break in the bahamas

sometime around thanksgiving i received a call from my boss, who wanted to know what interest [if any] would lie in a team building trip to the bahamas in december. my first question was something to the effect of "um, you mean this year?" *laughter* "yes, this year. in a couple weeks." while i was a little apprehensive about leaving right before hosting a holiday and getting caught up in the christmas travel bonanza, the week just before christmas was the only time so many of us could feasibly leave the office simultaneously - so the plan was a go!

even in south texas, escaping to the islands is a pretty surefire way to break up the frenzy of holiday prepping and we had an awesome time team-building and exploring (including one rather harrowing taxi ride) the ports of freeport and nassau - which included a tour of the john watling's rum distillery where they have the best pina coladas you can get your hands on.

there's also something to be said for traveling with a pack of food snobs, as we ended up being treated to the steakhouse a couple nights on board where in addition to delicious offerings, they had a fantastic dessert called the "chocolate sampler."

it was a wonderful few days spent on island time!

thankful for november

i love november, not just for all of the awesomeness of thanksgiving and fall that happens within it, but also the joy and anticipation of being on the cusp of the christmas season. (i'll hit it's opposite - the despair of the holidays being over, in january.)  it never fails to be a pretty spectacular month, and this year was no exception. we managed to pack tons of cozy snuggles, holiday prep and planning, seasonal starbucks drinks, homemade treats, brunches, birthday celebrations for friends, my first boxing class and a friendsgiving into the mix.

a couple items to note - if you haven't yet made the trip over to copper moon bar and grill, do so while the weather is amazing! they have the most adorable patio for evening drinks and brunch (we've been frequenting there lately.) and on the note of brunch, bodega's early riser cocktail of iced coffee and italian liquer is a must have. even if the morning is chilly.

 

here's a peek at how our month shaped up: 

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but most importantly, now that thanksgiving is over i can finally put my tree up!!!!