A Merry New Year Party

When I found out that Mj's company holiday party was January 5th instead of the usual December this year my first thought was, cool now I can get a dress on an after Christmas clearance sale.  It was a good idea in theory but in reality I still didn't feel like buying another dress I'd only wear once so I went with what I had.  I often worry about looking too hootchie so I err on the side of conservative and end up seeing women in far more risque dresses then the one I left at home. This time I said screw it and went with potentially hootchie and I'm glad I did because as expected there were STILL women there that went shorter, tighter and lower cut then me.  If you can believe that from looking at my dress.  Mj waited until that day to finally try on his suit and after a 20 lb weight loss last year he was swimming in it so he had to throw an outfit together.  There were clothes strewn all over the bed.  You know the kind of scene we have to go through on a regular basis.

Feels like a Prom pic!

The party was at the Westin Hotel downtown on Saturday so we booked a room for the night.   At the party we were greeted with champagne.  We were off to a nice start but once inside the ballroom we couldn't find a table.  Mj gave up because he was starving and grabbed some food to start eating while we milled around like lost sheep looking for a place to sit.  I don't know if they underestimated the amount of people that were going to show up or if people didn't RSVP or what but there were no more tables inside the main room.  We were relegated to what we called the reject room and had to wait a while before we could even find a table there.  We were away from all the action and ambiance of the main room but we made the best of it and had a good time anyways.  There was a live violinist and a DJ.  Like last year's it was heavy appetizers served buffet style around the room.  There was flat bread pizzas, pastas and salads.  Mj complained about there not being good enough variety but they had me at Pizza and it was all good to me.  They had a photo booth set up and handed us the print so I had to scan it old school style to get it on the blog.

I bought this shirt in Nice, France at Cache Cache // Yes, it feels really cool to say that!

Afterwards we went to a club with some of his co workers.  As much as I wanted to strut around in my hot (read cold) little black dress and pumps like the other girls I couldn't bear to freeze my butt off so I had to change.  My husband is so cute.  I stared and smiled at him from across the room like some kind of creepy stalker and happily thought to myself; yep that's my man.  We've been together for going on five years and I love it that I still feel like we're dating.  We don't do the whole downtown thing too often which is fine but when we do it's so much fun.  I had a blast dancing with my husband all night long.  I made it until 1:30am which is pretty impressive for an old lady who likes to be in pajamas by 10pm if not sooner.   My knees were telling my gyrating hips that they'd had enough and the balls of my feet were yelling at me too so it was time to call it quits and walk back to the hotel.  This is about that time when we start walking like broken rag dolls with sticks up our butts because we can no longer hide the abuse we have put our feet through all night.

The next morning we met another couple for breakfast at The Broken Yolk Cafe.  We hear good things about this place but I don't think any of us was overly impressed with the food.  We ran a few errands on the way home.  As soon as I walked in the door I really wanted to take a nap but instead I changed right away and went to the gym.  Call me crazy but I stayed for two hours trying to burn off all that Pizza.  Later that night we took down the tree.  The last party of the season is officially done and even though having to go back to work really sucks I'd say we're off to a very Merry New Year.

Holiday Par-tay

I have this thing about company holiday party's.  That thing is that I love them.  It's a fabulous night out that doesn't cost me anything so what's not to love?  At my job we just got a holiday luncheon during the work day.  Mj's isn't until January this year but my friend B invited me to hers.  I met her at Hotel La Jolla right after work on Friday, got myself all dolled up and then it was time to party.  This company went all out.  Cocktail hour with appetizers at a swanky hotel to start.  Filet Mignon for dinner.  Dessert bar and a DJ next door.  Oh, and just in case you overdo it on the all night open bar they throw in a hotel room for the night.  I've spent 6 months and then 5 months apart from Mj back to back so it felt kind of silly that I was going to miss him even thought it was just one night.  I felt sad for some reason that he was going to be home without me but not sad enough to stop me from going.  We each do our own thing and we don't have to be together all the time; nor should we.

