshed. And I feel good about how I spent the last nine days. I was productive, but I also had plenty of time to relax. I watched lots of movies, ate lots of food, but got new tires put on my car, cleaned my house, put icicle lights up, put out some other Christmas decorations inside (including the wreath H and I made outselves!), and got my tree put into its stand. (No, there are no lights or ornaments on the tree, but it's still early too!) So, I go into tomorrow and this week with a clear and relaxed mind. I only hope and pray that my kids will come in with this same state of mind, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I love this time of year, and am excited about all of the projects we will be working on over the next several weeks. While it is also a very busy time of year, I do hope that I have lots of opportunities to stop and reflect on the birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope that my relationship with Him will deepen and grow from these reflections. I pray these same things for you as well - stop and think when you have the chance and take in this crazy thing called life that we are living!