The Pursuit Of Happiness: Week In Review

Saturday
It's New Year's Eve. That wonderful time of year when there is so much excitement and optimism and...pressure! Pressure to do something special, epic, meaningful. Phew. I have found that when I stay true to me I have the best time. Do you agree? What is your favorite way to spend NYE? Do you have a perfect dream NYE? Although my ultimate NYE dream is to watch the ball drop live in Times Square, I found myself enjoying a calm day and evening with my love and some friends. The morning was spent having brunch with my mom, Rachel, and Adam. Like usual we stuffed ourselves like turkeys, but it's the last day of the year so there were no regrets (not that there would have been on any other day). Then I spent the day tidying up, relaxing, and preparing myself for the night. Since my typical bedtime is equivalent to an 8 year old, staying up until midnight is a hard task for me. But watching the ball drop (even if it is only on tv) is a must. It simply is not NYE without it. When Brenden got home from work we went over to Mark and Sarah's house were we spent the evening with eating (drinking?) pudding booze (genius), playing games, and counting down to midnight. Oh, and happy last night of Hanukkah!
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The Pursuit Of Happiness: Week In Review

Saturday
Merry Christmas Eve day and happy first night of Hanukah!! This is a week filled with holiday and celebration, and today was just the beginning. How did you spend your first night of Hanukkah/Christmas eve? I spent my day cooking all the things and prepping for a first night of Hanukah gathering with my mom, Rachel, Adam and kiddo, and Brenden. I made eggs in biscuits; I tried my hand at scotch eggs; I whipped up another batch of latkes, and I made one giant cookie for santa, of course. When everyone got to the apartment I was super proud of getting everything looking nice and prepped and super excited to have everyone together. We lit the menorah and ate all the fried food, plus some yummy chicken and salad that Rachel and my mom brought. Then we taught Mariel how to gamble (I mean play dreidel) before she even enters kindergarten, and ate all the chocolate gelt our tummies could handle. We of course exchanged a few presents: Brenden got a record player and Pentatonix vinyl; I got a puzzle, Spanish rosetta stone, a sticker, and some chocolate; my mom got a panda calendar, and Mariel got awesome ninja turtle hand-knitted gloves. It was a lovely start to the festivities to come.
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The Pursuit Of Happiness: Week In Review

Saturday
Maryland's first official snow day (read: ice day) has come. My car was dropped off to get worked on last night, and because of layer of ice coating everything, I didn't want to ask anyone to go out of their way to help me get it when it was ready today. Therefore I was part voluntarily, part involuntarily trapped inside for a true snow day. All was well as I watched listened to the snow and ice fall. I spent the some of the day cleaning the house, but mostly wrapping presents and making envelopes for the holidays cards Brenden and I are planning to send out.
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The Pursuit Of Happiness: Week In Review

Saturday
Today was a day for brunch with family. My mom, Rachel, Adam and a kiddo, and I all met at Duesenberg's for a most scrumptious brunch. Because it was me and Rachel together we pretty much got all the things, and we have already agreed to go back to try the few things we didn't taste today. Where do you like to brunch? Do you have a brunch go to dish? I usually stick with the breakfast sandwich on a bagel. But today I spiced it up and tried Duesenberg's "New York Style Breakfast Sandwich," which had pastrami added to it and was served on an english muffin. Oh and of course I got some turkey sausage on the side. It was quite indulgent. We also got a gazillion and three appetizers to share because like I said, it's me and Rachel. And I pretty much ate all of the kiddos pancakes. So good. Everything tasted great, but the best part was spending time with some family I haven't seen as often.

Sunday
Because my love of all things food has taken over completely since my ability to exercise has declined, I spent the evening watching "In Search of Israeli Cuisine." Thanks to Becky, I got a free ticket to see this documentary showing. It was interesting to hear how people define Israeli food. Apart from gaining some interesting factoid, I left the film wanting to go back to Israel to try every food shown.

