check-marks and cross-outs

Gettin it done. 

Some days I just prance out of bed with the intent and desire to get my ass presentable and get out the door. Today was one of those days. I had a bunch of errands to run so I figured why not get them done before noon and spend the afternoon on fun? First task? Opening a new checking account. 

I rolled into the bank lot at 9:02, I bet you thought I got out the door at 7 or something - ha! I should back up here and explain what "getting presentable" consists of. It doesn't matter if I am going to a dinner party or the gas station- I am straightening my hair and putting on my everyday makeup. Be it the bakery, the convenience store for a Powerball ticket, the gas pump or my own curb to get the mail - I am not wearing pajama pants and I am not naked-faced. It's just who I am. So anyhow - After my daily prep I headed to the bank. I sat in one of the chairs and felt so weird because just being inside the bank is strange on its own. I really only pop in about twice a year. A friendly and somewhat boisterous man called me into his cubicle. He dutifully set up a new account for me all the while cracking little jokes and giving me tips and advice on Christmas shopping and Overdraft protection. He did his job well and I crossed that errand off the list. Next up, Borders. 

I enjoy Garden City shopping center. I loathe malls and these jam-packed plazas are my favorite alternative. I roamed around the bookstore for what felt like an hour but was under 20 minutes. After finding a random gift for my father (I won't say what just in case he decides to ever read my blog) I headed to the checkout line which was easily 15 people deep. Sandwiched between two moms with strollers full of line-hating kids I pretended to read every title of every book stacked along side the waiting ropes. The cashier gave me the go ahead to take those six steps forward and proceeded to throw out one-liners to shows and movies that I have never seen. Gotta give her credit for being friendly though. She was a doll. I braved the biting cold wind on the walk back to my car and headed to the next stop ... the pet store.

Even Brody loves Christmas. He gets that from me & Gregg. Each year Brody receives several presents from Santa. Mostly squeak toys and plushies and the occasional bag of treats. He opens them himself - with the slightest bit of help from his mom and dad. His face even lights up like a little kid. It's pretty adorable. So I stopped and bought his annual gifts. When I got home he met me at the door as usual and stuck his head in the bag trying desperately to find the cookies that he no doubt smelled when my car turned onto our street. 

My last stop before heading home was simply to Food Mart to purchase the beloved Powerball ticket. I just enjoy when the owners say "Good Luuuuck"  as I walk out the door. Hey ya never know, I'll take all the well wishes I can get! 

After a couple of phone conversations I noticed that the mailman had just left some boxes at my front door so I ventured out to grab the mail and said boxes. More gifts! I will admit that I am ridiculously efficient when it comes to shopping and wrapping. Cardboard boxes arrive at the house and within two hours they are transformed into delightfully wrapped red and green presents (after they are logged into my "system", crossed off, check-marked and what have you). I'm pretty organized alright. I never wrap for longer than an hour since I keep up with it daily. It works for me. 

I had some banking to do online and some paperwork to go through before I sat down to have a nice bowl of turkey chili. Mmmm. Always something to look forward to and I savor it until it's gone. Thankfully I freeze some - so I can look forward to that now! 

I felt like I had accomplished quite a bit by 2 pm so I decided to make some coffee, I use Maxwell House Master Blend, and watch my daily episodes of Roseanne. Coffee/Roseanne time is one of my favorite times of the day. It's less than an hour but it's just such a simple and enjoyable way to relax. I will never give up watching that show. I'm sure I won't always watch it Monday through Friday - but I know I will pop in a DVD every now and then at the very least. 

The day continued with me doing a little unsuccessful designing - I deleted my hour-long attempt and will start from scratch with new ideas tomorrow. I made some grilled chicken for our weekly "Chicken, Brown Rice and Broccoli" dinners - I use a ton of hot sauce, Gregg uses duck sauce. We never get sick of it. I conquered today's journal entry and even read a few pages of Real Simple magazine - my favorite. After dinner we watched the finale of Boardwalk Empire - a few days after it aired. What a great show! I wonder how much of the story line is based on true events. We are both hooked. Great plot, great cast. 

And that was my day... I watched a scene from Titanic and a few groups on The Sing-Off, had some hot chocolate with peppermint and here I am! Hope you enjoyed a recap of my December 15 and I hope yours was wonderful and productive as well! Cheers!