Demolition Begins

Normally, I'm a little sad and nostalgic when it's time to take down the Christmas decorations and wrap up some of my favorite holiday goodies for 11 months. This year, I'm ready. I don't know why I'm anxious to get it all down and put away, but I am.

I started pulling down my family room tree on December 27 and I finished pulling everything else down on December 30. My place was a total disaster during the demolition - and even inspired me to buy a new vacuum to handle the piles of pine needles - but it's now back together again and orderly and I find myself taking calming deep breaths as I get ready to welcome 2011.

Merry Christmas!

On Christmas morning, I woke and lighted my bayberry candle (Dad would be so proud!) so I could continue a Shelden Family tradition. Growing up, we always lighted a bayberry taper on either Christmas Day or New Year's Day to honor an old English saying, "A bayberry candle burned to the socket brings health to the home and wealth to the pocket."

After a leisurely breakfast of pecan caramel pull-aparts (YUM!), eggs and fruit, Mom, Susan and I strolled downstairs to get the party started! We began opening our stocking gifts, which have always been a favorite for me. I don't know why I get excited about opening wrapped toothpaste, lotion and kitchen utensils, but I do!Susan and I bought Mom an assortment of stocking goodies - candies, shortbread, make-up bags, magazines, etc., as well as a GPS navigation unit and leather gloves.

Mom treated Susan and I to more Polish pottery (which we started to collect over Thanksgiving in Denver), awesome Vail and Colorado t-shirts (again, not sure why I get excited about a cool t-shirt, but I do!) and cookbooks.

Susan gave me a terrific yoga / gym bag, yoga mat and yoga towel...now I just need to inspire myself to return to a yoga studio!....and I gave Susan a Vera Bradley garment bag for her temple dress and clothing.All in all, a great Christmas morning! For dinner, I whipped up some special treats: roast turkey with white truffle butter, mashed potatoes, apple & herb stuffing, green beans with shallots, honeyed carrots and rolls. It was pretty darn good if I do say so myself!

Our friend, Sue Stahle, joined us for Christmas dinner and brought a delicious deep-dish apple pie, homemade vanilla ice cream and chocolate-peanut butter sheet cake. It was all delicious and a perfect way to celebrate Christmas 2010!

Christmas ICE!

Who knew that 9 degrees Farenheit and blocks of colored ice could be so fun?!

As a Christmas Eve treat, Mom, Susan and I headed over to the Gaylord National Harbor Hotel for the ICE! The Grinch Who Stole Christmas exhibit. We LOVED it!!

Our first stop was the parka stand, where we were handed enormous blue parkas to protect us from the 9 degree temperatures. We could barely contain our giggles as we looked around at a sea of other participants, who all looked like 500-lbs Smurfs. Except us...we looked svelte and stylish!The show was absolutely incredible! The Gaylord commissioned a team of Chinese ice scuptors to recreate - in ice! - Dr. Suess's The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. The sculptors created Who-ville, with miniture lighted houses...
little kids and animals...and the Grinch!The best part of the whole show was the ice slide, which Mom went on FOUR times! Hilarious! And that's three times more than either Susan or I went down!

It was hard to take photos of us coming down the slide, but here's Susan and I haulin' down the mountain. On Mom's third trip down the slide, the worker at the top of the slide commented to Susan, "Wow, it seems like she really likes this!" Too funny!Mom's only difficulty was getting up from the iced-over carpet, but bless her, she was the oldest broad haulin' her ass down that ice slide!!
We loved the show and I'm so glad we were able to go! It was so fun to play like a child and be charmed in a whole new way. It was the perfect way to kick off Christmas Eve!

Yes, Sarah, There is a Santa Claus!

For months, I've been hatching a belief that if I willed a free iPad into my life it would happen. First, when the girls and I went to the Ellen DeGeneres show, I was convinced we'd receive an iPad as a free gift. Then, last month, when we went to the Oprah Winfrey Show, I was half-convinced we'd be going to the Favorite Things show and would receive an iPad.