Monday
'Tis the season. Brenden and I got our Christmas tree today. Like last year we got a cute little table topper and I can't wait to decorate it. And, there was a balloon purchased. An ugly sweater balloon to be exact. So much excitement.
Gift card design from Whole Foods, can't get enough of the Hanukah love.
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The Pursuit Of Happiness: Week In Review


Saturday
Another successful recipe from Molly on the Range. Oh man, I'm obsessed. Have you made any of her recipes yet? If not, jump on it! Or let me know, which recipes/cookbooks are you fixating over? I want to try those too. On the menu from her cookbook this week was her hummus with beef. And boy was it good. Any time you see me know, I plan to have a bowl of hummus on hand.
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The Pursuit Of Happiness: Week In Review

Saturday
This week was a bit opposite the previous. With Thanksgiving behind us, I spent my day with nothing to do, which is just what I wanted. I got in a big dose of R&R as I laid on the couch binging Netflix and relishing in some Thanksgiving leftovers.

Sunday
There was no Black Friday shopping for me, but Sunday called for getting all those sales and pre-cyber Monday deals online. I went a little crazy but it made me so happy. Retail therapy, it's a gift and a curse (to quote Monk). And in the evening Brenden and I started Gilmore Girls. Eek!

Monday
After a morning of running around, my momma and I enjoyed a most delicious lunch at Cava. I'm obsessed with this place.

Tuesday
I had another evening with not much to do. I spent it with a trip to the gym followed by a night of the last season of How I Met Your Mother.

Wednesday
Today was filled with exciting things. Brenden and I are officially going to Seattle and Alaska in March. We got our plane tickets and are super pumped about the trip. Let the planing beginning. For dinner I met up with with Rachel and Heather Dixon (!!) at NalleyFresh. It was so wonderful to get to see these to and spend some time catching up and talking about enjoyable things.



Thursday
We are working to make ourselves better, which meant Brenden and I took our trip to the gym together. Quality time together and quality accomplishments make us feel good -- sometimes sore but oh so good.

Friday
'Tis the season. Tonight was my first holiday party of the month. It was the gym holiday party and it was lovely. It is always fun to talk to the people I see during my hour of misery each week. It's hard to make conversation at 5:30 am when I'm trying to catch my breath, so to get to talk and learn a little more about each others lives is very nice. Plus the food, drink and music are always on point.

How was your week? What were some of your daily highlights? Did you get to relax in the week between Thanksgiving and winter holiday happenings? What does you holiday party schedule look like?
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The Pursuit Of Happiness: Week In Review

Saturday
Thanksgiving prep has begun. Brenden and I are officially hosting Thanksgiving and we have a lot to do. Today involved shopping for dining-ware and decorations. Luckily Lauren and Anna met up with me because decisions are not my friend. How are you decorating for the Holiday? Plus it was fun seeing Lauren and Anna. After stocking up, Lauren came to hang out at my apartment where we made Thanksgiving banners and other decorations, and ordered in some sushi. We are right on track.

Sunday
Thanksgiving prep continued. I made some roasted pumpkin seeds and bought most of the ingredients we will be needing for the night. I also took the time to relax before anxiety really kicks in.

Monday
Geri stopped down for the evening before getting her train down to FL. We had a family girls night out with Rachel and my momma. We got sushi and talked about all the things. It was fun to enjoy my family together.

Tuesday
More Thanksgiving prep. Brenden and I cleaned up and made room for our makeshift table of ten. We set it nice and pretty and I prepped some more pumpkin seeds. What are you making for Thanksgiving?

Wednesday
Guess what. We prepped for Thanksgiving some more. Do you notice a trend for the week? Tonight was focused around food prep. We got the deviled eggs ready, the stuffing prepped, the dips made and the turkey buttered.

Thursday
Happy Thanksgiving! The day has come and all of our hard work paid off. I was so happy to see all of my family and have them over to my apartment (most for he first time). I was great to catch up and spend time together. We don't get together often enough. All of the food turned out great, and I was super proud of my cheese plate and decorations. Brenden's turkey (with my assistance) was perfectly juicy and flavorful. I was happy with my cheese plate, and everyone else's dishes were too good to stop eating. What was your favorite part of Thanksgiving?
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