the weekend in instagram | 12.8 - 12.11

Last fall, I managed to write one of these "The Weekend in Instagram" posts before the app decided to freak out on me and disallow the pictures I took with my phone to be uploaded to my computer. I randomly checked to see if that was still the case a few days ago, and much to my surprise, Instagram fixed what was broken. So, here you go, folks. Round two of "The Weekend in Instagram." And it was mighty festive.

Remember in college when Thursday night actually started the weekend? Yeah, I do, too. But, this Thursday felt like the beginning of a great weekend, considering I met four of my best friends in Saint Louis at Sasha's on Shaw. It had been awhile since we'd gotten together, and it was so good to catch up. It was the first time I'd seen Courtney since her recent engagement (congrats again, my dear!), and I was so excited to see Alice after her two and a half months of work travel that demanded so much of her time. I drank tea; they drank wine. Soon, soon my day will come again.

On Friday night, my baby brother proposed to his beautiful girlfriend, Abbie! No, I don't have any iPhone shots of this historic event, mind you, but it was the absolute best news of the entire weekend. John is all grown up. I am so thrilled for them. Love them so much!

On Saturday, Jen and Catherine planned an entire "day of Christmas" celebration for a group of girls in town. We went to see How the Grinch Stole Christmas at The Peabody. Okay, so it's obviously more geared for the little ones, but it was fun to see my favorite Christmas show on stage and to hear multitudes of giggles cut through the darkness. The kiddos in the audience were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

After the show, we headed to Jen's for a gift exchange. These fancy boxes held the numbers in which we'd grab a present. Catherine placed a Christmas popper (some of you might know them as crackers) that she bought in London inside each one. Inside the popper was a paper filled with jokes.

Q: Why did the scarecrow win an award?
A: He was outstanding in his field!

Q: What do ghosts dance to?
A: Soul music!

Q: What do you call someone who is scared of Santa?
A: A Claustrophobic!

Oh, those Brits and their humour.

I spent a large amount of time today on the couch because I wasn't feeling so hot, but the couch got infinitely more cozy when Matt came home with firewood. Hurrah for plum pudding - our first fire in the new house! Actually, our first fire ever.

As I listen to the crackles and pops emanating from our fireplace, I'm working on our holiday cards. A girl could really get used to this many warm fuzzies. I hope you're feeling the same way.