*Insert witty blog post title here*

Oh, 2010. Nice to meet you. Although you are dangerously close to that nasty 2012 year, you do have your charms.
The Winter Olympics for one - I am quite excited about the hockey, and have already booked the day after the gold medal game off work to make room for merriment.
Also, the dawn of 2010 has brought something I didn't expect (though I should have, I just didn't give it any thought) - "Best of the Decade" lists. They seem to be everywhere. And by everywhere, I mean on all the pop gossip sites I love to haunt. Glorious things. Best movies, best TV, top hotties...I enjoy them all. Especially the music ones. There is always at least one song on the lists I have seen that gets me all excited and remembering and running to my iTunes to download. For example, Billboard's list of Best One-Hit Wonders of the Decade includes Crazytown's "Butterfly" and I got soooo excited. I love that song. So much that I am not at all ashamed to say I love that song! And I totally forgot the love, so didn't have it on my playlist. That problem has now been solved.
Anyway, if you are interested you can find the rest Billboard's best of the decade lists here and Entertainment Weekly has some good decade lists here.

My end of 2009 was fantastic, though hectic.

Christmas was fun. We gathered on at my parents' new house on the Kemp Lake, which in musch smaller that their old place - in my family "small" gatherings run 15+ people, so things were cozier than usual, but it was great. My mom and dad are pros, and food, drink and company were perfect.

Waiting outside in the yard for a surprise visit from Santa, who came by on a fire truck on Christmas Eve. It was insane - someone came down our street with a bull-horn, declaring that "Santa is coming!! Come outside!!" Emma spazzed, because Sana was coming, and she wasn't asleep yet - she was so upset. But she calmed down when I explained Santa comes AFTER she falls asleep, that he knows just the right time, and that this visit was special because the people on our road were extra good this year. She then happily came outside in her PJ's, Santa came and gave her a candy cane, and told her he'd be "back later".

Emma, Christmas morning, discovering that Santa did indeed come back.

Fur Real Kitty!! (Freaky, moving, meowing toy cat - this year's must have)

Me, attempting to free the freaky kitty from the box.

This is my gift from Emma (special kudos to Chris for both idea and execution). The box contained a coupon for a day just for me, and some of my favorite things. Clockwise from top right: chocolate covered cherries, iTunes card, The Hangover (soooo funny), new PJ's, gift certificate to Bolen books, and one for my hair salon. I am a lucky, spoiled, happy girl.

Over the holidays, Chris and I had a week and a half off, and it was great to have time at home with Emma. The holidays also mean Shauna's birthday! This year we had a little dinner, then hockey and drinks and celebrated Shauna's awesomeness. Oh, and the new year.

The confetti was a bitch to clean up.

Do you watch Trueblood? If you don't, you should. I love Vampires (and Faeries, Dragons, & Weres - already spent the Bolen $$ on them), and though I am Team Edward my heart belongs to Eric Northman. He's a 1000 years old vampire, and he was once a Viking. I love him in Charlaine Harris's "Sookie Stackhouse" series of books, and he is deliciously portrayed by Alexander Skarsgard on Trueblood.

So I have to have this.

That's all.