Nearly Christmas it is ...!

Have you been struck by Star Wars fever this week?  We all went down with it in our house, as did many other people.  Not sure what the hype has been like in the UK but over here is has been completely over the top in the lead up to the release of the new film, The Force Awakens! 

Not surprisingly, merchandise is everywhere, but also every other advert on TV has somehow managed to shoehorn in a Star Wars reference and even the Arizona Department of Transport has jumped on the bandwagon, with a whole campaign of Star Wars themed road signs ...

and my personal favorite ...!

So after months of anticipation, we finally got to see Episode VII last night and I was a little concerned that after all the hype it would be a bit of an anti-climax.  I needn't have worried.  It exceeded ALL my expectations. It was AWESOME! (one of the few times that this often overused word is actually warranted!).  I will not comment further as don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet, but if you are a Star Wars fan you will not be disappointed. 

Being the month of both Christmas and my birthday, December has always been an exciting time for  me ... although as a child I was always miffed by the whole combined birthday & Christmas present thing (I'm sure anyone else with a December birthday can empathise!).  

"Could I have a bike for my birthday?" 

"Only if you have it for birthday and Christmas..." (whilst my brother and sister, having birthdays nicely spread out in March & October, were both riding around on theirs on their birthdays)

Consequently, dear readers, as I always went for the two presents option, I never did get a bike and is the reason why to this day, riding one remains a skill I never mastered (think the Friends episode with Phoebe! )  Oh, and if Mr B is reading this ... don't even think about it!  That boat has well and truly sailed.

This year though, December's excitement has reached an all time high.  Not only was it my first birthday in Arizona (well, actually it was in California ... more about that in a minute) and it will be our first Christmas in the United States, but best of all, Eldest arrives next week! *jumps up and down with excitement*  It will be the first time we have all seen him since we left the UK at the end of March and next Wednesday cannot come soon enough!

Back to the birthday ... during the summer, I wrote about the hotel Mystery Shop programme that Mr B is lucky enough to be able to participate in (you can read about that here).  Last weekend we went off to 'test' another one of those at the Hotel Del Coronado, on Coronado Island, in San Diego.  The Del is a historic Victorian building, built in 1888 (historic by American standards - I have a grandfather clock older than that, lol), right next to the ocean and I have always wanted to stay there.  Being able to stay when it was all decorated for Christmas (complete with ice rink!) AND on my birthday was a particular treat! 

Hotel Del Coronado

A little chilly for us ...!

Apparently, it was here in 1904 that America experienced the first electrically-lit outdoor Christmas tree which still stands proudly in the grounds today.

 

... although the sign next to it did make me smile ...

'Elf & Safety' gone mad!  *snort*

We found a couple of great restaurants while we were there, both of which I can highly recommend if you are ever visiting.  The first was Miguel's, a Mexican restaurant just opposite the hotel which our friend John had recommended we try.  We sat outside in a lovely little courtyard (under heaters I hasten to add!), all lit with hundreds of twinkly coloured lights and sparkly holiday decorations.  Delightful!

The second was a very small but quaint little French bistro called 'Chez Loma', which we happened upon down a little side street.  It was a converted Victorian house, with a small bar area downstairs and restaurant upstairs (in what I am guessing used to be one of the bedrooms!).  There were no more than 6 or 7 tables, but the service was outstanding and the food and wine was amazing.  A perfect birthday choice and we will definitely go back next time we are visiting. 

Cheers!

We spent my actual birthday visiting the dolphins, whales and sea lions at Sea World, which to be honest seemed to have lost a lot of its previous appeal but whilst the aquatic attractions themselves were less than spectacular, (I think the reindeer in the Christmas village seemed to draw the most attention) we nonetheless had a fun day and even found another 'Christmas flamingo'!

Having lived so close to Brighton in the UK, one of the things I really miss is being able to walk by the sea and breathe in the ocean, so a highlight of the weekend for me was being able to step out of our room right onto the beach and go for an early morning stroll (obviously leaving The Tween to fester in bed!).  Perfect! 

As I write, Mr B is off doing his Christmas shopping ... always a risk to let him out unsupervised ... and then tonight we are off to another holiday party, and then another at our next door neighbor's on Tuesday.  Phew!  At least now that the Tween has broken up from school for a couple of weeks I can looking forward to a few leisurely lie-ins ... bliss! That just leaves enough time for a flurry of last minute shopping, wrapping and baking before the main event ... and then this time next week it will all be over for another year! 

I hope you all have a wonderful time and you make it onto Santa's 'Nice' list!  

Merry Christmas from all at Barlow Towers!

TTFN

Bev x