where has the year gone?

I swear only yesterday I was getting married, and now it's a week from Christmas. Where did this year go? Yes I still plan on telling you about my wedding and my honeymoon, and all that goes with that. I've just been waiting patiently to get my pictures back from our photographer. She sent them out yesterday and I'm so excited. I've seen proofs, they're amazing and I am really pleased with how they turned out. So all in do time my lovelies.

Does anyone else feel like this year has been a blur? It still doesn't feel like Christmas to me yet, no matter how many movies I watch [read: Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, Bad Santa, Die Hard, and on and on], or how many times I put Christmas music on the radio.

Maybe it's because this year didn't have the standard flow of events. Our wedding was right before Halloween, my favorite holiday. We missed Halloween festivities since we were on our honeymoon, which is a great filler trust me but sometimes I just need Halloween. After that we switched up plans to spend Thanksgiving in Maryland with my father. We usually spend it here with Mike's family. Point being not a single fall-winter holiday has been as it usually is and I think I'm going to blame that for my lack of Christmas cheer... although I'm rather cheerful just not feeling like it's Christmas yet.

Shopping will be completed this weekend, thank goodness. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. This year Mike and I did most of our shopping online. We used Pinterest [so addicting] to create WISH LISTS for each other. This in theory helped out a ton because we were able to give each other links to all our desires and purchase them for each other in one click. It all went smoothly until Mike gave his mom the link to his wish list, to show her an idea he had for his dad, that he also thought he might like to receive for Christmas... and then I panicked fearing she'd buy everything on there, and leave me with nothing. Crisis averted, thank goodness! We worked it all out. But it was touch and go there for a moment. Could you imagine... first Christmas as a married couple and all that was left for me to get him would be socks and underwear? Sooo romantic.

Last year we did a lot of local shopping for everyone on our list and it felt amazing to help our community AND to get out locally and not hit up the mall for gifts. I think I am going to do this again next year. The gifts were more meaningful, the shopping was less stressful and I actually felt good and like it was Christmas for the entire season.

I hope you have all your shopping and baking finished. I myself haven't touched the baking yet... and not sure if I will. However I do have to bake a cheesecake for Christmas dinner. I hope I don't get frazzled before then.

So, are you ready for Christmas?

P.S. I promise to update more often, now that things are slowing down. Tis the Season!