Well, those dreams were a bust. BUT...Burson-Marsteller's Santa Claus, otherwise known as my boss Mike Lake, delivered a shiny new iPad to my front door today!!! I'm literally as excited as a four-year old opening up a new Easy Bake Oven!! This thing is amazing and I'm giddy at the prospect of playing around with it all year!!

Thank you, Santa Claus!

Nemours Mansion

As a holiday treat, I took Mom and Susan up to Wilmington, DE to tour the wonderful Nemours Mansion. We had such a great time and I enjoyed touring the mansion as much this time as I did last year.We didn't walk the gardens because it was so blasted cold, but the mansion was decorated for Christmas, so it was fun to once again pretend that this was my home and not my "cozy" little townhouse in Arlington!

I'm in Winter's Hell

I'm in Winter's Hell, otherwise known as the Atlanta Hartfield Airport. I signed a new client - US Security Associates - last week and they requested that Wade and I travel to Atlanta for a one day strategy session. It was to be an easy-breezy one day trip.

Ha!

I was first awoken at 2:45 am by a call from Delta, informing me that my 5:45 a.m. flight had been cancelled but that I was rebooked on the 7am. When I arrived at National Airport, my 7 a.m. flight was cancelled and I was rebooked on the 9 a.m., which is all well and good except for the fact that the meeting was to begin at 10 a.m.

I finally arrived at the meeting at 12:30 p.m. (yep, 2.5 hours late), stayed for two hours while trying not to infect new clients with a new head cold I've acquired, and then headed back to the Atlanta Airport.

Upon arriving at the airport at 4pm, I hoped and prayed I could go standby on the earlier 5pm flight. Nope...cancelled. Then my 6:20 p.m. flight became a 7:20 flight. Then an 8:20 p.m. flight. Then a cancelled flight. ARGH!!!

Blasted weather in D.C.! It has literally snowed 1 inch in D.C. and they've essentially shut down Reagan Airport. Blast!

I'm now warmly ensconsed at the airport Marriott, where I've been reduced to nudity because I have NOTHING with me...well, except a notepad and laptop to keep me warm.

I'm booked on a 7am departure tomorrow morning, but I'm not getting my hopes up yet!

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Christmas with the Obamas

After living in Washington, D.C. on-and-off for 15 years, I still love that I get a little thrill out of fun "only in D.C." moments! I hope I never lose my excitement over watching fireworks on the National Mall on July 4, or participating in an Inauguration or seeing the national Christmas tree on the Elipse. It's all part of what makes Washington such a fun place to live.Today, I think I experienced an all-time "thrill" in D.C.! At Amalia's invitation, I joined her for a White House Christmas party! We arrived at the White House mid-afternoon and were escorted into the mansion, where servers were handing out hor d'oevres and flutes of champagne. We were invited to walk through the White House Library, China Room and Vermeil Room, before ascending up the marble staircase to the main level.We first walked into the main entrance hall of the White House and, thanks to a tip from one of Amalia's friends, who works for Mrs. Obama, we staked out a spot right in front of the podium. About 15 minutes after we arrived, the Obamas came bouncing down the residential stairs and stood on the podium for about 10 minutes before "working" the rope line. You can't really tell, but this is me shaking Michelle Obama's hand:It's been a goal of mine to shake the hand of five U.S. presidents, and so far, I've only shaken Bill Clinton's hand, so I had to get front and center to get a hand shake from President Obama, which I did! As he and Mrs. Obama made their way down the line, Ama and I took dozens of pictures...none of them very good. BUT, you can see that they were there and so was I!!After our time on the rope line, we wandered through the main level of the White House. We went into the East Room, where we took in a beautiful food buffet of truffles, iced cookies, beef tenderloin, garden vegetables, shrimp cocktail, crab legs, oysters, cheese & crackers, and more. Amalia was dying that I was taking pictures of the buffet, but how could I not?? It was a huge spread, with yummy chocolates and cookies! From there, we wandered through the Green Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room and State Dining Room, which was set up with an equally elaborate buffet, as well as this year's version of a gingerbread house - a white chocolate rendition of the White House and vegetable garden. Love little Bo on the front lawn!Ama and I finally helped ourselves to two plates and took them back into the Red Room, where we settled ourselves on a red silk settee! I mean, honestly! In all the times I've been through the White House, the rugs have been rolled up, ropes have blocked off the entrance to rooms, and cords have been drawn across seats to prevent guests from sitting down. And now, there I was, placing my fat arse on a red silk settee with a plate full of delicious food!

