I spent a lovely 48 hours in Madrid with a good friend back in December. Of course Madrid being the capital city of Spain, I knew I would get there at some point this year. On my first trip to Spain (in June 2015. The one where I decided moving here sounded great), I barely spent any time in Madrid because I met my group a few days late. So I simply landed, went to my hostel and took a bus out to meet my friends in La Rioja the next morning. So I was excited to actually explore Madrid. I also read that Madrid had some awesome Christmas markets, so it seemed perfect!
Christmas is over. Each year in my adult life, Christmas just seems to sneak up on me. Before I know it, it’s Christmas eve. This year things especially seemed to happen that way. Luckily, however, I had my trusty camera with me at several holiday events. Here’s my re-cap.
The Christmas Who-vile party
I’m a notorious friend-stealer. By that, I mean that many of my friendships have been made through mutual friends. Kim is one of said “stolen” friends. She and my best friend Kayleigh met at Wittenberg University when they were members of the same sorority. Then their first year out of undergrad, she moved down to Cincinnati to work on her master’s and we all hung out from time to time. After that, she found a job in Columbus.
The lovely KimKim and I in our costumes
Each year, her roommate Nichole has a fun and festive Christmas party. This year made party number nine. Nichole seems to be known for her Christmas party amongst her friends from high school, college, work and wherever else she knows her friends from. Kim invited me last year and I went. The theme was blue and they made these amazing candles.
This year the party took a Grinch theme and they made their own beer. These ladies really out-do themselves every year.
Nichole with their home-brewed beer
Also, her hair and costume here are simply amazing. Kim decided to dress as a Christmas present. I love her shoes! I just decided to pin my braids to the side of my head like Cindy Lou-who. If you have a Grinch party to go to, it’s like the easiest thing to do. Here are a few more photos from the evening:
Christmas day with the Boskens
Since I was born and probably even before that, my dad’s side of the family has been gathering together on Christmas day. This year, we all gathered at my aunt’s house. Highlights included a White Elephant gift exchange, a game of Settlers of Catan and Mostaccioli for dinner. I snapped a few photos of family members in dresses.
The baby shower
The day after Christmas, I got together with my dad’s side of the family at a different aunt’s house. One of my cousins is going to have a baby in a few weeks, so we had a shower. It was too fun.
Congrats to Margie! I’m so very excited to have a new member of the family!
This is my vintage Christmas dress. Today I had a lazy morning. It was the first morning in several weeks that I could sleep in. It felt great. So when I was finally ready to venture out for some last-minute shopping, I decided to wear something in holiday colors. I’ll admit that this year I’ve been less in the Christmas spirit than before. Without going into too much detail, my mother has been in the hospital since the beginning of August. She suffered a brain aneurysm and has been in the hospital or nursing homes ever since. I am thankful that she is alive. Her recovery has been slow with a few setbacks. This will be my first Christmas without her in the house. My first without her watching me open presents and all the other things. It has been hard.
But I know my mom would want me to still enjoy the holidays. So I will. I decided that my vintage Christmas dress would be a good option. Several summers ago, I attended the Whispering Beard Folk Festival. It was an amazing weekend with music and all sorts of vendors. One of them was a vintage shop and this is where I found this dress. I love the pattern and fabric. Also the neck lace area is unique too. I love my vintage Christmas dress.
I hardly ever wear bracelets, but these just seemed to go. These are three green bangles that I bought on Devon St. in Chicago about six years or so ago. Devon St. is an area of the city with lots of Indian restaurants and shops. It’s definitely worth a stop if you’re in Chicago.
My vintage Christmas dress this Dressember
Also happy day 24 of Dressember. For those who are unaware, I’ve been wearing a dress every day this month to raise awareness about the global issue of human trafficking. Proceeds raised go to International Justice Mission and A21. You can read more here.
Christmas is almost here! Last Friday, I had three Christmas parties to attend in one night. I suppose it’s just that time of year. I also worked a casino gig for the Cincinnati Circus Company (my super fun side gig). So I needed a good outfit that would work for all the things. Friday also marked day 18 of Dressember. So I thought I’d make this an outfit and a story post.
Dress: Target; Shoes: Target; Jacket: H&M; Hair piece: Global Village in Dubai
I absolutely LOVE this jacket! When I was last at H&M, they had this jacket in roughly 8-10 colors. Furthermore, the original price was only $39.99. I, however, bought it on a sweet black Friday deal for $26! My hair is pulled back by a piece I bought in Dubai’s Global Village last Spring. This past year, I was so very blessed to have the opportunity to visit four new countries. The United Arab Emirates was one of them. One of my best friends from college is a Dubai native. So when I visited, she took me to the Global Village. Basically for several months out of the year, Dubai invites people from all over the world to set up shops in the village with things from their culture. I found these amazing coasters from the Africa section. I want to say it was from Kenya, but I unfortunately cannot remember the specific African country. This headpiece was from the China section. If you ever have the chance to go to Dubai, go! It’s most definitely worth a week or more of your life. It was on said trip that I decided camels are like the coolest animals ever.
The Christmas dress
My latest Target dress
I am just obsessed with this dress. I knew it was all over when I went on a Target trip and saw all the dresses. If you need a good and affordable party dress for Christmas or New Year’s, Target is an excellent place to look. I tried on four, texted my best friend pictures of the two I was deciding between and then picked this one. It was her favorite too.
A positive trafficking story
The story I’m sharing is quite a positive one. India is one of the most populated countries in the world. Thus, it also has a large problem with human trafficking. International Justice Mission, one of the organizations Dressember fundraising efforts go to, has an office in Mumbai. Mumbai has a red light district that is over 200 years old. Many young girls are heartbreakingly trafficked there. The Mumbai IJM office just completed trainings for 10,000 police officers, social workers and prosecutors. Quite a milestone. In this story you can listen to an interview with IJM Mumbai’s Field Office Director Sanjay Macwan. His goal is to rescue every minor girl from trafficking in the red light district. You can read the full story here.
Mis zapatos
We only have about a week left of Dressember. I really hope you’ll consider contributing towards my goal. You can learn more here.
