The Twelve Questions of Christmas

Merry Christmas, to those of you who celebrate! Because it's Sunday, and I committed to a Survey Sunday post each Sunday of December, I'm popping in with a Christmas-themed survey. You'll need something to read when you're sleeping off all that Christmas food you just ate.

1. What’s the best gift you have ever received?

Nothing sticks out in my mind as the best gift I’ve ever received, but I know it was a happy Christmas when I got the Samantha American Girl Doll. I had read all her books, and she was by far my favorite American Girl Doll. It was probably the fact that we shared the brown hair and brown eyes.

How about the worst? 

I hate to pinpoint a “worst” present, but once I was given a deck of Texas A&M playing cards – as a joke, of course. It’s safe to say that I have never used them.

2. What is your favorite Christmas movie moment? 

There are so many heartwarming Christmas movie moments, but my favorite has to be when the Grinch’s heart grows three sizes. 

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." (Source)

3. When do you hang your decorations up?

As this was my first year to be alone in my apartment, I started decorating the weekend after Thanksgiving. I wanted to be able to enjoy them for as long as I possibly could.

4. Do you prefer giving or receiving?

I LOVE giving gifts. Giving gifts truly brings me so much joy, and I tend to put a lot of thought into what I get people.

5. What is your favorite Christmas song?

'O Holy Night' is my number one favorite. But 'Hallelujah, What a Savior', and 'O Come All Ye Faithful' are close seconds.

6. Favorite Christmas movie?

A Charlie Brown Christmas will always be my favorite Christmas movie.

(Source)

7. What would be an appropriate gag gift for most of your friends? 

A selfie stick?

Though that is how this photo was taken

8. What famous person would you most like to encounter under the mistletoe? 

J.J. Watt. I’m still holding out hope.

9. What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?

Remembering the true reason for the season. It is so easy to get caught up in the commercialism of Christmas, and I like to focus on spending time with family, friends, and celebrating Jesus’ birth. To me, Christmas has always been a time to relax and rejuvenate and reconnect, and to spread love, kindness, and joy to all those with whom I come into contact. Does that always happen? No, but that is what’s most important to me.

And the ugly sweaters

10. What is your favorite holiday dessert?

Christmas baking is my JAM! I love baking peanut butter blossoms. They’re easy to make, and they feature one of the greatest combinations – chocolate and peanut butter. The chocolate pretzel bites are another crowd-pleaser, but as far as what I like to indulge in, I love any sort of holiday-themed “protein bites”, and I love a good Pignoli cookie. Is that classified as a holiday dessert? If not, it should be. I also love popcorn mixed with dark chocolate. Does it get any better than the sweet and salty combo?

11. Do you prefer to shop online or at the mall?

Amazon Prime is hands down the best thing that ever happened to Christmas shopping. The other day I was trying to park at Rice Village so that I could simply eat lunch at Black Walnut Café, and it took me a good twenty minutes to get over there and find a parking spot. And I don’t even bother going near the Galleria or Memorial City Mall. While it would be nice to enjoy the decorations and Christmas music, I find that I don’t enjoy too much when I’m battling insane crowds.

12. Christmas letter or Christmas card?

Christmas card. Growing up, my family always secretly laughed at those who sent out a novel of a Christmas letter bragging on their families’ accomplishments. And there is absolutely a tasteful way to send out a Christmas letter, but we always kept it to a simple photo and some season’s greetings. And while I would love to send out a photo of Mack and myself, I just write cards to people. I’ve got quite the array of Christmas and holiday stationery. 

And with that, I'm signing off. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Things I'm Loving Friday L

Happy FRIDAY! Can you believe there are only TWO days until Christmas (if you celebrate Christmas, that is)? And if you celebrate Hanukkah, it's even closer. Time is absolutely flying, and I'll admit that while I don't have all of my Christmas shopping done yet, and I certainly don't have all my wrapping (aka stick the present in a Christmas bag and add some decorative tissue paper) and card-writing done, I'm almost there. And I plan on getting it totally finished today. I did some major gift-giving last week when I was delivering baked goods to all my teacher friends, and baking out the wazoo for my students because that's the deal I have with them -- every semester when final exams roll around, I'll reward their hard work with baked goods. They particularly enjoyed the slutty brownies.

