We Wish You a Merry Christmas...

On Friday, Matt and I gathered up our boots, jackets, coats, hats and gloves and headed off into the woods to cut down our Christmas tree!!!

Scratch that...

On Friday, Matt and I gathered up our shorts, t-shirts, sunscreen, sunglasses and flip flops and drove to Home Depot to get our Christmas tree!!!


Here is Matt telling the guy we want this tree.

Since it is only about 3 blocks from here, we put the tree in the back of the jeep and drove home! Matt used a saw about the size and strength of a butter knife to cut off the lower branches so it would fit into our tree stand.
We brought the tree inside the house, where Peanut ...

...and Magic found themselves a new place to sleep.

We built ourselves a great big fire, watched it lightly snow outside and put up our lights, angel and ornaments while drinking hot chocolate and listening to festive Christmas music.

No, that's not what happened...

We dragged the fans out of the closets, opened all the windows in the apartment, and put up our lights, angel and ornaments while drinking gallons of cold water and listening to a few different college football games.

Despite the heat, and Matt suffering a case of home sickness, (nothing a little leftover stuffing couldn't solve) I had a lot of fun! Matt also put some lights on some garland and hung it from our bar, so our apartment looks very festive! I have made a very small dent in my Christmas shopping, so we do have a few presents under the tree.

We hope that everyone else is excited for Christmas as much as I am!!!!

Christmas Decorations!!

I am excited about Christmas! We went to Michaels yesterday and got some cheap greenery so that I can being to decorate. We are going to Home Depot tomorrow to get a tree!!! As much as Magic likes the greenery, I am sure she is going to enjoy having a tree to sit under inside the house. Can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Matt and I (well more I) decided to stay here for Thanksgiving this year, and after taking careful notes on how to cook a meal, I woke up, took the turkey out of the fridge, put it on the counter, and called Mom. I didn't even know where to start, and Matt was "wishing he was playing football with his high school friends". To top it off Peanut was doing her best to convince me that she could eat the turkey raw. But, after a slow start, Matt and I got the turkey freed of the icky insides and stuffed with the deliciousness. Here is proof that in fact it was raw to begin with!



We had veggies and guac for lunch, while watching the Lions "play" football. It was bad news when they fumbled on the second play, but at least we scored more than the Seahawks!
Just as the Lions game was over, we took the turkey out of the oven!


Along with turkey and stuffing, we had mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, 24 hour salad, rolls, and gravy. I was a little nervous about the gravy, was not sure at all how to make it, both Matt and I kept trying to pawn it off on each other. But, as we both ignored it on the stove it started to thicken! So it actually turned out really well. I am also super impressed with my/our cooking skills because we can never get the timing right on a normal dinner, but everything was done at the same time!!!



We had apple pie later, which was good, and we managed to waddle around the complex, although at a slower pace than normal. I am very proud of not burning down the apartment, or the turkey, and having it all taste really good to top it off! However, since after Matt and I stuffed ourselves, it doesn't look like we made a dent in the food, we might be eating this until we leave for Christmas.

Thanks to Mom who answered the phone... a lot... and for Kroger for the free turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

PS, having the oven on in the apartment for 4+ hours, and it being high 70s outside, it was HOT in here. It really messed with my brain sitting in shorts and sweating. I guess I am not quite adjusted to not having snow during winter yet...

Jason and Lori's Wedding - New Orleans

Finally something exciting to post about! Matt and I left early Saturday morning to drive to New Orleans (6 hours). Here is downtown Houston.


We drove for a long time, through a lot of nowhere, stopped for lunch at 10:30am (Matt didn't want to miss any of the football game). I drove while Matt watched the game on 30 second refresh on my iPhone. It was probably a good thing he wasn't watching it in person.

We safely made it over the Mississippi without falling in. There was quite a bit of Baton Rouge traffic all headed for the LSU game.


We Priceline-d a hotel which turned out to be a Holiday Inn less than a block away from the wedding. It was a perfect location, and a decent hotel. We were next to the elevator and we heard it go up and down and up and down, but we weren't in the room for very long, and we got it for a decent price, and location location location!


The wedding was held at a restaurant that had this courtyard in the back. The wedding was set up a lot like Elizabeth's, with some chairs, and others stood. Matt and I stood to the side so we could watch the Bridal party through the door. The couple in this picture (in the red) we ate dinner with and hung out with the rest of the night. The guy was a cop which made me feel better hanging out in the just recently published #1 most dangerous city!


The wedding went well, Lori cried through most of it. Her dress was very pretty, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was 2 tables of a buffet and it was kinda eat whenever you want, sit wherever you want. We spent the time with that above couple. Jason and Lori came back for their dance and then they walked around and talked with everyone.


Don't let this picture fool you too much, I took off my coat only long enough to take the picture. Matt kinda laughed at me for bringing my coat in the first place, but I did anyway and I was not the only one wearing a pea coat, and the other ones who weren't were wishing they had! Even Matt went back to the hotel to get his North Face later in the night. Lori said she wasn't cold at all ha. She had a tad more things on her mind I am sure.


