Happy New Year's Eve!!

Had a wonderful New Year's Eve! We all gathered at Tom's sister's house and ate way too much and of course drank way too much! haha! There were lots of great pictures from the night but this series of pictures is my absolute favorite!

Shopping mania!

My mom and I couldn't resist the urge to go check out some of the end of year sales! Unfortunately everyone else thought the same thing! haha! Valley Fair was sooooo crowded! I did manage to get a couple of things but we couldn't deal with the crowds any longer and went home!

Pre NYE Celebrating!

Met up with Nick and Wade for drinks! Tom had never been to a Korean bar before so we had to take him! We had soju, beer, and my favorite...yogurt soju!

Afterward we went to 99 Chicken and stuffed our faces with spicy chicken! I think Tom has found his new favorite chicken place!

So cold!

It has been freezing at night! Jacoby and I can't live without our handy dandy heat lamp!

Don't go Christmas!

I don't want the holiday season to end but I guess it must! Jacoby seemed a bit sad too! Hence the last chance of wearing his Santa hat! Haha! Poor guy!

Post Christmas Fun Time!

Jonathan was still in town so we met up with Tom and some of his friends for a few post Christmas drinks at San Pedro Market! I really like that place a lot! Had a lot of fun as usual!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I really love Christmas!

First the day started with Tom and I exchanging gifts! Look at what I got!

Then we hung out a bit and then we were off to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner. Had a great dinner and ate a lot! Then my cousins and I played a game of Apples to Apples! Such a fun game!

I wish Christmas didn't have to end!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve!!! Tonight I went to Le Papillon with Tom's family for their annual Christmas dinner. Before we left for dinner we exchanged gifts! Tom and I got a gift certificate to a lodge in Big Sur! Very excited since I've only been to Big Sur once for camping a long time ago!

Then we were off to dinner and it was very fancy and very delish! Everything was so good! Already looking forward to it next year!

Christmas in the park!

Tom and I took his nephews (along with their mom) to Christmas in the park via Caltrain! It was super crowded as usual but I really love going there! They really need to try and keep that place alive! The boys were adorable all bundled up!

White Elephant!

Today was our company's holiday luncheon and the white elephant gift exchange! It was a lot of fun and I got a Starbucks coffee and mug set! This year we made sure to not allow any alcohol or gift cards as part of the gifts. We wanted people to put more thought into it! haha! Also, my coworker went the extra mile and got everyone personalized gifts! As you can see I got Facebook stamps and an awesome gingerbread skeleton cookie cutters!

After work, Tom and I met up with Nick for a pre-Christmas dinner and drinks! Had a great time as usual! I can't wait for Christmas!!

Happy Hanukkah!

Went to my first Hanukkah party today! Tom's sister in law is Jewish and was nice enough to invite the family over for latkes and soup (it was pozole soup but whatever! haha!). I also learned how to play the dreidel game! Fun times!

Presents!

Received and opened my first Christmas gift today! I'm always excited to see what Jet sends! I got more cute wine napkins (which I always save), a fun Christmas wine stopper (will be used on Christmas for sure!), and a Jacoby look alike Christmas ornament (perfect decoration for my office)! I love presents!

MNF!

Went to Tom's parents house to watch MNF to help root on the niners! We got chinese food and pigged out! The game was hysterical because the lights kept going out!

Football & Christmas panic!

Met up with Tom and Bob to watch the Pats and Broncos game! Unfortunately the game didn't end the way I had wanted but the Raiders lost which was great! Still first place in the division! Whew!

When I got home, Jacoby reminded me of how close we are to Christmas! I still haven't sent out my Christmas cards and I still need to get some presents! So behind this year! Yikes!!

Saturday in SF!

Went to our third cake tasting, this time in SF! One of our favorites! The cakes were all moist and the mousse fillings were super good! Afterward we went to brunch at my favorite SF restaurant, Nopa! The food was delish as usual!

Then we were off to the Renegade Craft Fair to visit a couple of friends who had booths! It was super crowded but we saw a lot of cool stuff! Then we finished the day at City Beer! Tom couldn't bear leaving the city without a stop in there! Plus we wanted to see the newly remodeled place. Had a couple of good beers (I had a bourbon aged cider) and Tom got a beer to go! All in all, a busy but fun day!

Free glass!

I had sent away for a free Newcastle pint glass awhile ago and finally received it today! It was an unexpected Christmas present!