But as much as I enjoyed baking for my students, I have more than enjoyed this break. I am batting 1,000 when it comes to naps, and I have already finished reading four books. I've caught up with friends, I've run quite a few miles, and I have spent some quality time with my precious pup. And now, it's time for another round of Things I'm Loving Friday.

Daring Greatly
I read Brené Brown's Rising Strong this past summer, and I have listened to a few of her TED talks, and I fell in love with her outlook and perspective on how we live our day-to-day lives. I was a little out of order, but I picked up Daring Greatly at Brazos Bookstore while doing some birthday shopping for my dad, and I finished it three days. Embracing vulnerability is what this one is all about, and she talks a lot about the difference between guilt and shame. I found so many points that are applicable in the classroom, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to live a wholehearted life.

Chocolate Pretzel Bites
If you're looking for an easy, last-minute, aesthetically pleasing and also tasty treat to bring to your family Christmas, look no further than these chocolate pretzel bites. You'll probably spend more time arranging the pretzels and unwrapping the Hershey's Kisses than you will putting on the M&M finishing touch. All you need are a bag of window pane pretzels, Hershey's Kisses (or Hugs or holiday-themed Kisses), and holiday-themed M&M's. The beauty of this dessert is that it's customizable to any holiday. You unwrap a Hershey's Kiss, place it on top of the pretzel, and stick it in the oven heated to 350 degrees for two to three minutes, or until the Kisses begin to melt. As soon as you take them out of the oven, press down with an M&M so that the chocolate covers the pretzel. And that's it! They make a nice appearance, and you can make a lot of them in a small amount of time. And the best part is, all there is to clean up are the Hershey's Kisses wrappers. I'll take it. 

Anthropologie Golden Monogram Mug
I was (secretly) super bummed last semester when a student reached over my desk and accidentally shattered my golden "K" mug. It wasn't that it was worth a lot of money -- I got it for only $8, but I knew that because it was limited edition, I wouldn't be able to replace it. I don't drink coffee or tea, but I like to use mugs to hold my various pens, pencils, and 

highlighters, which is why it sat on my desk at school. So when I saw the email from Anthropologie that announced the return of these limited editions mugs, I jumped right on it and got myself a new one. TBD if I am going to bring it to school with me.

Josh Groban's 'O Holy Night'
Hands down my favorite Christmas song of all time. There were days when I listened to this song on repeat the entire drive to school. His voice is magical, and it's somewhat fitting that my favorite line of the entire song is "a thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices." I think we can all agree that 2016 has left us a little weary, and we'll take any ounce of hope that we can get going into 2017.

Cherry Glacier Gatorade Frost
I was never a big Gatorade drinker growing up. I really only started drinking it within these last couple of years because I'm the world's saltiest sweater, and I needed something to replenish the electrolytes I was losing while running. And I was always really grateful that yellow Gatorade is what is on the majority of race courses, because I thought that was the only flavor I liked. Rewind to a few months ago when the JV girls gave the freshmen girls a "Beat Lamar" basket, and in it was this Cherry Glacier Gatorade Frost. I put it in my refrigerator, not giving it a second thought until I came home from an exceptionally tough Sunday run and this was the only thing in the fridge. It was love at first gulp, and now it's my go-to flavor when stocking up on Gatorade. It sure has come in handy in these 70-degree December temps.

Define: Bounce

So, my last post saw me mentioning that I was hoping to do something this Christmas break besides just run, and though I have mainly stuck to running and walking my dog, I decided to give the Define studio just a ten-minute walk away a chance. The first class is free, and I wanted something that would be both low-impact - my shins have taken a beating - and fun. I contemplated taking a Body Pump class, but I knew that would leave me feeling so sore that my Thursday tempo run would suffer. I checked the Define website, and saw that there was a bounce class happening Wednesday morning, and for those of you who know me, you know that I love a good trampoline session. I was a little nervous when I got to the studio and I was told that this class was all about staying with the rhythm of the music because I've got very little rhythm. I ended up absolutely loving the class - the 45 minutes absolutely flew by, and my entire body got a workout. It may be low-impact, but it's seriously high in intensity, and FUN!

