Celebration

We have had much celebration the last few weeks. Christmas seems like a good place to start. This was our first Christmas away from family....and definitely our warmest Christmas yet. We started our own tradition this year, with cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning and a movie that night. Patrick and I joke about how our Christmases have gotten bigger every year. Our first year we each got each other one gift, our second Christmas was two gifts each, and this year was a higher limit altogether (although the limit is still rather small). Patrick got a stylish and reliable Swiss watch. I got an alloted amount of money to spend at the store(s) of my choice. I hit up Forever 21 and stocked up quite a bit of clothes. We received a Garmin GPS, a necessary accessory in L.A., from Patrick's parents and a generous amount of money from mine. One of my favorite presents, however, is this amazing popcorn maker we got from Williams-Sonoma.

We enjoyed Christmas lunch at The Vines' (Patrick's boss if you don't know) house. I contributed my first-ever homemade sweet potato casserole and some tasty mac-n-cheese (a new recipe I just found....delicious!). It was good practice for the day when we will host large family gatherings....I can't wait! I figure I can master 1-2 dishes a year until I have it all down. We finished the day with a trip to AMC to see Yes Man! Although Jim Carey is hilarious, we suggest saying NO to Yes Man. Call us sticklers, but there was some unnecessary crassness.

Although it wasn't a Christmas present necessarily, we also became a two-car family over the holidays. We have been making it with one car since we got married, but have finally had to break down and buy another car. We spent much time brain storming, checking Consumer Reports and analyzing our budget....and we went with the 2000 Toyota 4Runner. We plan on sticking with the Toyota and Honda families. It sure is a beauty! We love it and are confident that it will last the 7 years we need it to. We have included some pictures for your enjoyment.

New Year's came quickly. Leslie Fike (college roommate/friend from FL) flew in and we hit some tourist spots in Hollywood and Beverly Hills. We were sure to not only visit the Harry Winston store on Rodeo drive, but actually tried on a ring. Bling baby. Straight bling. We rushed into every store we could to see if we could "run into" a celebrity.....but no success.

New Year's Eve was crazy. We spent the night in Pasadena at the "Huxford Suite" (thanks Huxford family) and rang in the New Year on Colorado Blvd. with about 1000 other people. It was so weird counting down on the west coast via the rerun of the ball dropping on the east coast. I must say....not as cool. We rose early the next morning to witness the much acclaimed Tournament of Roses Parade. It was crazy insane....very elaborate. And would you believe that the Science Hill High School Band was there all the way from Johnson City, TN--home of our beloved alma matter?!