A Flimsy Plan

How to Actually Rest During the Holidays

December 18, 2024 No Comments

Y’all. I had big plans to write this post while sipping Beer 10, surrounded by Survivor finale drama after a fun night of trivia. Instead, I’m coming to you live from a day that started with a burst water pipe in my basement and a frantic call to first my dad and second a plumber. If that’s not a metaphor for how the holidays can sneak up and slap you in the face with chaos, I don’t know what is. But maybe that’s why today is the perfect day to write about rest. When all you want to do is cry, it’s more important than ever to make space to breathe. So let’s talk about how to actually rest during the holidays—because if I can find a sliver of calm today, anyone can.

Lean Into Low-Key Family Time

For me, nothing feels more restful than hanging out with my family while we collectively do… nothing. There’s something magical about existing in the same room as people you love, even if everyone is doing their own thing. Reading, scrolling, napping, chatting intermittently—it all counts.

It’s like body doubling but for emotional connection. If you’re not familiar with body doubling, it’s a productivity tool where having someone else in the room helps you focus or feel more at ease. During the holidays, it works in reverse for me: when we’re all lounging around, it reminds me that rest is okay because we’re all resting together.

Skip the Hustle

There’s a fine line between holiday traditions and holiday obligations. Feel free to skip anything that feels like the latter. You don’t have to host the cookie exchange, make your own garlands, or create a “perfect” holiday memory at every turn.

Give yourself permission to say no or, better yet, to do the easy version of everything. Store-bought cookies? Absolutely. Just stick them on a plate. Streaming a Yule log on TV instead of making one in your fireplace? Everyone loves seeing that hand stoke the fire!

Find Rest in Connection

Sometimes the most restful thing is spending time with people who get you. Whether that’s a close friend, a sibling, or your best co-worker, lean into the relationships that feel effortless. Catch up over coffee, go for a walk, or sit in the kitchen while someone else cooks (pro tip: offer to stir something once in a while and they won’t even notice you’re just hanging out).

Rest doesn’t always mean solitude. For some of us, connection is the recharge we need.

This includes carving out time to share small traditions with people who matter. This is my first Christmas with Tyler, and we are going to be chill and simple. We’ve already watched Die Hard together—his favorite—and we’re probably going to watch it again. We just need to hibernate together, who cares what else happens?

And if you’re wondering how to make room for all this restful connection during a busy holiday season, it’s worth revisiting 2022’s Blogmas post, No Is a Complete Sentence. Setting boundaries is a huge part of creating space for rest, connection, and all the things that bring you joy.

Take the Pressure Off

I know it’s tempting to make everything perfect—decorations, gifts, traditions, outfits—but let me save you the trouble: nobody’s holiday is ever perfect. And that’s fine. What matters is the feeling, not the optics.

So if you want to stay in your pajamas all day, you should. If you forgot to wrap a gift and end up handing it over in the store bag, also good. Your friends and family are not judging you (and if they are, that’s their problem).

Schedule Absolutely Nothing

This one’s crucial: block off some time where you have no plans. Not “no plans unless something comes up.” Not “no plans but I’ll still check my email.” Just nothing. (And, yes, I am very much a victim of the “I’ll take today off but still check my email” mentality. Don’t be me.)

Use this time however you want. Maybe you sleep in. Maybe you watch a bad movie. Maybe you wander around your house eating two week old Rice Krispie squares. The point is, it’s time for you, free of expectations.

Make Rest Easy

Rest isn’t always the big stuff like sleeping in or taking a day off. It’s also the little moments—like drinking hot chocolate while staring out the window, or spending 20 minutes untangling a ball of yarn and calling it mindfulness. (It counts!)

For me, it’s white hot chocolate with Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey and sitting next to my favourite person watches football. Or putting my feet up while my favorite movie plays in the background. The simple things are often the most restorative, and they don’t require a big production.

How are you planning to rest this holiday season? Let me know in the comments—or don’t, because you’re too busy relaxing with your people. Either way, you’re doing it, Joe.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some setting my phone on “Do Not Disturb”, a mug of spiked hot chocolate, and the season finale of Survivor calling my name.

