Deck the Halls...or the Living Room

Reality has set in and I went back to work today. After having a week off, it was a bit of a transition but I managed it gracefully! I spent all day Sunday "decking our living room" because as you know, if you have been in our house, we don't have any halls...so I covered most every space in our living/family/dining room/den...in a non-cluttered, tasteful, traditional way (is that even possible!?!?!) At any rate, I chose the decorations that mean the most to me, mostly those that remind me of my youth and my mom, and managed to capture the holiday spirit in a small space.

Black Friday has come & gone and I am happy to report that, once again, Sarah and I managed to spend 18 hours shopping....okay, we had breakfast at a coney and Happy Hour at On the Border, but the rest of the time was spent store hopping looking for deals. We both crossed everything off of our lists except for one present and a few stocking stuffers...overall a wildly successful day and lots of great sister bonding!!

The snow has arrived in Michigan - some places more than others - and I am enjoying the bright white on the trees. We have yet to really shovel so my happiness may be short-lived but for now, to get into the holiday spirit, it is quite lovely.

WE MISS YOU MOM!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Days Off

I've taken the 'short' week off with great intentions to clean out the house. Not sure what has gotten into me...if you know me I am quite a pack rat....but my focus has been on cleaning out the nooks & crannies that have held "important things I can't throw away" for the past 7 years. I have been somewhat successful, but tend to lose focus and get sentimental, but overall I am on my 4th garbage bag and feel a little bit cleaner (check the before & after picture of one of our storage closets!). Coupled with the fact that Tony is making great progress on the bathroom so the office will no longer be the dumping grounds for all the plumbing & tiling supplies, I think we will be able to ring in the new year with a somewhat put together house!

So Long DD

Tomorrow morning I will go to work (albeit only a 1/2 day) and my good friend and colleague, Doug Daniels, won't be there. He has accepted a great job with one of our competitors and is moving to Chicago next week. Don't let me fool you, I am incredibly happy for him, and equally as proud..I know this is a good move and he will thrive in his new role, but I can't help but know there is going to be a large void in his place. Tony asked me tonight how much I actually worked with Doug these days...and the answer is really not much. When I started at Deloitte, Doug was my go-to guy. He was the HR Manager for the groups I recruited so he was involved in daily recruiting decisions, giving me guidance & advice, challenging and questioning the process and overall providing insight into our efforts. As my role has evolved, and his did as well, Doug has simply become more of a mentor, someone I could, and would, always go to because every decision was more solid if Doug weighed in. Not to mention the fact that Doug is hilarious, and quirky, and thoughtful and fun. He truly will be missed. We sent him off on Friday night with pictures & stories and a lot of laughs..in true DD style.

Good luck Doug!! We miss you already!!

Happy Birthday & Hockey

Monday was the only night this week that I didn't have something to do....I'm not usually a "have something to do everynight" kind of a girl. But, this week has been exceptionally fun and there are still a few more days!!

Tuesday was Sarah's Birthday - she shares the day with Mickey Mouse!! Tony & I headed over there for dinner. Sarah made chicken divan, her favorite meal, and Tony brought the carrot cake. We celebrated in real birthday style...we ate cake before dinner!! Filled with just enough candles (and one to grow on) we sang Happy Birthday and then we relit the candles and the kids sang all over again! Morgan wrote Sarah a song that she played on her clarinet and we enjoyed a glass of wine...overall, a very fun birthday!

Tonight I trekked out to Jacob's hockey game. I haven't seen him in about a month and I swear he grew a foot and his voice got deep. He is cute as a bug, and growing up so fast. The game ended in a loss, but he managed to net a goal (with his birthday stick) which made it exciting. And, he only spent 4 minutes in the penalty box!!

Tomorrow we are heading out to an Alma Athletics Happy Hour in Royal Oak (how convenient is that!?!?) I'm excited to see who will be there and to reconnect with other alumni. Friday is a party at our friend Josh's new house...our friend Doug is moving to Chicago and taking a new job, with a new firm, so it's his going away party. A fun event for a bittersweet occasion.

So, this is my most popular week....one that I am sure won't happen again for a long while!!

It's Snowing!!

I LOVE MICHIGAN!!!