Sunday, December 16, 2007

Family Time

One of our new family traditions has been for both Heath and I to escort Violet on her last walk of the evening. Last night it was snowing quite a lot, but we persisted and had an absolute blast. Violet LOVES the snow—she literally face plants as soon as we step outside the apartment—and she was in her element. Since it was quite chilly, we put on the sweater my mom bought for her earlier this year. It came in quite handy!





(leaving her mark on the winter wonderland)

These next two shots aren't snow-related, but we couldn't resist sharing this face with the world!

Cutest Niece Ever, Part Deux

Just an update on how cute Miss Maddie can be...


Shindig at Melissa's

If it seems like we're partying a lot this holiday season, then you're correct. The onslaught of festivities has actually been a nice distraction for Heath in the mist of his paper writing finals push—we have to get him showered and out of the house somehow. :-) Joke!

Anyway, our friend Melissa hosted a party at her place that stood out for two reasons: 1) It was our first white elephant exchange of the year.

(Hauna won this lovely keyboard!)

And 2) We spent an inordinate amount of time playing Twister. With "Home Alone" and Amy Winehouse serving as our background noise, both Heath and I found ourselves bending in very strange ways and me, in particular, wishing I'd paid more attention in Pilates. TK and Andrew, however, excelled at the "sport."



Fete a la Table

The Browns got a table! For those of you who don't know Ryan and Marissa, that might not sound like particularly exciting news, but for others in the know, you understand how this is cause for celebration. So much so, in fact, that the Browns decided to throw a party in honor of their new table (seen below).


This wasn't just any party, though, this was a first-class wine tasting. Ryan and Marissa picked six mystery pinot noirs for us to taste and even went so far as to create customized ornament charms for our glasses and handmade tasting books to keep track of what we liked and didn't like.





The tasting was both delicious and fun. Wine #5, the 2005 Demetria, was the resounding favorite.




Of course, what is a wine tasting without good eats? The Browns didn't disappoint. The h'ordeurves included: flank steak on toast with a chimchurry sauce; cauliflower soup; polenta with a mushroom ragout; dates wrapped in polenta with goat cheese; bruschetta; and a variety of cheeses and dips. The crowning culinary moment, however, was the cookie decorating.



It was a great night!




(isn't the view from the Brown's place amazing!?!)

Partying Down w/ Advanstar

Yes, this is the season in which my (Thais') co-workers and I put aside our petty magazine-related disputes to celebrate the holidays. Yes, we come together and we bowl. :-) We bowl, and eat lots of fried food.




Now, for some, bowling just isn't cool enough, so a select number of co-workers (ie, the art department and people under the age of 30) attended a secondary party the next day. We headed downtown to Cafe Iberico, a tapas place with great food and delicious sangria. (Heath and I also went to a birthday party that night where we learned to salsa, but alas, no pictures of that).




This particular week in December is also my friend Christine's birthday, so we took her out for dinner one night after work.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Violet's Snow Cone

Yes, tonight, the world is Violet's snow cone. With a rich, snow covering Paulina Avenue in a blanket of white, Violet took to the streets, running, jumping, and licking up snow all along the way. She's warming up over by the fireplace now, but here are some pics documenting her earlier frolicking. :-)