2018 - A Year in Review

2018

January

2018 started with a bang - of sorts - we spent the second week of January at Disney World! I fulfilled a lifelong dream to dine at the Beast's Castle (Be Our Guest), I also met Chewbacca, ate churros and rode a banshee in Pandora...among other things. I can honestly say that I don't remember much else of excitement from the month of January...but then again, what else would be considered exciting after a week at Disney World?

February

February started with more of an emotional bang - my precious Nanny, my Mom's Mom passed away unexpectedly on Friday, February 2nd and so the early days of February were spent traveling to Mississippi to see family and remember my precious Grandma and her wonderful life. It was unseasonably warm in February...and the first snow of Winter 2018 also happened in February. I guess February's "emotions" were all over the place too?

March

March was a busy month - it snowed yet again, I tried out a new hairstyle and we spent some time in DC on a couple occasions: for the Orchid Festival at the National Botanic Garden and again at the end of the month to explore Dumbarton Oaks and Tudor Place, as well as Georgetown. Of course, Watson was smack dab in the middle of everything, ha-ha!

April

Baseball season started again in April - go Nationals - and I was able to get in two trips to Nationals Park at the start and end of the month to see my Nationals play. The Marvel movie crew continued our tradition, witnessing the "snap" heard round the world with the aid of our Hulk Smash cocktails... I spent a Saturday in DC having lunch and taking in a performance of Potted Potter and we celebrated the birthdays of some of my favorite little ladies.

May

May was another full month - baseball games; including Star Wars Day at Nationals Park, exploring the azaleas at the US National Arboretum and picking tulips in Northern Virginia. The end of the month was loaded with happenings: my cousin Kyleigh got married in California, we spent three days in Disneyland (we met Star Lord, Loki and Captain America) and rounded out the month in Las Vegas with my little sister!

June

June was a slower month... I just spent time with my puppy, my family and my friends... I think the slower pace is evident in the lack of pictures for June's collage, ha-ha!

July

July started with a little "staycation" taking in Natural Bridge and the Safari Park that are both about two hours down the road from home - both were so much fun! The family and I went to the top of the mountains for dinner, gorgeous views and blackberry ice cream and we also spent about 24 hours in Norfolk to see my sister off for her next deployment. We also went to get ice cream several times... probably too many times...but then again, it WAS July!

August

The month of August brought my first rain out experience at Nationals Park - but I made up for it a few weeks later with Game of Thrones night at Nationals Park. We checked out a Lego exhibit at the nearby Glen Burnie House and Gardens...and felt like I was swimming in my own sweat in the process. We also got a lot more ice cream, ha-ha!

September

September was a month filled with all kinds of things! The month started with the Virginia Scottish Festival and I tried haggis for the first time (it was not my favorite)... we spent a weekend in Williamsburg and I was finally able to visit Jamestown, try peanut soup and discovered I love syllabub! My friend Jennie and I went to see Game of Thrones in Concert and the end of the month was spent in Asheville, North Carolina to celebrate my birthday - we saw Grandfather Mountain, Mount Mitchell and the Chihuly Exhibit at Biltmore Estate. And of course - there were baseball games!

October

October was a fairly easygoing month - I turned 34 and celebrated with my sweet friends and family. I got my hair turned back to my preferred darker color, we explored the Virginia countryside as Autumn arrived and celebrated the end of the month with friends at the house on Halloween for a cook out and candy!

November 

November was another full month - the first weekend was filled with the movies, a wine tasting for work and celebrating that I passed my exam(s) for licensing in real estate in Virginia. The middle weekends of the month were taken up with preparing for the big trip in the latter part of the month: nine days exploring Italy; starting in Venice, making our way to Rome and Pompeii and ending the trip in Sicily. Absolutely wonderful memories were made on the trip of a lifetime!

December 

December was a whirlwind - I relaxed the first weekend and the second weekend we headed to Charlottesville to explore Monticello and the downtown walking mall, while staying in a yurt! We had our "framily" Christmas the third weekend in December and on Saturday the 22nd my little sister arrived home to celebrate! We took in ICE at National Harbor, toured a model of Air Force One, celebrated a wonderful Christmas day together, toured Morven Park and took in the glow at Light Up Fest! Whoosh! We ended the month seeing Mary Poppins Returns and looking forward to a new year!

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Here we are - on the eve of another year beginning. I took a crazy Facebook quiz (because those are SO reliable, right) and it said my word for 2019 would be change. That's an interesting word because I think everyone experiences change throughout the year - maybe my life in 2019 will involve a big change? Or changes? Or maybe not at all - because again, it was a Facebook quiz! Either way, a new year begins tomorrow - here's hoping it's a good one!

December Delights

Books I Read

Would you believe that I haven't actually "read" a book the entire month? I have two sitting near my bed... but I haven't cracked either one of them this month. *sigh* I just haven't found something that drew in my attention and kept me hooked in recent months...

