Ok, now on to Christmas.  I have a ridiculous ritual of who I spend Christmas with, because of divorce and my relationship with Brian.  So, here it goes!  Christmas eve Brian and I go to his parent’s house and spend the evening there with his brother, wife, and best friend Chad.  (Chad and I were good friends in high school so it’s nice to see him there too)  We open presents and have a munchie dinner.  Brian and his brother Dan have a tradition that they get a little Lego set that makes one thing.  Then they race to see who can do it the fastest.  Yes, they are 23 and 27 (I think).  I got some beautiful earrings, movie tickets, and a beautiful photo from Jessie (Brian’s sister in law).  This year we brought Pablo to his parent’s house, since we both would be spending about 2 days away.  Brian’s mom loved it, since her dog recently passed away it was nice to have a pet around again.  Sometimes I go to my aunt’s house, from my step mom’s side, because she has a “party” on Christmas eve, but I didn’t this year.

Then, around 8:00-9:00pm I head to my mom’s house where I will spend the night.  We open our pj’s we got for Christmas and go to bed.  (my sister threw a little crank in that routine this year by going out to the bar and taking care of a drunk friend, but that’s ok)  Then we wake up around 8:00 or so and do presents with my mom.  This year she had mini quiches and blueberry-lemon tartlets for breakfast, yum!  We open stockings, which are all useful things like shower gel, chap stick (burts bees), and lotion.  My exciting gift from my mom was a new coat!  I’ve had my charcoal grey pea coat since before I started at St. Rose and it’s seen better days.  The pockets were ripped out along with 90% of the lining!  So, I have a brand-new navy blue pea coat from Land’s End!  I also got a couple shirts, a belt, wine, and a necklace.  My sister got me some scrapbooking stuff, which I walked her through Michaels (on the phone of course).  My mom made out pretty well this year.  I went a little overboard buying her presents, but because my sister and I, and her friend Cathy, are the only ones that buy he things I felt that she needed it.  So, I got all sorts of stuff that she asked for, and it was so funny, Brian got her this wine opener that she’s been trying to find because hers broke. (it’s just 2 thin pieces of metal that go down the sides of the cork and you pull it out that way, without ruining the cork at all) This present pushed her over the emotional edge and she started crying.  It was of course a good cry because her children pay attention and love their mother so much, blah blah…  lol.  I just thought it was funny she cried over the wine opener.

After that, my sister and I went to my dad’s house.  My grandma (dad’s side), my step mom, and my dad are there.  We have some croissants & bagels, and get to opening presents!  I got some great things, good rechargeable batteries for my camera, a scrapbooking tote to carry all my shit around in, and a 12 piece stainless steel, Martha Stewart cooking set.  (pots, pans, all shiny and new with no missing lids or melted handles like my current mis-matched collection).  It was a great Christmas.  My dad and step mom got themselves a 40″ HDTV.  Very nice.  I got my dad some great movies, and Dee a little bear collectible thing that she likes, candles, and some hand-painted Irish coffee mugs, which I also gave my grandmother.  (I will try to post pictures, I will eventually be making a website with all my stuff to sell)

Then we went to my grandparent’s house (my stepmom’s side).  My aunts and uncles were there, including ones from Texas, which was a surprise!  We opened presents, which included gift cards, wine, cheese & crackers, and glasses, and the ever popular cash.  I gave out my painted glasses, which everyone loved, and my uncle got A Concert for George.  It’s a dvd of a concert held after George Harrison died.  It has Monty Python sketches (because he was close with Gilliam and Idle) as well as his music played by Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, Ringo, McCartney, and his son.  My uncle loved it!  He had the cd, but not the dvd, which is much better.  He is a Beatles freak.  He has every cd made.  So, this was the perfect gift!  We ate dinner, which was amazing as usual.  My dad was in charge of the meat.  A beautiful but of prime choice beef.  We had veggies, twice baked potatoes, and crescent rolls with the meat!  Everything was perfect.  Brian says he comes for the dinner….I don’t think it was a joke.

We got the cat and went home.  Today we will be getting together with my Mom’s side of the family and then eating dinner with Brian’s dad’s side.  So, more family to come!

Hope everyone had a great holiday!   Miss you and have a great new year!

Anyway, as everyone has said, this year has been full of important things.  It seems to have gone by very quickly.  I’ve been working at the same place for almost 2 years now and I like it, most of the time.