It was such a thrill to be able to go to the party and spend some time with Amalia. We both had such a good time and kept pinching ourselves with how fun it all was!

Of course, now that I've checked this off my list, my next D.C. to-do is receiving an invitation to an official White House State Dinner! Dream high!!

Christmas Gift Card Exchange

It's my favorite party of the year - our annual gift card exchange - where everyone brings their favorite holiday treats and a $25 gift card. I whipped up a frenzy yesterday - white peppermint bark, dark chocolate French bark, chocolate truffles, shortbread cookies, sea salt caramels, and spinach & artichoke dip. Yum!Paige Marriott hosted the party at her house this year, which made the party really warm and cozy.I walked off with a $25 gift card to Whole Foods (courtesy of Emily "I do practical" Johnson), which I'll absolutely use in preparation for Christmas dinner. Mom left with a $25 card to Carlyle, which I'll help her use!Unfortunately, we forgot to take pictures of the party, but we did remember to take a couple photos in front of the tree, including one with me and the soon-to-be-leaving Caroline. Boo-hoo.

Tirza Got Hitched!

Susan's best friend, Tirza Niemann, married earlier today at the D.C. Temple with a load of family and friends to support her. Mom was invited to the sealing ceremony, so she arrived in D.C. last night to join in the festivities, and she managed to snap a few pictures on the temple grounds.Tonight, Tirza and her husband, Shad Lofgren, hosted a ring exchange ceremony at the church (nice idea but the execution was a little odd. I just have to remind myself that everyone has their own way of doing things!), followed by a lovely dinner reception at Mt. Vernon.Mt. Vernon was decorated beautifully for Christmas, so Mom and I had a great time wandering around, talking to some of Susan's and Tirza's friends, and enjoying a dinner and reception. The best news of all? Dallin Herzog managed to snap a picture of all three of us and MOM ISN'T CLOSING HER EYES!!! It's the Shelden Family's version of a Christmas miracle!

A New Holiday Treat

Oh my. Everyone who knows me knows that I love me some Barefoot Contessa. I worship at the altar of Ina Garten and her scrumptious no-fail recipes, and today I discovered another wonder of yumminess: sea salt caramels.

Oh boy!

They were relatively easy to make and they had Mom exclaming a new-found love for the sea salt / caramel combination.

These are my new favorite holiday treat!

A Christmas Season Miracle!

Today was Julianna's last day in D.C. before she heads home to Park City and before she and Cody head off for their Middle East adventure (they're moving to Saudi Arabia for at least 2 years and I'm not happy about it!). Amber and Chappy managed to finagle a sick day from work to stay home and play with Juju, but I had an $850 flight to Pittsburgh. I could have skipped out on the flight, but....

Amber dropped me off at the airport and I commented to her, "I do not want to get on this flight! How great would it be if it was cancelled?"

Fast forward three hours, three schedule delays and one missing plane later...CANCELLED!! Waa-hoo!

I was immediately off to Rio, where I joined my friends for a final lunch at our usual joint.

Thank you, Santa Clause, for today's Christmas miracle!

Caroline's Saying Sayonara

After more than a decade in Washington, Caroline Marriott is heading home to Salt Lake City. She's quit her job, packed up her belonging and put her home on the market. Having just gone through this experience in 2004 and 2009, I understand the urgings to begin anew, but it doesn't make it any less sad for the friends she leaves behind.Chappy hosted a nice party for her tonight, where I was able to catch up with old friends, like Lisa Lybbert, and make new friends, like Michelle Loosli.
Hopefully, I'll still see plenty of Caroline on her visits back to D.C. and my visits to Utah.