I can't believe it's already January 15th, 2025! This year is flying by already. Over the holidays, I went home to Arlington Heights, Illinois for a couple weeks and had the best time with friends and family. Here's a recap of my travels and time spent with loved ones.
Saturday, December 21st, 2024
Nala and I flew out of the Reno-Tahoe International Airport on Saturday, December 21st. Unfortunately, we didn't have a direct flight. We were supposed to have a short two hour layover in Salt Lake City which ended up turning into several more hours due to flight delays but eventually made it to O'Hare International Airport around 1am Sunday morning. My family (mom, dad, Wes, and Lucy were there to pick us up and we were so happy to see them!
Lucy and Nala were reunited! Nala was especially happy to be out of her backpack and done with flying for the time being.
My dad took the first of many "Kevin selfies"!
Sunday, December 22nd, 2024
When we woke up later Sunday morning, we got ready to head over to my cousin Haley's house. My dad's side of the family was celebrating Christmas together on this day! We had so much fun being together for the first time in so long and having the two new babies there made it extra special!
Monday, December 23rd, 2024
The following day I met my friend, Katie Wills, for breakfast in Elgin! Then, we went over to her mom's house and I got to see their adorable cat, Pie, again! I had so much fun catching up with Katie.
Later in the day, Lucy and I met up with another one of my friends, Jenny, and walked around downtown Arlington! It was so fun to window shop, see all of the Holiday decorations, and be together again!
Tuesday, December 24th, 2024
Lucy and I started Christmas Eve off with a workout at the gym. Afterwards, we drove by our old house which has changed so much since we lived there!
My mom, dad, Lucy and I went out for Christmas Eve dinner at a Mexican restaurant in downtown Arlington Heights. It was delicious especially the margaritas!
After dinner, we went to Christmas Eve church service at First United Methodist Church of Arlington Heights.
We ended the night playing Trivial Pursuit and Nala had to be the center of attention!
Wednesday, December 26th, 2024
We spent Christmas day at home, with each other opening presents, eating good food, and playing games! Kendall and Jeremy came down from Wisconsin which was lovely and my cousin Collin and his girlfriend, Madeline, spent the night with us too! We missed Wes greatly who was in Orlando, Florida prepping for the U of I football game on New Year's Day.
Thursday, December 26th, 2024
Before Kendall left for Wisconsin, we got a picture of all four cats together! It was crazy having them under one roof especially since they don't get along very well but super fun!
In the afternoon, Jenny and I went downtown to Wrigleyville and had drinks at the Santa Bar. Afterwards, we went to the Zoo Lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo which was so much fun!
Saturday, December 28th-Sunday, December 29th, 2024
On Saturday, we drove up to Wisconsin to see my mom's side of the family! It was so special to be together and do all of our holiday traditions. Again, it was extra special to have the new babies around!
Tuesday, December 31st, 2024
The days following Wisconsin were a bit of a doozy because most of my family (myself included) came down with the terrible stomach flu! We were so sick for a few days so we laid low and watched a lot of movies. On New Years Eve, we watched the Fighting Illini defeat South Carolina! This was extra special to watch because my brother was there! Wes is the equipment manager for the football team. He was gone for 10 days over the break and we missed him greatly but were so proud of him!
Wednesday, January 1st, 2025
My mom, Lucy, and I met up with my cousin Haley, her husband, Brian, and their daughter, Olivia Arden for dinner!
Thursday, January 2nd, 2025
Lucy and I went to go see Wicked in theaters and it was the best day! The movie was so good and I was so grateful to share that experience with her.
Sister time is the best! Not only did we watch Wicked but we went shopping at the mall too which was so much fun!
Later that day, I drove out to Naperville to meet up with two of my closest friends, Jenny and Carolyn! I got to see their new homes and we had a delicious dinner of tapas and sangria!
We also drove to the Taylor Swift house and got to see the magic happening there! It was so cool!
Friday, January 3rd, 2025
I started the day off with my hair appointment! I got a trim, layers, and some highlights!
Then, I went to visit my friend, Katy Kirsh, who lives in Elgin! I spent time with her and her adorable dogs!
I spent the rest of the day with family! Wes and I did not get enough time together this break but I'm so grateful for the time we did have together!
Saturday, January 4th, 2025
Nala and I got to the airport early on the 4th only for our first flight to continue to get delayed and then the airline rebooked us on a flight leaving 12 hours later. It was annoying but we got to spend extra time with my family which I will always take.
Saying goodbye for the second time that day!
We made it on the plane! Nala and I ended up getting back to Reno about 11pm that night. Dan picked us up from the airport and the three of us were very happy to be together again! Overall, it was an amazing winter break and I'm so grateful for all of the memories that were made with family and friends. I hope you had a great holiday season as well! Thank you for reading and supporting my blog.
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