Getting Into The Christmas Spirit and Celebrating Thanksgiving

 We kept tradition going by putting up our Christmas tree before Thanksgiving.  It was a little late this year, as time got away from me but better late than missing the mark.

Our tree usually goes up about a week before turkey day, but this tear it went up the day before, on Thanksgiving eve. But it made for a special evening as all hands were on deck to help decorate.  

And I have to admit, once our tree went up, my mood instantly changed. Having a festive house during the holidays just bring me so much joy. It brought so much merriment to my soul and instantly put me in the Christmas spirit.

Oh Christmas tree, how beautiful art thou

We had to finish the night with one of our favorite Christmas movies,  to set the tone for the holidays.

Putting up our tree the night before Thanksgiving made the lead up so much more exciting and felt like instantly gratification. 

The very next day, we continued another tradition and headed to a cousin's house for the gluttonous celebration. After cooking all day, the pay off was incredible.  Everything was delicious. 

The table set up was so luxurious, making the spread all the more appetizing. 

A beautiful plate, filled with most of the yummy food available.  I just couldn't fit anything else on this plate or in my belly.

And of course,  we had to finish the night witn dessert. 

It was another amazing Thanksgiving and I'm looking forward to next year.

Another Special Anniversary

It started off with a call, then the reservation was made for the Hyatt Place Hotel for an overnight stay, with their Escape For Two promo deal. I was too excited!

The room was impressive.  Very clean, super spacious and pretty private. It was a nice and quiet room. I loved all the space with lots of areas to spread out and get comfy plus the different areas to put your things. I especially appreciated the living area setup with the couch, perfectly placed to sit and read or watch TV.

I always love a full length mirror and this room had 2!

The lobby is interesting.  It dobles as a hangout spot and also is home to their restaurant and little convenience store.

The Hyatt Place hotel is located in Momentum Piñares Plaza, one of our favorite places because of the variety of restaurants available. One of our favorite restaurants is the Peruvian spot Pikeos. We decided to have our pre dinner cocktail and appetizer here.

My cocktail was incredible and the appetizer was surprisingly delicious.  It blew me away.

Then it was time for dinner and of course, I had to get changed. Seeing as it was a special occasion, the outfit definitely had to match.

We started off with a bottle of wine, courtesy of the hotel. With our promo package, dinner, wine, buffet breakfast and a 2pm late checkout was included with our $180 room rate.

We started with a super yummy caesar salad, hold the bacon please. I ordered the steak, while hubby got the salmon. 

My steak was delicious but I was over the salad and the fries were just ok. Hubby's salmon was good, once they cooked it properly. 

Dessert, however,  was incredible.  A warn, rich, moist brownie topped with homemade ice cream. Divine. 

The next day, after checkout, we went to lunch,  in the same plaza and this is when things took a turn. 

While the cocktails were good, our food was not. And the very next day, I got sick. 

Even so, it was still an incredible weekend. A very special anniversary indeed.

 

It's Christmas Time

 Despite our big fail at our first Christmas event,  this time of year always brings me so much joy. 

With all the malls hosting their inaugural kickoff to the holidays,  we had a variety of events to choose from to kickstart the season. We decided to attend the one at Terra mall and boy, did we miss. 

First, the traffic was horrendous, as per usual but it gets so much worse this time of year. It took us longer to get to our destination than expected.  Then once we arrived, there was no parking left. Everyone comes outside for these holiday celebrations, making the crowds almost unbearable. 

We ended up missing the event completely,  which was a huge bummer. I still managed to take a few photos before we turned around and left.

The weekend was saved the next day, however, as we headed out again for another fun filled day.

We got together a few of the cousins and took the kids to Lincoln Mall for an adventure filled afternoon at the Adventure X trampoline park and then dinner at Chill's. 

Dinner wasn't good and the service was lacking but all was right with the world again, once the regional manager came out and took care of everything.  Free food, free drinks and an incredible birthday song to close out the night,  made this day an amazing one.

It was a lot of celebrating this weekend,  starting with a date night at Sherrif's House,  our local restaurant and bar. But it just makes the holidays so much more special. 

Feeling Out Of Sync

 I find, that as soon as the academic year starts coming to a close,  my sleeping routine gets thrown all out of whack.

Why am I going to bed at 1am in the morning on a weekday, when I know all too well I need to get my booty up at 7am the next morning? Why do I do this to myself. 

Luckily,  the boys were virtual for a week, so after I woke my little one up and he hopped on his virtual class, I took my butt back to bed. But waking up at 10am just isn't the vibe. I need to get back to a decent bedtime routine, where I'm not feeling sluggish by 2pm in the afternoon because my body is playing catch up. Send help!

At least I'm still getting my workouts in three times a week. That helps. But starting next week,  bedtime goes back to 11:30 pm. Early to bed, early to rise makes me feel more productive. Plus, I can always take a nap if I need to.

Hellooooo November

 When I tell you this year has pushed the fast forward button, because how on earth are we already in November,  barreling full speed ahead towards Christmas and the end of the year?

I must admit, being on a tight budget, I wasn't ready for the holiday season just yet.  But now, seeing all the fun, new holiday themed treats and decor in stores, I am getting more and more excited by the day.

The excitement also comes from the kids' upcoming "summer" vacation, as well as being able to do just a little bit more outside. 

The budget doesn't allow for much extra, but being able to have a no budget weekend every once in a while just feels so so good.

First no budget outing was brunch with an old friend at a spot I've had on my "to try" list for a long time. I had the southern style biscuits and fried chicken and it was delicious.  The biscuit was a little dry but the sauce and chicken more than made up for it. It was a wonderful brunch date and now I can't wait to go back and try a few more of their brunch specials. 

Another outside activity turned out to be a pretty good time as well.  This year, Costa Rica was full of Halloween events and my daughter was craving to go to one of them. She finally found a kid friendly Halloween party that was having a costume contest and my baby won!!! With her diy costume, she tied for 1st place. Not only that but we all had a really good time. It was worth the 40 minute drive.

Then to wrap up the weekend, hubby and I went on a date night to one of our favorite Indian restaurants to indulge in their celebratory Diwali buffet. The food was amazing, to no one's surprise. And the experience was a nice one with an Indian dancer as free entertainment. 

I look forward to more no budget weekends but it also reminds me that being on a budget and being responsible with our finances is a good thing.