Weekend - That's A Wrap x 2

Of course we are all very excited about 2015~ new calendars, new goals and a new beginning….but here at HALF - we have a few 2014 items to wrap up…..starting with two missed weekends!

Friday December 19 was a wonderful start to the last weekend before Christmas - it was my company’s holiday party. We all were treated to a lovely luncheon at a local favorite Italian spot. Spouses and family were invited, we all dressed up and broke bread at one long table. While talking holidays and plans and how much everyone was looking forward to a nice break - we also celebrated two work anniveraries - one for 10 years and one for 15. Being in a role I am really excited about is amazing but to also be surrounded by fellow colleagues who are dedicated and love their jobs - I am feeling grateful. This time of year counting blessings is a must and this new career path is most certainly at the top of my list.

Once we wrapped up lunch everyone was free to head home….with a long Christmas to do list still in the back of my mind, I took advantage and did some more shopping with my mom. We hit up a few a stores and had GREAT luck!! Don’t you love when that happens?? We finished off our shopping list and even had time to shop for a few add ins! Quite the successful trip!

That evening was a BIG hockey game for Dan’s team. The game was against a strong local Ashburn team, Stonebridge - who came ready to play! O’Connell had just been named in the Washington Post as #1- so they are certainly the team everyone wants to beat! Dan continued to warn my parents and I if we wanted seats get there early…..well we did and were SHOCKED to find the stands FULL! Not a seat in the place! It was awesome.

O'Connell does not have Friday night football games due to a lack of stadium lighting (an old as time fight against the school’s surrounding neighborhood) - so an evening game at the start of a weekend is not something us Knights fans are used to - making nights like these really exciting. The game was fought hard and came down to the last period….we lost some players to ejection and injury, and ultimately lost the game. It was a blast even still and the students (basketball team who had played just a few hours before) and faculty who came to watch had a great time! Not the outcome the team wanted in terms of stats….but an investment in O’Connell’s hockey fan future? You betcha!

If you have not guessed by now :) - our high school means a lot to Danny and I. It has given us so much - that only just begins with each other….but just in case we needed another good reminder?? The head of the athletic department waited well past game’s end to see how Dan was doing coming off the last hospital stay and to wish us a Merry Christmas. This unique school continues to give us reasons to enjoy life and experience new adventures and I will never be able to express how much we love it. Perfect way to kick off the winter break!

Now just a few days before Christmas, to do lists flowing, Danny feeling still pretty weak from his short IV stint - my shopping requests were growing….but Saturday instead of plotting and planning and doing - I had a much needed break with a best friend. My dear sweet friend Allie is moving west to Texas. She has decided to forge a new career, home, social life - truly world - for herself in the Houston area starting in January. To toast and celebrate we did a wine and spa day.

Life is full of beautiful souls that can very often (and as I learn) and very easily drift in and out of your life. People have good hearts and good souls and great stories to share - but often I have found they are a part of a season in your life. They can be invaluable and very present during different periods - and even if it is just time and distance that keep you apart, they can drift away. These are not bad things necessarily - I believe they are just truths. But when you are truly blessed - and perhaps more accurate - when you are truly committed, you will have a few friends that are for a lifetime. My friend Allie is a friend, one of my few, for a lifetime and so we had to celebrate.

Allie and I met - yup you guessed it, at O’Connell. Now we were not really part of the same high school circle and not nearly that close - but I always found her to be really cool. WAAAAYYYY cooler than I - an athlete, really good student, active in student government, but also knew how to have a really good time. Again - much cooler than I could ever hope to be - yet she still would be my friend. I remember I gave graduation gifts to the circle of girls I was in (I think it was something like 15 of them ….you know the ways of high school) and although it would not have been odd for me not to get Allie a gift - I did. I thought - she is just cool and has been nice to me (the not so cool one)so I am going to give her a gift too. Plus we both were going to JMU in the fall so I figured I could always try and be cool enough to be her friend.

