3 on Thursday

It is NOT easy getting back into work mode. I feel like I forgot how to work. I had a wonderful and relaxing holiday break and love that pretty much the whole time was infused with holiday spirit. Though I wish I was still lounging around, it will be nice to get my apartment back in order this week and regain a sense of normalcy.

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We figured out a perfect way to celebrate New Years. Start with a group dinner at a local, old school Italian restaurant (only two blocks from the apartment), return home for more drinks, dessert, and the ball drop, then head out to karaoke in nearby K-town if the mood strikes. One major reason this plan was perfect is because it resulted in zero stress. Dinner was low-key: no fancy New Years menu or jacked up prices, no waiting for a table, and all the clean-up was taken care of. Back at home, desserts were all prepped in advance (most of them simply picked up from the store and put on a platter) so there was no messing around in the kitchen. All dishes were very quickly and easily thrown into the dishwasher on our way to karaoke so we came home to a perfectly clean apartment. Another smart move we made was limiting drink options. There were beers in the fridge, lots of champs, and one pre-made signature cocktail. It meant there weren’t a ton of random cups floating around like a frat house and, again, clean up was very easy. The cocktail we made was a spiked cider. Simply throw spiced cider inn the slow cooker along with bourbon whiskey (3 parts cider to 1 part whiskey). Before walking out to dinner, I set up a bunch of mugs with cinnamon sticks and turned on the crock pot. When we got back, we had a nice warm cocktail all ready to go!

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Karaoke was a great way to celebrate New Years. We chose a place that was BYOB so it was only $8/person/hour. It was a super fun way to ring in 2017 and waaaay less expensive than any other option.

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