I celebrated by going to the Nutcracker yesterday with A, G, and two friends of A’s plus their moms — 6 kids total (all girls) plus the 3 of us. We started off with brunch at one of the friend’s houses and took the Brightline down to Miami to make a day of it — this had zero efficiency benefit (we easily could have driven there, it’s less than an hour) but turned the whole thing into an EVENT, which ended up being a ton of fun!
We left at 9:40 AM and got home at 7 PM. It was a full day! There was lots of social time, it was fun to take the Brightline, AND I also very much enjoyed vegging out with the final episode of Dance Moms: New Era and takeout pizza upon our arrival home.
(C stayed home; Josh was on call but home for some of the day and they watched the UM game together, which we won, so everyone was happy. He was invited to the Nutcracker but chose not to come!).
OBVIOUSLY the Tea Dance was everyone’s favorite, but the whole thing was good. I love our every-other-year cadence for this event — it feels just fresh and just nostalgic enough.
Meanwhile, Hanukkah continues . . . 80% of the gifts this year had something to do with Roller Rabbit, a brand that I definitely would not have pegged to blow up in 2025 (expensive pajamas with monkey themes). AND YET THEY HAVE.
Connections Love
Finally I will share my NYT badge of honor. I do Wordle, Connections & the Mini every morning. I love games that don’t involve any spatial skills, haha. AND, Connections is probably my favorite (though I do love the adrenaline rush that the timed Mini provides!) .
Anyway, I will accept this badge of honor! I’m going to try to beat my own record in 2026 and work on getting more Purple First answers. This would take being less impulsive with my guesses (I usually just go for it once I see 2 sets of 4) but should be achievable!
Pre-Trip Fail . . .
We are not going to make it to REI. Let’s hope everyone’s 2024 ski gear fits, and if it doesn’t . . . well, we’ll just hit REI in Bozeman. Our flight actually arrives pretty early tomorrow since we leave here at the crack of dawn . . . so this plan isn’t TOOOO crazy.
And, some Goal Tracking Inspo For You!
Josh sent me this Lifehacker article on keeping a digital spreadsheet to track goals. Love her setup and aesthetic choices, and she would definitely fit RIGHT in at BLP Live!!! (And, I just emailed her to ask her on BLP so hopefully you’ll hear even more soon!)
10 Comments
Wow! Top 1%!! I am TERRIBLE at connections. I probably did not even solve that many in 2025. There must be something about my brain that cannot connect things well. Spelling Bee is by far my fave game, followed by wordle and then the mini.
Your Nutcracker day sounded great! Even though no efficiency was gained by taking Brightline, it was probably nice to not be driving!! I hate driving, especially in traffic and having to find parking!
Have the best time in MT! I hope they get a lot of powder while you are there. But no matter what, you will have a wonderful time.
I suck at Connections too Lisa – but sometimes its because it is North American centric, at least that’s what I tell myself haha! Wordle and Strands are my favourite.
Happy Finish Line! I only just started playing Connections a few months ago, and I feel like my solve rate is about 50%. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a purple row first, but once in a while I’ve gotten the blue row. Especially for the one this week where the blue row was Alfred Hitchcock movie titles. I nailed that one!
Ridiculously detailed spreadsheets FTW!
Have a great time in Montana! What a year you’ve had–so many highs and lows. Glad you seem to be finishing on a high note with the book pub, etc. 🙂
I am TERRIBLE at Connections, which means it’s probably just what my brain needs. I still do Wordle every day, and I also love Strands. Wordle and Strands at lunchtime is my go-to.
Oooh I think this article will inspire me to up my spreadsheet game bc this is next level! I love it and do some aspects but will def add to it. Have fun skiing.
yes, I thought of you!! (And a few others who have been at BLP Live with their awesome spreadsheets!!)
I love wordle and connections but I limit the time I’m willing to spend on both to the time it takes my coffee to be ready in the morning so I rarely solve connections.
My level of ridiculous parasocial loathing of Wyna Liu is high. Connections is RIDICULOUS such a high percentage of the time- says this Connections [sore] loser.
But congratulations to you, I guess (lol).
Hahaha I also love Connections and am much better at it than all the other spelling related games. Sounds like you and I are in the minority Sarah!
I do Strands, Connections and Wordle with my kids most nights. I am not good at Strands – my 11 year old is far better than me! It’s been a nice evening tradition.
I do the NYT games each day too and my new favorite the past couple months has been Strands! Connections is the trickiest for me! Happy Holidays!!