Friday, December 18, 2015

Five on Friday: Caps, Candles, and Christmas Vacation

As soon as the bell rings today, it's time for a much needed two week break and time dedicated to friends, family, and some long overdue relaxation. Normally we go out of town every New Year's for the past three years (Passion Conference in 2012, New Orleans in 2013, Cancun in 2014). But this year, Aaron is in a wedding so we'll be staying home, cuddling friends' babies, celebrating our friends'  marriages, enjoying Christmas, and getting some projects done around the house.  And doing nothing every now and then. Yay! 
Here's what we've been up to (and what we're excited for) this week!

1. FREEDOM!

We did it teacher friends; we did it. No more papers to grade, classes to plan, or lessons to teach for a while. My kids are absolutely wonderful, but I'm ready for a few days without questions about extra credit, without a 7 am wake up call, and without email upon email to answer. I found this video on Facebook and was absolutely dying. I think it summarizes my emotions pretty well. Hope you all brought your tambourines to school!

Me Friday when They say "escort the remaining busses to the gym"
Posted by Cousin AL on Sunday, December 13, 2015

2. Merry and Bright Holiday Home Tour

Earlier this week, I offered a little peek into our cozy Christmasy home. It's not straight out of a magazine or picture perfect, but it's comfy and merry and we love it a lot. I'm a huge believer in using what we've got, patiently shopping Christmas clearance each year, and then adding just a few simple, cheap things every year. I'm pretty happy with what we've got. You can view the tour here.


3.  Christmas Party Fun

We've got Christmas parties on our Christmas parties, and I'm loving it. On Wednesday, I hosted the YoungLife Christmas party with some lovely ladies and a little gift exchange (complete with steals, of course). We've got two more Christmas parties lined up this weekend, and then of course Christmas Eve and Christmas themselves. I love love love giving gifts, so these kinds of things are super fun for me, and my hubby has been incredibly helpful along the way (if you're at the party you'll see what I mean)!

This is not a current Christmas Party pic....but I love throwing it back. So, enjoy :)

4.  Graduations Galore

Not only have we been celebrating the upcoming holiday season, but we've also been celebrating some big life events for some pretty awesome people. Last Saturday, my cousin graduated from Park University, and tomorrow my little brother graduates from Missouri Western! Both are going to be teachers, which is pretty awesome! We're pretty proud of them, and excited to see them change the lives of some lucky kiddos!


5.  Goodbye, 2015

As a pretty nostalgic person who's all about living fully and enjoying every second of this crazy thing we call life (case in point, the name of this blog Currently, Kelsie), I love reflecting on the year and all that came with it. It was a year full of lots of fun- a new school for Aaron, a new coaching job for me,  twelve (TWELVE!) new YoungLife leaders, an amazing sixteen day European adventure, and more. Oh, and the start of this blog!

This is the last Five on Friday of the year, as the next two Fridays are Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Be on the lookout for one more recap post for 2015, complete with some of the most popular posts of the year! I'm thankful for another 365 days of life and excited for all that lies ahead in 2016. Thanks for coming along!

Currently,
Kelsie

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I'm linking up with A. Liz Adventures The Diary of a Real HousewifeUniquely UnfoldedGrace and Love BlogGrace and Truth, Running for CupcakesMomfessionals, and Life in Leggings.

33 comments:

  1. I love this! Congrats to your family members on graduating--so much to be proud and thankful for!

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  2. Kelsie! Oh the perks of being a teacher!! I forgot what it's like to have a 2 week vacation... Your home is beautiful! It looks like you and Aaron (also my husband's name haha) will be busy this holiday season!

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    1. Yes yes yes! Such a perk! Thank you so much, we are excited!

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  3. Woo! Congrats on making it to Christmas break! It sounds like you've had a very fulfilling 2015, looking forward to reading your recaps!

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    1. We did it! Pretty excited about the recap I'm sharing tomorrow :)

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  4. Yay for Christmas break and Christmas parties! I'm sure it'll be fun for y'all to have some slow time to snuggle up at home and enjoy all the Christmas pretties in your house :) Excited to see y'all this weekend!

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    1. Yay!! So great to see you guys last night. Excited to relax and hang out again soon :)

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  5. Yay for Christmas break! Enjoy! 2015 has been a big year for you all!
    Kelsey
    www.thepeacockroost.com

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  6. congrats on making it through! so excited for the holidays :)

    stop by and chat ♥ http://storybookapothecary.com

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  7. That teacher video is HILARIOUS!!! I finished my giving finals today at 11:45, and that was totally me. What grade do you teach?

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    1. Isn't it too funny?? I teach 9th and 10th grade gifted English, and then AP Language which has Juniors and Seniors. They are really great. What do you teach?

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  8. Congrats to the grads! Enjoy you time off from teaching too.

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  9. Congrats to your brother and cousin on graduating! That's a huge accomplishment! <3

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    1. We are all pretty proud of them. Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. Feeling this list - especially that Friday video hahaha <3 have a great weekend!

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    1. Haha! Isn't it too great? Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  11. I've been loving all the Christmas celebrations as well!
    The holiday crept up on me this year but I am so happy its here.

    xoxo, Jenny || Breakfast at Lillys

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    1. It did come fast this year, didn't it? Thanks for reading, Jenny!

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  12. I work in academia and my mom's a high school teacher. We are so glad the break is finally here!!!

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  13. I'm the same way--I love reflecting at the end of the year. The end of December always makes me so sentimental!

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    1. Me too!! I totally hear you. I had a really fun time getting my post prepared for tomorrow and looking back at the year!

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  14. I hope you have a great 2 week vacation. I love your home tour, it's so pretty! Good luck to the graduates!

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  15. Love this! I'm also a teacher and am so glad to be on winter break!

    http://tsidles.blogspot.com

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  16. congratulations on the graduation people! How exciting!

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  17. IAll I wanna do is stay home and be lazy this new year can't wait

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