Books on the Shelf

I used a gift card I got for Christmas and some Audible credits and stocked up on things to read! I've got five books on the shelf and I've already cracked open one (if you can say that about an audio book)! I purchased The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Am I There Yet: the Loop-de-Loop, Zigzagging Journey to Adulthood by Mari Andrew, Is This the Real Life: The Untold Story of Freddie Mercury & Queen by Mark Blake and I used Audible credits to load Educated: A Memior by Tara Westover and One Day in December: A Novel by Josie Silver.

So - I have plenty of reading to do in the future! I'm excited!

Must See TV

Outlander - December's episodes of Outlander have been some of my favorites of this season: Jamie and Claire were reunited with Murtaugh, Lord John Grey came for a visit to Fraser's Ridge, Brianna went through the stones and Roger followed hot on her heels, Roger and Brianna reunited in Wilmington and were hand-fasted and finally...finally... at long last, Jamie met his daughter, Brianna!

There are just four more episodes in season four - I feel like it only just started and things are ramping toward the finale already! Book Four; which season four is based off of, has always been my favorite and while there have been a few bumps with the changes, for the most part I have loved this season. I can't wait to see the final four episodes! 

Mr. Robot - I will honestly confess that I borrowed parts of an "official" description of this show because it's a mind-bender and I wasn't 100% sure how to describe it... the show follows Elliot Alderson, a computer programmer who works in cyber-security engineer during the day and a vigilante hacker by night. He finds himself at a crossroads when the mysterious leader of an underground hacker group recruits him to help destroy the firm he is paid to protect. 

And honestly - that description just scratches the surface of this show. It has twists and turns and everything in the show means something - nothing is there by accident. The fourth and final season will be coming on this summer, so I'll easily be caught up... and if you're interested, you have plenty of time to get it in before summer!

Movies of the Month

The Grinch - This updated and animated version of The Grinch was heart-warming, funny and all around just a wonderful movie. The Grinch is still a grumpy, Christmas hating outlier but his hatred for Christmas actually comes from being along at Christmas as a child...not Christmas itself. Cindy Lou is spunky and sweet and her story line drives the movie along with snappy jokes, sweet sentiments and an all around lovely message about Christmas and love. I also really appreciated that the movie was able to be funny without including any crass jokes or double entendre(s) that fly over the head of children and are inserted for parents. In short - this movie was just a joy!

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - Oh man, when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter takes a much darker turn; that's what this movie is! The movie builds on the first film in the five part series that began in 2016 and continues weaving the story of Newt Scamander, his allies to Albus Dumbledore and the wizarding world and also adds in nods and details to the original material along the way. In short - it was excellent! 

The film here is much darker and deals with heavier subjects than the first movie, but I thought the story line was still thoroughly enjoyable and there were still plenty of fantastic beasts throughout the movie - including my favorite, the Nifflers!

Mary Poppins Returns - Well! This was just the sweetest and most wonderful follow up to the original movie and I say that as someone who has never just been enamored of Mary Poppins. No need to throw things at me or scowl! Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda just shine in their roles and the rest of the supporting cast is spectacular.

The new songs are a delight and the story line is just perfection - honestly, if you are in any way a Disney fan, I'd so go see this one. It's pure Disney magic and... practically perfect in every way!

What I'm Listening To

I joked with my younger sister earlier this month that I was distracted from all my usual Christmas music all day/every day throughout the month of December because I was listening to Queen! It's true, I must confess... I have spent my December alternating between Queen, Christmas music and multiple podcast: the Bible Binge, Outlandercast, the Big Boo Cast and the Koffee Clatch Krew Mr. Robot podcast... whoosh! I was not lacking things to listen to, ha-ha!

Tasty Treats

What a month for good food y'all - what a month! I had my very favorite cocktail at the Alamo - the Killer Queen! I had more than one of Chick Fil A's delicious chocolate peppermint milkshakes (my boss said they're a thing of beauty) and indulged in some peppermint ice cream with chocolate shell!

I had a delicious meal in Charlottesville: chicken, a root vegetable dish and macaroni with ham gravy and my Mom and I shared pimento & cheese fritters! Yum! I got more Starbucks goodies than usual and devoured some Banoffee Pie at Nana's Irish Pub! And of course, all the divine foods we ate over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! Delicious!

What I'm Looking Forward To

Honestly, January and February are two of my least favorite months on the whole calendar... the weather is usually pretty chilly and bleak and those months always seem like a bit of a letdown after the sparkle, bustle and cheer of the holidays. I don't have anything important on the calendar for January right now, so I suppose we shall see what unfolds?

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That's all she wrote for 2018 y'all - can you believe another year of entertaining delights have come and gone? Who knows what wonderful movies, shows, books, tunes, podcast, treats and more that the new year will hold? See you back here for more in 2019!