The cool thing about going to someone else's holiday party is that you can act a fool and you don't have to see those people on Monday morning at work.  When you are the friend your husband doesn't have to see those people at work either.  You can dance like nobody is watching even though the room is full.  You can drink too much and laugh way too loud.  Not that I did any of that of course, but I will say that open bars tend to have quite an effect on me.  We both had a really fun time.  Maybe too much fun.  The next morning we stayed in the room right until the very last minute for check out recovering and then I felt sluggish for the rest of the day.  I definitely don't bounce back like I used to so it's a good thing I don't do this all the time.  Every now and then it's fun to really let loose like that though so it was worth it.

If you haven't entered my giveaway yet the last day is tomorrow.  Go here to enter.

 

I'm Not the Hostess Type

Fancy Cheese Platter

Anybody who knows me personally knows that I am not a cook.  Heck, if you read this blog you know that.   I want to WANT to cook and bake but I just don't.  I think life is simpler without it.  No grocery shopping, no kitchen clean up, no dishes, no dishwasher loading and unloading and no worry about letting ingredients or left overs go bad.  I have simple tastes so I don't have to eat out to compensate for not cooking.  I don't need much.  I've saved a ton of money on groceries since Mj has been gone.

When he goes out of town I get this bright idea to invite the girls over for a little get together which kind of makes sense but doesn't.  On the one hand it's the perfect time to take over the house with the girls but on the other hand he's the one who would know exactly what food to serve at a party.  He told me that if I ever wanted to have a party he'd plan the menu and prepare it as long as I help but I always do it when he's gone so my poor guests are left with me.  Whenever I try to come up with things to serve I draw a complete blank.  I can't deal with anything too complicated.  For me that means anything with more then five ingredients.  I saw a $19.99 family meal deal from Pat & Oscars and it was tempting, but I couldn't go out like that so I came up with something.

It's not like it was a big deal or anything.  I only had four friends over.  But still, I made a stress run to the store that morning.  You know the one that happens when you get paranoid and go buy stuff  for 'just in case' that you end up not even using.  I worried about what to make, if there would be enough and if my guests would like it like every hostess does, but I think I did pretty good.  I had a fancy looking cheese and fruit platter, tortilla chips and salsa, green salad, pasta salad with Italian dressing and Turkey Meatballs.  I did not make the meatballs myself; they were frozen but really tasty.  I am most proud of my Pillsbury Crescent snacks because they were a little different and I actually had to put them together and bake them.  They didn't look quite like the picture, but close enough and they tasted great.  Everyone had a good time and I got to see some friends; one of which I hadn't seen in a year!!!  It's crazy how that happens.

Source: pillsbury.com via CeCe on Pinterest

Two weeks ago I spent the night at my parent's house, then my parents spent the night at my sisters house, then last week my sister spent the night at my parents house so this time my mom and sister spent the night at my house.  Did you get all that?  Ha!  Apparently we just really love taking turns spending the night at each others houses.  So my mom, sister and nephew came down for the party on Saturday, spent the night at my house and stayed all day on Sunday.  We had a lot of fun hanging out together.

The only thing about my weekend that sucked was having to cough up $480 bucks on my car for brakes.  That really hurts and there is a chance I got ripped off because I don't know any better but it had to be done.  I did not let it spoil my weekend.

20 + 10 Birthday Party

All dressed up and ready to go

Me and the beautiful Birthday Girl

Another good friend of mine entered the 30 something club.  Her Birthday is actually Thanksgiving Day but she had her party on Saturday night.  Instead of going out she invited all her friends to her parents house and we all celebrated with her.  Months ago Mj planned to attend a college football game with his friends.  Then, I find out that this party is on the same night.  Oh no!!  He made a half hearted attempt to keep his original plans but when it came down to it he knew how sad his wife would be if she had to go without her main squeeze so those plans basically fell apart and I got to have him for my date.  It was a really fun party.  There were plenty of alcoholic beverages to choose from, good music, good food and a delicious Red Velvet cake.  She hired a guy to make street tacos and they were to die for.  Let's just say I ate way too many to mention here without total embarrassment and shame.

Me and Mj

You can either be sad about turning 30 or you can get over it and just celebrate and that's what she did.   Which got me wondering what I did for my 30th and I actually can't really remember.  I don't think I did much of anything at all and I vaguely remember being kind of bummed out.  Hind sight is 20/20.  If I knew then what I know now then I wouldn't have been sad about the Big 3-0 at all.  My 20's kinda sucked and the 30's have been way better then I ever expected.  Like me, Bianca has spent her 20's dealing with some relationship challenges and I hope she finds her Mr. Right in her 30's like I did.

