I'm not dead.

Fooled ya, didn't I? I'm apparently terrible at keeping up with blogs.

I don't have much time, but wanted to post a couple photos from a ladies' day of wine tasting last weekend. We went to some of the Livermore wineries and had a blast.

The South Bay Carpool:

Sarah the DD (Thanks again!!):


Joann:


Myself & Char:












Can you tell that this is later and later into the day? ;)

Makin' Progress!

Well, it is day 21 of my weight-loss & get-fit quest and I have lost a total of 9 pounds with 6 left to go! At this rate, I'm on track to reach my goal before we leave for Ireland on Feb 13th.

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Movie!

Yesterday we saw 'Cloverfield' with some of our friends and I really liked it. Not everyone in our group did, though. It's definitely receiving some mixed reviews. I think if you're familiar with J.J. Abrams' work (such as 'Lost'), then that will help you know what to expect a little more.

How cliché!

Betcha can guess what my 2008 New Year's Resolution is!! Yep... Weight loss. I've joined two challenge groups with my friends to lose 15 pounds by March 1st.

- One is a Cardio Challenge where the first person to rack up 50 hours of cardio wins. I think my hours will consist mostly of the elliptical trainer.

- The second is our own version of 'The Biggest Loser.' We're using SparkPeople to keep a support message board, check-ins, and food/exercise trackers. There will be weekly gift card rewards and a grand prize awarded at the end for the biggest percentage of pounds lost. Tomorrow is my first weigh-in date and I'm disappointed with the pounds I've packed on since the wedding, but looking forward to getting them off. It's 1200 calories and lots of cardio for me for the next two months.

So.... Wish me luck!!

Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone!

Merry Post-Christmas Everyone!

So it's the day after Christmas today. Did you have a great day? Eat lots of food? Get what you wanted from Santa?

Our hosting went very well if I do say so myself! We had a total of 9 people and enough food to feed 20!! It was the first time I did my own honey glazed ham and it wasn't as intimidating as I had feared.



Cooking!


PHEW! This is hard work. ;)




Appetizers:

- Fruit Salsa w/ Cinnamon Chips
- Assorted Hummus & Pita Chips
- Hot Artichoke Dip w/ Bread
- Candied Pecans
- DRINKS! (J was the bartender for the evening.)

(Click to enlarge)




Dinner:

- Glazed (by me!) Honey Ham
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Sweet Potatoes topped with Marshmallows
- Winter Fruit Salad
- Smashed Potatoes
- Sauteed Broccoli
- Deviled Eggs
- Rolls
- Corn



















Dessert:
- Almond Cheesecake

Misc Photos:



FIL & BIL


Me, Mom, & Bro


SMIL


J, SIL, & BIL


Thor just had to snuggle!

Christmas Morning

J and I got up together around 8:30 to have our own Christmas morning together. We sipped on our coffee, snuggled, and exchanged gifts. Due to the fact that I had literally just stumbled out of bed, I do not have many photos documenting this event. *lol*



Monkey enjoyed helping us unwrap!


Jase gave me a Tony Romo throwback jersey (yay!), Spyro video game, Sharks beanie, and some misc candy goodies.

I got Jase a black peacoat, Timberland boots, 2 new jeans, black slacks, socks (could my gifts get any more "wifey"??), gift card for the comic shop, & peanut m&m's.

Here's Jase in his new coat, jeans & boots:






We also had a stocking for our kitties. It contained a toy that hangs on a door (and has exciting feathers! haha.) and catnip bubbles. They weren't really sold on the catnip bubbles, but went nuts over the toy! Of course Thor figured out how to rip it off and walk away with it. Smart little punker.



After we were done with our Christmas, we got ready and headed over to my family's home to have Christmas with them.

We got all sorts of generous gifts, so I'll just post the highlights. My fav?!? The Canon S5-IS I've been drooling over for a REALLY long time!!!

My Dad was super-creative this year and made us find our hidden gifts with clues on a "scroll" he made for each of us! It was a great idea, really fun, and J and I are probably going to steal the idea when we have kids.

Here's my "treasure chest" after I found it. My clues are shown behind it.



Ironically, I got up to get my camera to take a picture of my new camera all wrapped up. ;)



Jason got Assassin's Creed and Call Of Duty 4 for the XBOX 360 and some gift cards, too. :)

It was definitely a really fun morning!

Christmas Baking with Friends

Why bake alone when you can do it with friends??

Last night, Joann and I baked with Sarah in her kitchen while J and Sarah's hubby, Zak, played the Xbox 360 (of course!).

Toffee Bars & Hershey Kiss Cookies



Citrus Sugar Cookies



Chocolate Covered Pretzels



And here is my Snickerdoodle Disaster!!! We think the baking soda was old and didn't activate. :( SAD!



And here we are!

Going to the Sharks Game tonight.

Jase and I are going with our friends Daniel & Isabel to the Wild vs. Sharks game tonight at The Tank. After Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Boston Sabres, we'd better come out fighting!! They are so much better than this.

It will be my 3rd game this season. They've lost the last two I went to, so they have some making up to do for their fans! I hope it's a good game.

Oh and I'm also looking forward to food and beer at the Tied House before the game. Yum!

Here are a couple photos from the game we took my brother to for his birthday. It was Kings vs. Sharks that went to shootout.

I'm hosting Christmas Dinner!

This year will be our first year ever hosting a holiday. I'm very excited, but also a little intimidated. We're having my mom, my dad, my bro, J's dad, J's stepmom, J's bro, & J's sis over for a total of 9 people.

To keep the holiday stress-free, I've planned out just about every aspect of the season: from grocery shopping to decorating deadlines. :) Right now, everything is decorated, my Christmas gift shopping is almost completely done, and I've already started baking! I'm definitely in the spirit this year and really enjoying December!