The Best of 2018 - Entertainment

I thought I'd compile a list of the best of the best - in my humble opinion - of all the wonderful entertainment centered things I've enjoyed this past year. I absolutely love watching movies, TV shows and reading books... I am 100% a person that is especially invested in all things entertainment; nothing makes me happier than enjoying a good book, movie or TV show that can transport me - so I thought I'd share just a few of my favorite things from the past year!

I'm keeping my best of the best down to books, movies and television - and I'll keep this short and sweet since it's essentially a rehashing of some of my already posted favorites from throughout the year!

Books!

I haven't read nearly as much this year as I normally do - I guess there just weren't too many books that caught and held my attention this year - but four that did: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Still Me by Jojo Moyes, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and The Alienist by Caleb Carr. It cracks me up a little bit that all four have two word titles...that's an interesting coincidence, huh? All four of these books were incredible - well rounded characters, wonderfully descriptive locations and a plot that pulled me in and wouldn't let go! If you haven't read these four books, add them to your list!

Television!

Now y'all know I love a good TV show... and the six that I really enjoyed this year were The Alienist, Westworld, Sharp Objects, Patrick Melrose, Outlander and Mr. Robot. All six of these shows have very strong ensemble style casts and at times, intricate plot lines that require the viewer to really pay attention. I know some people watch TV to just have mindless entertainment...but I need my TV shows (for the most part) to engage my brain - and all six of these shows do just that.

Movies!

I also absolutely love a good movie and while I've been to the movies a plenty this year and there were many films that just warmed my heart and I enjoyed, if I had to pick favorites from this year then they would be these four: Bohemian Rhapsody, Crazy Rich Asians, A Star is Born and Avengers: Infinity War - all four were thoroughly enjoyable and memorable movie going experiences. I saw Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star is Born more than once and it helps that both had excellent soundtracks that came alongside them! Crazy Rich Asians was just a wonderful, feel good rom-com and Infinity War was an excellent Marvel move that sated my need for a great super hero movie!

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So there you have it - my favorite entertainment picks from 2018 - the books, television shows and movies that I loved the most! I'll pop back in tomorrow with my final entertainment round-up of 2018; all the things I loved in December! 

Five on Friday

Happy Friday everyone - the final Friday of 2018, can you believe it? It seems crazy that this time last week I was still anticipating Christmas Eve, Christmas, the wonderful things my family had planned and five days off work! I feel like last Friday seems like it was both a million years ago and just yesterday! So crazy! 

For today's Five on Friday, I thought I'd share pictures from the five days off work last week/this week and all the Christmas goodness that my family and I enjoyed over the five days! 

One. Ice! at National Harbor - My family and I went to National Harbor on Sunday, December 23rd (Christmas Eve Eve - if you didn't know) to check out the Charlie Brown Christmas themed ICE at the Gaylord National Harbor hotel and convention center. The temperature in the tent that houses the display is kept at a constant 9 degrees and everyone is given a bright blue calf length parka to wear for exploring the ice sculptures and zipping down the ice slides!

So colorful & fun!

The Nativity - carved from ICE!

The story line from A Charlie Brown Christmas was depicted with gigantic sculptures carved from massive blocks of colored ice... everything from ice skating, selecting the droopy little tree, Snoopy's house decorated with lights, Sally's demanding letter to Santa, Lucy's psychiatric help booth and of course - Linus sharing the true meaning of Christmas! The final set of sculptures were the Peanuts gang singing around the "poor" tree turned majestic and then a gorgeous Nativity carved from crystal clear blocks of ice.

If you have a chance to see ICE! - I'd definitely recommend it! While we did wait about thirty minutes in line to get our parkas, once we entered the exhibit itself it was not crowded, the sculptures are amazing and zipping down ice slides is so fun, I did it twice!

Two. Christmas Festivities 2018 - Christmas Day was wonderful - what can I say? I feel so blessed as it is and then Christmas rolls around and sometimes it is just an embarrassment of riches. On Christmas Eve we attended the 3:30 church service at my church and then headed home to host some of our dear friends who stopped in to have delicious Christmas treats and visit - it was so nice to see so many friends who have become an extended family! We kept our tradition of watching White Christmas alive and I will never not love watching that movie - it's absolute perfection!

I had some real wins with some of the presents I gifted - I gave my Dad a flag with our families' Scottish crest and motto; he's very interested in family history and with our Scottish roots, he was all over this flag. It's already hanging outside the house! My little sister was almost brought to tears over her Toad Hall doormat - I wanted to share the video but technical issues are keeping me from doing that - suffice it to say it was a memorable response! 

I received so many wonderful gifts from my family - I'm really enjoying my gorgeous new Pandora ring, my weighted blanket and I am definitely looking forward to see Queen + Adam Lambert in concert in July! Merry Christmas to me!

