December Review: It's all over except the indigestion.

I think I started my after holiday post something like this last year. If you feel like you're suffering from deja vu, you likely are because I am too. I stepped on the scale this morning and braced myself for the number. I was shocked to see I've managed to hover in the same 2-3 pound range this entire season of over-eating. Still I just feel like crap; too much sugar and junk food takes its toll.

A and I just returned home and settled in from our last family holiday celebration. It feels like it was just Thanksgiving and the past month has been nothing but a blur of activity. I'm not complaining though. It's been a good month. A and I have felt more in the spirit than many years past. Even through all the running here and there, we always manage to have a good time. I never have as much fun as when A is at my side...or goofing off in front of the camera.

We decorated both inside and outside the house. Gone are the horrid inflatable snowman and penguins of years past and A has been replacing  them with the retro plastic decorations. She finally added a snowman, but I think she's most proud of Santa in his sleigh.

Earlier this month our foster pup, Shecky, was adopted to a home in Illinois. He lived with us for 4 months.

As far as puppies go, he was pretty sedate and a great cuddlier but we were happy to see him move onto a forever home. That of course didn't stop me from crying most of the 5 hour drive to Madison, Wisconsin and back; questioning if I'm really cut out to be a foster and asking myself how many more times can I upset myself like this. By the time I got home, Shecky had arrived at his new home and I had an email waiting from his new mama. It was love at first sight and I know he's now spoiled beyond belief. That makes the tears worth it.


I spent 2 weekends as a volunteer for our rescue taking pet photos with Santa at PetSmart. A came along one day as Santa's dedicated Elf.

It's a great fund-raiser; they supply all the equipment and then give us 50% for every photo. I was really excited about it and had so much fun! There's no doubt that there is work involved and I have a lot of respect for the professionals who do it everyday...pets or kids. Overall most pet-parents were great (with the exception of one lady who thought it was her own personal photo shoot) and we successfully got a good picture of every pet we tried. We even had some chins show up that were adopted through our rescue.

A and I spent Christmas Eve with our dear friends, JK and Faye, eating a drinking entirely too much. Christmas morning we slept late and when the dogs finally convinced us to get up, we turned on the TV to the Yule Log and drank mimosas with breakfast.

Later we hosted dinner for my mom and then today it was a celebration with A's family. 

Since we were going to be so busy all weekend, it was easy to rationalize opening our gifts on the 23rd. This year A and I planned a low-key holiday but that usually doesn't apply when we're buying gifts for each other. I had my little list of things I would like to receive but A completely surprised my with 2 big gifts.

I have a love--weakness---addiction to purses. You can imagine how much I fell in love with these Kelly Moore bags at first sight. The amazing thing is that these are not purses but a line of camera bags designed by a photographer to NOT look like camera bags. There's a collection of different colors and styles but I just haven't been able to let myself spend the cash. I haven't mentioned or looked at these in months but A remembered and to my surprise picked out the exact bag in the exact color I wanted! It's that beautiful blue bag in the picture above. Then she surprised me again with a new camera lens. I feel truly grateful for having such a sweet and thoughtful person to share my life with...even if I did have to scold her a bit. I think she spoils me too much.