YYCEats

Beer Exchange Day 9

December 17, 2024 No Comments

You know, I was watching one of Melanie Laurene’s Vlogmas videos earlier today and she mentioned that she can’t believe she has already posted 17 vlogs this December. I hadn’t thought of it in sheer numbers that way, but – omg! Seventeen! I think that’s more posts that I’ve done in the whole rest of the year combined and yet it’s flown by. I’m very proud of myself and, while I certainly won’t keep this pace up, I hope I’ll be able to use this inspiration to keep things going a little bit come the new year. And, if nothing else, I’ll have an excellent record of all the beer exchange beers I drank this year when it comes to picking my beer for next year. Because today is Beer Exchange Day 9.

My schedule is finally starting to slow down, which means it’s time to catch up to the cultural zeitgeist by watching some trashy holiday movies. You may have caught Hot Frosty in the background of Day 8 and for Day 9, I was on a similar grind. (Hee. These are the jokes, friends.) Yes, I watched The Merry Gentlemen. No, I didn’t recognize Maxwell Caulfield, aka Rex Manning. Yes, it was dumb and totally worth it.

(OMG! You will also not recognize Maxwell Caulfield… he looks like a demon from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this picture!)

Beer Exchange Day 9

Also worth it was Beer 9! It has become extremely obvious that I need to get to the Vacay Brewing taproom. Stat. It’s only 10 minutes from my house and appears to be a collaboration with Burwood Distillery so there are beer and cocktail options.

And the two beers I’ve had from Vacay Brewing were so good. Beer 9 was The Weekender, a West Coast IPA, and y’all know that I love a pine-y beer. I feel like this is a good introduction to WC IPAs, though – it’s not super bitter and there are some delicious tropical notes in there. Plus it’s a 5.8% ABV, so you get a little bit more bang for your buck. Who can complain!?

Alright, friends. Who is in to hit up Vacay Brewing with me?

Culture

2025 New Book Releases I’m Excited About

December 16, 2024 No Comments

I wrote a similar post to this in early 2023 – ten new release books that I was super excited to read in 2023. And I actually ended up reading five of them! In 2023, I wrote the post because my word of the year was “Intentional” and I was trying to be more intentional about what I read. And this year? This year, I’ve decided to be a trendsetter or something, I guess. You know, after my trip to Sound Room the other night. (I guess. I haven’t yet picked my word of the year for 2025, so maybe I’ll figure out a more accurate reason why.) Either way, I love lists and I am super excited for this list – 2025 new book releases I’m excited about!

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

THE STORM IS COMING . . .

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons.

No more time for uncertainty.

Because the battle has truly begun; and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre.

The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves – her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything.

They need an army.

They need power.

They need magic.

And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth.

But a storm is coming… and not everyone can survive its wrath

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town.

As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

The Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed

Nura Khan is a third-generation matchmaker in Atlanta and business has never been better. Her exclusive clientele benefits from her impeccable track record. And while a single thirty-one-year-old matchmaker would normally raise some perfectly threaded eyebrows in the community, Nura’s childhood best friend Azar is willing to double as her pretend fiancé at her clients’ weddings—as long as Nura is able to hide that her feelings for him might not be so pretend.

But Nura quickly learns that all that glitters isn’t gold. While it’s not uncommon to get the occasional hate mail from rejected prospective clients, after a couple’s carefully constructed wedding implodes, Nura is blindsided by a cascading chain of increasingly terrifying events and realizes someone is taking things too far. With Azar by her side, Nura embarks on a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that threatens not only her safety but everything she’s worked so hard to build.

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years–or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same.

New York City, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.” Though Annie soon realizes she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing . . . and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening.

As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones—those who are lost—will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.

Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike its other customers, for he offers help instead of seeking it.

Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice—by way of rain puddles, rides on paper cranes, the bridge between midnight and morning, and a night market in the clouds.

But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own—and risk making a choice that she will never be able to take back.

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall

All the Water in the World is told in the voice of a girl gifted with a deep feeling for water. In the years after the glaciers melt, Nonie, her older sister and her parents and their researcher friends have stayed behind in an almost deserted New York City, creating a settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History. The rule: Take from the exhibits only in dire need. They hunt and grow their food in Central Park as they work to save the collections of human history and science. When a superstorm breaches the city’s flood walls, Nonie and her family must escape north on the Hudson. They carry with them a book that holds their records of the lost collections. Racing on the swollen river towards what may be safety, they encounter communities that have adapted in very different and sometimes frightening ways to the new reality. But they are determined to find a way to make a new world that honors all they’ve saved.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There’s Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who knows she’s going to go home and marry her baby’s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid…and it’s usually paid in blood.

