Ended November watching Twilight midweek with Melissa and Kathy. I had never seen any of the previous movies nor read any of the books. And to top it off, I am not a big fan of the supernatural. But I went and to my surprise, it was very entertaining – perhaps I am yet another middle-aged woman, reliving her youth through teenage love stories.  Or maybe I just like silent, pasty men. 

Friday, for our Q4 quarterly, Marissa (best admin ever!) and I set up a photo scavenger hunt, where the winning team got to donate $300 to the charity of their choice. It was hilarious! We had men in makeup, people climbing into trees and cribs, hanging upside down on play structures, and getting 13 cents of gasoline. (Note: Walmart management does not like it when you change prices.) We had to ‘check in’ by noon at Red Hawk casino, and one team missed it by a minute - DISqualified! We enjoyed a lunch buffet, and some folks did some gambling as well. One of my team members took home $1000! Great team builder - thanks to James’ team for the idea! 

After “work” that same day, I organized a girl’s night out to celebrate Melissa and Karen’s birthday. Sandy, Rachel, Dana, Melissa, Karen, and I went indoor rock climbing, followed by a late dinner at Land Ocean, where Kathy joined us. While I really enjoy rock climbing, I am terrible at belaying. I’m the most uncoordinated person I know, and I space out. I’m sure my partner Sandy could have climbed higher if she had more confidence in my belaying skills. On the other hand, I took lots of risks, lunging and swinging all over the rock wall (and sometimes air), knowing I was in the hands of a skilled physician (“OFF DUTY!”).

After climbing, we headed to Land Ocean for dinner, as it’s one of Karen’s favorite restaurants in the area. The filet mignon was good, but nothing extraordinary. The pork chops were amazing though – I’m definitely getting that next time. The service was terrific (especially for Rachel, who likes bald men), and we were treated to complimentary sides of vegetables as well as 2 birthday desserts. Happy birthday Melissa and Karen! 

While I was out cavorting with the girls, James took both kids on a Polar Express train ride. The tickets sell out very quickly, especially for the coveted evening times, but fortunately, Zach’s friend Christian was able to reserve 3 for us. The kids wore pajamas, read along to the Polar Express book, drank hot chocolate, ate cookies, and visited with Santa, who gave them each a jingle bell ornament to bring home.

Zach suspects that they did not actually go to the North Pole due to the short duration of the ride. I’m not sure he was convinced by James’ explanation of how time slows down when you move faster (approach the speed of light).

Saturday, Alex and Nicole came over in the evening so that Sam and Melissa could go to a Micron holiday party.  We had pasta for dinner, and then James and the boys raced Mario Kart, while the girls and I painted wooden fridge magnet ornaments. Around 8:30pm, we started our bedtime routine.  

I was impressed by how independent Alex and Nicole were, getting themselves ready for bed. After 3 water breaks (everyone), 2 timeouts (my kids), and 1 drama escalation (Calie power trips by withholding friendship), the kids finally fell asleep. 9:15pm. All 4, on the floor, in sleeping bags in Zachary’s room. They look so angelic when they sleep!

Sunday, I hosted a games playdate at our house. Zachary had Alex, Kaitlyn, Nolan, and Jackson over. Calie invited her classmate Ava … and Jack and Nicole came for “free” with their older siblings.  We played board games, had a spaghetti lunch, and decorated a gingerbread house! Another one of those relaxing, stay-as-long-as-you-want playdates – love them!

Midweek, I hosted my annual holiday potluck. With a team of 23 employees, 5 contractors, and a few special invitees (my manager, ops manager, and admin), we had quite a crowd! I do love entertaining and meeting all the spouses and children though – I hope I can keep this tradition going even as the team grows bigger. (I may need to do some research on fire codes)

The following Saturday, we went to Intel’s Family Holiday event. The kids got to write/decorate letters to Santa and do crafts (paper links, bookmarks, pinwheels, and coloring). All the kids received a goody bag with snacks and toys. Zachary and Calie did great with Santa, answering all his questions and smiling for the pictures.

We had to leave after only an hour to take Zachary to a Basketball Jamboree, so we skipped face painting (yuck), movies, and story time. It’s Zach’s second season playing, but since he changed schools, he also changed teams. He met his new coach and teammates, and played 6 10-minute games with other teams. Go Celtics! (And yes, I volunteered to be team parent again.)

That evening, we attended the 2nd annual Lai Family Food Network challenge. The winning entree this year was Rachel and Jeff’s hot and sour soup. But then they admitted it was”restaurant quality” … so the Cincinnati ribs won. Well deserved, although there were quite a few excellent dishes this year. I know how much effort goes into planning a big get-togethers, so thank you Sandy and Neuzil!

