The Bursting-At-The-Seams Holiday Recap!!

Ohmygod, it's 2011. Like, wayyyyyyy 2011.

Where've I been, you ask? Well, I've been mostly hanging out at my mom's. And yes, there is a computer there, which I could have used to do my bloggy duties, but I chose not to. Because there were kids to play with, and there was food to eat, and TV shows and movies to watch, and guitars to play, and couches to nap on.

For 10 days, that's what I did. I abandoned my blog and totally vegged with the fam. It was nice.
But now it's time for the Christmas & New Year's rundown, so buckle up!!

We'll start with Christmas Eve, my favourite day of the year. And as many of you know, I was a little concerned that it would be difficult and maybe even a little painful this year, without Troy. We didn't escape without a few tears, but overall... One of the best Christmas Eves ever. I'm going to attempt to post a video of The Coconut Song for those of you who haven't been fortunate enough to witness it. This was the last video I took of the night - there were approximately 10 before it - so this is the true, drunken, around Patti's island, feet stomping, voices roaring, "ONE MORE TIME" edition. Enjoy.

I think Dogbone would've been proud of us.

Next up was Christmas morning. It was shortly after 7 that the house started stirring. Mom, Dad and I were all up when my sister finally released her 5-year-old from the confines of the spare bedroom. Caden's eyes lit up with excitement when he saw all the gifts Santa had left at our place. Danica followed closely behind, and while I'm not sure she really got it (I think she thought it was another birthday party), watching the kids rip into gifts was pure, blissful entertainment.

Note that it is still dark outside!!!

(PS - For those of you who were concerned about our family breakfast fight, the tradition stood. Sticky Buns and Wife Beater it was, while Dad grumbled about how good bacon and eggs would be. But a small miracle did unfold: Luke decided he likes the yummy eggy cheesey bacony casserole. One more member for my team.)

We saved our Christmas dinner for Boxing Day this year, so the rest of the day was spent snoozing on the couch and watching TV. And that night? You wouldn't have believed the craziness. I watched A Conversation with the Prime Minister with my parents, and then the Canadian Tenors Christmas Special.

Try to contain your excitement.

After the Boxing Day dinner, things sort of died down. I had the whole week between Christmas and New Year's off, and by Tuesday I was starting to get cabin fever. Believe it or not, I actually began wondering if I should have just gone into work.

It was time for action. So I rounded up some of the troops and went out to dinner and bowling. We had a blast! The next day, I babysat Caden and Danica while Kara and Chris returned to work, and I quickly gained huge respect for the people who have kids and get up to go to work at 5:30 in the morning. After playing all morning and having lunch, Danica went for her nap, and Caden got stuck with a bum babysitter who fell asleep on the couch mid-afternoon. I seriously don't know how they do it.

Thursday, Luke and Amanda allowed me to tag along on their dinner and movie date, so we enjoyed a delicious dinner at East Side Mario's and then went to see The Little Fockers. Big hit with us!!

Friday was New Year's Eve, and after much debate on what to do, I finally invited a group of friends over to my place for drinks and snacks before heading down to Gavan's. It was a last minute plan, but we had a great time ringing in 2011! I was never so glad to see a year go. 2010 was a rough one. So with the new year, there was hope of brighter days ahead. On Facebook, I threatened 2011 by telling it that if it wasn't any better than 2010, I was gonna kick its ass.

Charlotte's first New Year's Eve party!

This is the popped collars pic...one of my faves from the night!

There were two couples pictures taken. In this one, Sue actually has her REAL boyfriend beside her!!

So here we are. 5 days in to 2011. Big things to come. Like Cuba. Oh, and here on the Blog? I have a few ideas whirling around. Like planning a giveaway, for one. And I've also been thinking about starting a weekly feature about my single status and the adventures I've got into while searching for love. Thinking about calling it "The Single Girl Files" or something like that. Could be good for a laugh?

Stay tuned! And HAPPY NEW YEAR!! :)