Installment Immortality by Seanan McGuire

After four generations of caring for the Price family, Mary Dunlavy has more than earned a break from the ongoing war with the Covenant of St. George. Instead, what she’s getting is a new employer, in the form of the anima mundi, Earth’s living soul made manifest, and a new assignment: to hunt down the Covenant agents on the East Coast and make them stop imprisoning America’s ghosts.

All in a day’s work for a phantom nanny, even one who’d really rather be teaching her youngest charges how to read.

One ghost can’t take on the entire Covenant without backup, which is how she winds up on a road trip with the still-mourning Elsie and the slowly collapsing Arthur, both of whom are reeling in their own way from the loss of their mother. New allies and new enemies await in Worcester, Massachusetts, where the path of the haunting leads.

With the anima mundi demanding results and Mary’s newfound freedom at stake, it’s down to Mary to make sure that everyone gets out of this adventure alive.

It’s been a long afterlife, but Mary Dunlavy’s not ready to be exorcised quite yet.

They Bloom At Night by Trang Thanh Tran

A red algae bloom has taken over Mercy, Louisiana. Ever since a devastating hurricane, mutated wildlife lurks in the water that rises by the day. But Mercy has always been a place where monsters walk in plain sight. Especially at its heart: The Cove, where Noon’s life was upended long before the storm at a party her older boyfriend insisted on.

Now, Noon is stuck navigating the submerged town with her mom, who believes their dead family has reincarnated as sea creatures. Alone with the pain of what happened that night at the cove, Noon buries the truth: she is not the right shape.

When Mercy’s predatory leader demands Noon and her mom capture the creature drowning residents, she reluctantly finds an ally in his deadly hunter of a daughter and friends old and new. As the next storm approaches, Noon must confront the past and decide if it’s time to answer the monster itching at her skin.

Now here’s the real million dollar question. These are the 2025 new book releases I’m excited about. How many will I actually read? And, of those, how many will I actually link back to this post? Who wants to guess in the comments!?

Culture, YYCEats

Beer Exchange Day 8

December 15, 2024 No Comments

Happy Sunday, beautiful friends! And let me tell you, today was another wonderful holiday season weekend day. Yes, it is Beer Exchange Day 8, but it is more than that! Today is a day where I both got productive and had fun.

Despite my post from early in Blogmas about feeling like myself again, I haven’t quite fallen into a good routine yet. It’s hard when your life is so full and there are so many demands on your time. But that’s not really an excuse. It’s just a matter of prioritizing what is important to you. So, this morning, I set my alarm for 7:30am and managed to sneak into a 9:30 barre class.

That was before the main event of the day – taking Rylee to Morpheus Theatre’s Puss In Boots. (I told y’all that I was going to!) I have already posted about this over on ye old Instagram and Facebook, but it was truly the best. She was so excited to see the show, she was basically waiting at the front door for me when I arrived to pick her up. And even though she kept the excitement up the entire time we were there, she was so well behaved during the actual show. Of course, she had little questions, but the nice thing about a pantomime is that she could whisper them to me. And she got to shout at the stage in her little voice.

But let me tell you, after all that excitement, I was ready for a quiet night. A little bit of cooking, a little bit of holiday decorating, and a little bit of enjoying Beer Exchange Day 8.

YYCEats

Sound Room

December 14, 2024 No Comments

Okay, I am getting this in just under the wire. I probably could have written another post earlier today, because I did have a little break between work at Moveology and going out. But for once in my life, I was ahead of a thing and I so wanted to write about it. So, a middle of the night post it is! Because today, Tyler and I went to Sound Room!

First, though, we swung by Market Collective, which long-time readers will know is one of my favourite holiday markets. It is the perfect mixture of fancy and mid-range artisans. This year, I didn’t get any delicious hummus, but I did fill out my Christmas shopping a little bit. And Tyler ate poutine perogies. Everyone won!

And then… 4pm rolled around. The time had come. The time for us to be trendsetters and make our way to 1st Street. To venture into the basement of the Calcutta Cricket Club and check out Sound Room.

As mentioned in his Beer Exchange post, Ol Beautiful is Tyler’s favourite Calgary brewery and he has been missing their taproom. Sound Room is similar, but different. It is vibey and cool. Maybe too cool. The bathrooms had affirmations playing on the day we were there. The bartenders were all very hip (yes, I used that word on purpose, it sounds funny!). It did sort of feel like hanging out in your coolest friend’s living room – especially with how good the music was. We Shazaam’ed more than one song while we were tucked away in a corner with our beers.