Catching up!

Met up with TB and Ivory tonight! I was a bit late but glad I made it to talk about life! It was really good to see them! Yay for good friends!

(Thanks TB for the picture!)

Cake Tasting Round 2!

Tom and I went to another bakery today for cake tasting! This one was a little more formal than our first place. Nice lady but the cakes didn't seem for us. They were a little too light and didn't have the same punch as the first place. We are going to try a couple more places but I think we're definitely leaning towards the first place!

Giving back!

Today my coworkers and I volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank to sort food! It was hard work but it was a lot of fun! There was so much food to go through and at first a bit chaotic but everyone worked really hard! It was nice to see all the food that gets donated during the holidays!

Afterward some of us went to Tlaquepaque for dinner! One of my favorite Mexican restaurants! Worth all the manual labor! haha!

I love Charlie Brown!

I love the holidays mainly for all the Charlie Brown specials but this year I saw one for the first time...I want a dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown! It was sooooo cute!

I never knew that Lucy had another brother named Rerun! Super adorable!!

Crab boil!

Had a good old fashioned crab boil at Tom's sister/brother in law's house! Everyone really enjoyed it, including the little ones! Well they enjoyed playing Angry Birds on my phone more! Haha! I forgot how fun and yummy it is to eat whole crabs! Can't wait to do it again!

Am I old??

Went to dinner with Kat at Buca di Peppo! We wanted to hang out before she left for her European adventure! We ate a lot of food and tried 2 new drinks that we loved! We had a cocktail called the Brave Bull that was recommended to us by another diner and then we had this wonderful red wine that was carbonated!

Throughout dinner we started to feel really old! There were high schoolers there for a birthday party and we couldn't believe how short their dresses/skirts were! It seemed inappropriate and it was freezing outside! Then after dinner (to avoid being old ladies) we tried to rally to get another drink but ended up going home! hahah!

What is wrong with me??

Happy Birthday Tam!

Went to Morocco's in downtown San Jose for Tam's 30th birthday dinner! I've never been there but the food was really good. Also his fiance got him a wonderful birthday cake along with cute cake pops! Plus they had a belly dancer that was determined to embarrass everyone! Haha!

After dinner, we went to sing some karaoke! Tom and I weren't drinking too much so we didn't quite get into the singing spirit! Next time! haha!

Angry Birds > Muppets Christmas!

Bought A Muppets Christmas Letters to Santa for Peter and Owen (Tom's nephews) to watch it with them. They seemed into it until they got a hold of my iPhone to play Angry Birds! I think they like me coming over now just to play that game on my phone! haha!

I wish you a Merry Christmas...

I wish you a Merry Christmas! And a Happy New Year!

Finally got my Christmas cards and cute Christmas stickers! Sending out Christmas cards is one of my favorite things to do during the holiday season! Weeeeeeeeeee!

Cake Tasting Round 1!

Tom and I went to our first cake tasting today! I was super excited and I wasn't disappointed! Loved all the different flavors and the consultant was super nice and friendly (plus her name also being Lydia didn't hurt either! haha!).

Still going to look around because we definitely want more free cake but this place is definitely a contender!

Pizza + MNF = Yay!

Went back to Patxi's with Tom and Bob for MNF! Yummy pizza!! Thanks to calorie tracking, I could only indulge in one beer but the pizza was worth the splurge!

TEBOW TIME!!!

FIRST PLACE!!! What an awesome game it was! I know this can't last so I"m enjoying it while I can! haha!

I said yes to the dress!!!

I thought finding the perfect wedding dress would be difficult but I ended up choosing the first dress that I tried on at the first bridal salon! It was so wonderful to have my family there with me!

I cannot wait for the dress to arrive and I cannot wait for my bridesmaids to see my dress!

And of course, I cannot wait for Tom to see it! <3

Date night!

Went to dinner at Yankee Pier in Santana Row with Tom for a nice dinner! My favorite part of dinner is always the dessert! Pumpkin bread pudding! Yummmy!

After dinner, went back to my place to catch up on the dvr! Perfect Friday night!

Nice and clean!

Tom and I took Gio to Pet Food Express for a bath! They have these cool washing stations so you don't have to hunch over your bathtub at home and risk having a wet dog running around your place (I swear that's never happened to me! haha!). I think he enjoyed it! He loved his bath so much that he peed on a Christmas tree outside of Whole Foods! Haha!

