holiday do-over?

this holiday season started out so promising, didn't it?

then came today....  i guess it could be a lot worse but it could definitely better.

good news is that i actually slept last night.

and well.  first time in what seems like ages.

went to lunch with my mom and sister.  lee has been super sick all week and i've been fighting it.  we both have been fighting cabin fever though.  nice to get out.

then went downtown to designbox's brand fandango shop.

as we were walking back to the car, i noticed raleigh denim's new store the curatory.

a husband and wife team started the company a few years ago.  pretty damn amazing.  in complete awe of them.  the guy was really nice and showed us around the sewing area.  so cool....

came home and realized i screwed up my boss' calendar.  fantastic.

then, my sister got a call from the vet in portland.  her dog sitter had taken orzo in this morning and it's not good news.  not sure if it's cancer, an abscess or something else but there really isn't much they can do.  lee will go back to the vet with him on monday to see if they do further testing and what to do.  so sad.  he's the sweetest dog and has been through so much this year and survived 2 surgeries.  i hope he can survive this....  i love you, orzo.

my mom then gets a call from my aunt saying that my uncle has been in a horrible car accident.  apparently the axle on his car broke and he went off the road and flipped 4x.  the state trooper that was there said he was lucky he survived.  and even luckier that he didn't have his twin sons in the car.  a doctor was driving behind him and apparently pulled him out.  he has some injuries but he's going to be okay.

christmas plans are now up in the air because we were going to their house.  we'll see....

i think it's time for a do-over....and maybe a cocktail...

holiday-ed out.

it's been great catching up with people all week - jennifer, matt, kristin, etc....and of course seeing people at the get togethers.

on sunday my sister "hosted" some of her chapel hill/durham friends in what's become an annual "invite yourself over to my parent's house" thing.

oh and when i say "hosted" i mean, it was my sister's idea but i did a ton of the work.

it was fine though because i love all the people and it was FUN.  and i love having a party.

we made a ton of food.  and when i say "made" i mean we cooked some and bought the rest.  let's be real.

i did make 10 dozen veggie sausage cheese balls and red velvet cupcakes.

10 f*$king dozen.

ridiculous.  but they were GOOD and so worth it.

i wish i'd taken more photos but i was working on food and drinks all night.  oh well, fun times were had.

here's lee and deb serving the cupcakes:

anyway,  the party was:  my fam, deb, kat, john, revy, berkley, aninda, dino, rocco, rich, jessica, franklin and last but not least, frances.

lee, deb and jessica:

aninda and dino:

lee and rich:

deb, revy, berkley and rocco:

deb in her awesome yellow coat:

too bad deb had to leave early...she missed out on the slumber party with lee, kat, aninda and myself.

i don't think i've laughed that hard in a long time.....

happy birthday to the wilson sisters (kat and aninda)!

remedy diner xmas party

the last week and a half have been a blur of seeing friends, get togethers and parties.

oh, and no sleep.  and it seems to have caught up with me today.

i feel on the verge of coming down with something like my sister did but hoping that's not the case though.

last week was the remedy christmas party.

it consisted of a dj that liked to sing, some karaoke, dancing and people watching.  really good people watching.

oh and alcohol.  lots of alcohol.

good times.

here's kara rockin' david bowie:

carrie and chad:

justin and rachel:

carrie and rachel:

tommy lee, carrie and alisa giving someone the finger:

angie and chad:

crowd shot:

dancing people:

i will refrain from posting the anymore drunken debauchery.

but it was good times.

ladies night secret santa

went to shellie's tonight for a secret santa cocktail party with the ladies.

it was angie, carrie, rachel, shellie, alisa, jenny, julie and kara.  i hadn't seen them all in 6 months or so since i moved.

it was fantastic to see everyone.  i'm kicking myself for not taking more pics.  but damn it's impossible when there is a dance party going on.

here's carrie:

jenny having a swig of wine:

carrie:

carrie and i:

alisa and carrie:

and then the dance party began...

angie, shellie and kara:

angie, kara and shellie:

and for fear of being de-friended, i won't post the rest.

i love you guys...

barbie's pink convertible

welcome to north carolina.

i guess it's better than a pickup truck with a gun rack in the back.

and yes, she was blonde.

post travel hangover

i landed in raleigh a couple of days ago and i've been in a complete fog.

a post travel hangover.

perhaps i overindulged in the free first class offerings?

whatever it is, it feels just like my dog looks although not as cute.

travel continued

i landed in dallas and immediately started getting texts/emails from people saying that it was snowing like crazy in raleigh.

i slowly headed to the skylink train to get to my next terminal.

it was early in the evening but the airport felt very empty.

and most of the food places were closed.  not that that mattered since i was still full from my first flight.  but in case i got stranded.

this sculpture was right by my gate so i checked it out.

luckily my flight was on time and it was back to first class.

that's right.  more cocktails.  more hot nuts.  and a choice between a southwest chicken salad and a cheeseburger.  and of course, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to top it all off.

heaven.

luckily we landed early and i was once again reunited with my favorite thing in the whole world.