(Source)

The Stretch Factor
The only downside I see to this place is that it's a little bit of a drive for me, as it is located in Katy, Texas. It's easy enough for me to hop on the Westpark Tollway all the way there, and it's also an excuse for me to stop by my parents' house, as they live smack dab in the middle. This place, which just recently opened its doors, was introduced to me by a teacher at school. He's the same one who is kicking my butt with this running plan he has me on, but he promised me that this place is the real deal. And after just my introductory session, I was hooked. I practically floated off the table. Seriously. I'm notoriously bad about stretching, and I definitely don't place enough emphasis on it even though I know I should. The Stretch Factor is 30 minutes (or an hour) of personalized stretching that I could absolutely not achieve on my own. They focus on your individual needs as an athlete and a human being, and target areas that will help you to maximize your performance and get the most out of your life. I've chatted with both Ryan S. and Ryan T., and they have been nothing but helpful and knowledgeable. Because I am running with more focus and more intensity, I see this as another step in the run and recovery process. Anyone can benefit from a visit to The Stretch Factor, so take advantage of that free 30-minute consultation!

(Source)

And on that note, I'm off to get some stuff done around the apartment. It's a wet morning here in Houston, so it's perfect for crossing a few things off the to-do list. Have a great one!

Christmas Survey

Happy Sunday from my kitchen table. I just made it home from Austin for a roommate reunion weekend, and I'm about to head out the door again, but seeing as it's been a week since my last post, I wanted to get it posted.

Clubhouse girlies on Mount Bonnell

I'll do a full Austin recap early this week, but for now, here's our weekly survey. With a little bit of a Christmas theme, because Christmas is in FIVE short days. Good thing I've already got all of my shopping done!

What’s the best gift you have ever received?

Oh, man. I know that I lived a super blessed childhood, because there’s no way I can answer this question. I know getting my first “big girl” bike when I was about to turn five was probably one of the greatest gifts I ever remember seeing under the tree. I know my American Girl Doll - Samantha - was also a huge hit, but I definitely could not pick just one.

What is your favorite Christmas movie moment?

I have a couple –

1. How The Grinch Stole Christmas – When the Grinch, after attempting to cancel Christmas for the residents of Whoville by stealing all of their Christmas gifts, sees them gathered around the tree, SINGING! That’s when he realizes that “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit more.”
2. A Charlie Brown Christmas – Christmas is not about all of that extra stuff. It’s about getting together with your family and loved ones to celebrate the real reason for the season. Charles Schulz, you left a wonderful legacy.
3. It’s a Wonderful Life – Because who can forget the classic line, “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.”

When do you open gifts?

We used to open one gift on Christmas Eve, and the rest on Christmas morning. That tradition has kind of dissolved, and we simply open everything on Christmas morning. I don’t think the presents are as important as they once were to us, so waiting those extra couple of hours is no big thing.

Do you believe in Santa?

Funny story – one of my teachers in elementary school called my parents because evidently I was going around telling everyone in the class that Santa wasn’t real. Who knew I had such cruelty in me?

Not amused

What is your happiest Christmas memory?

My favorite Christmas memories have to be when allllll of my family is together. Or at least, a big part of it. See, most of my family lives in Philadelphia, so getting together for the holidays would most rationally mean us going to Philly. And holiday traveling is hard, and expensive, and sometimes (okay, all the time) stressful. And as much as I love traveling, I prefer to do it during off-times. So it’s not often when there’s a lot of us celebrating Christmas, but I sure do enjoy the times when it has been.

What famous person would you most like to encounter under the mistletoe?

J.J. Watt. I’m currently on a mission – along with a few co-workers – to date J.J. He has three criterion:

1. Being okay with the craziness of his current life – CHECK. I need my own space, so that wouldn’t be a problem.
2. Would be okay staying in and having a low-key Friday night watching a movie – YES, J.J., sign me up!
3. Would enjoy a Saturday night bonfire –  I mean, I have nothing against bonfires, so..

