Tis the Season

Now that the holidays are over, I can finally focus on the wedding planning and begin to blog again. Over the month of December, I've been busy with a bunch of events: Bachelorette Party(12.9-12), Holiday company parties x2(12.17 & 12.21), back to back family Christmas parties (12.23 - 23.25), then my birthday (12.26).

BACHELORETTE PARTY!
My Bachelorette party was a success with my MoH's and Bridesmaids. We went on a cruise to Nassau, Bahamas and they surprised me with a Dolphin encounter. The cruise itself was filled with motion sickness, dancing, food, and just being able to lay out in the sun. It was a good break from the cold back home. My biggest concern was having 6 of my bridesmaids come together and not getting along, but that ended up being the least of my worries. Everyone got along and were able to laugh together. It was great having my two MoHs(Noreen and Jamie) and my four bridesmaids(Elle, Char, Timi, and Lauren) all together before the big day. Seeing how one lives in California, the other is finishing her master's program, the other is in her pharm rotations, and the rest of the girls work, I was fortunate to have had them all there.
CHRISTMAS

Words cannot describe my family Christmas Parties
I absolutely adore my family! I look forward to the Narciso Christmas party every single year!
I don't know any other family party that begins at 6pm and ends at 1030am the next day. For the most part, everyone is awake and we play games, dance, sing around, go through presents, and of course our annual "secret santa" exchange. Since [we] a good amount of my cousins are no longer "eligible" for Christmas presents from the adults, we do a secret santa which allows us to receive one present that night. It usually ends in laughs since we have to either act as the person or describe them.

Once the huge party comes to an end, we go home to open presents with my immediate family, presents with the brothers and parents are always fun because my mom usually cooks up a sweet after breakfast-breakfast! After taking an hour or two nap, then Mark and I head up to MD to spend with the Cabellons. Although the Indy Cabellons were unable to come for Christmas, it's great having technology and being able to use a webcam to spend part of our evening with them (as we do our gift exchange)
This is the 4th Christmas Mark and I are spending together and our last one as "boyfriend-girlfriend"