Well, good news! 
That crazy face is all mine through Christmas! He got the nod from his boss to take Thursday and Friday off this week. Woo!
We celebrated his early dismissal by driving to Winter Park to go on a long walk with Sadie after work.
I literally cannot remember the last time Ryan got off work early enough to go on a walk with me and Sadie before dinner. It is something we used to do every single day until his schedule got crazy.
I was glad to have him back! 
We walked through an area of Winter Park where the streets are lined with beautiful houses all decked out in festive decor.
I love seeing Christmas trees all lit up inside people’s homes. It gives me a warm, nostalgic feeling inside. 
Our walk lead us to Mead Gardens, where we ventured off the sidewalks and onto some trails. 
All the low-lying trees beckoned to the monkey in me.
Didn’t you know I’m part lemur?
We continued our walk, feeling quite rebellious for taking Sadie through the “no dogs allowed” area and back to the nearby neighborhoods.
Walking by gorgeous homes always makes me feel so excited for the day when Ryan and I eventually own a home together. I cannot wait to decorate and call a place my real, permanent home. Apartment living is fun and all, but I want to be able to make changes to a place and really makeover a home to suit our style.
One day!
After a short drive back to our apartment, it was dinner time.
Our friend Dru joined us this evening which made Sadie very happy!
Dinner tonight was buffalo chicken sandwiches.
This morning before work, I placed a couple of chicken breasts in the crock pot with some chicken broth and let them cook on low. When we arrived home from our walk, I roasted some butternut squash, broccoli and cauliflower while prepping dessert.
Ryan then pulled the chicken and I transformed it into buffalo chicken. Team work! 😀
Once we all cleaned our plates, it was cookie time. 
I used the Ghiardelli chocolate chip cookie mix that I robbed of nearly half of the box’s chocolate chips last night to make freshly baked cookies for us to enjoy.
Despite all of the chippies I inhaled last night, the cookies were still pretty good! Between me, Ryan and Dru, we polished off all 12 cookies from the batch. Like me, Dru is quite the cookie monster. I like his style.
Since Ryan and I both have the day off of work tomorrow, we plan to stay up a lil’ late and catch up on shows we have on the DVR while wrapping some Christmas presents. It’s the most wonderful time of the yearrrrr!
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So happy he gets some time off! He deserves it and you deserve to have all the time you wish with your loving man. 🙂
That picture of you climbing the tree totally cracks me up. It’s so….you!
My 2 fav pics of this post: you on the tree and ryan pointing at the ‘No dogs allowed’ sign with sadi next to him – haha
So glad you get to spend more time with Ryan! It’s an early Christmas present 😀
Were those cookies lacking in the chocolate chip department when you munched on em? 😉
Enjoy your night monkey woman!
those houses are amazing!
Glad to hear you have Ryan for all of Christmas!! I don’t think anybody should work Christmas Eve or day- no matter what type of job they have. Well, unless it’s crucial that they work of course..but you know what I mean.
thanks for the post about the first job! i am a recent college graduate and a bit nervous and worried. I know I just have to keep on truckin! LOL
I am so happy you got to enjoy the day with Ryan, you have epic tree climbing skills!!!
How awesome that Ryan gets Christmas eve off!!!!
Looks like ya’ll had fun!
Looks like you guys had a much-deserved, relaxing evening (weren’t you two both “quality time” love types? haha). I can’t wait to wrap my Christmas gifts tomorrow…I can’t believe Christmas is only 2 days away!
That’s great that he gets work off! Enjoy some much deserved quality time! 🙂
I’m happy for you he gets work off! I did notice how you guys were not getting your evening walks together really!
that BBQ chicken looks super easy!
dinner tommorow? Possibly.
Lucky you. So glad you get your other half to spend Christmas eve eve and Christmas eve with! I want to live in one of those gorgeous houses..now!
Having time off to enjoy the holidays is one of my FAVORITE parts about Christmas. Getting to slow down and reconnect with life is the best, and I hope you and Ryan enjoy your day off tomorrow!
And I agree–apartment living makes me appreciate the comforts of a house a lot more.
those must be some yummy cookies! Ghiardelli is my FAVORITE mix.. i dnt know how they do it.. but they do it well
That’s a beautiful neighborhood. I love driving around and looking at houses this time of year. I wish I lived in an area where I could walk to do it, that seems like a lot of fun. I even like looking for the trashy decorated houses…you know, the ones with really WEIRD stuff going on haha!
Have a great holiday!
Awww, what a wonderful CHristmas present! 🙂
My husband only had to work Monday this week, it’s been SO nice having him home and all mine until Monday 🙂 It’s also nice for him to see how hard it is to be a full time stay at home mom. The past 2 nights he has sent me out alone after dinner to have a little me time, it’s been bliss 🙂
The houses look beautiful, love the decorations!!
Jen
YAY for having Thursday and Friday off!
Happy Holidays, girl!
🙂
Happy Holidays!! Hope you guys have a great next couple of days together! And Sadie too 🙂 I’m sure she’s super pumped to have both parents around–our dog, Otto, doesn’t know what to do with himself when we are both home on days when we usually aren’t.
Lol – my dachshund always acts like our guests are there to see her! I mean, why else would they be there if not to see her?!
Aww, one of my best friends lives in Winter Park! The last house looks just like hers! Maybe it is! 😉
Sounds like a wonderful night. I used to love driving over to Winter Park to see all the beautiful homes. You captured some of my favorites on the main road. That area is sooo pretty!
what a gorgeous area! i just found out a couple months ago that there was a winter park in florida…it’s beautiful!
When you put your chicken breasts in the crockpot are they frozen?
nope! they were fresh. if you’re going to use frozen chicken breasts, make sure to thaw them first. apparently putting frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot can allow them to stay in a “dangerous” temperature zone for too long.
Those houses are absolutely beautiful! I feel the same way about wanting to own my own house. I don’t like living in an apartment. I’d much rather have a place to call my own. One day 🙂
I realize this is belated, but I’m glad Ryan got some alone time with you through the holidays!He definitely is a hard worker!! What irks me is that he is walking around with SHORTS while I find that a full uni-snowsuit and heated underwear aren’t enough for the weather we get in winter! Thanks for rubbing it in! 🙂 lol. jk
Have a wonderul week!
Barbara