Twilight-one of the few books in my life where I started the book on a Friday and finished it on Sunday. Little did I know, that it was just the beginning of my addiction...
I accidentally took a little hiatus from blogging because I was sucked into the series, Twilight. That's right, the teenage love story between a vampire and human totally got to me and I spent a good part of my vacation with my nose in a book, or two, or four.
Dean and Dawn got the first book in the series for me for Christmas so luckily I was able to enjoy the holidays with my family before I got sucked away from the real world and absorbed in the trials and tribulations of star crossed lovers, Bella and Edward. However, as I was waist deep into the third book, Josh and I needed to head to Davenport to celebrate the holidays with the Thiessen side of the family. Fortunately, with the help of our family and friends, (and plenty of cocktails), I was able to tear myself away from the epic saga long enough to ring in 2009 in style. Whew!
Suds unwrapping some Christmas joy.
Josh unwrapping some Christmas joy.
New Year's. Amy and I are too funny for our own good.
I don't think Nick and Josh thought we were as funny as we thought we were.
Nothing says Christmas like a red leather vest. I have a feeling that some guests at the party couldn't decide if Josh was wearing the vest as part of the costume or if the vest was really just a staple in Josh's day-to-day wardrobe. I also have a feeling that when we dined at Tasty Tacos before the party, the customers were quite shocked when they caught a glimpse of Josh in his awkwardly-fitting women's pointsettia turtleneck.
Every year, the adults in my family do a Secret Santa gift exchange. However, one fateful Thanksgiving night, after not being invited to participate in the grown-up gift exchange, the twenty-somethings and Dean (hehe) got together and decided that perhaps we should do our own. Thus, the "Christmas at the Kids Table Annual Gift Exchange/The B Team" was born.
Josh and I hosted this year's gathering and it was a great success. Last year we did a White Elephant exchange but this year we switched it up and drew names. Naturally, there was a twist. The participant who bought the lamest gift for their recipient would be thrown out of the family. Andrew dubbed it "Survivor: Christmas". Needless to say, everyone did a wonderful job picking out their gifts and no one was kicked out of the family.
Whew! This Baskin Robbins Pralines 'n Cream Ice Cream and Rush Hour board game I got for Dean saved me from being banished from our clan.
I've never been one for sports that inevitably end in bloodshed, i.e. boxing, UFC, etc. However, my interest was peaked when I found out that one of the fighters in this past weekend's premier boxing match was Filipino. After watching multiple episodes of HBO's 24/7 Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao (see below for the trailer), I was eager to see the pride of the Philippines, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao defeat De La Hoya...and he did!
It was an exciting victory indeed, but I was even more pleased to see that the Pacquiao clan has the exact same karaoke microphone as our family. However, I wouldn't put money on them singing anything by Jodeci (Andrew and Josh's choice), or Abba (my aunts' favorite).
The alcohol always seems to be flowing a little more freely in Davenport, not that I'm complaining. Actually, I think that it enhances the vacation-y feel I get whenever I visit. We always try to make it a point to see Josh's high school buddies and our friends from college...it just so happens that we like to see each other at the bar.
Turkeylicious. The dinner was delicious. I be up at the table licking off my dishes...
Josh and I returned from Thanksgiving stuffed full of tacos and turkey. Good thing we fled our home too, because my family said they were boycotting potatoes this year. I can hear the gasp of surprise echoing around the world. Hopefully, this was a one time experiment and not some sort of newfangled tradition.
"Turkeys don't get that big." I have 28 1/2 pounds of cooked bird that says otherwise.
Twilight-one of the few books in my life where I started the book on a Friday and finished it on Sunday. Little did I know, that it was just the beginning of my addiction... 
Suds unwrapping some Christmas joy. 
Josh unwrapping some Christmas joy.
New Year's. Amy and I are too funny for our own good.
I don't think Nick and Josh thought we were as funny as we thought we were.
