Fat geese and bells all a-jingle: Part three

This was supposed to be a daily update because good lord I have so many photos to show you people. That'll teach me to not update during vacation only to be stuck with picture ridden posts bucking and grunting in the starters gate just waiting for me when I come back to reality. But my last post took me over an hour to create (which wasn't helped by the fact that that I was also eating a box of Frango mints and watching Murder She Wrote - ah the life of the unemployed).

But honestly I have been running around these past few days, fixing my CV, calling all the agencies I work with to let them know I am back on the market, house hunting, setting up times to view houses and then walking my slave to public transportation ass half way across town and back to go see these deplorable, dilapidated homes that have accumulated over 20 years of student scum.

So, Christmas! On the eve we went out to dinner in the 'burbs. It took me an hour to get dressed. You know those times when you can't find a thing to wear from the overflowing pile of clothes that you brought with you and despite all members of family and boyfriend telling you you look fine in each of them, fine just ain't good enough? I ended up wearing my black dress with a blue cotton shrug and my mother's glorious silver necklace. I looked hot. But I was cold. The Boy had to lend me his sweater in the restaurant (brownie points for Boy for being chivalrous in front of mom).



My Sister and The Boy at Christmas Eve dinner.

Christmas morning, I was still waking up early due to jet lag. I look out the window and it is snowing. Hallelujah it is snowing on Christmas morning. I wake up Stephane (it's snowing, it's snowing) and we run out to the balcony to see the flakes. The flurries stop before my family wake up, so it was just a special snowfall for him and me. (cue cheesy RomCom music here).

My mom had made us take one present into our rooms that we had to open before we came into the living room. Matching pyjamas!



The shirts all say "Greetings from Chicago Christmas 2005" Awwww.

Here are some of my favorite gifts I got for Christmas in no particular order:

1. My "L" necklace from the Boy that I wear everyday and which I forced him to get me
2. The Jon Langford CD's from G. which are so good I don't know how I lived without him before
3. The calendar my sister made of her hiking the Appalachian Trail
4. My green sweater that I have been dreaming about for months and months
5. Mini-Sushi making kit from Santa
6. Silver bracelet from my Grandmother
7. The poster of Marseille from my Mom

Ok, I'm going to stop there before I ramble off every single gift I received. An embarrassment of riches this year.



Our trooper of a cat Monty in the Santa "thank God they only make me wear it once a year" Hat.



Me in my beyond fabulous green sweater and the boobs that force me to pay them overtime in outfits like this.

So happy belated Christmas and Chanukah. I'll be back with more glamorous photos of Chicago and then on to the French part of our extravagant vacation.