Life with Gling

So it’s Christmas Eve and Jared and I are getting everything packed up to head home and be with our families. Last night we went out to celebrate my birthday…which was amazing! We went to The Melting Pot on Delmar…which is an amazing fondue restaurant. It was probably the most expensive meal either one of us has ever had…and will ever have…but it was very much worth every penny! The bring you a 4-course meal, all fondue style. (Exept for the salad.) They start with the cheese…you pick which kind you want and they make it right there in front of you. You get veggies, breads, and apples to dip in it. Then you get your salad…which you get to pick as well. Then comes the main entre….which is lots of meat! There was sirloin, tenderloin, chicken…all with different types of seasonings. You also get lots of veggies and sauces. You cook them all in the broth of choice…right there at your table. We picked some red-wine sauce…which was awesome. Finally, you get to pick desert…probably the best part. We had s’mores fondue…which they made in front of us as well. They give you all sorts of things to dip in it…cheesecake, marshmallows, fruit, brownies…etc..etc. Anyway…it was amazing…and I highly recommend it to anyone!

So I better get going…Jared and I need to get the truck loaded up and head on our way. We’re both finishing up putting a few songs on our new i-pods….and then we’re off! (Unknowingly…we both got each other the same thing for Christmas.)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I am now 25…

As of 4:30 p.m. today….it’s officially Christmas Break! (Yes!!!) Work was actually really good today. My birthday’s tomorrow…so we had my work celebration today. Jen got me birthday donuts and Ryan treated me to coffee. We all went out for lunch too. It was a really relaxing last day of work. I actually got quite a bit done…which was surprising. The last part of the day was spent playing Taboo with my co-workers…always a good time. (Seriously…I’m so blessed to work where I do!) Anyway…I’m looking foward to my birthday tomorrow. Jared and I have reservations for a really cool fondue restuarant…and we’re going to our churches Christmas service tomorrow night too. Should be a good night! Jared surprised me with a dozen pink roses when I got home from work….my favorite. Max and Ellie tried eating them….but learned quickly that thorns feel bad on your mouth.

OH…one more quick thought. Today I walked in to work…only to see that a co-worker had gotten her hair cut…TO LOOK JUST LIkE MINE!! Seriously…girls just don’t do that. She then ignored me for the rest of the day…it was odd. Anyway….I should probably be flattered…but needless to say, I’m not.

Ok…gotta go…Jared and I are eating some quick supper at home and then we’re off to see “Night at the Museum”.

Adios!

As I’m sitting here at my desk…I’m starting to wonder why on earth I stayed up until 1:00 a.m. making Christmas cookies. However…seeing the smile on people’s faces once they eat them makes it all worth it. I got all domestic last night and baked like crazy. (I absolutely love baking!) Anyway…here’s the breakdown…

6 = The types of cookies I made.
28 = How many dozen cookies there were at the end of the night.
1 = The pan of fudge I threw together.
300+ = How many cookies there were total.

Baking Christmas cookies has always been one of my favorite parts of the season. I really haven’t gone nuts and made lot of cookies since we’ve been married…and I figured that needed to change. So I set out for a crazy night of baking. The result…delicious cookies for all! I made peanut butter blossoms, Mexican wedding cakes, sugar cookie candy canes and stars, butter spritz cookies, thumbprint cookies, fudge and oreo truffles. So if you want a cookie…you know where to go!

Our new niece is here!!! We’re leaving to go meet her…more details later!!!

I absolutely love December…for oh so many reasons! I love December because of decorating. (For those of you who don’t know…I’m a decorating nut…espcially at Christmas. Seriously, it looks like Christmas threw up all over my house…and I love it!!) I love December because of snow…even though we haven’t had too much of that down here yet. Just one crazy ice storm. (That took away power and caused me to miss my favorite tv show that week. So I hate ice…but I love snow.) I love December because of Christmas music. (This year I’m hooked on Sufjan Steven’s Christmas…it’s superb!) I love December because of my birthday…which is in 10 days! (This year marks the big 2-5. I’ll be 1/4 of a century old next week. After that point, I’ll be closer to 30 than I will be to 20…eeks!) I love December because of Christmas trees. (My tree this year is great….except for the few ornaments that my cats have stolen and hidden in their little hiding spots.) I love December because of the free week of vacation I get from work…and so does my hubby. (Such a blessing!) I love December because I get to see my family a whole bunch! (This year I get to see more family than last…because we have a new niece on the way any day now! I can’t wait to meet her and finally find out what her name is!) I love December because of all the blessings it reminds me of. Jared and I have been so blessed this year, and in the true meaning of Christmas, I really encourage you to think about what God’s done in your life this year. I’m so thankful to have an amazing family, a loving husband, a house to call my own, and 2 crazy cats that pretend to be humans. I’ll end on that note…and get back to my job (which I’m also thankful for!).

So last night we helped co-host an 80’s party. It was like totally tubular! It was a costume party, so we all dressed up. I went with my favorite pair of black leggings, along with a massive blue/pink/black/and green crinoline skirt. (It was huge.) I crimped my hair, and sprayed it pink and wore way too much lime green and blue eyeshadow. Jared tight-rolled his jeans, wore a nasty old Def Leppard sweatshirt, some crazy lime green sunglasses….and he shaved his facial hair down to a mustache. (It was so terribly 80’s.) We also ate a lot of 80’s food and candy. (Tots, pizza rolls, boxed mac-n-cheese, reeses pieces, twizzlers, pop rocks, bugles, rc cola….mmmm…it was all so amazing. For entertainment we watched Weird Science and played 80’s trivia. To end the evening, we took 80’s glamor shots. We used a great backdrop that Crissy and I made. (White sheet…splatter paint….balloon arch…it was great.) Anyway…it was a great night…a night that will need to be repeated in the next year or so. I love the 80’s!

After everything that’s gone on this weekend, it’s hard to believe that it’s almost over. Let’s back up to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday night…the point when our power went out and Jared got stuck in Orlando. (Jared was in Orlando with my boss for a Web-Seminar.) His flight for Thursday was cancelled, then his flight for Friday was cancelled…and then he finally made it back on Saturday. This…and the power outage…was all due to a wicked-crazy ice storm that hit us on Thursday. I was in the middle of watching Grey’s Anatomy when the power flickered off….then on….then off….then on….then off…for good. I bundled up for a chilly night with the kitties. Luckily, our neighbor (who somehow still had power) ran an extension cord over to our house so that I could plug in my heater. I managed to get up for work on Friday (which was not cancelled…grrrr…). However, upon getting ready to start my car, I realized that “duh…my garage door is electric”. Needless to say, I wasn’t getting the car out of the garage, and Jared’s truck was frozen shut. I had my friend from work come and pick me up. I mooched off friends that night so that I didn’t have to stay at home in the cold. (My house was a solid 40 degrees by now.) Miraculously…my power came back on around 10:00 p.m. on Friday. (YAY!!!) The cold from the night before was still enough to get me sick. I’ve been battling a nasty cold ever since. As of right now…I’m finally able to slightly taste food once again. We’ve been housing some friends the last few nights as well…since they still don’t have power. It was nice to finally get the house cleaned up today…in warmth. Anyway…it was a crazy weekend to say the least. I’m beyond thankful to have my husband safe at home with me…with plenty of power for our house and our friends.