Boom.

Booyah. I booked my Christmas tickets already!

Yesterday, my favorite airline to fly to Florida Allegiant Air opened up dates for the holidays. This year, we're spending Christmas with my family in Florida, and those tickets can be super pricy.

Unless you book NOW.

I got all three tickets (that's right, lap baby) for $450, round trip. Which left me plenty of room in our travel budget to buy seats in the first row of the plane (baller!) and three checked bags.

My plan: arrive to the airport, check everything, only carry the baby, diaper bag and purse with iPads. It should make flying with an infant easy when you have the first row on the plane and nothing to carry. Apparently strollers and carseats fly free, but we will wait until then to decide what we want to do.

I'm curious how much of this plan will be reality in six months.

I want a pic of my baby just like this.

All I know is that baby will get to meet and spend Christmas with all of the Manders, his great grandparents, all my cousins and most importantly: Mickey Mouse.

That's right: baby is having his first trip to Disney World. We haven't been yet this year, and in all of our time together, Bryan and I haven't let a year go by without a trip to Disney World. And we won't let a baby stop that.

Especially when we'll have aunts and grandparents to hold him while we ride Space Mountain and Aerosmith's Rockin' Roller Coaster.

Christmas Wish List: Tiffany & Co.

Well, I don't know that I should wish for jewelry...

If I did, I would wish for this turquoise necklace:

Gold chain, beautiful turquoise dot charm.

Christmas Wishes: Target

One of my favorite stores ever is Target. Never have I loved it more than now, when I live more than an hour away from one. Whenever we go to the big city of Tulsa, we stop at Target just to wander the clean aisles for things we need and everything we don't but.

This year, my wishes from Target are:

beautiful new bike, $130

new canisters for my flour, sugar and brown sugar

set of 4 navy ceramic, $40


clear set of 4, $25

or this beautiful red set

set of 3 ceramic red, $30

spice jars that I can fill with my own favorites, set of 12, $36


Mastering the Art of French Cooking, $22


Rome Cookbook, $21

Christmas Wishes from Anthropologie

With the crisp weather, I can't stop myself from beginning to wish for Christmas presents. Instead of emailing my sisters or Bryan when I find something cute on my lunch break, I'll post them here. Maybe when it's December 1, I'll post a Top 10 wishes.

Today, I was drooling over Anthropologie's collection:

love this pleated teal skirt
$88

perfect fall and winter layering tee
$48

sweet sweater
$88

this reminds me of Alice in Wonderland
paper holder
$18

pencil holder
$16

owl dish towel

$24

beautiful pot holders
$12

drooooooooooooool - an owl cookie jar!
$98 (ouch)

But they have it on Modern Family!

So maybe it's worth it!


I don't need these, but boy are they cute!
spice jars

$4 a piece

Lyna Butter Dish

$16

cutest little measuring spoons

$14

I love the teal whisk

$8

cutest chickadee ornament
$10

Tips for Winter Sex

Baby, t's cold outside. But that doesn't mean you can't get it on. Here are some tips for getting busy in the frigid winter:

1. Turn your heat up. Yes, turn that dial or push that button up to 70 something. It's hard to get naked enough to have sex when your house is as cold as it is outside. Crank the heat and believe me, you'll want outta those sweats and into tee shirts and underwear - which is the perfect attire for sex.

2. Have lots of foreplay. Make out, cuddle, touch each other, massage, slowly undress...under the covers. Let the heat underneath the covers build up. Once you've been under the covers awhile, it will get warm, and then getting naked is just the next logical step. And we all know that getting naked is the best prerequisite for sex.

3. Do it in the shower. Hot water and naked bodies? Perfect. Be careful not to slip, and use lube. It can be a little difficult, so no beginners, please. Also, shower sex should be quickie sex. No one wants a marathon as you clench the slippery walls with your soapy hands.

4. Drink up. Hot chocolate should get you feeling warm. Right after you finish a warm drink, hop into bed. If you aren't into hot drinks, take a shot. It won't really warm you up, but it will give the illusion of warmth and maybe the extra push you need to bump your partner.

5. Use the winter as a time to experiment. Never tried outdoor sex? Do it in the snow. Never done it in public? Do it at Macy's. Never fucked a reindeer? Now's your chance. Or, stick to the regular warm house bed sex. That'll make your Christmas a little bit more merry.

Final Exam Results

I'll give myself an A-.

PART ONE: A+ The guests woke, gathered their things and were in the car by 9:45. We ate at Chickfila with a bonus of having a Cow Santa mess with us as we ate chicken biscuits. By the time we drove into the city, not many cars were out and Bryan had a hard time navigating all the snow covered roads. I was encouraging and we all were impressed by his skills. We made it before the big snow fell.

PART TWO: A I cleaned like a madwoman. It was fairly easy because Ben and Bryan spent the morning picking up and putting bottles in the recycling. The trash hasn't been taken out, but hey, we've got a foot of snow out there!

PART THREE: A+ Everything fits, everything is cute, and there's room for presents! I'm pleased with all my outfits, and I'm excited about the opportunity to wear the new sweaters Bryan got me! Also, we got the tiny bottles of toiletries (in the ziplock bag), chargers for all electronics and the photo albums to show family.