I should offer a caution. Sound Room should not be confused with a taproom. It doesn’t have the same vibes and I can’t see anyone hanging out there for hours, playing board games. It’s more like a very cool lounge, but a little bit less pretentious. And also beer. Good beer.

So when are you going to hit up Sound Room?

Culture, YYCEats

Beer Exchange Day 7

December 13, 2024 No Comments

Today is Beer Exchange Day 7, but before I get into that, I need you to celebrate something with me.

I did it! Finally, I did it! Unlike last week, I made it to Cochrane in ample time to see the play I attempted to see in that post. (Mostly because I knew what time it started at this time.) In fact, I actually made it there early enough that I was able to swing by Half Hitch Brewing to enjoy a thoroughly delicious brisket sandwich. Not really the type of thing I would normally go for, but I was drawn in by the dill pickles on it and it was totally worth it.

But what about the play, I hear you asking! It was a pantomime version of The Wizard of Oz, filled with songs new and old, and lots of shouting at the stage. (This is normal in a pantomime.) The costumes were elaborate, which is exactly what you need for something that takes place in Oz. And there was so much heart. I look forward to driving out to the Cochrane Ranchehouse yet again to see another play. But maybe in the daylight next time…

Oh, and the best part was that I was home before 10pm, even though it was a 45 minute drive home! And I celebrated by drinking Beer 7. Obviously.

Culture

Calgary Holiday Plays

December 12, 2024 1 Comment

The first Theatre Thursday of this year’s Blogmas is upon us, I’m about to go out for Kegnog, and I’m going to do a classic post today. I love a round-up post and y’all loved this post last year… why not do it again? Buckle in, grab your favourite lactose-y holiday drink, and read all about Calgary Holiday Plays.

A Christmas Carol (Theatre Calgary)

I mean, I had to include it. When people think of Calgary Holiday Plays(tm), they think A Christmas Carol.

But this year? Don’t even try. It’s so sold out that the pre-Christmas shows only have single tickets available. Plus, there are other amazing holiday plays out there that need your custom (aka, money). Go indie, check out the smaller theatres. A Christmas Carol will be waiting for you next year.

If you really want to try, it runs between Nov 29 – Dec 29. Your best bet for tickets is after Christmas, which is still fun and cozy!

Twelve Days (Forte Musical Theatre and Lunchbox Theatre)

You may remember that last year, I wrote about how it was the last year for Naughty… but Nice! I was curious about what Forte would come up with next. And the answer is here! Twelve Days is a cute little story about a boy who likes a girl but has a rich friend who also likes said girl. Perhaps it’s simple but the Joe Slabe music is certain to make it seem anything but simple. Plus, it has a 75 minute run time, so you can catch it during lunch or fit it and something else into full weekend evenings.

I know I’m curious and I’m sure you are too. You can catch this Calgary holiday play from Dec 3-21.

Puss in Boots (Morpheus Theatre)

Morpheus Theatre is back with a holiday tradition that we just don’t see enough of in Calgary – a pantomime! And not only a pantomime, but a purr-fect pantomime. Puss in Boots, opening tomorrow! Do you have little kids that always want to talk to the tv when they watch a movie? Then a pantomime is perfect for them! They’ll get to boo the bad guys, cheer for the heroes, shout at the actors when the person they are looking for is directly behind them. Plus, since its community theatre, it has a slightly lower price point and is the perfect opportunity to introduce a kid to theatre. What more could you ask for!?

I will be taking Rylee to see this play, who else is in? Puss in Boots runs from Dec 13-21.

Charlotte’s Web (Alberta Theatre Projects)

Finally! Alberta Theatre Projects is doing a holiday show that is actually good for the whole family! I’m going to be real – sometimes ATP goes way too “edgy” or “dark” for their holiday shows and I’ve felt like little kids have been excluded from the audience for a long time. We can still do creative things and push boundaries while making things that are fun for elementary school kids. And Charlotte’s Web does that! Everyone is raving about it!

It is playing from Nov 26 to Dec 29… and it is in the same building as Theatre Calgary, so maybe a good alternative.