Another Baby Shower

Red Carpet Area.  She is clearly preggo but still in fashion.

Over the weekend my mom and I attended my friend's shower.  I actually wore a dress which hardly every happens!  I've known Eb for about four years now and she was a bridesmaid in my wedding.  She is the last person any of us thought would get pregnant next.  She's not really mommy crazy and never has been but she is happy about her little girl that is on the way and her and her hubby are getting ready for the major life change that is to come.  This is seriously one of the nicest baby shower's I've ever been to.  It was at a nice restaurant with a buffet of some very good food.  A pack of diapers got you a VIP party pass and they had a photographer set up in front of the red carpet for pics.  There were a few games, some prizes and really cute party favors.  The cake was Zebra print with Pink trim.

Mommy of honor

She got about a million presents.  Including not one, not two but three car seats!!  Which means there is one for mommy's car, daddy's car and grandma's car.  Eb is such a wonderful genuine person and it's clear just how loved she is by everyone who pitched in to help with her shower and everyone who showed up.  The cup cake centerpieces were adorable.  I think someone at our table thought maybe they were going to take one home but we helped ourselves and they were gone by the end of the party.  I had three but that's OK because they were mini's.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.  

Adorable centerpieces.  These are actually tiny frosted cupcakes.

My mom actually ended up staying the night and we had a nice time sitting outside in the backyard by the fire pit and chatting.  This is the year of babies among our circle of friends.  Of Mj's friends there have been three babies born this year already and there is one more due in November.  Everyone keeps asking if we are next and I'm sorry to disappoint but the answer on that one is no.  I won't be having my own baby shower any time soon if ever.  I have a one year old nephew and for us I'm thinking that's plenty.

From the Plane to the Party

My husband is home!  I am no longer reduced to communicating with him by E mail and Facebook.  After a 14 hour international flight from a country with a 17 hour time difference, a two hour flight delay and a two hour drive from LA he finally made it home around 5:45pm.  Just in time to hop in the shower and put on the clothes I'd picked out for him so we could go to a friend's B Day party downtown.  He literally went from the plane to the party which is insane if you asked me.  I get jet lagged and worn out just traveling on a 1 hour flight where I don't switch time zones.  

Reunited and it feels so good

We met his friends at Red Pearl Kitchen downtown and had a good time.   I was a little skeptical because it's a Pan Asian restaurant and I'm so picky but there were things I liked.  Everything was served family style so we got to try a lot of different dishes.  If I had to rely on chop sticks I would have starved.  I'm the only one at the table who had to ask for a real fork so I could actually eat.  It was Anne's 30th Birthday and she celebrated it in style.  After dinner we walked to their hotel room at the Hard Rock Hotel and had a few drinks there.  It had a great wrap around balcony with a nice view of the city.  Mj was too tired to get too much of his drink on so he had announced himself designated driver and I took full advantage.  As the night went on he was still hanging in there....but just barely.  When everyone headed down to the club we headed for home.  By the time we walked into the house he was practically sleep walking, I was tipsy drunk and we both slept like rocks. 

A Gift from Mj.  Hand made jewelry box

It's so good to have him back home.  Australia was his last long work trip of the year.  His family reunion is this weekend in Delaware so there is one more out of state trip but I won't miss him.  'Cause this time I get to go too.

Hostess with the Mostess?

I've never been the hostess type.  Homebody type maybe, but never hostess.  I think years of tiny living spaces and my aversion to cooking made it something I've just never been into.  Mj is out of town again so I figured it would be a perfect time to invite some ladies over for a little get together.  It's amazing how much prep was required just for my small group.  I did my grocery shopping Saturday.  I woke up Sunday morning and cleaned, got into the kitchen, then ended up running to the store again because I was afraid I didn't buy enough tortilla chips.  It's so hard to tell how much people are going to end up eating or drinking.  I was ready by 2pm.  It was a pretty last minute decision and a very small group but it turned out well if I do say so myself.

