'Twas the Season

I know, the holidays have come & gone & 2010 is a thing of the past. 

HOWEVER. 

I was looking through some pictures from last month, and realized it was filled with way too much fun that was undeniably worthy of sharing.  Anyway, who doesn't enjoy a good trip down memory lane? 

I love the holidays, because, among other things, they hold a promise of time spent with my sweet family.  We've reached that point where we're all in different places doing different things, which means our time together is something we value more than we ever have before.  Jen is a married woman & lives in Iowa, in a cute house with her cute husband.  Ethan is living the college dream at U of I in Champaign, keeping a healthy balance between the books & a thriving social life.  And Anna... Baby Sister Anna... is closing in on her final months of high school, maintaining a social life that leaves the rest of us exhausted just thinking about it.   All of this to say, life is crazy, and  I am incredibly grateful for the time we spend together.

Aside from the holidays, December is a special month because it's the month when my-futre-husband-younger-man-by-exactly-six-months celebrates his birthday.  (I was born on June 1, he was born on December 1.)  One would think a mere six months age difference wouldn't be anything to write home about, but I have a feeling that Doug will forever refer to me as his older woman.  I say this because he brings it up often & smirks every single time.  While I roll my eyes when he brings this up, I'll admit I'm moderately amused by my quick retort, which is "Get him young, bring him up right."   This year, we celebrated Doug's birthday in two phases.  First, with dinner at Sleek in St. Louis with Gary & Nancy.  The next phase was the second annual suprise birthday trip- this year to Chicago.  He was shocked when he opened his birthday card & found our flight itinerary & pictures of Chicago at Christmastime in the card.  I LOVE surprises- giving & receiving.  Doug does not particularly enjoy them, which is admittedly part of what fuels my fire.  He's a very predictable, level headed person- and I love shaking things up & seeing him react.  Anyway, once we got to Chicago, there was one more suprise in store for him- his parents, brother, and my parents all met us there to celebrate.  It was... awesome.  Definitely a December highlight.

Oh, and one memory worth mentioning- a visit from my dear friend Gina Lorubbio.  I met Gina when I lived in Ohio after college.  It's safe to say this young woman seriously inspired me in the short year that I was there, and it has been such a blessing to keep in touch with her since we've gone our separate ways.  Anyway, her weekend visit was the textbook definition of an epic girls weekend: hours of girl talk, insane amounts of hot tea (and a glass or two of vino), good snacks--- totally relaxing. 

Doug's first birthday celebration-
 Dinner at Sleek Steakhouse.




One of the many reasons Gina is such a fabulous houseguest:
She's an amazing cook- whipping up a batch of tomato bisque that would put Campbell's to shame.

 

Mom & Dad- en route to a full day of shoping in downtown Chicago!

Our first night in Chicago- Dinner at Hugo's Frog Bar!



Though a little fuzzy- one of my favorite pictures.
Our second night in Chicago- dinner at Smith & Wollensky's.
Our view was amazing, and they have the BEST baileys & coffee known to man.



Christmas Baking with Mom. 
She takes her peanut clusters real seriously.
Doug received, as you can see, hands on
directions for his innagural batch. 

The Fam on Christmas Eve.  Before too much longer we're
going to have to add a second row for our family photo shoots!

After many years of waiting, Ethan is thrilled to 
finally have a little balance to the ratio of men/women in our family.
Would you believe these three did NOT plan to all wear sweater vests? 
 It just happened. I love it.

Opening presents with the Porterfields!
Nancy received a new (serious!) winter coat,
& I became the proud owner of some awesome
new ski gear. 

New golf shirts for the brothers! 
JUST what Doug needs! 
(Note sarcasm)

 

The last hurrah of 2010- our third annual NYE dinner
extravaganza with the Buckwelps.  We've been ringing in the
new year with them since 2008!