My Christmas Getaway

Hello my darlings! Thank you for stopping by my blog page! :-)

Today I want to share with you how I celebrated Christmas.

Here is the link to the video for today's post: My Christmas Vacation.

First of all, I must say that I feel very lucky that my aunt invited me to visit them for Christmas. And I was even more lucky that I didn't get sick. I was worried that I could get Covid before my trip and would have to cancel. And I was worried that I could get it during my trip and make my aunt and uncle sick, but looks like everyone was fine! So I am very thankful for that!

I arrived to Albany airport on December 23rd. My aunt is so kind, she always meets me there when I come to visit them. I like to take early morning flight to Chicago and have more time with my family. So around noon I was already at my aunt's house. The Christmas Tree was so beautiful! I wrapped some gifts and put them under the tree. I love this opening gifts tradition!

I think I tried outdoor hot tub for the first time in my life, at least I cannot remember trying it before. It was so much fun! If I ever have a house, I will get a hot tub! I always wanted to try to jump out of jacuzzi into the snow and I finally was able to do that! Well, there wasn't too much snow this Christmas, but at least I put some of it on myself and even tried to make a snow angel, as much as snow allowed, ha-ha.

We were walking in the park almost everyday with my aunt. It was so nice! One day we walked more than 5 miles! While I was in Saratoga Springs, there was no wind. Because of that, the weather felt really nice and pleasant for walking. And Saratoga Spa State Park is very beautiful, even in winter. We were getting some spring water with minerals, I felt like I was on some health improvement trip.

On Christmas morning we opened all gifts, I got Amazon card and already bought my favorite board game (I will talk about it later). My aunt and uncle are so thoughtful, they knew that I would have to take gift back to Chicago and didn't want me to carry something big. So gift card was just perfect! :-) And I got a little knife for pilling skin from veggies and fruits, I really liked it!

Around 3PM we went to my uncle's son and his family to celebrate Christmas. They had two kids, 3 and 2 years old, it was fun to play with toddlers, but I got a bit tired after, ha-ha! Family dinner was very nice, like in a movie. Was fun to get together and talk about different things. Jackie, my uncle's daughter-in-law, got some cute things in Target, you could open them and find a little gift and a paper crown inside. So we all have been wearing crowns, it was cool, ha-ha! My uncle made amazing desserts. He is extremely good at baking!

Next day we went to my aunt's and uncle's friends, they lived not too far. We had very nice lunch with their friends, then we all went for a walk to downtown area, it was interesting. Saratoga Springs is a very cute place. I hope in summer there will be no Covid and I will be able to visit some charming cafes in there :-)

On Tuesday my uncle took me to lake George. It was beautiful. It wasn't frozen, but later in winter it gets frozen and people do ice fishing in there. I saw Fort William Henry that was built in 1755. Can you imagine how old it was!? Well, it was kind of destroyed in 1757, but in 1950 the replica of the fort was constructed. There is a museum now.

My aunt and uncle were cooking and baking so many yummy things for me that I decided to cook or bake something for them too. One morning I made some crepes. They weren't too successful, but we ate them all, ha-ha. And another day I baked buns with lentil filling. In Russia we call them "Pirozhki". Dough was made with yeast. I enjoyed making them and it looked like my aunt and uncle liked how they tasted, thanks God!

I tried to work out almost everyday. I think that it is better to work out for 15 minutes, than not to work out at all. So I used some YouTube videos and was doing some type of dancing-walking exercises. It was not too hard, but at the same time, I got some cardio and with all the walking that we have done in the park with my aunt, it helped me to get to my daily workout goals. Here is the link to my favorite walking cardio workouts: Reps To The Rhythm.

I liked Congress Park, it had multiple springs where people could drink mineral water. And they also had very cute carousel! The horses looked like pieces of art. We saw a lot of cute ducks in there. I can't wait for summer, this place looked nice in winter, but in summer it will be even better! :-)

We also played a board game called "Chronicles Of Crime". OMG!!! I LOVED THIS GAME!!! I already ordered it! I even ordered it for my sister, who lives in Moscow. It was so interesting! I can't wait to get my game. You can play it wit your friends, and just by yourself, because this game uses an app on your phone. You can become a detective and solve the crimes! So cool!

I like tea place "The Whistling Kettle" in Saratoga Springs. It was so cute! The tea cups were adorable, and tea itself was amazing! They had a great selection. We went there for my last dinner, the night before I had to go home. I enjoyed this experience. Even music was great!

I truly enjoyed my time with my family! My aunt and my uncle are very kind and they are so entertaining! They always do something, never get bored. I think they have more energy than I do. I am very thankful for them! It was an amazing holiday season! I am looking forward to my next visit already!

I think it is important to spend time with family and friends and build good relationships with people who care about you. It will make your life more meaningful.

Be Strong And Love Yourself!

From Dasha With Love!

Love Wins!