We’re Ready for Christmas!

The gifts are wrapped. The weather is cold (well, Arizona desert style). Baby brother is home from the Army (for good)! We are ready to PARTY! Who else is ready for Christmas? I had some last minute preparations to take care of this week, and we’re heading to California for the holiday so I had to be on my A-game. Here’s our game plan, and I’d love to hear about yours.

Oh, and we’re moving…

This is the first year ever that I won’t be with my mom on Christmas Day. My brother surprised us and came home early from the Army (he was supposed to get out in February) so my mom had planned on working Christmas Day. She’s in the medical field, and hospitals definitely don’t shut down on Jesus’ birthday. With that being said, we made alternative plans and we’re seeing them through because it was easiest. Now that my baby brother is home for good, we figure we’ll all be together for the holiday next year. This year I’m heading to our California house to see Matt’s family and some of my friends. As you all know, at this time last year we were busy getting married so it was all a blur. In fact, I was about to go in for dental surgery on this day a year ago…

Was that enough rambling? My brain is fried.

So tonight is our family Christmas celebration at my mom’s house. We’re exchanging gifts and doing our typical festive feast. I’m especially excited about the gift I got for my stepdad, David. Just wait till you see it 😉

Tomorrow we head out to California. I’m honestly not sure how long we’ll be there – gonna kind of play it by ear. We may go to Disneyland and I’m hoping to hook up with my close friend Jessica.

And surprise…we’re moving again……

Yeah. You read that correctly.

Last year Matt and I bought a huge house in July. Turns out, it’s TOO huge. The house is way too much for me to take care of and the yard, despite being gorgeous, is a money pit. I initially wanted a big house for all of my animals but all six of them literally follow me from room to room. We’ve maybe used our formal living and dining rooms once, and ultimately it’s just way more than two people need.

Soooo we bought a new house. And it’s beautiful. It’s about 600 square feet smaller (about 2,000 sqft. total) and the house is completely upgraded inside. We’ll still have a pool but the yard is much smaller. The dogs spend more time inside than I anticipated, but it’s good to know. We’ve learned a lot about our living habits since being in this house. I’m excited about my new home office and the location of the house. The move is a positive one and we close on January 31. Right now our current home is set to hit the market the first week in January. Luckily we’re only moving about four miles away.

I know my current house is magnificent, but it’s too much. It honestly makes me feel terrible when people are like “OMG but your house and yard are sooooooo pretty!” Look, I get it. But you don’t have to pay for it or take care of it. Matt works a lot so it’s my responsibility. I also work full time and taking care of six animals plus my house is another full time gig in itself. And quite frankly, I’m over it. The new house is a great solution for us 🙂

Putting our current home up for sale has been a huge stressor for me. I was hoping I’d be able to enjoy the holiday season this year but it didn’t really happen. I’ve been so caught up in getting everything ready for the move. I can’t wait for it to be done.

2018 is going to bring great things for me. I’m ready for a new year and new memories. In the meantime, I’m ready for food and family tonight!

So what about you? Are you ready for Christmas?