Beauty and the Beast (Storybook Theatre)

Is Beauty and the Beast a holiday play, or do I just think it is because I got a ton of Beauty and the Beast gifts for Christmas in 1992? Maybe it doesn’t matter. Holiday is what is in our hearts. And also the play is on during the holidays! In fact, the play is running all the way from Nov 22 to Jan 5. Perhaps it is the most Holiday play, as it covers all the holidays?

(Note: Storybook Theatre has also brought back Natascha Girgis’ outstanding show from last year – One Christmas Carol. It is being performed on Sunday and Monday evenings between Dec 8-23… aka the days that Beauty and the Beast is dark. And also Charlotte’s Web. Because Natascha has no chill and is also in that.)

Friends. There is so much amazing theatre in Calgary, especially during this holiday season. Don’t let it pass you by. The weather is nice right now and you’ll have memories to talk about for years afterwards. Such is the joy of live theatre!

Culture

Beer Exchange Day 6

December 11, 2024 No Comments

Survivor beer, survivor beer, survivor beer! It’s Beer Exchange Day 6 and I am delighted to announce that I have ticked yet another item off my Holiday Bucket List. (At this point, I’m going to have to do a check-in post!) Today I got to present on learning styles and when to embrace them at a Psychiatry Resident wellness event (not the bucket list item), and then do my favourite thing… watch an important Survivor episode with Mike and Sarah!

And delicious charcuterie.

So, of course I had to bust out another Beer Exchange beer for this special night. And today’s beer was… my dad’s beer! Yes, yet again, Rob had to save the exchange by filling in and buying a beer. He is in the industry, you know. (He works at a liquor store as his retirement job.) So what did my dad select?

Life

Zoolights

December 10, 2024 No Comments

This is typically the time of year where I am going to start writing “oh, the weather outside is weather”… but it’s been pleasantly mild for the last several days. I’ve still needed a jacket and toque, so I wouldn’t call it warm, but mild is very accurate. So accurate, in fact, that Tyler and I actually left home and went to Zoolights last Thursday.

Or, as this signage says, “OOLIGHTS”.

And it was just classic, festive, fun. Because it was so nice out, we really took our time wandering the grounds. We bought hot chocolate, both spiked and normal, and sat next to the many fire pyramids that are dotted around the zoo. We chatted with the fire attendants and shared our favourite holiday movies. (Look, we weren’t a thing last Christmas season, so we have a lot of movies to catch up on.)

We even managed to tick off one more item on my unhinged Bucket List! One of the fire attendants let it slip that mulled wine was for sale! We grabbed a mulled wine and made a game of guessing what animals the lights were supposed to be shaped like. Pig? Hippo? Sheep?

Don’t worry. It eventually became apparent that it was a hippo.

Our night was mild and it was easy to stay outdoors, but I do think it would be do-able in slightly colder weather, especially if you bundled up. Like I said, there are tons of fires with seating throughout the zoo. But also, the conservatory is open this year and they have lights set up on both sides! It was the perfect setting to warm up and get a few cute pictures. (In theory. I was not cute in our pictures, so they are not included.)

For those interested in the stats, this is what you need to know about Zoolights, running from Nov 15, 2024 – Jan 5, 2025. Entry begins at 5pm and you cannot stay from the day into the night – it is a separate ticket. The price is variable from day to day, but it’s usually around $20. They recommend buying your tickets in advance for a better price. We were on the grounds for about 2.5 hours, though, so fairly good value.

I don’t know, guys, it was just so damn festive. Maybe a little bit pricey, but I’m so glad we did it.

YYCEats

Beer Exchange Day 5

December 9, 2024 No Comments

If you couldn’t tell from my last couple posts, life has been pretty intense and busy lately. Which I think can be quite common at this time of year, I won’t pretend it’s just me. We’re all trying to fit everything in. But sometimes, you just need to be cozy and watch a movie that everyone else in the world has seen so you can join into the societal conversations. If the “you” in this situation is me, anyway. Because that’s what I did while enjoying Beer 5.

I mean, just look at that grilled cheese, y’all.

(Note: the cheese crust is courtesy of Tyler. When I am left to my own devices, I eat the same sad meal the entire week. Realizing that I need to create a meal that is also appropriate for a man to eat makes me elevate my game and then Tyler usually has some idea to make it even better.)

And, actually, both the beer and the evening came courtesy of Tyler, as well! I talked him into filling in for the beer exchange at the last minute and he talked me into watching Die Hard. Perfect evening.

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