So what does a non hostess serve to her guests when her much better at hosting husband who cooks is out of town?  Surprise, surprise, but not EVERYTHING came from the frozen foods aisle.  Only some of it.  One of my girlfriends didn't even think I'd have any actual food but she totally underestimated me.  Ok, so it wasn't anything nearly as fancy as Mj would have come up with but I think I did a pretty good job.  It was actually nice being in control of the food because I got to make it so that everything was pretty healthy.  I put out tortilla chips and put together a cheese and crackers spread for starters.  I bought some Jose Ole Chicken Taquitos and Garlic Parmesan Flat Bread that I was able to pop in the oven for 10 minutes.  I made two side dishes.  Baked red potatoes in the oven and whole grain pasta salad with light Italian dressing.  For dessert I bought two kinds of pound cake (one in a Sugar Free version) and light Vanilla ice cream and we had plenty of wine flowing from start to finish.  Easy and simple works for me.

We listened to music and got caught up on what everyone has been up to.  We are all so busy with work and life that we often go a long time without getting together and when we finally do it's usually happy hour so it was really nice to have them over hanging out at my house.  We've been in our house a year and some of them hadn't even seen it.  Oops, I just realized I forgot to put out the salsa!  Oh well.  Everyone had a good time and enjoyed my offerings despite my novice hostessing abilities.  I would never be mistaken for the hostess with the mostess but I work with what I got and it's good enough for me. 

I Love A Good Holiday Party

When Mj was interviewing for his current job in January among other questions regarding pay, benefits, location etc one of the first things I asked was, "Do they have a holiday party?"  You see, I have a thing for holiday parties.  I love it that they are during such a fun and festive time of year.  I love it that they give me an opportunity to dress up and go out on a fabulous free date.  Throughout the year it is rare that a dress up occasion comes up aside from something like this. When I worked in insurance I may have hated my job but I loved the holiday party.  I saw it as my reward for the pain and suffering of working there and I never missed a single one.  My current job does a holiday luncheon during the work day which doesn't really count so I was excited that his job goes all out and does the full shebang.

This tree was probably a good 30 ft tall

The party was at the Hyatt Hotel and we decided to get a room for the night so we could party as long and as hard as we wanted and not have to worry about driving home.  We don't live that far and it's really not necessary but I love staying the night.  It totally rounds out the full "holiday party experience."   I recycled a dress from who knows how many years ago and I was so glad to have a chance to wear it again.  Hubby looked so fine in his suit. 

Our new Christmas tree ornaments

The party set up was a very elegant winter wonderland.  Every couple got four drink tickets, though we managed to get our hands on more, and each employee was entered into a raffle.  There were 10 really great prizes including an iPad, wine country tour and $75 Nordstrom gift certificate.  Unfortunately, Mj didn't win any of them.  We didn't win the actual centerpiece either but we did score 3 additional ornaments for our tree by taking the parts surrounding it.  It was pretty cool to meet his co workers and very surprising that with a few of them it was like they already knew me.  Apparently, I'm just so awesome that Mj talks about me at work-even if it is just to tell them that I fell down the stairs or cut my finger chopping vegetables.  The food was really good and buffet style so we could get as much as we wanted of whatever we wanted-not a good thing for me!   They had the obligatory hokey band doing cover songs from the 80's and beyond.  Why do people insist on bands?   Bands look cool and all and do add to ambiance but for dancing...not so much.  When the DJ was spinning the floor was packed and we got out there too.  The last time we danced together was at our wedding and we had a special song just for us.  Not this time!  We got no special attention which is fine with me since we weren't picking up the tab. 

On the dance floor

Acting Silly

I've been looking forward to this party ever since I found out about it and it did not disappoint.  Mj got tired first.  He may have done a 14 mile bike ride that day but I cleaned the house so I happily took advantage of the the chance to call him an old man.  I cannot say enough about my sexy, strappy, high black heels.  No foot pain whatsoever at the end of a long night.  We both had a blast and then strolled up to our hotel room and slept like rocks.  I love a good holiday party.

Our First Party!



Appetizer platter

We invited people over for dinner at 6.  By 6:15 they started rolling in and we Mj had dinner ready to serve by 7:20 pm.  It was a rainy cold night but 10 people still made it out to come hang out with us and we had a really great time.  We put out tortilla chips with salsa and a really fancy schmanchy looking cheese, cracker and fruit platter for snacking on.  Then for dinner it was a really yummy chicken that hubby dreamed up.  Breaded chicken with an arugula mix and tomatoes covered with melted mozzarella cheese on top.  You put your marinara sauce on the bottom and the chicken goes on top.  He served it with pasta on the side and it was extremely tasty.