Plus, he sees himself coaching high school football in the future. YES, YES, and YES!

When it comes to decorations, are you a Griswald or a Grinch?

Probably somewhere in between. I don’t want the decorations to look tacky, but I am definitely a fan of decorating. Some houses do this really well – there’s not too much going on, but they’re definitely in the Christmas spirit.  

If you win "Most Wattage," maybe you've done too much

What is your favorite version of a Christmas song?

My favorite Christmas songs are “Hallelujah, What a Savior” and “O Holy Night.” My favorite Christmas line of all-time has to be “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices!” How can you not get chills when you hear that?

Have you had any traumatic Christmas-related experiences?

I think one thing that makes the Christmas season a little bit difficult is the anniversary of my Granny’s death just four days before Christmas. This Monday will mark three years, and it’s still hard to believe that we do everyday life without her. If anyone was the definition of “Christmas spirit,” and the selfless attitude that comes along with it, it would be her. She loved seeing the look on your face when you opened a present, and she never expected anything in return, always expressing genuine surprise when anyone got her anything. Not that she didn’t think we wouldn’t get her presents, but she just really loved giving, and she never once asked for anything. Not one time.

What would be an age appropriate gag gift for most of your friends?

Hmm.. that’s a great question! Perhaps the World's Largest Coffee Cup, because my friends are all major coffee people. Or is the World's Largest Wine Glass an option?

Because we like wine

Would you rather be a partridge in a pear tree or a lord a-leaping and why?

Lord-a-leaping? That sounds active, and you know I’m all about that!

Catch you guys tomorrow! My goal is to post every day over break, but we'll see how long that lasts.

What I've Been Up To

Happy Sunday (again)! It is an absolutely gorgeous day here in Houston, and the sunshine and higher temperatures is a very welcome sight after the rainy days and close-to-freezing temperatures we experienced this past week. I know the rain is a good thing, but it just makes it so difficult to do anything. Traffic is always significantly worse, and all I want to do is curl up and take a nap. Which is exactly what I did yesterday. I went upstairs with the intention of grading expository essays. Two hours later I realized that I had not taken even one essay out of my bag. Oh well!

Anyway, it’s been a little while since I’ve checked in with you guys, so I’ll pick up where I left off: PiYo Live Certification.

I was lucky enough to be able to go not even five minutes up the road to the MAC for Women for this training. Some people came in from Corpus Christi, Harlingen, and San Antonio. Those are some dedicated souls. I’m not sure I would have attended if I had to travel out of the city, because coming home late on a Sunday is never fun, especially after an 8-hour (sweaty) training, but luckily that wasn’t much of a concern for me.

The training itself was great, and left me feeling very sore the next day. Because I tend to stick to running, walking, swimming, and lately, rollerblading (my new blades are one of my best purchases to date), the moves found in a PiYo class are not typically things I would do on my own. What do you do in a PiYo class, you ask? Well, let me tell you!

(Source)

Straight from the BeachBody website, PiYo combines the “muscle-sculpting, core-firming benefits of Pilates with the strength and flexibility advantages of yoga.” I would probably consider myself the worst yogi of all time because I find it to be too slow-paced for my liking. And the slow pace isn’t a bad thing, that’s just my own personal preference. What I like about PiYo is that you aren’t holding the poses for long spurts of time. The pace is fast, there are obvious cardio and strength components, and the best part is that this is a low-impact, high-intensity, fat-burning workout. I love running, but I definitely feel it in my knees, especially when I run a distance of seven miles or more. Because I often neglect the strength and stretching part of exercise, I thought this might be a good way to build it into my regular routine. And honestly, I thought it might be fun to get certified to teach a group exercise class should the opportunity ever arise.

Not that I am ready to get up in front of a class and teach after one day of training. Sure, we did lots of cuing, practicing the basic movements and choreography over and over again, and working with specific modifications, PiYo is a very specific sequence. While you can tweak a few things here and there, the poses, exercises, and music demonstrated and used on that DVD release must be what you follow in your class. I would probably want to take a few more PiYo classes before I even felt comfortable thinking about getting up in front of a class myself, but I wanted to get certified while it was still convenient to me.

