Currently

Freaking out about: The fact that Katie and I are FINALLY going to see Taylor Swift. This is a big deal! We have been talking about going for years. And years. We tried to get tickets to her last tour but it sold out and the tickets that went up on StubHub were hundreds of dollars EACH. Needless to say, that was not in our budget. So we pouted and got over it. Oh and Dustin bought me the Speak Now tour DVD last Christmas so that was a nice alternative. We were super stoked to learn about her newest CD (which by the way is my favorite of hers so far). I knew a tour would be coming up so I signed up for every newsletter, made sure to read every Tweet, Instagram, and Facebook post. This was/is serious business. I got my pre-sale code on Monday and then the next morning went on Ticketmaster and bought some pretty awesome tickets. Great seats! I didn't have any problems at all. We had to go with the Thursday show instead of the Friday one because the seats were way better but no big deal!

This will be the first 'major' concert I've been to since I was in high school. Major meaning that I spent way too much on a ticket, the artist has songs on the radio, and sell out stadiums. I remember seeing Shania Twain in 9th grade at the old Orlando Arena, Bon Jovi/Goo Goo Dolls in Tampa with my mom my senior year, and even the George Straight festival at some point. I can't even believe I typed that. It's weird because I used to listen to country growing up. But there was a switch somewhere in high school where I wasn't interested in it at all. To this day Taylor Swift is as country as I get and I would hardly classify her as country these days. There are plenty of 'pop' artist I enjoy (Britney Spears, Karmin, and I hate to admit it but Kesha has even grown on me) but I have NEVER bought a full CD by any of them. A song here and there. I have no desire to see any of them in concert either. I just don't. Taylor Swift is the only exception. I typically go for shows at HOB or The Social. Shows where you can almost touch the musicians. I prefer small, intimate gatherings especially when someone is playing music. But I'm excited to step out of my comfort zone. Katie and I are going all out! Red outfits. And maybe a sign? Eh, why not, YOLO!

Frustrated with: Christmas tree farms in parking lots. Ok maybe they aren't farms but the whole tent with Christmas trees under it in my gym parking lot has got to go. Ever since it arrived I have been having to circle the place to find a parking spot. On Monday, there were ZERO spots. I had to go home! It was so frustrating and annoying. Buy fake! They last for years and don't require watering!

Nerding out: Dustin got me the expansion pack 'Seasons' for Sims 3 for Christmas. (Another early present.) I played it for the first time a couple nights ago, just checking it out. There are thunderstorms! And it snows! And one of my male sims got abducted by aliens. Pretty cool! The aliens dropped him back off hours later and a few 'sim days' after that he had an ALIEN BABY. I had the choice to send it back to it's home planet or raise him. I chose to raise him. Duh! But I forgot to save and now the alien baby is gone. I'm still upset about it. So I've been on a mission to get abducted again. For the record, I'm not ashamed of any of this.

Looking forward to: Wizarding World of HP! Sam and I have been planning this for six months. She and I have both been but not together. And I haven't been since December 2010. So this is long overdue. Dustin is excited about chocolate frogs and that he'll now have people to go on roller coasters with. I'll be the girl on the bench holding everyone's stuff waiting for them to get off the ride. Ha! I don't mind though. I really don't. Dustin knows from experience that I am the last person that should ever go on a roller coaster. Pat has never been to HP so I think he is really going to love it. Maybe not as much as Sam and I, but now that he's seen all the movies he will definitely 'get it'. Butterbeer! Wingardium leviosa! Quidditch! Potter! Granger! Weasley! Ahhh!

Also, the Zinzi/Maff annual Christmas slumber party is this weekend. This is where we exchange gifts, bake cookies, and watch a Christmas movie or two. It's pretty much the best thing ever. Can't wait!

Stressed: We are having an 'Ugly Sweater Contest' at work in a couple weeks and I really want to have fun with it. All the ugly sweaters I've seen in stores or online are $25+. This is something I'd only wear a couple times a year and within the same month, so I don't want to spend a lot of money on it. Everyone says go to a thrift store but I have never been able to find anything at those stores in past years. I'm sure I'll end up going to at least one just to say I've covered my bases. I'm thinking I could make one but I don't have any really good ideas yet. Stress city!

Watching: Still watching Parenthood. Still loving it. I am super sad that my free month of Amazon Prime is up tomorrow since that's how I've been streaming all the episodes but I can always watch them  on nbc.com or sign up for that free month of Netflix. I like having options!

Reading: I don't want to jinx anything but I think I am finally getting past my reading funk. This week I picked up 'The Casual Vacancy' again and am really getting into it. It's not like it was ever boring, I was just always distracted for some reason. I couldn't really focus on any book for the past 6 months. I've been consistent in reading it every night so I'm hoping that keeps up. I have read a lot of good reviews from J.K. Rowling fans but I'd obviously like to form my own opinion.

Listening to: Christmas music! But my version of Christmas music. I tend to like bitter/emo Christmas songs. I like that classics too, just not as much. I'm thinking of posting a playlist at some point.