Nat Your Average Story: Weekly Recap

Another Christmas has come and gone - I for one cannot even believe it. I swear, time just passes faster and faster! The week of Christmas seems like it passed in an absolute whirlwind; most likely because I spent a huge chunk of the week working retail...and folks, I don't plan to do that ever again. Yikes! Anyway, a look back at the past blur of a week!

Monday night run to Georgetown...in the misty, blurry, chilly air.

I worked from 7:30 to 4 on Monday (and Tuesday) and as soon as I came home on Monday, I changed and we all piled into the car to drive into Georgetown to make a visit to Jack Will's. We had planned to visit the DC Holiday Market as well, but the weather all day was rainy and crummy...and no one really wants to wander an open air market in the rain. I mean - no one in my family does. I was sad we missed the Holiday Market but glad we got home by 10 because I had to be back at work at 7:30 the next day...and in the midst of last week, I developed some serious back issues. I don't know if something got pulled in my car wreck and is just now showing itself or if the extended hours standing on my feet/running all over the place in flimsy shoes on floors that are basically concrete caused it....regardless, I was struggling.

Cue the Icy Hot - the days I worked before Christmas, I smelled less festive and more like a walking nursing home. But hey, it sure helped my back not to hurt so much. Cheers to that!

Weapons in the war against back pain....I LOVE the smell of Icy Hot.

Watson absolutely loves Lindsey - she is the first person he goes to in the morning.

Red Velvet Cheesecake - a delicious leftover from our Monday night venture into Georgetown.

Lindsey & Watson trying to wake up on Christmas Eve morning....

Christmas Eve felt like such a whirlwind. I had to work from 12 till the mall closed at 6. I stupidly thought that there wouldn't be that many people out shopping on Christmas Eve but I was quickly proved wrong. I had plans to be at my church's Candlelight Service; which started at 7. The mall closed at 6 and I figured I'd have plenty of time...but I was silly to think that, since all the merchandise and sale signs had to be put out before we all went home on Christmas Eve. Suffice it to say that I didn't make it to the church service (I'm sure Lindsey sang beautifully...I'll never know) but because the Assistant Manager is a wonderful person, at 7:15 she said we weren't staying any longer on Christmas Eve and so I finally rolled up at home shortly before 8.

A side note that I would like to make - everyone should have to work retail at Christmas just once in their life. People can be unusually cruel about the strangest things and on the flip side you have people who can be incredibly kind...although unfortunately the former seems to outweigh the latter. We did have customers who came into the store when out gate was halfway down - signifying we had closed - and then proceeded to spend almost twenty minutes slowly shopping, which means we were open almost thirty minutes passed closing time on Christmas Eve....a time when (in my humble opinion) people shouldn't be shopping anyway, they should be with their families. One woman even expressed complete distaste that the mall would not be open on Christmas Day - because I suppose people who work retail are meant to not live their own lives but be at the beck and call of other people's shopping whims. Either way - I survived retail at Christmas and lived to tell the tale.

Spoon Square on Christmas Eve - all is calm, all is bright.

The face of someone who somehow managed to survive Christmas retail. PTL.

Our annual Christmas Eve feast....always followed by the tradition of...

Watching White Christmas - it never fully feels like Christmas Eve until this is playing on the TV.

Santa Paws left quite the load of goodies for Mr. Watson.

Our Christmas Day celebrations were spread out through the day on the 25th. My Dad had to work on Christmas morning and so we let Watson sniff and explore his things when we got up and Lindsey and I inspected our stockings. We watched "Elf" while having breakfast and then my Mom cooked up a delicious Christmas meal. When my Dad came in at 2, we had a late (and absolutely delicious) Christmas dinner together! Lindsey and I took Watson on a Christmas walk so "Santa" could come and then we looked over our gifts from Santa and exchanged presents. The night was ended watching some Christmas classics - A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It was a lovely Christmas all around and a wonderful day indeed.

Lindsey helps Watson inspect his new things....

Watson waiting for Santa in his Christmas pajamas....

Santa was very nice indeed - awesome new Dooney & Bourke purses; easily the nicest purse I've ever owned. I love it.

Side note - I've been wanting a new purse since I moved to Virginia but I've been holding out until I really found something I loved. I was beyond thrilled when I saw my amazing blue Dooney and Bourke purse on Christmas - it is absolutely lovely and I am in love with it. I must confess, I might love it a little too much because when we went to Target last night and it was misting rain, I wrapped my purse in my rain coat....not myself...

Coats! I absolutely love my Eggplant Poof! I'll be plenty toasty from now on!

Presents, presents for everyone!

Mom & Dad with their new frame - courtesy of Lindsey & I.

One of the gifts I gave Lindsey - I knew she'd love it & I was so excited for her to finally open it!

All my Christmas goodies, laid out on the bed to look over. I'm a lucky girl indeed.

Lindsey gave me Ugg slippers....& let me just tell you, I'm in love!

My Aunt, Uncle and cousins Jodi and Colton came to visit for the weekend - they arrived on Friday night and stayed with us through Sunday afternoon. We took them on a whirlwind tour of DC on Saturday...which I'll dedicate another post to. It was nice to get to see some of our family so close to Christmas and we all had a good time catching up and roaming all over DC on Saturday. They headed into West Virginia to ski on Sunday afternoon and we Summerlins spent the evening relaxing: reading books, doing a puzzle (well, not this Summerlin - puzzles drive me nuts) and just generally being bums. It was the perfect way to end the week.