 

Our class and fearless leader

All in all, it was a very worthwhile, yet very tiring, day, and I am glad that I had the opportunity to learn something new. That was also one of my last healthy days, as later that week I started coming down with a nasty cold that I just couldn’t seem to shake. That was probably due in large part that I refused to give in to my symptoms, slow down, and take a day off. I even ran a 14k (8.7 miles) with a fever. I felt fine when I woke up that morning, and I really wanted to participate in this Bellaire Women’s Soccer fundraiser run. Dylan came over later that day and spent most of the afternoon exposing himself to my germs, trying to help me not feel so achy and weak. I was sentenced to my bed the rest of that weekend, as hard as that was for me to do, but it worked, because I felt well enough to tackle the annual Nutcracker Market with my mom that Thursday,

and make the drive to Austin on Friday. The NutcrackerMarket is put on by the Houston Ballet and can be described as a “holiday shopping wonderland.” Vendors from all over the country come to our NRG Center to sell their products to some very enthusiastic women. Seriously. You have to have a good attitude at this event – it is an absolute madhouse, yet such a good way to kick off the holiday season. My mom and I used to volunteer at the event, and then we would shop until we could no longer walk. I came home from college my freshman and sophomore years (bringing some friends along with me), but I was unable to make it home my last two years. The Nutcracker Market was one of the things that drew me back to Houston. I wish I could say I was kidding. Anyway, my mom used to go with her mom (my Granny), my mom and I go, and you better believe I will be introducing my daughter to the excitement and chaos that is The Nutcracker Market. And that’s chaos in a good way. I’m always extremely impressed by how well-organized the event is. Shout out to all of the incredible volunteers – you guys have hearts of gold.

 

Shopped 'til we dropped - literally!

And the very next day I took off of school a little bit early (perks of having 7^th period off), and headed straight to Austin for Texas Men’s Basketball’s opening game against North Dakota State University. Dylan and I went to an early dinner at Hillside Farmacy before watching Texas put a beat down on NDSU. And NDSU is a fairly decent team. We just looked really, really good, and I’m hoping we will be good enough to make a Final Four appearance.

Though the weather wasn’t great, it was still a wonderful weekend filled with good food (would you expect anything less?) and even better company. We revisited Jasper’s – the restaurant we went to in celebration of the end of student teaching – as well as Toastie’s – a fabulous, lesser-known sandwich shop. While the sandwiches are top notch, it’s the table topics that keep this place on my radar. In a society that is constantly obsessed with checking their phones (myself included), it’s nice to focus on unique questions that lead to some good conversation.

We also couldn’t resist going to one of my very favorite restaurants in Austin, Mandola’s Italian Restaurant, for some post-dinner gelato. Calories don’t count when you’re on vacation, right?

I left Austin relatively early on Sunday, so that I could make it back to Houston in time for the Bellaire Volleyball banquet at Braeburn Country Club, which was a far cry from our banquets that took place in the Stratford High School Cafeteria. I was pretty nervous about the speech I had to give, but I think it went pretty well. Public speaking is not my forte, but it was nice to get it over with and be able to enjoy the rest of the banquet. It brought back such sweet memories, and I was once again reminded why I love the game, and why I am so grateful for the opportunity to coach such a great group of freshmen. Coaching led to a little more stress and a little less sleep, gray hairs at the age of 22, and lots of mistakes made, but all that I gained far outweighed anything that I may have lost.

 And I promise I will do better about sticking to my theme of food and exercise – I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that I have frequented Hungry’s,

La Madeleine,

and Salata.

And I do have a few good workouts to share with you guys, but those will have to wait for another post (that will come soon, I promise)! And I’m hoping to actually share some recipes, but those might have to wait until Christmas break, which will (thankfully) be here before I know it. But first let’s focus on Thanksgiving, my all-time favorite holiday, and Thanksgiving break, which can’t come soon enough. Have a great last few hours of your weekend, and fingers crossed that I check back in with you guys this week!

