Less Than A Week To Go...

Wow, I can't believe today is December 20th! Five days until Christmas! I'm actually feeling pretty prepared this year. My shopping is done, I only have ONE project unfinished (a scrapbook for my Grammie) and a relatively free schedule from now until the big day! As of Friday, I'm on vacation until January 2nd. Wahoo! In that time I have SO many people I'm getting together with...hopefully it all works out. I can't wait to meet Baby Elliott!

Yesterday I discovered the joys of text messaging. How convenient...it's like MSN on the go. Very cool. I'm hooked.

Tomorrow I'm having lunch with my friends Chris & Dana. Chris & I work together but never really get to see each other. Dana used to work with us and the last time I saw her was the summer. It will be nice to catch up and we're going to one of my favourite restaurants...Coppa Di Gelatto.

I think I'm going to rent "Christmas Vacation" tonight. It's one of my favourite holiday flicks and I haven't watched it yet this year.

Be sure to check out Simon & Claire's travel blog on the right of the screen. They are on a year-long trip around the world and Simon is an amazing photographer, so it makes for some pretty sweet armchair traveling.

I Did It!

Yesterday I finished my Christmas shopping. What a great feeling! And I didn't have to fight the crowds at the mall. I went to Petrolia and went shopping with my sister. It was great because there were no line-ups and I got unique items that I wouldn't have found had I just gone to the mall. As a bonus, I ran into a few people I haven't seen in a long time. Feels good to have that done :)

Getting to know me...

This is one of those things that gets sent around in your e-mail circles. I know some people find them annoying, but I think they're kind of fun and sometimes give you some insight into people that you wouldn't have known otherwise. I decided to post my answers here so you could learn a little something about me today!

1. What is your occupation? Graphics Girl - A-Channel, London
2. What color are your socks right now? black3. What are you listening to right now? Matt Costa - The Road4. What was the last thing that you ate? a berry smoothie for breakfast
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes… every day. Although I couldn't really when I bought my car :)
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Sassy Red
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Char
8. Favourite band: that's a really tough one...some of my top favourites: Beatles, Paul Simon, Jack Johnson, Coldplay, Matt Costa, Dave Matthews Band, U2
9. How old are you today? 2910. Favorite Drink? gingerbread latte11. What is your favorite sport to watch? none
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, that reminds me, I need to make an appointment14. Favorite Food? BBQ Steak15. What was the last movie you watched? The Holiday16. Favorite day of the year? Christmas Eve17. What do you do to vent anger? vent to Char18. What was your favorite toy? my cheerbear19. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Fall20. Hugs or kisses? Both
21. Cherries or blueberries? Cherries22. Living arrangements? one roommate... Jodi23. When was the last time you cried? Monday night
24. What is on the floor of your closet? Christmas presents25. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Nicole26. What did you do last night? went to Williams for a chai latte with Sue.27. Favorite smells? fresh laundry, the beach28. What inspires you? hmmm, a deadline29. What are you afraid of? blue foods
30. Favorite dog breed? I'm not much of a dog person, but I think I like labs
31. Number of keys on your key ring? 632. How many years at your current job? 7.533. Favorite day of the week? Monday night...because of Prison Break (otherwise Sunday)34. How many states have you lived in? None ...just Ontario35. Favorite Holidays? Christmas & Canada Day
36. Ever driven a Motorcycle or heavy machinery? I LOVE motorcycles and heavy machinery... well, I'd say a tractor. I've driven a tractor.

I take that back...

Ok, last night I was singing the praises of the fluffy blanket of snow. Um, I take that back. While it is still really beautiful...it has basically shut down our city! Today everything is closed from the University to the bus line. I went out to shovel this morning (after shovelling at 9pm last night) and the snow was about 2 feet deep against the door. I managed to scoop out a little path to the sidewalk which was also completely filled in. So, I cleared a path to our laneway. Jodi (who is a teacher on SNOW DAY) is currently out there trying to uncover her car. The photo above shows how much snow fell after she came in last night at 10pm. Today is the first day in 7.5 years that work actually called me to say... "hold off on coming in until we see how things go". The crazy thing is that tomorrow the temperature is going above zero and will stay there for a few days, so I guess it won't be lasting long. In the meantime, if you live in London, enjoy your snow day. If you don't live in London, apparently you have no idea what I'm talking about!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow

My intention was to rant about how much I hate the snow...and for the most part I do. However, as I went out to shovel the drive tonight, I realized that the snow can actually be quite beautiful...almost poetic. I went out tonight about 9pm and it was so quiet. The snow was coming down in giant white flakes and landing silently on the ground. Even the cars that drove past were somewhat muffled under the fluffy white blanket. When you don't have to drive in it, the snow can be a wonderful thing.

Random Thoughts

I consider myself to be a pretty healthy person. So, when woke up with a cold yesterday, I was surprised and a little annoyed. I take vitamin C on a daily basis in the winter months to avoid such situations. However, here I am...my sinuses all stuffy and a nice red nose. And tired! I can't believe how tired I am. Last night I took a Nyquil and went to bed by 9pm! Usually Nyquil is a magic drug and I get a nice sound sleep, but last night I tossed and turned, propped my head with pillows, then removed them, even trying to sleep in the chair in the livingroom for a while. All this to say I have a cold and am not enjoying the stupor that I feel I'm in.

I can't believe it's already December 6th! I haven't even sent out ANY Christmas cards yet! Yikes. I really need to get moving on some things...and SHOPPING is one of them. I bought gifts for my nieces & nephews in September and since then have had this idea in my head that I'm ahead of the game this year. However, I haven't done any shopping since. Now I'm perplexed for good ideas and am soon running out of time! On Saturday I'm planning a trip to Port Huron and am hoping that will finish things off.

Congratulations to my friend Sarah. She got a new job this week at City TV in Toronto. She'll be doing a lot of the same things she's currently doing at her job at OMNI but I think she's looking forward to a change. I believe she starts the 2nd week of January. Way to go Sarah!