winter in highlights

November...
Took a sculpture class that was amazing.
Thanksgiving was a break from tradition with tortellini and pumpkin cake. (turkey dinners aren't my thing.)

December... pretty much the start of the best winter ever (we've had maybe 4 snow storms all season).
Spent a few hee-lar-i-ous nights at a karaoke cafe with some VERY good friends. One of the nights we basically had the joint to ourselves and it was a hoot.
Went to Manila, Philippines at the first of the month. Now THERE'S a place that loves Christmas. That city is in it to win it with the amount of decorations and music they've got going on. It was so fun to see their enthusiasm for the holiday amid everything else. And believe me, there is a LOT of everything else... people, buildings, cars... Manila was wild. Never been to a place where there are traffic jams at midnight. And the journey there is certainly no picnic. 2 hours to LA. 2 hour layover (IF the plane gets in on time, otherwise its a sprint to make the next flight which they ended up HOLDING for you). 11 hour flight to Tokyo. 2 hour layover. 5 hour flight to Manila. 1 hour getting through customs. 2 hours finding your driver, and getting checked into the hotel. Total number of hours awake before getting to sleep in the first bed you've seen since you left your house: 30 hours.
Christmas was nearly 50 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the entire, expansive, sunny, blue sky. Felt ALMOST like I was back in Arizona. Christmas was just me and my mom. We had a blast. And although it was just the 2 of us, it was anything but boring. On Christmas Eve morning, we went to see Sherlock Holmes (which I absolutely loved). In the afternoon, we ate our traditional enchiladas and a few sugar cookies and then went back to the theater to see Mission Impossible for the 6:00 pm show on the IMAX. Cause, why not? It's Christmas. Christmas day was spent with a good book and the movie 17 Miracles. Oh, and more sugar cookies, of course.

January...
Went to Calgary, Canada for work and got my first upgrade to first class as a Delta Silver Medallion. And I'm not gonna lie... Silver medallion may be the lowest medallion possible, but I still love me a little sky priority. Canada was a hoot. The group I went with was so fun and we had a great time. But it was WAY too cold up there for me.
Took a book binding class. We learned how to fold the paper, tear it down, sew it, bind it, add a ribbon, and cover it. The book I made is covered in caramel covered calf skin and actually turned out. (Much to my amazement). Love learning new things.
Speaking of books, this month was my book club pick. I chose At Home by Bill Bryson (a recommendation from Angie) and I loved it! He is hilarious and it was fun to learn about lots of different things.

February...
Learned how to knit. And there is nothing, truly absolutely nothing, else I could say to top that. Looking forward to the rest of 2012....