I forgot how amazing school breaks were. Do you know how much more fun NYE is when you haven't worked from 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.?? Or how much more you can enjoy Christmas Eve when you aren't sitting in an office where your boss banned holiday decorations! It's AMAZING.
The boyfriend got almost an entire month off of school, and I was lucky enough to take that time off too.
Since the majority of the students in his class do not have significant others who have to stay in town and work over the holidays, most people peaced out of LexVegas as soon as they possibly could.
Of course this is ridiculous for two (but probably more) reasons. One: how can you possibly pack properly while studying for exams or in a few hours after your brained was fried from exams. Two: Lexington is actually a pretty cool little town and they missed the opportunity to enjoy it without the stress of law school looming over them.
We started our break by taking Dixie to Crabtree Falls. She handled the hike like a pro and promptly passed out for the rest of the night as soon as we got back in the car. That is the biggest puppy victory you can ever have. Like literally ever.
Next, we had the honor (and the privilege) of hosting my newly legally-drinking brother in Lexington. He was only in for a night, so we used it as an excuse to go to the greasy and delicious Kenney's. We took our massive order of fried chicken, honey biscuits, mac & cheese, and green beans to Devil's Backbone Brewery and enjoyed our food with some local beer. Seriously, if you ever drive through the area, you should stop at Kenney's. You may not feel fantastic afterwards, but you'll definitely be happy.
Our time in Baltimore was mostly spent preparing for our annual Christmas Eve party (with some very important time set aside for sushi burritos). I got to make my favorite bourbon punch and candied bacon brussel sprouts (recipe coming soon). It's always my favorite party of the year.
We also had time to go to a Raven's game, before which we got to go on the field and watch them warm up a la a #sidelineVIP. The game itself wasn't as fun. The Ravens ended up losing by a not even close to being close 30 points and we left before the game was over.
After Christmas, the jetsetting really began. We flew off to the real Vegas where we had little to no luck gambling but some good luck picking shows. My absolute favorite was Absinthe, which is performed in a tent outside Ceasar's Palace. It's like a hilarious scaled down Cirque du Solei meets burlesque. While I highly reccomend it, you should probably read the Yelp reviews before buying tickets. Seriously.
Back on the other side of the country, we hopped on a train to New York for the night to see Hamilton on Broadway. I know how hyped the show is right now, but we were blown away. The live performance is better than the cast recording. Everyone in the audience was so happy to be there and the cast played off that energy. The combination of Lin-Manuel Miranda's lyrics and Leslie Odom, Jr.'s voice literally brought the entire row behind us to tears. And you have to see Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson in action. Amazing and hilarious. Oh, and Johnathan Groff. I love him. King George is a million times better than a guy singing to an animated reindeer.
By the time we got back from New York, break was almost over and we had to drive back to Lexington the next day. Now classes have started and Dixie counts the days until her sheepadoole friend can come visit. As for me, I'll just be here wishing it was still 70 degrees.
Until then...
