And now, on to more pleasant topics

Joel and I spent the weekend with my family in New Jersey, celebrating Christmas. I realize that Christmas is traditionally held on December 25th, but my baby brother packed up his car and started driving out to Utah on Sunday, so we decided to move Christmas up by a week and a half.  Jesus said he didn't mind. Despite the sleet and snow coming down on Sunday, Michael departed around 2pm and made it to Cleveland around 10pm. He is probably somewhere in the Chicago vicinity at this moment. He starts work at Snowbird on Thursday!   Let's all give my baby brother a hand for not inheriting the worry-wart gene and allowing his big sister to live vicariously through him while he does awesome things.

While Michael was driving west on Route 80, Joel and I were headed south on the NJ Turnpike with 100 pounds of cat litter in the back of Joel's truck. Navigating a cart filled with four 25-lb bags of cat litter to the checkout was probably the truest Crazy Cat Lady experience that I've had thus far, but we needed something to weigh the back of the truck down to provide optimal four-wheel snow driving conditions, and why shouldn't it be something we needed anyway? Unfortunately, what was billed as bona-fide Wintry Mix in New Jersey was nothing but a little bit of wind in Baltimore, so those last two bags were probably overkill.  But hey, I like to play it safe.  The way there were playing this storm up on the news, I was sure we'd have at least a foot of snow and a delayed opening this morning.  Is it bad that I check the forecast compulsively in the winter, and that when I see Wintry Mix, I get all happy inside? Wintry Mix is the key to work closings in Maryland. Come to mama, sleet/snow/rain!

In any case, I highly recommend having Christmas early. I think we should start doing this every year. We had a lovely weekend, there was no traffic despite the many inches of snow and freezing rain that fell, and now we are free to relax and hole up at home to enjoy two four-day weekends in a row. My plans include painting the bedroom, watching a lot of TV, and vacation planning. On somewhat of a whim, Joel and I booked a trip to Barcelona on Friday. We'll be going for a week in January. I am beyond excited.  Audrey, the internet's resident expert on all things Barcelona has already provided me with innumerable suggestions (thanks, Audrey!) and we have several books to peruse, but any suggestions ya'll have for Things Not To Be Missed are welcome. This is probably all I'll be talking about for the next month. Sorry.

Oh, and I finally joined Flickr.  I uploaded some random pictures.  Now what?

Comments

[nancypearlwannabe]

Christmas a week early sounds heavenly. If only my family wasn't so close, I could pretend I wanted it early so I could go visit them...

[Marriage-101]

How does one just book a trip to Bacelona on a whim? (Like I should be talking...I booked a weekend getaway to NYC last January with about a week's notice).

[RA]

Yay for Flickr! Now you find all of your peeps and mark them as contacts!

Yes, I said "peeps."

[Audrey]

I meant to dig up even more Barcelona ideas for you over the weekend, but I forgot -- sorry! I guess I have until January to send you more ideas, though, right?

[Erika]

"On a whim"? Who are you?

[heidikins]

You are going to Barcelona?!? That is so freakin' exciting! "On a whim"... psssh! You say it so nonchalantly, like it's nothing more than stopping by the local bakery. "On a whim"... honestly!

Secondly - Yay for little bro heading out to Snowbird!! That is one helluva long drive, I hope I-80 isn't closed or too snowy. That Nebraska & Wyoming stretch is torture! But yay for Snowbird! (Approximately 40 mins from my house and absolutely stunning...oh, and excellent skiing, something like that)

xox

[Laurel]

Barcelona!! So exciting! I went way back in 2002 and, let's be honest, I barely remember it.

Tell me, 20-year-old-Laurel, why did you choose do DRINK your way through Western Europe? Don't you know that it will make you a useless source of travel advice five years hence?

[Danielle]

Will you be my flickr friend?