2012

So that last post pretty much brought us up to the weekend before Christmas.

For Christmas we had planned to have everyone over on Christmas Eve. We did the standard prime rib dinner and presents. I had an 11 1/2 pound rib and it turned out good but took way longer to cook than I anticipated. I think I've figured out my game plan for prime rib from here out.

I didn't get any pictures from that night, but we had us, John's parents, Stephanie and Bart, and Nick's family all here.

Christmas day we didn't really do anything. BUT because Stephanie and Bart gave John Apple TV and my parents gave him a year of Netflix we were able to start catching up on Sons of Anarchy!!!





We had started watching it this season and we were able to go back and catch up. I think we spent a good 4 days just watching it.

But of course on Christmas Day night we didn't just sit and watch TV because it was Lights on Bikes time!!! This year it was the four originals and Bart's brother and wife (Brendon and Lynn). In some ways we planned better and in others we didn't. Like we've decided we really have to take music but we mapped our route first and I think that was better too. We went about 11.5 miles so it was a good ride.

I think someone has an idea!!

 I really thought we did a better job at hiding stuff at Stephanie and Bart's but they found it pretty quickly.

That pretty much finishes up the year!! We didn't do anything on New Year's eve; although we did stay up past midnight (because we were watching Sons)!!

Team Builder

My team at work got an approved long lunch/team builder to finish the year. There were some pretty good bets being thrown out about who has the most skills so we ended up at Dave and Busters. I will say that 4 person air hockey is definitely the most dangerous.

We were getting ready to leave and I had some money left on my play card and I was trying to burn through it as fast as I could. I went to one of those crane games with the giant toys. I hate to say it, but I am good at them. Needless to say, I was pretty excited when I won something and got to take him back to work. We had a fun rest of the afternoon.

Coincidentally I had taped a show I've never watched or even heard of because Chris Mann was going to be on it. It's some show on the Hallmark channel. Anyways, they happened to show a Christmas ornament that I really need to have.

It's Edward and Bella from Twilight.




I also got some exciting news! I've been waiting for this musician to do a tour or date in Phoenix, but he's British and I didn't know how long I'd have to wait. Well, he announced a tour and his last stop is here!! So we have our tickets and I can't wait to go!!

In an earlier post I mentioned that I made a pretty awesome wreath for myself. Below are the pictures from it. Back story is that my grandma makes a quilt for every grandchild for their wedding. They pretty much have the choice of two types of quilt. When I got married I chose one option and I love that blanket. However, a few years after we got married I kindof started to want the other kind. Grandma said she couldn't make it for me because that wouldn't be fair, but I guilted her into it!! So I picked out all the fabric and she made me this quilt that I love. I love it so much I don't get it out because I don't want anyone to touch it. But I found the scraps from it and used them in my wreath!!

Don't laugh....ok, laugh a little

Here it is. Enjoy :-)

Annual Flag football and mini bike races

I'm sure you read that post and go what? Let me explain. There is a group of friends we know through Stephanie and Bart that we do stuff with occasionally. They have an annual tradition of flag football, mini bike races, and a gift exchange. We have missed it each year so far for various reasons but we made it! It was a ton of fun. It was good because it was really cold and raining the day before but for us it warmed right up once you start running around.

Not everyone played football, some of us watched from the sidelines where it's a little safer.

Now mini bikes are basically just bikes that we all rode when we were kids. Banana seat bikes and the such. We did heats: girls heat, boys heat, then top 2 boys and girls for the championship, and then a relay. I have video that is hilarious, but if I post it...you're gonna have to mute it because I was laughing like a hyena through the whole thing.

Yep, there's a trophy.

All the bikes, nicely tucked away after a day of play.

John and I loved Daphne and Teri's dog. We thought about stealing him.

So this doesn't get us through 2012 but it's all the pictures I had lined out. I'll have to get some more ready to finish out the year.

Motivation

I have been lacking some serious motivation to catch up my blog. I've had all the pictures ready to be posted I just didn't feel like writing about them.

So continue back in December where I left off we started to get ready for Lights on Bikes. This was the 3rd year that we've done Lights on Bikes and we still love it.

I am constantly told that I am grinch because I don't do Christmas decorations. Let me explain. First, I have no children to decorate for. I have no one who gets excited that the Christmas tree is up. I like it, but it is a lot of work and I have to put it up and take it down and I would rather not have to deal with the mess. Second, although we have lived here for 6 1/2 years, I still don't feel like it is Christmas. If there isn't going to be snow, how can it be Christmas? Third, I really don't have a house that lends itself to a lot of decorations. There just aren't spaces and niches to put stuff.

However, I did put up my little tree at work. I love this tree. I learned to make it in grade school out of hangers and it is my kind of Christmas tree.

This is a black and white photo, but it's white and silver garland with green ornaments and lights.

In mid-December we had an expo at work. I'm still not sure the purpose of the expo, but as you can see from these photos why I have a hard time getting in to the Christmas spirit.

It was around this same time that season 3 of The Voice was coming to an end. As I've talked about many times, that is where I discovered Chris Mann, one of my all time favorite artists. Anyways to mostly entertain myself I jumped on the Team Blake wagon (I cheered for Cassadee the whole season).

They're kind of hard to read but it says "team blake".

Nick and Shar and family went to Vegas for Shannon's wedding and since my mom was going to be there they took her Christmas presents. I decided last minute to make her a wreath too. I feel like each one gets a little better. (Wait till you see the one I did for myself!!)

We were also able to finally pull off a happy hour with the group from work. We went to San Felipes and hung out. It was fun to hang out outside of work since as a group we all get along really well.

I think that brings up to mid-December. I'll see if I can at least finish out 2012 before I get sidetracked.