It's the most hectic-ful time of the year!!!
It feels like Eliot and I have been going full speed ahead for weeks now. But we're almost at the final push of holiday orders! Our holiday season is usually filled with a lot of hustle and bustle, so I've tried to make an effort to stop and enjoy it. Thankfully, we've been able to kick back a few times! The beginning of this month has been extra busy as we've been cramming some fun into our already busy calendars.
Back on Friday 12/2, Eliot and I went over to my cousin Luke's house to have a Movie and Game Night with this wife and daughter. We watched a few episodes of Disney Junior shows with his daughter (she's 4) before it was time for her to head to bed. The highlight of the evening was definitely when she cuddled up with me on the couch!
After putting her to bed, the adults all ate pizza and played Wingspan. It'd been a while since we last went over to play, so I was a bit rusty, but I picked it back up. This time, I went in with a strategy and it paid off. I did much better and ended up tying with Rachel for second. Naturally, Eliot won and poor Luke got his booty kicked. We all had a great night though, and we ended up staying up talking with them until late. It was around 1:00 am by the time we left, but it was a great night and Eliot and I really enjoyed the break and spending time with them!
The next day, we had an extra early morning. It was going to be early anyways, but it felt even earlier since we had been out so late. However, we had an event that I'd been really excited about and I didn't want to miss it! Saturday morning was Holiday at Hadlock. Since Eliot and I have only been following the Portland Sea Dogs recently, I didn't even know this existed until I saw it advertised on their Facebook a few weeks ago. They haven't had it the past few years due to COVID, but once I heard about it, I knew we had to go. It sounded like a lot of fun!
Eliot and I left the house a little later than we'd planned to, but we still made it in time to get inside the ballpark about 15 minutes before Santa arrived. The weather wasn't that great, so Santa couldn't arrive by helicopter as planned, so instead he showed up in a Portland Fire Truck. Eliot and I were inside of the store when he got there so I got a great view through the window. Slugger was dressed up as Buddy the Elf and he was hilarious running over to the truck to greet Santa.
Eliot and I didn't need to meet Santa, but we did enjoy walking around and checking everything else out. There was face painting and balloon animals for the kids. There was also a craft room... probably also for kids but this 38 year old thoroughly enjoyed herself and definitely left with a foam dreidel, Christmas tree and a few Rudolph stickers. We missed the free Dunkin Donuts shirts, but we'll know to be there early next year. We also got a few of the free cookies, ok, more than a few because it was near the end of the event and they still had at least 5-6 trays of cookies to give away.
My favorite part was that the ballpark was decorated for Christmas. They updated the "standings" to a naughty and nice list which was pretty funny. There was Sea Dogs "wrapping paper" over some of the other signs. They also had a few small displays of trees and faux presents wrapped beneath them to make it more festive.
There were two frame signs you could hold and take photos with. We took a photo with one of them and then put the donkeys in by the other one. (Aren't they adorable in their little Santa hats!?!) Of course, they also had a special room prepared for Santa and you could watch Frosty the Snowman while standing in the long line to meet him.
Eliot and I both had a wonderful time. The highlight was definitely when we got to take a photo with Slugger. We thought that we'd missed him when he disappeared right as we were about to get into the photo line, but he did eventually come back out. (I'm so glad we stayed because we had almost left and we would have missed him!) The only downer was that we completely forgot our Toys for Tots gifts at home, but Eliot's work has a drop off. Holiday at Hadlock was a lot of fun and I can see how kids would really enjoy it! We'll definitely go there to celebrate the holidays again!
But the fun didn't end there. On the way back to our car, we stopped in at the Portland Expo Center to see the Craft Fair we'd spotted on the way down to Hadlock Field. It cost $2 for each of us to get in, but it was worth it to walk around exploring the booths.
It's been awhile since we attended a craft fair, but I love going to them. Eliot and I got a lot of inspiration and ideas for projects, and we picked up a few business cards from crafters that we'd like to follow or check out their online shops! (There was a shop with a gorgeous Maine shaped charcuterie board that we'd love to get eventually!)
We didn't leave empty handed either. Eliot and I each picked out a bag of gourmet popcorn to take home. Eliot also bought me two pairs of earrings from a shop that sold laser cut metal jewelry and ornaments. I wanted to get some stained glass earrings from another shop, but I behaved myself. I did take a business card though!
Before returning home, we stopped in Portland to check out the Home Depot. We'd been wanting to get the Tigger and Eeyore inflatables there. They didn't have Eeyore, but we did leave with Tigger! (Eliot's going to get Eeyore in Biddeford.)
The next evening, Mom, Dad and Nana arrived at their hotel in South Portland for Dad's annual tax conference. On Monday, I drove into Portland on Monday to spend a few hours with them. Mom and I went to lunch at Friendly's and then grabbed some food at Hannaford. I visited with her, Nana and Dad for a little bit before I went home.
On Tuesday, I went in later in the afternoon. Mom and I left for hotel for few minutes of Christmas shopping over at TJ Maxx before we went to get more milk for Nana at Hannaford. Tuesday evening, Luke and his family were as visiting Nana at the hotel for a little bit so Mom and Dad could get out for a little break. Eliot and I joined them and we all had a nice dinner together at Applebee's. After, Eliot and I went back over to TJ Maxx to buy the present for Nana that Mom and I had picked out. We also bought another gift for her, as well as the Disney Hanukkah blankets that I'd spotted earlier in the day. (I was so excited to show Eliot but he discovered them before I could show him... he flipped out too!) Then, we went back over to the hotel to drop off the gifts and visit with Mom, Dad and Nana for a few minutes before heading home.
The next few days Eliot and I worked extra hard since we'd been playing around; plus, we also had plans for Friday night. The Maine Mariners have a bunch of away games before Christmas, so their last home games were 12/9 and 12/10. I'd been looking forward to the game that Friday night as soon as I found out the Mariners were doing a Pucks and Paws game. I couldn't wait to see all of the dogs and I also wanted to get the lay of the land so we'd know what to expect if we brought our puppies to a game.
Eliot and I had so much fun. The Mariners ended up losing 3-2, but we still had a great time. There were a few dogs dressed up in Mariners jerseys and it definitely gave me ideas for the future. We also ran into our friend Jenn who was there with her husband and son. Eliot and I were both wearing our new Mariners hats. We also got matching Paws and Pucks shirts to wear next year. My favorite part of the entire evening was when they played "Who Let the Dogs Out" and the camera found a bunch of the dogs in the stands. It looked like they were all confused about what they were doing there, but they were happy to be out with their humans!
We've definitely been busy since this month started, but Eliot and I have had a lot of fun and it's been nice to get out and enjoy ourselves a little bit! The rest of this week is "Hell Week" from now until the USPS shipping deadline on Saturday... so it'll be all hands on deck and no extra time for fun. But we've had a lot of fun along the way!
Season's Sportings!!! °o°
