Unexpected Staycation

I do believe that I just experienced my very first staycation. Thanksgiving weekend was unexpectedly amazing. It was relaxing and productive and I'm coming back to the real world this morning feeling more inner peace than I've known in a long time. It is as if my perspective quietly realigned itself over the four day holiday, without any conscious help from me. I feel happy. I feel revived. I feel optimistic and ready to be a better mom/daughter/fiance/friend/student. The details would be boring, so I'll just offer you a few reasons why my Thanksgiving staycation was so wonderful:

• I found a wedding dress. It's an ivory strapless gown with slight gathers in the skirt and a lovely lavender sash. It's elegant and it's perfect. It was the first one I saw in the first store Calli (future sissy-in-law) and I went to. Fate? I think so.

• Thanksgiving was amazing. You've seen the photos. 

• We ordered all of the candy for our candy buffet. 85 pounds of candy should arrive on my doorstep sometime this week and I'm going to do my best to not eat half of it before January 15.

• Despite the fact that it was a Holiday, I managed to get in several workouts. I hit the gym 5 times and I feel great because of it.

• I won a locket! I entered a giveaway at So About What I said (a most delightful blog that you should all read) and when we got home from dinner on Thursday, I got an e-mail saying that I won this: 

It's perfect and I was so excited. I never win anything. Well, I won several coloring contests when I was little but that was mainly due to my mother's artistic direction. Anyway, it is from Joyeful Art, a wonderful little etsy shop. 

• Colt and I had some solid quality time together during the break. We laughed, played, ran errands, and laughed some more. It was much needed and it was amazing.

• We also took our engagement photos. We've been engaged since last February so it was about time. Whitney, Colt, and I survived the snow/freezing cold and came out with some gorgeous shots. I proofed them with Whitney last night and I'm over the moon with excitement about them!

• I made my first ever turkey dinner last night. That means that I get to snack on cold stuffing left overs all day today. I don't care if you think it's gross. I love it.

• To top off all of these Thanksgiving delights, I turned on TCM Saturday night and Funny Girl was on. Funny Girl is my favorite move of all time. I get chiiiiiiillllllsss every single time I watch the scene where Fanny sings 'Don't Rain on My Parade" and I never fail to cry during 'My Man.' Barbara Streisand is amazing and I don't care what Colt says, she is the coolest.

So there you have it. Staycations can be extremely effective/productive/wonderful, especially when they aren't planned. Even Harper seems happier today. I think that she feels that I'm more balanced and lighthearted and I know that she likes it. She danced almost non-stop all weekend. I danced, too. We danced together and it was magical.