I'm going to have to separate the break into a couple of posts, because I think that this one will be a little bit lengthy otherwise, but I'll start with "fake Christmas," my Christmas celebration with Dan the Friday before Christmas, before he headed home. I had gotten off of work really early, which ended up being nice, because I had time to pack and clean my apartment. Once he got to my place, we headed downtown and stopped by the Capitol Christmas tree, which I always love {it looks so much more natural than the caged-in White House Christmas tree}. From there we walked to dinner at Poste in Chinatown, which, although exorbinantly priced, was delicious. Plus, what better time to go out for a pricey dinner than a holiday, right? Then, we went home and opened presents, and, once again, Dan did a great job. He got me a beautiful, logo-free Coach wallet {he knows how much I hate logos, and he also has had to watch me fish through my coin purse for credit cards and IDs enough to know that I needed an upgrade}, as well as a running headband {purple, my favorite color, to match the running jacket he got me last year} and smart phone-friendly running gloves. I had gotten him a dress shirt to replace some of the ones that are now out of commission {he tends to get holes in the elbows of his work shirts, so he must sit in a strange position when he's at his desk!}, as well as an overnight in the Charlottesville area and a trip to a few breweries on the Nelson County Microbrewery Trail later this month, which we are both really looking forward to. I was sad to see him off bright and early on Saturday morning, but it helped to know that I would see him again in just a few days. The two-week separation over Christmas last year was really difficult, so it brought me so much happiness to get to spend so much time with him this break.
After a long run, I met up with my friend Jamie to go to the Georgetown basketball game. From there, we perused the Chinatown Christmas market and then saw Anna Karenina. I had been really excited to see it {I almost always love Keira Knightley period pieces}, but we both walked away very disappointed. I should have known it would be a letdown, particularly since I disliked the book so much {I actually ended up giving up and didn't finish it}. It is always lovely to spend time with her, though, so I was happy, despite the $9 wasted on the movie haha.
From Saturday night to Wednesday I stayed at my parents' house, which was exactly the getaway I needed. There was lots of going to bed early, early-morning runs with my dad, eating yummy baked goods that my dad picked up at the Old Town Farmers Market, and generally spending quality time with my family. On Monday, my mom decided that Tim needed to get out of the house, so we went to the Spy Museum, specifically because there was a special James Bond exhibit that she thought he would enjoy. Even though I had been to the museum once before, I thoroughly enjoyed going again, and I think my dad and Tim had a nice bonding experience over the Bond villain exhibit.
We spent Christmas morning at my parents' house, opening presents and eating our customary Christmas rolls {if the picture below doesn't make your mouth water, there may just be something wrong with you}. Santa was very good to me this year; in addition to the running gear that Dan had gotten me, I got some more great stuff, including a dri-fit shirt, a roller {to help with my tight muscles, which I am SO excited for!}, a belt that holds some small water bottles, and some gummies, which are so delicious I plan to use for my training and then during the race. They are so yummy that I had to promise Dan that I wouldn't just sit at my desk popping them throughout the day...Not to pat myself on the back, but I really loved the gifts that I gave my parents and Tim, Snapfish photo books of our Europe trip last year. I wanted to find a creative way to memorialize the trip, and I was so pleased with how they turned out!
Seriously...
Merry Christmas, from my family to yours!!!