Well fall came and I had not seen her that summer - but we started to have lunch once a week. I remember the conversation was never hard but certainly was something we both had to work at - for knowing each other for 4 years, we really did not know each other at all. Let’s just say once a week lunches pretty much turned into daily visits, phone chats and texts and seasons faded, college happened (to even begin to explain what we got into would require MANY MANY more pages of text - so let’s just say Allie and I joke we should write a book called “What the SATs don’t tell you")…..and we become best friends. There are memories upon memories of my life that flash before me that have her in it. The key thing about a true friend of mine and those memories are they are not just of college or bars or being silly - they also involve the hospital, my family - heck my extended family….Allie knows the deal and never, ever has missed a moment that I needed her, both good or bad. I jumped off the phone with her to get ready for my first date with Danny and on my wedding day she stood with me saying she would never be anywhere else in this exact moment. We have shared a lot and at this moment, in this year when Allie will be forging anew - I had to be celebrate with her.

The day was just perfect - wine bar, spa bath robes, pedicures and best of all - 5+ hours of just time. Time to talk and laugh and complain and laugh and ponder and laugh…..to just be. How lucky was I to kick of the Christmas season doing exactly what this time of year is all about - counting a blessing. We did not take pictures - and as I hope to get better about that in 2015 I am actually pretty proud of that fact right about now. We were 100% wrapped up in hanging out…..and it was perfect.

That evening was pretty quiet as Danny and I did some Christmas prep and movie watching….. and it felt a little like a Christmas Miracle because some how I was feeling pretty on top of Christmas. Not ready, but not quite as far behind as I had once thought I was - so a night of wrapping was perfect.

Sunday morning was some of the same - with the added bonus of really cranking out this year’s Christmas Craft aka Pinterest debacle! Actually this year’s gifts were perfect! Previous years I have attempted other Pinterest inspired gifts that ultimately landed with Danny and I fighting, my crying and still having to gift them as it was too late to make a chance and we had spent too much trying to make them work! When really those gifts just belonged on a Pinterest Fail webpage somewhere. But not this year…this year I followed the guidance of the ever so talented Katie from SaSea Decor (who is also responsible for my upcoming Christmas wear) suggested on painting wine glasses. And it worked like a charm!! The only hard part was getting it done while trying to do all of the other Christmas activities…..next year I am starting Christmas early (like I already started the 2015 to do list early….phew!). Christmas is scheduled for a different post but ultimately this gift worked out well and even Danny got in to helping me prep them!

By Sunday afternoon it was time to head out for our first family Christmas activity- Christmas at Mount Vernon for my mom’s birthday! My mom’s birthday is December 27 and often gets caught up in the craze of Christmas - so any time we can actually plan something specific we jump at the chance! This past summer my mom and sister had visited Mount Vernon for Brig’s summer school project and they both loved it. Danny and I had been a lot growing up and living down there during our first few years of marriage we had enjoyed that tourist spot several times over, but these two had not been there in years. So enthused about their summer visit I asked if anyone had gone at Christmas time. I explained how it was really cool to see it all decorated and learn the traditions. Well one thing led to another and we found their candlelight tour with Martha Washington for Christmas. We booked tickets, planned dinner in Old Town (you may recall one of the Bessette’s most favorite spots), and the birthday was set!

It was fantastic! Most of our great Washington DC tourist sites that are worth the effort and time are free (I know, I know we are really lucky!) - so Danny and I have always avoided or actually spoken against spending money to visit a site - there are so many great ones for free! But Mount Vernon is our exception - it is always gorgeous, no matter the season, and I always learn something new!

Hearing the traditions and favorite holiday activities of the Washington’s put me in the exact perfect mood for the coming Christmas week. In those days it was all about friends, family, festive food and laughter…..I can totally get on board with that! In fact it made me appreciate the importance in just being with family and friends. Great way to end the weekend, even better way to celebrate with my mom and perfect start to Christmas week!

Now Christmas will be getting its own post so I am going to hop onto the weekend after Christmas - starting with Friday the 26th! We were pretty jam packed Christmas Eve through Christmas Evening…..and poor Danny had caught a nasty cold that kicked it into high gear as the week went on. He was on a 2 hour visit 1 hour nap schedule to just make it through our events. So when he asked what was on the 26th and I said he could sleep in - I think he may have been more excited for that than for his gifts that were under the tree! But I kept with the full schedule on that day and headed into DC for a final toast to my friend Allie. A group of us gals - from yes, you know - O’Connell, got together to send her off!