Dinner

My awesome hubby host extrordinaire!

I was drinking and chatting and having a good old time after dinner when suddenly I realized...I'm a host too and I can't let my dear husband do all the work.  So I hopped up and kicked him out of the kitchen and finished up the dishes.  Everything was washed or put in the dishwasher by the time dessert rolled around.  We used these really cute clear square plastic plates so the only thing that really needed washing was silverware and glasses.  Plenty of glasses for all of the wine and drinks we offered.  We had three kinds of beer, wine and a variety of mixed drink options.  Dessert was made from scratch brownies (by Mj of course) which we warmed up right before eating and had ice cream to put on top.  One of our guests bought some cheesecake and another brought some wine and more beer so there was plenty to go around.  The first guest didn't leave until around 10, the last ones left around 10:30 pm and we had the kitchen all cleaned up by 11 ish.  Mj is so awesome.  He really was the one who put everything together and I just made sure that I helped with whatever he needed.  

Time for dessert

What struck me the most is that it really didn't feel like work at all.  It's a party!  It's fun.  I clean regularly so we mostly just had tidying up to do to get the house ready for guests.  The cooking and any other prepping we had to do was for something fun and I found that I just didn't mind it at all.  The clean up wasn't bad either.  You just roll up your sleeves and jump in there and before you know it everything is done.  I was so happy that everyone had fun and that everything went so well that I hardly even noticed what I was doing.  Oh, and still being a little tipsy from the drinks made it fly by.  The good thing about having a party at your house is that you don't have to go anywhere.  Everyone comes to you and it's your party so you get to have what you want.  I got to have my hard alcohol of choice, Grand Marnier which I mixed with orange juice.

Mj told them it wasn't a house warming.  We were just having folks over for dinner and we were not soliciting gifts but they decided to chip in and get us something off of our wedding registry.  The Cuisinart stainless steel wine cellar!  It's a wine chiller that holds 8 bottles of wine.  Another couple got us a really cool drink dispenser that will come in handy for future parties.  They are so sweet.  I think everyone had a really good time.  I'm glad we did it and I never thought I'd see the day when I'd say this but....I loved it and am actually excited about the idea of doing it again sometime.   Who knows, by this time next year I might even be ready to host Thanksgiving.

On Entertaining

Entertaining is a bit of a foreign concept for me. My bridal shower was at my house but I just provided the space and my lovely hostesses did all the work.  I can't count how many times I've watched HGTV and heard a prospective home buyer chirp, "Ohhhh and I love how open it is.  Perfect for entertaining!" or "We just looove entertaining!"  Sure, I thought now that I don't live in a shoebox I can invite someone over but actual full on entertaining....not so much.  My thought process was more like "How spacious....I should actually have enough space to keep my house neat."  In that case, throwing a party seems more like a conflict of interest then anything else.

I have never hosted any kind of gathering at my house.  Ever.

• First of all I don't have a gaggle of friends.  You kind of need those to invite a bunch of folks over to entertain.  The ones I do have aren't part of the same circle and I'm kind of a homebody loner type if left to my own devices.  For me, I figured at most it would be a friend or two here or a friend there.  Back in the old days I had even less friends then I do now and was in a lackluster relationship.  Entertaining like some shiny happy couple that we weren't was the last thing on my mind.   
• Second, I haven't exactly unlocked the joy of cooking.  I am making an effort to get in the kitchen because I want to be a good wife.  I haven't found it awful but I'm just not sure it'll ever be something that I look forward to or want to do more then once or twice a week.  For a party I could easily solve that problem with Pat & Oscars or El Pollo Loco-What did you think I'd resort to Pizza?-but hubby is decidedly more "hands on." 
• Thirdly, it can be a lot of work and money.  You have to prepare by shopping, cleaning, and cooking.  You have to consider Hor's Dourves, desserts and drinks.  You want everyone to have a good time so you have to put some effort and thought into that.  Then there is more cleaning and dish washing late into the night after everyone goes home.  And what if someone spills something?  Uh...how is this fun?  Normal Saturday nights include chillin' in my pj's eating popcorn, watching a DVD and dozing off to sleep by 11pm.  Easy and free 99.
• Lastly, I have only ever lived in tiny and/or drab bare walled apartments that I honestly never really took much pride in.  More recently I lived in the tiniest place yet.  The maximum occupancy was 5 and because it was a studio having people over was sort of like inviting a group of people into your bedroom.  I had 0 wine glasses and exactly 4 plates.  My most frequent guests were mom and dad.  Knowing that I was not equipped with food or proper cooking materials we either went out or my mom would bring something in.  I rarely had any other visitors at all. 

