My Holiday Countdown

Pull out the advent calendars, folks - the Holidays have officially begun.

I always feel like Halloween is more like the opening ceremonies of Holiday season - October 31-January 1. It ushers in all the festive, holiday spirit that gets us through 1.5 months of Winter.

And I don't think I've ever been more ready for the holidays and holiday trips than I am this year.

Like, right now.

I have got to get on a plane and go somewhere. ASAP!

As Mother and I reminded each other last night, it's only 2.4 more weeks until I'm on a plane bound for sunny (cold) Utah! I've got a good 4 days there, plus 2 travel days, and I'm ready to get 'em going NOW.

You wanna know why? Because here's what's in store:

• Nightly Family Party Time - that means late night card games with Ma and Pa, who are particularly funny when the late-night friskies hit
• Dance Parties with the nieces - I'm hoping the Bug, the Bean, and the Bear are practicing their dance moves, because I'm ready to bust a move. At least once a day. Every day.
  (*Side note - I love the nicknames the Barlows Des Moines have got going - lemme break it down for you: Emilee - Bug bug; Claire - Bear; Gracie - Bean. 3 points for sweet nickname alliteration at the Barlow, DM house!)
• THANKSGIVING - I've been excited about this holiday for, oh, maybe the last 3 months...
• THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL - can't wait to watch the GB Pack tear up those Lions like they're a deep-fried, beer-battered turkey. It's going to be one awesome game. That the Pack will win.
• Thanksgiving Day 5k Turkey Trot - I've already discussed my excitement about this, but I'm ready to dominate. I'm grateful for holiday races that let me feel justified in buying new running gear - gotta stay warm!
• Black Friday Shopping - actually, this terrifies me. But I'm taking one for the team. Laura, I apologize ahead of time for my uselessness to you during this. Please remember me in my better moments - not when I'm paralyzed with fear of the chaos all around me.
• Christmas Lights at Temple Square - Temple Square in Salt Lake City may just be one of the prettiest places ever around the holiday season (and let's face it, even when it's not Christmas, that place is pretty gorgeous). We're going Friday night, the first night the lights are on, so it'll be a wee bit crowded, but that should add to the fun atmosphere. Plus, we'll be outside, so the agoraphobia that will threaten to rip me apart during the aforementioned shopping will be a little less powerful over my poor self, with the relief of fresh air and less amounts of crazy people shoved all around me.

I also have a feeling sister-in-law Laura and I may take another almost-ill-fated trip to grab some frozen custard for the family one night, where we, amazingly, won't spill custard everywhere, but that's just a hunch. A hunch I'd like to make a truth, but we've got 2.4 weeks until we'll find out whether it's fact - or fiction.

I'm really feeling the love with random idioms and catchphrases right now, it seems - in that last sentence (above) alone, a good 5 of them ran through my brain before I finally gave in to end the sentence with something stupid.

Anyway...

3.5 weeks after I return from Utah, and I've {maybe} worked off the mounds of mashed potatoes, rolls, and jello that I had to eat to really understand how the Pilgrims felt so many years ago, I'm on my way to the 3rd Annual Barlow Sisters Christmas Gathering, in Little Rock, Arkansas! I told dear sister Abby that this year, we were going to actually go and do things - like leave her house. I don't know why that seemed important to me, but I figured maybe it'd be good to change things up a bit this year. Maybe not my best idea...

I started to do some research about what to do in Little Rock, because in all the times I've gone to visit her, we've only once explored the state's one city that has any name-recognition. And it was awesome, but we were only there for maybe 2.5 hours, before I had to fly home, and I didn't feel like I saw enough of it.

Turns out, though, I pretty much saw the whole city. I looked at their website for tourists/visitors, and I gotta say, there's really nothing to see in Little Rock. At least, not according to the Tourism department. Yikes.

Where are the Holiday lights, LR? Where are the fun Holiday attractions?! Please tell me you recently fired your website editor, and you're in the slow process of hiring a replacement, and as soon as that's over, you will let me know all the fun things going on during Christmas in Little Rock. Because right now, your lack of Holiday Spirit disgusts me.

Also, I'm not the best at researching fun things in fun places, so that could explain it as well.

Anyway. Halloween has come and gone; the Holidays are in full swing. Time for While You Were Sleeping marathons on TBS and a ridiculous number of A Christmas Carol remakes (the Muppets will always be my favorite version).

I hope you all have wonderful holiday plans to look forward to, as well! I'm quite giddy with excitement about mine!