The girls put on a performance for the grownups- it totally reminded me of the shows my sisters and I did when we were younger.

Sunday, we went to Austin’s birthday party at the aerospace museum. We had never been there, and the kids and a blast (no pun intended … maybe). Katy Kakes made the most awesome cake ever – space, Buzz Lightyear, Angry Birds, and Star Wars themes all rolled into one.

There was a new area with hands-on challenges for kids (and adults), which is where we spent the most of our time. Kaitlyn and Zach did a great job collaborating on the puzzles. They didn’t figure many of them out (they are really hard!), but they put in a good effort and didn’t seem discouraged. Hurrah for good life skills. There were a few model planes to sit in (can we say photo op?) and a flight simulation ride that we put Zach and Kaitlyn in.

There were also real planes outside to walk though, and afterwards, we played in the space themed park. It was so generous of Sherry and Oliver to invite the whole family. We had a full day of fun … Happy 6th Birthday Austin!

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend! Thursday morning, we drove to Sonoma county to spend Thanksgiving with James’ parents and pick up Zachary. Zachary had such a great time there … he played board games, ran model trains, watched silent movies (okay, maybe that wasn’t a highlight), and helped his Grandma with a 1000 piece puzzle.

Unfortunately, due to the rain, he was unable to take advantage of their huge (by California standards) backyard. For dinner, Mom#2 prepared a traditional dinner with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and vegetables. Thank you!

The following day, we went to visit Rad and Danielle at their new house. I loved all the woodwork, vaulted ceilings, and tile work – and their backyard deck is perfect for entertaining guests. I left my jacket there on purpose in hopes of getting invited back. Zachary and their son Tristen had a good time playing Battleship and Mario Kart (Wii) before we headed down to the Bay Area. Congratulations Rad and Danielle on their new home!

We had a second Thanksgiving dinner with my sisters at Sophie’s house. What a feast! Highlights included a golden turkey, Alton Brown style and lobster mac cheese with truffle oil. Very gourmet … and more importantly, delicious. I met Alice’s boyfriend Rob, who seemed like a very nice guy. (Isn’t that what the neighbors always say after a major crime? “He seemed like such a nice guy…” Hmm.)

After dinner, we went to Global Winter Wonderland, which was in the Great America parking lot. It was quite an interesting display of light sculptures. Most were made of wire and colored cloth, but there were 2 sculptures made of tea cups, spoons, and rice bowls. There was also a huge vase … at first, I thought it was made of pieces of glass, but upon further inspection, I realized it was made out of small bottles of colored water. Incredible!

There was an indoor area, which featured vendors, a small stage where groups performed cultural dances, and a Santa. It was not very crowded at all, and with only 3 families ahead of us, we got our obligatory 2011 Santa photos. What a relief to have that out of the way … my intolerance for standing in long lines increases exponentially with age.

On Saturday, James took the kids to Dave and Busters, while Sophie and I outlet shopped at The Great Mall. I picked up a new pair of super stretchy jeans at Joe’s, as well as a few items for a gift exchange. In the afternoon, we went to Aunt Aileen’s 60th birthday party. Zach and Calie had a fun time playing with cousins Auggie, Hayden, and Samantha.

We also got to meet 3-month-old Audrey for the first time. What a sweet baby …  don’t believe anything Chrissie posts on Facebook, this girl is an angel. Happy Birthday Aunt Aileen and Congratulations Chrissie and Justin on your new addition to the family!

On our last day, we went to the local farmer’s market to pick up the best salsa I’ve ever had (from Swank Farms.) Then we drove to San Francisco for the Dicken’s Christmas Fair in Cow Palace. The event was very well done with many costumed characters – we wish we had dressed up! Scrooge was running around, there was a clan of chimney sweepers, and couples milled the streets in suits and ball gowns. Zachary and Eddie played some carnival games, we watched dancing, and Zachary learned a gambling game from some 19th century bums (yes, I had to look that up.)

There were some fun photo ops, and the kids dipped candles to take home. For lunch, my sisters treated my family out for dim sum as a belated birthday gift – thank you! As normal, Calie showed her dominance over animals by eating jellyfish, octopus, shrimp, pork, and duck tongue, while Zachary choked down some sticky rice and a plain steamed bun. After our late lunch, we headed back home with no traffic at all (not that I would know … I was in a food coma while James drove.)

I hope everyone’s Thanksgiving was as wonderful as mine. I truly have a lot to be thankful for … a close family, wonderful friends, an awesome career, and great health to enjoy it all to the fullest! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!