Looks like he wasn’t asking Santa for a Spartan Bowl Game win…
Right Here, Right Now: MSU vs. Alabama
Capital One Bowl.
Spartans vs the Crimson Tide.
Go Green vs Roll Tide.
LET”S GO STATE!
Not All of Us Can Come and Go By Bubble
Last night was a special kind of date night- we went to see Wicked! The tickets were my birthday gift from Ryan and as one last 2010 hurrah, we headed to the Cadillac Palace Theater to see Elphaba and Galinda (the Ga is silent) make their way to Oz.
I saw Wicked for the first time about 5 years ago after a year of being in love with the soundtrack. The 2010 tour was no different- the cast was amazing, the set was amazing, the music…amazing. I must say, when Elphaba rises to fly above the stage at the end of “Defying Gravity” may very well be one of my favorite moments that there ever has been. It gives me chills and makes me cry, every single time, every single time!
There needs to be more musical theater in my life in 2011. Grinning from ear to ear for 3 hours, date night with my man, people breaking out into spontaeneous song…Best. Birthday. Gift. Ever.
Snow Running and Shuffling
I bundled up and went for a run outside this afternoon. I’ve never been one to run in the snow so there’s this novelty to it right now. “I’m running outside, I’m running outside and there is snow and I may fall on ice but I’m running outside!” sort of deal that totally makes the miles fly by. The 5 shirts I was wearing and I knocked out 5 miles today and when I got home, this announcement was on my Blackberry, via email:
Registration for the Shamrock Shuffle 8k Opens January 1st.
This race signals the start of Chicago run season! Last year, I swear it was negative a million degrees outside. The kind of cold layers can’t touch. Interestingly enough, the race has been moved from the 3rd week in March to April 10th. I mean, I would have run it anyways but the chance of it being a little warmer while running those 5 miles through the Loop is fine by me. The race is capped at 40,000 people and it sells out every year so you better mark your calendars for January 1st!
Little Things
(Via Text Message)
Corey: “So good to sit next to you a couple nights ago.”
Me: “Couldn’t agree more! I was thinking on the drive back to Chicago about how nice Santa Tracking with you and Cole on Christmas Eve was.”
Corey: “It truly is the little things.”
I had a lovely holiday, filled with great meals, lovely gifts, fantastic parties and busy weeks. But when I think about what made Christmas 2010 special for me, it’s as simple as sitting snuggled up to my buddy Corey and his nephew Cole on Christmas Eve with an iPad on our laps, keeping a keen eye on the Santa Tracker. It’s getting to quote The Santa Clause with my Dad, learning what reindeer food consists of from 4 year old Marilyn (oatmeal and glitter, in case you didn’t know) and going for a Christmas Day run on a snow covered trail with Ryan. It’s getting a text that bring it all home, like the one Corey sent to me today.
The little things, indeed.
Merry, Merry!
Luna Bell, Ryan and I are in Michigan, being merry with my family. That’s LB, patiently waiting for us to fill our coffee mugs and get into the living room to open the gifts Santa left.
Much laughter, much love, much sugar and much eggnog to you all!
Merry Christmas!
BF/GF Holiday Adventure Night: Christkindlmarket Edition
On our last night in Chicago before heading to Michigan for the holidays, Ryan and I bundled up and tromped off to the Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza (I say tromped because have you seen my boots? The only thing to do in them in tromp!).
The Christkindlmarket recreates a traditional German market right in the Loop. Spiced wine, streudel, old fashioned German goods for sale and lots of weinerschnitzel abound. The Christkindlmarket is one of my favorite holiday activities; buy a steaming hot cup of the spiced wine, wander around looking at everything for sale, select a new ornament for the tree and nosh on some potato pancakes with applesauce.
The tree is really great this year. I heard on the news that it is actually one massive tree, cut down from a family’s farm out in the suburbs (or maybe further than that. I don’t know if the suburbs here have farms- I don’t speak suburb).
Having just gotten done running before heading to the market, we held off on the weinerschnitzel and potato pancakes this year but we did have some spiced wine (gluwein, if you will) and enjoyed walking around the packed crowd. It felt like the right, Christmas’y thing to do.
Oh, did you want to see my hat closer? Early Christmas gift from Ryan, for the win!
Merry, Merry!
The Bloggess’ Christmas Miracle
The Bloggess and the Christmas Gift Card Miracle of 2010.
Part of why I love blogging is because sometimes, I feel like my words aren’t just going out into the infinite abyss.
Sometimes, there’s a connection.
The Bloggess proves that sometimes words hit people. In a big, big way. And make big, big waves.
My little heart grew 3 sizes reading this article.
I’m going to go find a Kleenex now.
From the Sunshine State
My darling 93 year old Grandmother lives in Florida. And when I was young, it was tradition for her to send us “Up North” a big box of Florida oranges. It hasn’t happened in the last few years so imagine my surprise when I went to pick up a package and it was this HUGE box of citrus! Tangelos, red navels, navels and tangerines- 28 pieces of fruit in all! Ryan and I weren’t very hungry last night and were having the hardest time deciding where to go to dinner. In the end, we made a cocktail and sunk our teeth into our Floridian Christmas gift.
Merry, merry!
For The Win!
The winner of my very first giveaway and the recipient of a copy of Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist is…(ta da!)…Jackie J.! Thank you so much for the super sweet comment, Jackie and thank you for reading, everyone!