Happy Monday! It is the first Monday of 2025 and I’m starting the week with Holly and all of you! We have a new graphic for this year, so please feel free to use it when you join with us. I hope you’ll link up with us for Hello Monday!

I had a fantastic weekend and have eight great things to share with you!

1-We had a two hour early dismissal on Friday for predicted snow. I was so grateful! I work at an early school so the roads and weather were fine when our school dismissed. I used that time to exchange my phone. Jack and I got new phones after Christmas. I went from the iPhone 12 pro max to the 16 pro. I didn’t want to get an even bigger phone so I didn’t get the 16 pro max. It was a mistake! The 16 pro felt too small and I was not happy with it. So I went back to exchange it. It was an easy process but it took FOR.EV.ER!!! It always does, but I wasn’t prepared for it to take quite so long. It was worth it and I am so happy to have a big phone again!

2-After all that phone fun, I took Jack to the MVA and he took his learner’s permit test. He passed and now we begin the daunting process of teaching someone to drive. Yikes! He’s so excited and pretty confident that all his golf cart driving will be helpful. If you don’t know, I am an ok driver at best. Jack joked that I might need that rookie driver sticker more than he will. Ha!

3-I hit the road after we got home even though it started snowing. We got our first snowfall of 2025, just a dusting but it was great to see!

4-I met two of my college roommates, Amy and Val, in Alexandria for the weekend. It was so so good! We had yummy snacks and wine on Friday night before heading back to our hotel room and staying up chatting until early Saturday morning! Those are some of the best nights!

5-We went to breakfast on Saturday at the loveliest little restaurant. I have no idea what it was called, but it was delicious and so cute! We popped in a few shops and then we rode the metro into DC. We went to the National Portrait Gallery and American Museum of Art. Conveniently they were right off the metro and in the same building. I’d never been there before and it was great! We didn’t have time to visit all four floors and it will not be my last visit for sure.

6-On Saturday night, we went out to a yummy dinner and walked back to our hotel to hang out for the night. King Street in Alexandria is so pretty with their lights. We ran into George Washington and surprisingly he was also a JMU graduate! Dukes unite!! 💜💛💜

7-A third college roommate, Liz, was able to join us for brunch on Sunday morning! Oh it was so good to see them. I haven’t seen these ladies in at least a year and we were able to pick right up where we left off!

8-I was home for a while on Sunday afternoon anxiously awaiting the phone call from our school district. They are forecasting 8-12 or 14 inches of snow for us over night and through the day. Every county around us called a snow day long before I got the call. I put the snow day signal on immediately and turned off all of the alarms for Monday morning.

I have a big list of things to do tomorrow, mostly holdovers I didn’t get to on winter break. I will start my day with the Today Show because it’s my favorite snow day tradition. I am hoping that we can sled a bunch in the field behind our house. They planted soybeans in the field this year so there shouldn’t be big corn stalks to contend with. I’m sure I’ll find some time to read and enjoy the snowy view, too! Have a great day full of (snow) sunshine and books