Brian and I are great, now.  We had a rough patch.  We had talked about moving in together a long time ago, and since he was graduating (undergrad) he needed to move out of his on-campus apartment anyway.  I thought that would be a great chance to live together, finally.  Well, he seemed quiet about the whole thing and then we got into a fight because he wasn’t talking to me and acting weird and said that he didn’t want to live with me and I was under the impression we broke up.  (That was sometime in Jan or Feb, it was snowing and beginning of the year)  He called me all that week and we talked and worked it out and were still dating.  I still didn’t understand what he thought would change, since we had been dating for almost 4 years.

We had a great 4 year anniversay in March.  We went to Niagra Falls, stayed in a great room with a view of both falls and a jacuzzi.  It was actually an unusually warm day in mid-March.  We didn’t need our jackets that evening when we walked down the street to a restaurant.  We ate at the Copacabana (sorry Shylah, I didn’t see Barry Manilow).  It was a Brazilian steak house.  All you do is buy drinks because there isn’t a menu.  There’s a buffet with appitiezers and salads.  Then you have this coaster looking thing that says “cool it down” on one side and “fire it up” on the other.  When it says “fire it up” men with large squewers of meat walk around and cut off pieces for you!  It was all you can eat and it was some of the best food I had ever eaten.  Filet mignon wrapped in bacon, parmesean encrusted filet, sirloin, chicken, pork loin, it was endless and amazing!  Finally, it ended with roasted pineapple coated in cinnamin and sugar!  YUM.  Then, the next day we had a couples  massage.  They came up to our rooms and we had it in front of the huge window overlooking the falls.  It was fantastic!  We then had dinner in the hotel restaurant and that was great too.  Prime Rib that was actually medium rare, because we were in Canada!

Then Brian and I were back to our “normal” relationship, I guess.  One day,  in April I think, he told me that he wanted to move in together!  I was so happy.  I spent all of April and May finding apartments that we could afford (with Colin, our roommate).

June 1st was our move-in date, well, mine anyway.  The boys lived on campus and had about another month left of school.  I got the house all settled in and then our great friends, Matt & Betsy, moved in the apartment upstairs from us!  It is great.  Brian and I got a kitty, Pablo.  He’s a little bastard sometimes but we love him.  Betsy & Matt got a beagle puppy, Lily.  Pablo and Lily are best friends.  As you can see from the pictures on Facebook.  (they really are even though they both look evil in the photos)

Fall came, I had the pig roast at my dad’s house, which was really fun!  Mike and Kellie came down, and I hadn’t seen either of them since I graduated, so that nice.  I also went to 2 weddings.  Shy & Dave’s was absolutely fantastic!  I missed all my friends so much it was great to see them for such a special occasion.  (Oh, I almost forgot I did make another trip that summer to Ti for Shy’s shower and to see Jen “Waterbury” Seymour)  Then, I went to a co-workers wedding, which I helped out with a lot.  It was really nice to see all the hard work come together in such a beautiful way.  (If anyone wants to hire me to be a wedding planner, I’m so there.)  I also went to some Halloween parties, one of which I made lots of jello-shots for and got real drunk playing beer pong, but “drinking” jello shots instead.

Now, it’s Christmas.  Gee, that was fast.  I hope to get another blog in after Christmas to update on all the gifts and merriment, but we’ll see if I can squeeze on in!

Have a great Holiday Season everyone!

I am living with Brian in Rochester, a really great area (better than Lark St.) where I can walk everywhere!  We also have a roommate, Colin.  He is Brian’s business partner.  Our really good friends, Betsy & Matt, live in the apartment upstairs from us.

Brian and I got a kitty, Pablo.  He’s cute, but boy can he be a little bastard.

I have realized that I have 1 maybe 2 girlfriends that will not be married by the end of next year!  So, from 2007-2009 I will have attend at least 9 weddings of my friends!  (but 11 of them will be married, I couldn’t go to 2)  This is sounding like an epidemic.

Anyway, I work at a paint/decorating store, which I like, but don’t make nearly enough money at.  No teaching jobs yet, and I can’t rely on subbing because then I won’t know if I can pay my rent/bills.  : (

Other than that life is boring, until my married friends start cranking out offspring. ; )

I miss my Strosians, make sure you keep in touch.  Dave/Shy I know Dave’s family lives out by me, so you have no excuse to not see me at some point!

Ok, back to work, yes, I am blogging at work.  That’s how busy I am.

Oh, just a little shout-out to Brian’s blog, with all his friends of course, it’s www.juicetheblog.com

Hope everyone’s holidays go well.  I will be updating on mine.