We ate at one of my favorite places from when working downtown - Lincoln. If you are in DC check it out! The decor reminds me of Allie with all the mason jars, but it is also very “DC” with all the presidential decor to honor President Lincoln, including the ground made up of pennies! We had a great time catching up - wishing her well and ultimately planning our next time to visit through a book club! Yes - we are going to be doing a virtual book club starting with the book Wild. I will be sure to report our progress….and we are all a little over scheduled in general so this should be interesting! But we are mostly just excited to have a reason to get dates on the calendar and most important? Check in with our westward friend! Good luck Al, we are all so proud of you!

From that visit I picked up Dan - at this point we were camped out at my in-laws - on the basement couch to be exact! :) As they live closer to the few activities going on the 26th…. including checking in on our friends the Coopers! They are still waiting on baby but we got to pop in and see them and their new home! They both were so calm and relaxed……and sweet as ever asking all about our holiday and 2015 plans - as if it will be as exciting as theirs! I tell you folks, I am blessed with some really awesome people in my life (and yea, I won’t even remind you how we know Bridget :) )! We are waiting to hear about Baby Cooper’s arrival!!

Now our holiday was very full with hockey!! Which also will get its own post (can you feel me drawing you back in…..I know, I know the excitement is killing you!! ;) ) - to include, o yes the very own appearance of Mr. Danny Bessette on the ice!!! But for now we will skip over Friday evening….tune in next time - (well actually next week) to hear all about the DJO Alumni game!

Saturday we both woke a little groggy and worn from the week but had a few more events to get to with some of our favorites ….so we pressed onward!

We loaded up from my in-laws and headed back to home (my parents home to be exact) to shower up and get ready for a late lunch. Our favorite couple from Pittsburgh was in town seeing Amanda’s family and her guy, Cliff is a hockey coach and super fan too- so Danny ALWAYS loves hanging with them. We went to Ford’s Fish Shack - yup, home to my favorite margaritas!! And had a great meal with even better conversation. Two and half hours flew by….and we laughed and joked and once again I thought to myself, this - this is what the holidays were made for. There was only one little thing…..I felt a wave of yuck. It was washing over me hot then cold and then my throat got tight and scratchy and…..you guessed it. I literally could feel Dan’s cold get me.

We wrapped up the meal and I was thinking I am probably just worn out. Would get some sweats on, take a nap and be ready for our final event - my friend Courtney’s birthday in DC - at Georgetown!!!!! It was set to be an awesome night….that I would never make it to. Yup, the cold got me and pretty much knocked me out for Sunday too. And somewhere between my moans and whimpers I wondered how someone did this cold through Christmas and when he originally only has about 30-35% function in his lungs. Yea - Dan is a rockstar and I am a wimp.

Luckily my friend Courtney and her husband had been awesome enough to organize a movie night on the 23rd - o yes - just wait for that Christmas Post - and had witnessed Dan’s cold first hand. They were 100% understanding of us not making it….and probably glad as we would end up infecting several family members (#itstheseasonofgiving) with this cold.

Sunday I slept most of the day and was a complete slug….but did make it to 1/2 of Dan's hockey game that night which was good. And I was surprised how good the cold air was on my sinuses. Needless to say this cold pretty much took me through this past week that I was lucky enough to have off! My new job pretty much rocks - we were off from noon on Christmas Eve until January 5! And most of the week was hockey or sleep ….but at least I was not having to power through for work and I am happy to report that tonight on the eve of another weekend….I am better! Wahoo! We are so sorry for our friend dinners and game nights we missed…..even the count down to midnight on Wednesday was a bust….but it makes me appreciate Danny a bit more. I am so lucky he powers through his illness spells unlike his weak wife!

Sorry for the long post and so very many teasers….but its time for another weekend! So please enjoy and check back in for more 2014 holiday wrap up to come!