So, I guess I missed posting about my big Amurcan Holiday Season this year. Suffice it to say, we were very busy running around visiting family and ringing in Thanksgiving, Christmas AND New Year's all over the country! A few highlights in photo form:
Now we're finally back home, and I'm ringing in this Friday the 13th stuck inside in the middle of a massive snow storm! Okay, it was only 6 inches, and it actually snowed yesterday, not today, but still. Six inches of snow and 20 degree weather deters me from venturing outside.
A word about the New Year: Last year, I completed at least one of my resolutions for 2011 - I ran 10 kilometers continuously! Actually, it was more like 12K because I was trying to run 11K to mark 11-11-11, but I got confused. Still, I can check that one off the last. I don't really know about the rest of my resolutions because they are a little harder to quantify... except that song from Stepbrothers. I didn't learn that. Oops. This year, in the spirit of fulfilling a resolution (because it feels so damn good!) I resolve to run at least 10 miles continuously. Also, I will find a job and decide what I want to be when I grow up (those are in no particular order). Bring it on 2012.
As you may have guessed, I still have no job. Surprised? Me either. Never fear, my diligent followers, for I am making the best of this dismal situation. As I believe I've previously mentioned, I'm making lemonade out of the rotten, putrid, stinking lemons I've been given, and I'm taking this time off to try my hand at cooking and baking. As a tribute to Rachael (who, along with 80% of the blogosphere, is always listing her cooking adventures... and who is a far more accomplished cook than I), I will now list a few of my greatest achievements: fancy gumbo (only fancy because I had to stir the roux for 25 minutes continuously until it turned "the color of chocolate"), ravioli from scratch (Katie and I went on a friend date to a ravioli-making class, which was only slightly awkward, due to the fact that everyone else in class was on a romantic date), gooey raspberry granola bars (those didn't actually turn out, but they sound good), and (as of last night) my very own homemade granola with cranberries and sunflower seeds! Also, I bought a muffin pan two or three months ago, and have yet to use it. Boom. Chef.
Spent Thanksgiving at the Correnti household, where Matt was immediately put to work hanging Christmas lights.
Later, we went to Oregon to check up on Ruby's. Matt felt the need to show off his skills, so we spent several hours hanging these Christmas lights, only to have none of them work because we got them from the thrift shop. Imagine that.
After that, we returned to Chicago and visited the German Christmas Market downtown. It was pretty authentic, as far as Christmas Markets go, except it was small and as you can see, there were about 10,000 too many people there.
Then we decorated our apartment, for the first time since 2007!
For Christmas, we drove to Arkansas with a pit stop in Missouri to collect our gifts (lots of camo) and stir up some excitement.
Mason methodically tracked Santa's route with a map and an Iphone.
These kids cleaned up! (As in, they got a lot of toys. They didn't actually clean anything up.)
That's about it. I don't actually have pictures to prove I rang in the New Year with the Correnti family, but I did. It was similar to my 2011 New Year's Eve, filled with drinking and game-playing, only a lot more awesome.
Now we're finally back home, and I'm ringing in this Friday the 13th stuck inside in the middle of a massive snow storm! Okay, it was only 6 inches, and it actually snowed yesterday, not today, but still. Six inches of snow and 20 degree weather deters me from venturing outside.
A word about the New Year: Last year, I completed at least one of my resolutions for 2011 - I ran 10 kilometers continuously! Actually, it was more like 12K because I was trying to run 11K to mark 11-11-11, but I got confused. Still, I can check that one off the last. I don't really know about the rest of my resolutions because they are a little harder to quantify... except that song from Stepbrothers. I didn't learn that. Oops. This year, in the spirit of fulfilling a resolution (because it feels so damn good!) I resolve to run at least 10 miles continuously. Also, I will find a job and decide what I want to be when I grow up (those are in no particular order). Bring it on 2012.
As you may have guessed, I still have no job. Surprised? Me either. Never fear, my diligent followers, for I am making the best of this dismal situation. As I believe I've previously mentioned, I'm making lemonade out of the rotten, putrid, stinking lemons I've been given, and I'm taking this time off to try my hand at cooking and baking. As a tribute to Rachael (who, along with 80% of the blogosphere, is always listing her cooking adventures... and who is a far more accomplished cook than I), I will now list a few of my greatest achievements: fancy gumbo (only fancy because I had to stir the roux for 25 minutes continuously until it turned "the color of chocolate"), ravioli from scratch (Katie and I went on a friend date to a ravioli-making class, which was only slightly awkward, due to the fact that everyone else in class was on a romantic date), gooey raspberry granola bars (those didn't actually turn out, but they sound good), and (as of last night) my very own homemade granola with cranberries and sunflower seeds! Also, I bought a muffin pan two or three months ago, and have yet to use it. Boom. Chef.
