Okay, I love this time of year, which translates to me taking lots of pictures. James already figured that out about me – the happier I am, the more photos I take. I think it’s because I want to remember as much of it as I can. And do re-live the moments to some extent when I blog about my life or read my entries at a later date. So anyway, hopefully it’s not too much!
Friday, 2 weeks ago, Calista had her annual holiday program. It’s amazing how quickly kids grow and learn from year to year. I still remember Calista in the baby class, where they shook jingle bells and looked frightened up on stage. She is now in preK, belting out songs with (semi) coordinated dancing; her class was the “grand finale.”
Saturday, we went to one of our favorite holiday traditions: Alex and Nicole’s pajamas party! Calie had dance lessons right before, so ironically, she had to change back into pajamas for the party! The kids played games, and decorated gingerbread and sugar cookies. Of course, we also had lunch … roast turkey sandwiches. I still can’t understand why no one else likes the dark meat and crispy skin, that’s the best part! Finger lick’in good! (I’m classy like that)
The Xbox dance competitions were hilarious to watch! Sigh … I just love lounging around in comfy clothes with close friends.
In the evening, we went to our other favorite holiday party: Sara and Joe’s annual Christmas potluck. Complete with caroling and crazy white elephant gift exchange. I love how Sara can just pick out any song and play it on the piano … I have no musical talent (despite 4 years of torture, I mean classical training) and I’m really impressed by those who do.
It was a child-free party, so thanks to Sam for watching our kids!
Sunday, after swim lessons, I took both kids to Busy Kidz for a playdate with Cassie. Busy Kidz is an indoor city play area near our home, and for $10/child, kids could pretend play to their heart’s content. For older kids, they had a stack of games we like to play: Carcasonne, Stratego, Ticket to Ride etc. Adults are free admission, and they have a sitting area with wi-fi, tea, coffee, and magazines. Unfortunately, I had to use their free wi-fi, as there was another escalation at work. (Working on the weekends is really getting old.)
Right after the playdate, we went to Tabitha’s gingerbread house making potluck. Since their house is not big enough (that’s what they say), they use the meeting rooms at work. With movies playing on the big screen, I gorged on spicy salt and pepper pork chops, sushi, and red velvet cake. There was also pizza and spaghetti, but really, why eat anything else when there’s raw fish?
The kids had fun decorating, although they were no competition for the adults. I had never seen such a huge variety of gingerbread house building materials. I’ll have to ask them for the recipe for the frosting, as it was far better than the ones that come in the store bought kits. I’m inspired to bring back the haunted house making activity for my annual Halloween party. As the event was at work, I was able to quickly run into the lab upstairs. In the parking lot, I ran into someone from my team and we talked about the escalation. The kids were in the car, but the door was open. On the way to our next event, Calie said,”You yell at people and people yell back. And you say bad words.” (BTW, she means words like dumb and stupid) Me: “But am I nice at home?” Calie: “Yes, but Santa is also watching when you’re at work.” 
What can I say.
Off to what next event? Anish’s 8th birthday party at SkyHigh! Unlike most birthday parties for Zach’s friends, most (all?) of the parents stayed for dinner. The best part was that it wasn’t just pizza – but Indian food catered from one of my favorite Indian restaurants.
Happy 8th Birthday Anish!
With all the holiday gorging, I was grateful that it didn’t rain and I ran 10k both Saturday and Sunday with my running group. Boy, I am out of shape, huffing and puffing after only a few miles. I just need to maintain for now … training for my half-marathon starts in January. I probably need to pick up some running shoes too, as I’ve been wearing cross trainers and my heels hurt when I run more than 2-3 miles. Maybe it would also help if I dropped a few pounds!
Wednesday, I had my annual team potluck. My team is now 35 people. And while not all could make it, we also had some special guests (people we work closely with) and spouses/kids. I bought a ~$100 rib-eye roast from Costco, and worked from home in the afternoon to make sure my house didn’t burn down. After all that work and expense, my meat thermometer failed me and the roast was well-done. I’m thinking it’s time to start using a catering service! I love this party despite how crowded it is (James counted over 50 guests.) I ask for so much from my team and, indirectly, their families, that I’ll always want to thank them personally.
Best. Team. Ever.
This weekend, we had planned to go up to Tahoe, as both kids are now old enough for full day ski/snowboarding lessons. Alas, mother nature had different plans and the entire weekend was raining. Not just drizzling, but real rain and wind … our neighbors on both side had their front yard Christmas decor knocked over into a pile of jumbled lights. So we stayed home. Calie went to dance class. I took a yoga class. We went to Busy Kids again.
In the evening, we went to Linus and Jess’ Christmas party. There were so many people, they rented out a clubhouse. Our samosa appetizers were a hit (all gone) and the set a colorful Asian bowls we contributed to the gift exchange were highly sought after. The gift exchange was a deviation of the usual “draw numbers, steal N times, N+1 owner keeps the gift” drill. It was faster paced and more suited for a larger group … hmmm… I may have to subject my team to that game next year. Thanks to Jess/Linus, Tabitha/Chigme, Sam/Melissa, Joe/Sara for hosting holiday parties this winter - I know how much effort goes into hosting a party, and we really appreciate getting an invitation! (Bummed to miss 3 other holiday parties this year, hopefully the dates and times will work out for us next year!)
We also played lots of games all weekend. And had Tabitha and her family over for an impromptu lunch playdate. They were coming to Folsom for some shopping, and I had a new Indian dish I wanted to make (Ok, it’s from a packet … but I still had to fry the paneer, stir the spice mix into milk, and sautee tomatoes! For me, that counts!) Indian food was perfect for a rainy day. After they left, I napped on the couch for 2.5 hours! I rarely nap unless I’m sick, so I’m thinking it must be the combination of Typhoid medication (for an upcoming trip to Bangalore) and all the yummy comfort food!
Hurray! It’s Sunday and I don’t have to go to work tomorrow … 2 more days off! I could get used to this! 
) Annoying as it is when work gets in the way of life, escalations inject a sense of urgency and energy that I somewhat thrive on. I may be one of those crazy people that need stress in my life, so I can’t complain too much.