Here is the cake (which was good). The strings coming out of the bottom (I asked Lori) are called cake pulls (how original) and I guess there is a charm on the end of each string. She picked 6 girls that meant something to her and they all pulled one out and then read what each of them meant. I had never heard of that before. Jason's best man Raj gave a toast and Matt just kept cracking up during the whole thing. Raj was retelling stories of going out and about with Jason and I guess it brought Matt back to the time when he was going out with them as well. I think Matt texted Jeff he better start practicing now.


Jason and Lori handed out sparklers to everyone (I wanted to do that!) and we made a path and they walked through the path and then out to this car. And they rode away! Matt and I then went back to our hotel to CHANGE wooo put my crocs back on.
We went out with our cop couple and some other bridal party people. We got to the entrance of Cat's Meow and then they decided to go somewhere else...but we took a picture anyway.
Ah the dirtyness of Bourbon Street....

The loser that I am was asleep by midnight and we just got up and drove back Sunday morning. I made Matt drive all around New Orleans looking for a McDonalds because if we got on the causeway to Baton Rouge by the time we got off breakfast woulda been over. He wasn't too happy with me, but I got my egg mcmuffin! We only hit traffic in Houston (figures) and then I was in bed by 8pm, asleep not very long after.

Long weekend, but exciting nonetheless! Turkey on Thursday, Christmas Tree on Friday!!!!!

Michigan Football Articles

Michigan's football coach Rich Rod hasn't brought much to Michigan football this year, and he recently told Michigan football fans to "Get a life". Quoted from the ESPN article:

"Heading into his first Michigan-Ohio State game -- where the Wolverines are expected to extend their dubious record with a ninth loss -- he tried to deliver a message to fans who have lost touch.

"It's amazing some of the things that people would say [on a message board] or yell at you of a personal nature," Rodriguez said Monday. "You almost want to tell them, 'Get a life.'"

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3710474

In response, sports writer Granderson writes an article which I find so very true. Favorite quotes:

"I don't care what the context is, "Get a life" is really not the way to endear yourself to the people who essentially make it possible for you to earn more than $2 million a year. Especially since all you've brought to the university thus far is bad press from a messy legal battle with your former employer and one of the worst records in school history."

"Rodriguez's sin isn't thinking that some of the Michigan fans need to get a life. His sin was being stupid enough to say it. That's the equivalent of doing the worst job performance anyone in the history of the company has ever done, and then flipping the boss the finger for being overly critical. Especially when you and everyone else in the world knows you were not the company's first or even second choice for the job."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=granderson/081119&sportCat=ncf

I never liked Rich Rod and I thought this article was very well written. Did he expect Michigan fans to shut up and take the bad season with smiles? Every 5 minutes on ESPN the bottom caption reads "Michigan is awful...lost another game...broke longest winning season streak....broke longest bowl streak....Michigan is awful....". Rich Rod better get his act together quick if he wants to keep his job.

Update

Not too much has been going on here, but I figured I should post anyway.

I can't remember what we did Friday, so I guess it was not all that exciting. On Saturday we went to the bar with Kristin, Dan and Brian to watch Michigan lose again. The most positive thing about that is we were at a bar in sunny Texas, instead of in the stadium where it was 30 degrees and rain/sleet/snow. I count my blessings. I am sure we did something else Saturday night, but can't remember. We did watch my favorite movie of all time :)

Sunday we went on a walk and a bike ride, and watched a lot of Monk. I love Monk. It is a great show. It is slightly more fun watching it without Matt who figures things out way too quick. I never figure it out. Then we went to church and Red Robin for shakes afterwards. Except I can't get shakes so they had them without me :(.

Wedding this weekend in New Orleans, to which Matt just now realized interferes with his watching the Michigan/Ohio State game. But please...who wants to watch that game anyway. I can save him his 4 hours and tell him what the outcome is right now. I am more disappointed about missing the Texas Tech/Oklahoma game, now THAT might be a good game!

Like I said, nothing exciting here, just posting an update.

Peanut and the Sheriff

Mom and I drove back to Houston from Colorado with the cats on Friday and Saturday. I drove from Larkspur to Raton, New Mexico. I stopped at a shady gas station, turned off the car, put the keys in the cup holder, and went to find a bathroom. Mom started pumping gas, and then we went to switch.

As I was walking back to the car I heard the familiar sound of the doors locking. And I saw Peanut perched on the window peering at me. A closer look revealed the keys still sitting in the cup holder. Should have seen this coming. Despite my attempts to tell Peanut to push "up" on the lock, she didn't listen.

So we went back into the shady little gas station and called Dad to find our AAA number (purse in car too). After being on hold with them for 5 minutes the man told us to just call the Sheriff and within 10 minutes he had come and let us back into our car. He refused Mom's attempt at accepting Peanut as a thank you.

Just a little adventure I thought I'd share!