"it's beginning to look a lot like christmas"

whoever wrote this song (forgive me that i don't know the singer!) obviously didn't live in south florida! seriously, it was 80 degres out today. after spending a couple winters up north, i must say that i've been having a hard time getting that christmas feeling. still, i do love the christmas lights on palm trees! but c'mon...could the temp at least be 65 or so? that's all i'm asking...

shopping was slam dunk today. i got to the mall around 10:30 and it was practically dead. i'm not even kidding. around 11:45 it started to get really crowded though...but i found presents for everyone i was looking for and that was the main thing!

the tradition with my family is that on christmas eve the "kids" (me and my brother) get to open one present. my brother got this thing called the "pocket fisherman." it is hilarious looking! it's like a mini-fishing pole...ive never seen anything like it before! tomorrow we are going to visit my grandparents in naples and they live near a pond to he's going to try it out. i told him that he could use it, but probably not around anyone else because he would get made fun of! i plan on making fun of him a lot tomorrow when he's using it...mature, huh? hey, when you're a girl growing up with a brother, you have to learn to dish it out (and take it, at the same time!). my present was a book by Suze Orman (you may have seen her on TV before...she gives advice about financial planning). i actually asked for the book because i need to be more informed about what to do with my money, where to put it, what to invest in...stuff like that (luckily, my parents and brother are good with that as well so they can give me advice too).

i still cant believe i have this ENTIRE week off! i'm going to enjoy it as much as i can!