The most wonderful time of the year...

I don't think we've ever had back-to-back winter storms on the island before. And what a 'winter storm' looks like here (because it is a very good question) is:

• Lots of rain for 1-3 days (highly unusual, our showers are usually at most, an hour?)
• Lower temps (Brr! 60s!!! Can you even IMAGINE, mainlanders?!) 
• Snow covering Mauna Kea (cool breezes for days), and sometimes Mauna Loa as well.

We get to use our thick blankets, socks and though rarely seen- pants, sweaters! So really, what's not to love?

I'm also excited about the weeks before Christmas, when our mailbox fills up with colorful envelopes from friends and family, and Amazon packages arrive almost daily! :-D

There was also a week of sub teaching, a hospital shift, a quick trip to Oahu for a few hours, a Christmas parade (Ry sang/did the hula with his school), an ugly Christmas sweater party, a delightful cookies and tea party, a fun kiddie birthday party, a visit with sweet, Mrs. Claus and her adorable, favorite elf, Sparkles (Rich's improv friends performed at the library), an end of the fall trimester Christmas crafting extravaganza at school. (Note: I've somehow managed to help/be at school for this function two years in a row without having to do any actual crafting! There IS a Santa Claus!), and a 50th birthday party at someone's house with,..get this...a prime rib station, with a warming station and a chef carver! At their house! I will reveal my simple, 'po, country ways by saying this- no one ever has a prime rib station (complete with warming lights and a bona fide carver) here on our island! Despite the excitement, I've still never actually had a bite of prime rib before (looks too bloody). ;-D (I'd have preferred some deep-fried chicken and mashed potatoes smothered in gravy, but that's just my high class tastes.)

I've also busied myself in the kitchen these past few weeks trying to save some dough...from new recipes (Asian style lettuce wraps, wilted vegetable/wild rice crock pot soup) to holiday classics (pumpkin bread, peppermint brownies, pumpkin mochi, chocolate chip cookies) for the many work and theater potlucks Rich has had this month. Because as a part-time minion at three different places of employment, I don't have a...single...holiday...work party. *sigh*

Though I haven't lost an ounce (see holiday parties/baking comments above), I did manage to log 70 miles of running the prior two weeks (a recent high now that my heel has healed). Honestly, it felt great...mostly because of the cooler weather, but also because of the stress-relieving adrenaline as well. I'm never more confident than when I'm feeling good about my diet and exercise (which is still very hard to do).

We are now enjoying day one of winter break with a fun trip the dentist, and hopefully...a break from the endless holiday fare. Though I initially sort of handled the festive foods all right (the exception being the lumpia and lilikoi macaroons at the 50th birthday soiree, and Sempai Roland's giant bag of Mrs. Barry's cookies...damn him for getting us mac nut and coconut shortbread!), I haven't done so well this past week. And I was reminded of this yesterday. Perhaps bolstered by my recent weight loss, I confidently tried on a pair of sweet, Hurley size 5, hand me down shorts today and nearly fell over from an inability to move or breath once they were halfway up my thighs. Needless to say, I am NOT a size 5. I once was, of course...when I was ten. Since then, probably not, and probably never.

The latest in hospital couture, and I'm rocking it. Though I wish I was there to get lipo or lap band, I was not. Just routine tests. (And I'm fine. Better than fine. Tests were all negative. No STDs in 2016, baby! Wait, you all have to get court-ordered annual, STD testing for your POs, too, right?!).

Loved the photo booth at this party!

A rare photo of mostly obscured faces = publishing!

So yeah, it's a little hectic right now. I ate too much and ran/slept too little at times.My hand-me-down shorts still don't fit (I'd have to lose another 15 lbs. if I even want to be able to pull the zipper up a quarter inch. Forget about fastening it. I'd need a famine for that to be able to happen.). But for the most part, I loved it. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

I'm so appreciative of the hard work Rich has put in at work over the weekend to support our holiday spending (since my wages could barely fill a stocking these days), as well as his spending 3 hours yesterday combining two separate tenting structures into one giant one to cover our Appalachian lanai renovation project, which on top of looking hideous, is now severely water damaged thanks to the winter storms. We are about a year into the projected six-month-wait to start construction, with only another 3 months to go (that's just the latest estimate)! Our neighbor is three months into her eight-day renovation, so I guess we're all in the same boat over here on the island...where waves are more important than wages. For reals, man.

But I digress. Whatever stresses I've had lately, are First World Problems...so what if I need $400 in dental work (teetth grinding is the best), that it was hard to find ugly Christmas sweaters, or that my basil were all covered in dirt/bugs so I had to hand wash each leaf? These are all hidden blessings, for sure.I just need to get out of my default, Negative Nellie way of thinking and become more Polly Positive (because those people aren't annoying AT ALL). ;-)