one word: COZY!!!!

ahhh!! cozy time!!!

with the holiday season in full swing, i find no better opportunity to maximize the use of my favorite word in the English language... COZY. that's right. i mean, just look at the word. all the simply delightful ideas that are conjured up with just the THOUGHT... fireplaces (preferably with a book and blanket), hot chocolate (with homemade marshmallows), couches (REMEMBER HOCKING HILLS?!! oh a** heaven... oh sigh. okay i need a moment), napping and, quite frankly, spooning (quite possibly the greatest definition of cozy if ever there was one...), baking extravaganzas, mindless television marathons (preferably with the sister... oh how she knows how to pick 'em... keeping up with the kardashians being the latest... journey shall we say...)... oh i could go on and on.

last week, however, i was greeted with something that i always associated with the epitome of coziness but hadnt experienced in a solid two and a half years... SNOW!!! oh gosh, just the thought...

well. actually. it was slightly disappointing. here i was, hearing right and left about the impending blizzard upon us... i couldn't keep myself from grinning from ear to ear (while, im not going to lie, most others around me were quite wary and kind of annoyed with the thought of an impending blizzard! i mean, i just didnt understand). so, you know me. im already a morning person. this morning, however, i gleefully arise with the eager anticipation of a traipse through the blankets of white (in my brand spanking new snow boots, no less!) to get to my bus stop... after all, the mere day before we'd received the wonderful preview of a slight dusting... no better way to welcome the holiday season in full gear! but what did i awaken to that fine morning after the prediction of blizzard amounts of snow and arctic chills?

rain. cold. dreary. rain. heck, the snow dusting from the day before had actually MELTED.

um. i KNOW, RIGHT?? crestfallen didnt even begin to describe the downward spiral of the emotional rollercoaster that morning.

oh chicago. what. a. tease.

needless to say, i am NOT holding out much hope for the wintry chills and snowy mounds predicted this week. heck, im bringing the flip flops back. taking a stand if ever there was one, thank you very much.

no worries. ive just decided to take matters into my own hands and just create the semblance of coziness (hey. if mother nature's not going to step up to the plate, SOMEone's gotta!)... ive got my two cozy songs for the season nice and lined up on my itunes (for reference: all i want for christiemas is you by miss mariah herself and baby it's cold outside by willie and norah), my cozy holiday activities lined out (this daley plaza christiemas marketplace better be darn impressive...), my cozy chai stocked, my cozy baking extravaganzaranzadanzas lined up, my cozy love actually viewings already in full swing (was it sad that i was all set to just rewind and watch it again after my viewing yesterday?... and that wasnt the first time i watched it this season...sigh. at least im shameless about advertising it), my cozy snow boots ready and waiting (for something other than rain...)... well, you get the idea.

ahh!! cozy time!!! how would YOU actively embrace such a concept?

i won! i won!

so i decided to take the liberty of actually interacting with coworkers outside of work by going to happy hour with a couple of people on my team a couple of fridays ago... i know, right? anyone who knows me knows there are so many things wrong with that sentence. now, dont get me wrong. i love my coworkers- i mean, they're just so FUNNY. haha - i find people funny? shocking. but anyone who remotely knows me knows that i actively embrace the finer details of staying in and sitting around on fridays. i mean, arent people just TIRED after a week at work? but whatever. when in rome and all that. one drink never hurt anyone...

well. definitely more than one drink and a dueling piano bar later... this woman comes around to take pictures of random people at the bar... okay. so i know i should always be wary of random people taking my picture because who KNOWS where those pictures can end up (thanks for the paranoia, mares) but, quite frankly, you just never know! maybe that picture could've been my ticket to being on tv or something! that was my thought process at this point in the evening despite the fact that i dont think the camerawoman remotely referenced a potential stint on television... but no need to further delve into THAT thought process. so eagerly, i beam away for the camera and then, more than a little readily, write down my email address for her to keep me posted on when i should show up for my grand tv debut...

ha. right. instead, three days later, i randomly get some email from howl at the moon (to which i grimaced because i certainly didnt remember giving my email address out that night in the aforementioned story until i received this follow up email from the bar- whoops)... congratulating me on winning a free happy hour for me and 100 of my closest friends.

i know, i know. wtf and all that, right? of all the people for this to happen to?? i mean, the irony of the situation! you can't make this stuff up! the girl who hates (absolutely hates) having attention drawn to her (well. except, apparently, if it has to do with being on television in which case i am shameless in self-promotion... a study of contrasts, i know)... the girl who actively promotes staying in on the weekends and can readily detail the finer points of cozy time on any given night... the girl who used to be so anti-hanging out with coworkers at her last job (haha i bet any triagers reading this are just like who is this girl? what the f HAPPENED? but whatever. side note.) decides to venture out for one innocent night...

and a free happy hour and 100 friends later...

awesome.

quite frankly, even though i am probably the person least likely to deserve to win some random free happy hour (HELLO! where are the contests for free cupcake tours or coffee shop hours when you need them, people??), you KNOW im so all ABOUT innocent friday night happy hours NOW because, quite frankly, what else will i get to win?? laksdjflaksjdlfkj! i cant wait wait wait to find out!!! lkajsfdlkjsd!