Heights Lights

Happy Christmas Eve Eve! It's hard to believe that there are only two more sleeps to Christmas, and lucky for us Houstonians, it's finally starting to feel like Christmas, as we have finally started to experience some colder weather. You know I prefer the warm weather, but it is nice to have an actual cold Christmas!

Last night Amira, Lindsay, and I partook in our second annual Christmas lights-looking expedition. Last year we went to look at the mansions in River Oaks, but this year, after indulging in some frozen yogurt from Pinkberry in Highland Village, 

we trekked on over to the Heights and spent our time not only admiring the lights and decorations, but talking about how precious the houses are over there. It kind of reminds me of the neighborhoods in Austin, as the houses are all on the older side, but that definitely adds to their charm. We had a great time walking through the streets, but we all agreed that our hands were a little on the cold side by the end of the night!

Only in Texas

In front of the house that won "Most Wattage"

This morning I slept in until about 9:00 (I guess this semester was a bit more taxing than I thought, as I've been sleeping between nine and ten hours a night since I got home), and got up and ate some breakfast - egg whites and spinach, of course - along with a few cuties and some of my banana-oatmeal-almond butter muffins.

That was more than enough fuel for a few hours of cleaning and organizing. My room looked like a tornado blew through it, and it was time for me to get some order out of the chaos. I went through my drawers and my closet and filled four bags to take over to Goodwill, and a majority of the t-shirts I donated was the result of six years of club volleyball.

And this isn't even half of them

I still have some more organizing to do, but my (and my mom's) stress level should go down, because I will no longer see clothes strewn all over the floor every time I walk into my room.

I was more than ready for some fresh air, so I laced up my tennis shoes and went for a beautiful 5.5 mile run around my neighborhood. The weather was just perfect, and it felt good to get another good run in. I also ran yesterday and experienced a minor setback when I looked away for a minute and twisted my ankle when I stepped in a hole in the road, so I was glad to see that this injury is nothing compared to last year's broken toe!

After my run, I battled some serious traffic to get to Town and Country so I could eat my favorite La Madeleine salad for lunch. It was more like linner, as it was almost 4:00pm at this point, but it sure hit the spot.

I then ran a few more unsuccessful errands - most of the time, I love living where I live, but being so close to the mall and City Centre is certainly having its drawbacks this holiday season! - before returning home to get to work in the kitchen.

I am hoping that Dylan won't read this until after we exchange Christmas presents tomorrow, but I'm willing to take my chances. I am making the trek to Friendswood tomorrow, so I decided to bake some Christmas cookies to take to his family. After all, the way to a man's (and hopefully his families') heart is through his stomach, right?

I made up my own recipe, based on the very popular peanut butter blossoms recipe, but I will call these Kelli's Christmas Reeses' Sugar Cookies. It really rolls off the tongue, I know. Anyway, I know (now) that Dylan prefers sugar to any other kind of cookie, but I also wanted to include a little bit of chocolate, because who can say no to chocolate around the holidays?

Ingredients

• Sugar cookie dough (or you can make dough from scratch, but who has time for that these days?)
• Red and green sprinkles
• Miniature Reeses' cups (approximately 30)
• Cooking spray
• Mini-muffin tins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Spray each tin with cooking spray

3. Put a generous amount of red and green sprinkles together into a bowl

4. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the sprinkles until covered

5. Place the balls in the cups of the mini-muffin tin (do not press to the pan, keep the dough in balls)

6. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until light golden brown and slightly puffy

7. While the cookies are baking, unwrap miniature Reeses' cups

8. Remove tins from the oven and immediately press a miniature Reeses' cup into the center of each cookie

9. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before removing cookies from the pan

10. Enjoy!

My dad so generously taste-tested one for me, and said it tasted great, so I'll consider this one to be a success! Nothing beats some festive baked goods, right?

And with that, I'm off to do a little bit more baking, and a little bit more cleaning, before settling down to do some reading. I can't say that my book choices have been the most intellectual, but they are certainly keeping me hooked! Have a great evening!