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Gotcha!

While my Friday posts are typically reserved for the sharing of the most epic of weekly fails, this week I don’t have much failure to share, which is a good thing indeed! Sure, there’s the usual suspects – poor parenting, unfortunate outfit choices, unbelievable driving habits, inappropriate signage, and a serious case of the stupids, but that’s pretty much run-of-the-mill Cincinnati, nothing spectacular or extraordinary per say. However, this week was sprinkled with a few epic successes that are simply too happy and relieving not to share. Tis’ the season for celebrating our blessings, after all. So, we’ll focus on those instead. (Also, I have been unable to snap a pic of my intended epic fail target, but rest assured, it is in the works.)

Success #1: Those darn cookies! I spent hours hunting down an ideal recipe selection, some traditional and some festive. I spent hours typing up sweet little recipe cards. I dragged poor Ted through the baking aisles of our local grocery store for at least 90 minutes hunting down every last ingredient, of which there were many. (This and quality check were Ted’s contribution to the project. He says Merry Christmas.) I baked for 7 hours. And they all turned out delicious and fairly good looking, if I do say so myself (pics forthcoming!)

Success #2: I was blogged! My awesome new Texas-native, Shakespeare-lovin’, fashion-forward, margarita-drinkin’ Cincy friend (Allyson, you will henceforth be known by this title) has a great blog that you really should bookmark and read regularly and she wrote about me! And my cookies! It was sweet and she shared the link to my blog with her faithful followers and I was giddy with surprise and appreciation for at least 2 hours afterwards.

Success #3: My musical theatre kids performance! It was last night and, as kids always do, they got it together and did so well! I am extra proud this time around because this is my first batch of Cincinnati kids and boy have I learned a lot about coaching acting and musical theatre from these guys! It’s a whole new approach when working with kiddos who are hungry, cold, tired, attention-starved, lonely, witnesses to violence or sadness, or live an otherwise tougher lifestyle. While my whole approach had to be adjusted, I maintained my high expectations because I believe that if you set your expectations high that they will rise to the occasion and appreciate the sweetness of their success and efforts even more. And they were so good! Really made me proud. I was also happy to have Ted and two others there to support me and to cheer them on in their performance.

Success #4: A lovely night out at our favorite Cincy Japanese eatery! I dined on boiled and salted edamame, miso soup, seaweed salad with ginger dressing, fried rice, teriyaki salmon, and the most delectable sauces in existence. It was so tasty and such a relaxing meal. Since I’d spent the entire previous day baking and didn’t really feel like cooking dinner, Ted treated me to a night out. It was awesome! They have a couples New Year’s Eve special, so we will probably be there again on NYE before our Wii and movie extravaganza of epic awesomeness begins.

Success #5: All Christmas packages appear to be arriving on time and I survived a trip to the post office during peak “you don’t want to be anywhere near this hellish establishment” season. Enough said.

Success #6: I have a fun little surprise up my sleeve for the husband tomorrow. Nothing big, just a little something to bring him some holiday cheer while I’m at work. Dudes deserve some ‘just because’ appreciation too. (If you’re reading this, it’s not a pie.)

And just as a friendly reminder, TEXAS IN 3 DAYS!

I. Know.

There is a certain orange tabby who has no idea what kind of a cuddle bomb is about to rock his world. I sure hope he is ready because the kitty-lovin’ that is going to be happening will be EPIC. I am also super excited for authentic Tex-Mex eats, some real Texas BBQ, and the FireBowl party! And, of course, I’m psyched to spend some quality time partaking in holiday merriment my family and friends! There is nothing more important to me then them.

What are your epics this week?