Mj has plenty of friends who get together and do all kinds of things throughout the year and we have been invited on multiple occasions to some of their homes for dinner.  Now that we are for the most part settled into our home we naturally want to reciprocate so our first dinner party ever is..... tomorrow night!  Originally, I thought he was just going to invite about 2-3 couples, six people max but come to find out that number has swelled to about 13.  He even sent out an e vite!  He is definitely running the show and as usual when it comes to anything kitchen related I will assist.  No ordering take out on his watch.  He's planned out the menu and will start cooking tonight.  He already started on the mixed drinks and did the shopping for it last night.  He is so organized...well when it comes to this stuff that is.

I like his friends.  I like the idea having them over to see our new home and hang out but this is all just so new to me.  Martha Stewart I clearly am not.  NOT EVEN CLOSE.  I dearly want to be but I just seem to be missing that gene.  I have not done any holiday decorating, I balked at the idea of hosting Thanksgiving, i'm not doing holiday cards and am even debating if we should get a tree!  I'm just the lowly assistant along for the ride but even so I am technically hosting a dinner party...dahling!  At first it really just felt like work but Mj's enthusiasm is catching and now even I am starting to get excited.

The Party.......

My Bridal Shower

I woke up really excited the morning of my shower.  Like a beautiful army those ladies came into my house bearing food, gifts, punch bowls, decorations, and lots of love. 

I heard little whispers here and there about party planning meetings and shopping trips.  It was kind of weird knowing all of this was going on around me and that it was all for me.  I didn't have to do a thing so I had no idea of what they were planning or the effort they put into it until they all showed up at my door and started setting up shop.  

My mom, and good friends De and Eb all got together and made my bridal shower so special.  And to think, I didn't even know if I'd have one at all.  The idea of people planning a party just for me seemed like a little much.  I didn't want them making a fuss.  I tried to tell my mom that I didn't need to have a shower but she wouldn't hear of it.  They all wanted to do this for me just because they care.

The Hostesses

I am not a big fan of games and accordingly they kept them to a minimum.   A fun activity we did is that on cute little recipe cards everyone was tasked with the charge of writing down a recipe for a good relationship.  Just girls sharing their relationship advice with the bride to be.  The last one and my favorite was where mom asked a list of questions about Mj and every time I got an answer wrong I had to chew a piece of dubble bubble.  I felt a little bit of pressure.  I'm about to marry the guy, hopefully I won't get them all wrong.  What turned out to be the funniest answer was how old Mj was when he had his first girlfriend. The answer was "Five" and my mom said she doesn't understand what this means but that Mj wrote that it meant he was a "straight pli-yah" We all had a BIG long laugh over that one as we explained to mom that it was Playa as in player!!  You can't plan perfectly hilarious moments like that!  They just happen and when they do...it's so much fun!  Most of the answers were things that I knew which was good but the rascal put some really tough ones in there that I would probably never even get.  Sadly, I have the memory of someone twice my age a really BAD memory and although I did get quite a few right a lot of them I only remembered the answer AFTER I was told. Hence the tired jaw, mouth full of bubble gum and some really funny looking pictures.

We all had a great time.  I got some nice gifts for me and some sexy gifts for me us.  All parties seem to have a natural end and when 5:30 pm rolled around everyone pitched in and started packing things up and cleaning up the kitchen.  Not in all the years since I moved out of my parents house have I ever in my life had any kind of party or gathering in any place I've ever lived.  So, this was extra special because it was my bridal shower and it was in our new house.

I am so appreciative of the hard work that everyone put into this to make it so wonderful for everyone.  We all have busy lives but they took time out to put this together and make it great.  I may not have a lot of friends but I have a few good ones and I'm so happy that I got to celebrate with them.