Today was totally a first for me. I got a text from Becky that a package had arrived for me. Someone shot me a couple of surprise kringles fresh from Racine, WI! I’d help out with something and she thought it’d be fitting to re-pay me in insanely delicious flaky layers of almond and apple goodness. Kringles are some of my favorite dessert foods as it is, but today I learned they’re even sweeter when they’re a surprise.

Tonight we fired up the movie that really sets the mood for the holidays in our house, Christmas Vacation. As luck would have it today is the 31st anniversary of the movie’s theatrical release. I can’t believe it’s only 31 years old, I’d swear I’ve watched it every year since I was 5 or so. After all these years this is the movie that gets me officially into the Christmas spirit.

One year ago today the world was a very different place, wasn’t it? Last year on this day we knocked off one of the dreams on my list when we saw a live platypus swimming in the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. We spent much of the rest of the day wandering around Sydney looking at all of the Christmas decorations while we were wearing shorts. We caught a show at the Sydney Opera House that night before heading back to our AirBNB.

In some ways it is crazy to think that was a year ago already and it also seems wild that it was only one year ago. What an odd twelve months it’s been since then. I’m even more grateful for all of the traveling we did last year, all of these memories keep filling my heart on an almost daily basis.

Surprise kringle, Christmas Vacation, and vacation memories… what a full day!

Thanks!!!