I have been a terrible blogger lately and haven't really updated all the "haps" in our lives. So I'm going to take some time right now and share everything we've done in the past month. Grab a drink and snack and settle in, because it's a *very* long one!! (Also I apologize if you follow me on Instagram...some of these I posted there)
Two of my good friends, Erin and Mary, visited us right after Thanksgiving. I met these awesome friends when I was working in Buffalo. They were so nice and friendly to me when I started working at a new place and we ended up becoming friends. Since we've lived here for 2 (!!!) years, I've been bugging them to come visit. So excited when they did come out and stay for the weekend.
We started out the weekend with a trip to Carlo's Bakery. Where we saw some of the people from the show! And the treats we bought were amazingly tasty and very reasonable. I bought a cake, 4 cupcakes, and a dozen macaroons and the total was $25!
So yummy!!!!!!
Out to dinner at a fun restaurant by our house. We indulged in lemon drop and chocolate martinis!
The next day, we headed into NYC to look at the Christmas lights and do some shopping. Now I am a girl who *loves* to shop, but this was just total madness. There were people everywhere and you could barely move around. It was making me overwhelmed. But the lights were amazing and in the end, it was worth it.
I love twinkle lights in trees. Makes them look so magical!!
This year, I took my friend, J, to see the Rockettes for her birthday. Neither one of us had been and we had such an awesome time.
One of the best parts was that you could take pictures or film inside. I took this during a part where they did a Nutcraker ballet. One of my favorite Christmas musicals of all time.
Soon after, some of our best friends, Shawn and Megan, came to visit. Shawn had never been to NYC, so we were super excited to show him around.
One of the first things we found out when we went into the city that day, is that it was Santa Con day. Apparently everyone was dressing up like Santa. It was hilarious to see.
We headed to dinner at Maze Restaurant, which is owned by Gordon Ramsey. The food was super good and the friends were even better!
Penn Station was all decorated with cute wreaths for Christmas. I love seeing all the decorations. It makes me so happy!
The Hubster and I headed back to Buffalo on the 22nd so we could finish up our Christmas presents, get everything wrapped, and enjoy some time with the family.
Every Christmas, my in-laws draw names and home make a present for the name on the paper. This is a tradition that everyone seems to like and has grown in epic proportions from when the Hubster made something for his little sister out of a paper towel roll. We have also loosened the definition of "homemade" to include assembly of an item.
This year, I drew my father-in-law. He is an amazing dad and I absolutely love him to pieces. He visits us during his college breaks and we have so much fun hanging out with him. He is also an incredibly talented handy man who can pretty much do it all in terms of building. I played it safe and had some of the professional pictures from this summer printed and put into a beautiful collage frame.
The Hubster drew his brother's new girlfriend. We don't really know her at all but clearly he had to make her something great. Jess just moved into her own apartment, so Hubster decided to make her a wine rack. So on Sunday morning, over breakfast, he sketched out what he wanted to do, went to Home Depot, got some wood, and this is what he created. After only 1.5 hours.
Yes, it's gorgeous. Yes, we all hate that he can do this with one arm tied behind his back. And yes, I already put in my order for him to make me one for our house!
Jess loved it, obviously.
Wearing our Christmas jammies.
I took only a minimal amount of pictures of us on Christmas Day. I know that when I look back I'll wish I had them, but we really just enjoyed each other and I like living in the moment sometimes.
After the Christmas, we stayed in Buffalo for the rest of the week to relax and visit.
Since my sister-in-law's baby shower is just around the corner, my mother-in-law and I started working on some of the favors. I found this on Pinterest and thought it was so cute. So when everyone sits down, we're going to give them a chocolate bar based on their guess of boy or girl!
We were very excited to have a big snowfall!!! Our first one in 2 years! I know it's Buffalo and the Northeast, but we've had very mild winters. And this was the best kind...perfect snowman snow!
Mom and I decided to hang out and check out new glasses. I found these frames...aren't they cute? I'm going to try to get them here now that I know what I like.
My dad decided that the 5 of us should hang out together and spend the day doing something fun. Unfortunately my brother had to work in the morning, so we met up with him later. But during the day, we explored Niagara County.
Next, we headed to the Niagara Power Project, where we saw how electricity is generated from Niagara Falls. I haven't been there in years, so it was fun to check it out again. The gorge is so pretty and it's amazing to see one of the world's natural wonders.
We stopped off at a winery and tried some chocolate covered cherry wine. So delish! We bought a bottle and it's like a little dessert in a glass!
That evening, we headed to Fat Bob's. This is my brother's favorite BBQ place. He has been wanting all of us to eat there for a long time. It didn't disappoint.
Macaroni and Cheese with Pulled Pork on top. I'm still wanting more!!!
For New Year's Eve, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law got us (along with them and my in-laws) an overnight at a bed and breakfast in the Finger Lakes. So on the 31st, we all headed out in a caravan!
For lunch, we stopped at this really cute place on the lake. It looks snowy, but it was so cute and we really liked seeing the lake over lunch.
No trip would be complete without stopping at a candy store and checking out the inventory!
This was the Inn that we stayed at. It was gorgeous! And a part of the Underground Railroad during the Civil War. Our room was so cute (and pink!) and the food was melt in your mouth delicious.
At midnight, I put on my hat and rang in 2013!
We drove back home on New Year's Day and the trip was pretty good. We didn't hit any traffic and were home rather quickly. When we walked in the door, I thought it seemed kind of cold in the house and that something didn't seem right. I didn't really think much of it and went back out to the car to get some more stuff.
Well when I came back in, I realized that the Christmas tree had fallen over and that the heat was broken. I panicked because I have so many fragile ornaments on the tree, but thankfully none of them broke. We think the tree fell over because the kids downstairs are rather rambunctious and the floor shakes sometimes. Perhaps they got excited on Christmas morning?!?!
After further investigation, we found that the batteries in our thermostat were dead. So we fixed them and found that the apartment was only about 53 degrees. Very chilly! I bundled up in some blankets and in about 2 hours, the house felt warmer. Phew!
But the drama was not over. No. 2013 is going to be the year of no heat!! When we arrived at work on Wednesday morning, we found that the heat was broken there too! Yes...can you believe it!?!?!
We are having landlord issues and he is refusing to fix it, so I bought some space heaters and am dressing in layers. We're staying warm, but I'm afraid we'll all be sick before next week. Thank goodness I have some warm boots and that I'm from Buffalo. I have all the appropriate layers. I just hope my co-workers aren't sick of seeing me in the same fleeces all week!!
Now we're all caught up!! Phew! Thanks for sticking with this marathon post! :)
1 comment:
Great post, I enjoyed all the pics. Your food and drink ones made me hungry! What a great family you have. Y'all always do such fun things! I have not been to NY since I was a kid. And the Niagra Falls since 1995. One day I will have to bring my hubby and kids there to visit.
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