Three. Morven Park - The Davis Mansion at Morven Park is a gigantic home in Leesburg that was once the home of Virginia governor, Westmoreland Davis. My parents and I have toured the home before but on Wednesday the 26th, the house was open for self-guided tours and decorated for the holidays. The house is absolutely beautiful and the self-guided tour was really nice, taking in everything at our own pace.  

Four. Light Up Fest - After our tour of the Davis Mansion at Morven Park, we made a quick Starbucks pit stop before heading to the Light Up Fest in Ashburn - which is the largest light display on the East Coast. There were lights, illuminated lanterns, blow up displays and so much more - it was fascinating. 

Some of the displays showed a jungle scene, dinosaurs, American sports, an Americana section, the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel tower and more... The other displays were centered on Chinese culture, with dragons, a pagoda, the animals represented by the Chinese Calendar (I'm a rat guys...) and pandas! There was also a very large scale inflated version of the US Capitol. If you live in the Northern Virginia area, Light Up Fest goes through January 2nd - go check it out!

Five. The Random Picture Round Up - Finally, the miscellaneous photo round up portion of the post, ha-ha! The Gaylord National Harbor had a really amazing display of the Holidays Around the World and everything was made from candy, cookies and treats - it was fabulous! We also snapped some pictures in and around the hotel because it always looks absolutely gorgeous!

We toured a replica of Air Force One - which was interesting but I didn't take too many pictures of that. We also popped over to snap a picture or two (or four) of the National Tree and the White House on Christmas Eve Eve...ha-ha! We had a delicious dinner at Nana's Irish Pub and I was able to have some of my beloved Banoffee Pie and of course, I can't leave out our Starbuck stop on the 26th! 

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So there you have it - the round up of the last few days and my Christmas celebrations. It's been a wonderful past few days and now we are at the weekend once again! The FINAL weekend of 2018! Do you have big plans for the weekend or for New Year's Eve? I don't right now - but that could always change! Y'all have fun! 

Watson Wednesday

Watson had a very merry Christmas indeed - a stocking full of treats, plenty of bites of turkey and sips of milk...and even a post Christmas lunch nap on the couch! Life doesn't get much better than this!

Merry Christmas!

Five on Friday

Well - we've made it to the Friday before Christmas! I honestly feel like there are times when I feel that I blinked and arrived at this day and other times, I feel like December has been a long month so far - does anyone else feel that way? Oh well, no matter how you feel about it - it's the weekend before Christmas and this is my Five on Friday for the second to last Friday of 2018!

One. Countdown to Christmas - I'm one of those people that choose not to count the day we're currently on...and of course, you don't count Christmas itself... so that means there are only three days to Christmas! Just the weekend and then it's Christmas Eve and then...the most wonderful day of the year is here once again! 

Two. Five Days Off Work - When I leave the office today, I'm free and clear for a whole five days! Cue the cheering, clapping and dancing around like a crazy person, ha-ha! I am so looking forward to five whole days of being off work, relaxing, spending time with my family and celebrating Christmas!

I'm looking forward to making some wonderful Christmas cookies on Saturday with my family; it's a tradition for my family and I look forward to it each year! We'll also be watching some Christmas movies and spending time together, heading into DC on Saturday to see the National Tree and ICE at National Harbor, attending the Christmas Eve service at church and having friends over on Christmas Eve. 

Three. My Sister Will Be Home Tomorrow - My younger sister will be home tomorrow morning (she's arriving at like... 6 AM...sheesh!) and I couldn't be more excited! She'll be here for a little more than a week and I'm looking forward to "sister time", since we always have a grand time together... even if she is a complete mess, ha-ha! Please see the picture below for reference!

Four. ICE at National Harbor -  Sunday... or as my sister and I like to call it, Christmas Eve Eve... we are going to the National Harbor in DC to check out ICE! The theme this year is A Charlie Brown Christmas, which is one of my most favorite things! I can't wait to see the amazing ice sculptures illustrating some of my favorite scenes from the classic cartoon - and there are also slides! I've got to make sure to take my gloves, hat and scarf to keep toasty in the constant temperature of nine degrees!

Five. Christmas Party Snap - Wednesday night the ladies group that I'm a part of in my neighborhood had our Christmas party at the restaurant located in the clubhouse, Regions 117. The food was delicious, the company was fabulous, I took home an adorable ornament from the ornaments swap (spoiler - it was the one I brought, ha-ha) and I even won a card display in one of the games! So blessed to have these ladies in my life!

That's all I've got for this Friday - I hope everyone has a happy weekend planned and plenty of festive holiday things on the books over the coming days! I'll be popping back in briefly before Christmas to say hello and then I'll sign off until after the holiday! Y'all have a wonderful weekend!