 

Also, how is it December already?!! I've been doing this blog since March! Wow! Time flies!

Brrr!

I guess I should stop complaining about how cold it is and accept that it's officially winter!

Also what is up with the wind! Kind of scary!

Run run run!

I am going to try on wedding dresses this Saturday so I have been on a mission to exercise this week! Tom, Emalie, and I ran after work in the dark! Luckily we found good surface streets to run on! I ran the whole way with them! 3.5 miles non stop! Woohoo! After the run, I had a lovely salad...with a side of spaghetti and sausage! haha!

Photo bomb!

Went to get a much need mani today! I was taking a picture of my pretty nails and it looks like I got photo bombed by Jacoby! haha! He learned from the best! My claim to fame for a long time! haha!

Let the eating continue!

Finished off the 4 day weekend with dim sum! Went to run with Tom and both had a craving for dim sum afterward. It was so good!

Later in the day I got to see my soon to be nephews show off their ring bearing skills and was quite impressed! They seem to be super excited! haha! They'll be the highlight of the wedding!

More family time!

Spent the day lounging around and hanging out with my family. We continued the eating weekend by...eating! haha! Had some leftovers and spent a lot of time on the couch!

Jacoby loves these lazy days especially when my brother is in town. My brother is his favorite! haha!

Happy Birthday!

Went up to SF for a birthday extravaganza for Emalie!

Went bar hopping around SF and drank just the right amount! hahaha!

It was fun to hang out with all of Tom's siblings and my sibling!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for my wonderful family and friends! And I am so thankful for our bountiful feast! Had way too much food but that's the season! haha!

Pumpkin Pie!

Went to help Emalie (Tom's sister) bake pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving! I was pretty excited since I had never made pumpkin pie from scratch. I think they turned out super good and was super happy to be able to have them at our Thanksgiving!

Prepping for Thanksgiving!

Went to Trader Joe's to get groceries for Thanksgiving! Not only for Thursday but also for my work pre Thanksgiving potluck! I was making my mac and cheese! Yummy!

I love this holiday!

I heart my family!

My cousins are visiting this week so we went to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes! Had a great time! Tom's sister's family came too so we could introduce everyone! It was good seeing my family and my soon to be family interact!

Sunday = Baking!

I think I'm starting a new tradition! Baking on Sundays! I wanted to bake more cookies since my batch last week was a little too toasty. I think this week they came out perfect! Yummy!

 

As you can see, I started munching on them before I could even get a picture! haha!

Baby Shower!

Today was Tom's sister in law's (and my future sister in law) baby shower! She's having a girl so everything was wonderfully pink! Had a lot of good food and drinks! Highlight of the day was hanging out with Tom's nephew. I think we bonded! But watching a 4 year old is exhausting! haha!

Cheers!

Went out to Mezcal for dinner with Tom, Kim, Nick, and a few of his friends then went to the Fairmont for some drinks! We were celebrating Thanksgiving and Kim's belated birthday! It was good to see everyone and hang out! I love the holidays!

Tebow fever!

I think I've caught Tebow fever! He keeps winning games and I'm completely obsessed with tebowing! And my new favorite website is www.tebowing.com!

And I think I've found my favorite pic after tonight's game! hahaha!

Sometimes you have to splurge!

I usually don't eat pizza 2 times in a week (even if I want to) but I just couldn't help it! I found out Patxi's just opened up in Campbell last week so I had to check it out. Went with Tom, his dad, his sister, and his nephew for a wonderful dinner out! The deep dish pizza is sooooo good! I recommend everyone go and try it!

Early Christmas presents!

Look who got presents! Jacoby and Gio both got santas! Aren't they so lucky! Guess they've been extra good boys this year!

I love pizza!

Went to Pizza Bocca Lupo in San Pedro Square Market with Tom today to watch some Monday Night Football! This place is quickly becoming one of my favorite pizza places! They have one of the best margherita pizzas ever! So good!

Baking and football!

Spent all day watching football!

I needed to do something productive so I baked cookies! They got a little too brown (got distracted with football! haha!) but still good! I rescued them from the oven just in time!

Wonderful way to spend the day!

Birthday feast!

Tonight we celebrated my mom, dad, and brother's birthdays by having a feast! Grilled some meat and other goodies and ate a lot! We also had an amazing cheesecake and great sparkling wine! So stuffed! A wonderful way to celebrate the birthdays of the people important to me!