BONUS QUESTION: D- I give myself props for watching the news and learning that flights at PHL were being cancelled. Despite a lack of contact via email or phone, our airline did not let us know that ours was cancelled! I had to find out on the departures website, which I imagine is a lot like finding out about an engagement in the family on facebook. It made me so mad. Bryan and I each called a different number to talk to a person and jumped online to wait in the queue to chat with someone live. So far, so good. About two hours into holding on the phones and an hour waiting to chat online, Bryan got in. But he was disconnected. Then, I got into the chat, the lady gave me a new number to call. So I called it. On that call, I was told to call THE SAME NUMBER I'D BEEN HOLDING FOR TWO HOURS FOR! I lost it. I cried and cried. I thought we'd never get home. After another three hours on hold, we got to talk to someone on my phone (Bryan's was STILL on hold). The guy was foreign, so I couldn't make that many requests beside as soon as possible and sit us next to each other! He got us a flight out Monday morning. Awesome, but this morning, there's no email in my inbox. I lost it again. I don't know what to do. Hopefully, we're flying out tomorrow.

Either way, I'm sure glad I have a good many years to polish my lady skills. I imagine this will not be the last time weather affects our plan or the last time we travel to so many places for the holidays. I have to remember that as long as we eventually make it, we'll be fine. Especially when we've got Nightmare Before Christmas and Beatles Rock Band to keep us entertained.

Lady Skills Assessment Test

This week is a test of my lady skills. I have single-handedly finished my last week of work, cleaned the whole place, planned and executed a Christmas party, picked up and entertained two guests in our home, cleaned out the fridge and prepared an itinerary for the trip. All the while, I made my professor of a husband lunches and welcomed him home with dinner each night after a long day of giving exams and submitting final grades.

Today is my final exam of my Lady Skills Assessment Test. It's a three part exam - with a layer of snow, for added difficulty.

PART ONE: Empty The Home of Guests (in the snow)
This morning, Bryan and I will take our two guests, whom we love and with whom we had a blast, out to breakfast (god forbid we dirty more dishes!). Then, in this twenty degree weather and falling snow, we'll take them into the city, so they can return to the warm South. And then, we'll have to make it back to our place before the snow becomes too dangerous.

PART TWO: Cleaning the After-Party/After-Guest Mess (in the snow)
Like a true lady with skills, I pride myself (and thoroughly enjoy) coming home to a clean place. The tough part is getting it done. Now, because it's a final exam, I'll have the extra of party mess and snow. I am hoping to recruit Bryan to take out the trash in the snow (hey, that's a pretty good lady skill anyway). But there's wrapping paper, wine bottles, bowls, serving dishes, cups, wine glasses, shot glasses and probably other things I'm forgetting lying about the place. In addition, there will be sheets to wash, pillows and blankets to stash away, towels to wash and another bathroom to cleanse. Whew. I'm exhausted and I haven't even completed any of these tasks.

PART THREE: Packing (in the snow)
Okay, the snow is not quite an added difficult here, but it's still there. They predict 10-20 inches in our area. I can't imagine what that looks like! Anyways, the packing is the part I dread the most. Partially because we're limited on space since we're flying), but mostly, because we'll be gone for 3 weeks, in four different locations (thankfully, all Southern). It will be tricky to find something to wear to Bryan's family's small Christmas day and to a Kentucky reunion and to my parents' church and to our anniversary dinner and to Bryan's economics conference. Oh, and the temperatures will vary from 70s to the teens over the course of our trip. Wonderfully challenging, I'd say.

If I can do this, all the powers of ladydom are mine!

Naked Ladies on Christmas?

It's that wonderful holiday time of year. We pull out trees from closets, attics and dusty boxes, trees from nurseries, the woods or the creepy tree dealer in the Wawa parking lot. We find comfort from the cold weather inside with blankets, fireplaces and hot chocolate that burns the tip of your tongue. We hit the malls looking for presents for other people, only to come home with some goodies for yourself. And you consider which of your far away friends you like enough to mail a piece of paper wishing holiday cheer.

One of my favorite ways to get in the mood for the holidays is with Christmas music. I'm a huge fan of the classics, your Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland sort. This year, Bryan gifted me early a holiday album I'd never have picked up for myself.



The Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked for the Holidays It's wonderful. It's got a classic feel with a fun, silly twist. I play it in the background in these freezing mornings, sipping my hot chocolate and looking out at our snowy backyard. And it feels like Christmas.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

As soon as Bryan's birthday comes around, it's that time. That wonderful, wonderful time of year. Holiday time! Fall vacation, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas shopping, Christmas, New Years! I love decorating for each holiday, and I love all the treats and parties that come along with them.

This holiday time will be my first without the warm, Southern weather, without family in any sort of driving distance, without long time friends, without the comfort of familiar territory. But I am still really, really excited. This is our first year experiencing the holidays as a married couple. While it is sad to be away from family, we're very excited to be creating our own family traditions this year.



There are only 93 days until Christmas. I'm excited about a snowy Christmas. I'm excited about buying our first Christmas tree. I'm excited about decorating our home for Christmas. I'm excited about making Christmas cookies for all the ladies in my office. I'm excited about watching Christmas movies. I'm excited about using our fireplace for heat - and for hanging stockings! I'm excited about buying presents for all our family and friends. I'm excited about pies, mittens, fluffy socks, eggnog, hats, mistletoe, Christmas cards, Ursinus holiday parties, plane trips to visit family and most of all, I'm excited about Bryan's and my academic holiday vacation which is exactly the same.