2012?? Hope those crazy Mayans were wrong...

It feels a little dumb to do a Christmas recap on January the 5th...clearly one of my resolutions was not to "be a better blogger."  I don't actually ever really make resolutions, anyway.  To me, they are just some lame goal I get inspired to keep up with for like 2 weeks (ok, 1...), and then by the middle of January I feel like an epic failure at life, so why put myself through that torture, right?  I do, however, have a solid GOAL I am working towards - more on that later.

Christmas was fucking crazy this year, and I can hear people going, "crazier than last year?  Because MY Christmas is always just a shit show!" and I have to say, usually our holiday season isn't that nuts.  It's busy, sure, but it's generally the same routine year after year, with the occasional addition of a niece.  This year, though, with Saul's dad being a full-on radiation/chemo cancer patient, things were a bit different.

First, he asked that all his siblings and their kids come into town to celebrate with us.  He asked after Thanksgiving, so it was pretty late notice for some of them.  His rationale for this was, simply stated, "I don't want the next time we all get together to be at my funeral," which, ok morbid, but makes complete sense.

Second, as of December 17, he was still in the hospital, and we weren't 100% sure when he would be getting out.  He ended up actually being released that evening, but trying to make Christmas plans around hospital visiting hours really sucks the Christmas spirit out of everyone, y'know?  He's now home and doing well, so Christmas was very merry.

Third, as we got closer to Christmas, shit on my side of the family starting blowing up like fucking fireworks.  An uncle in the hospital, a cousin in serious trouble, my parents possibly leaving like, Christmas Eve to go to California, and my brother wasn't coming home - boo hoo.

But, as we've done through all the other shit 2011 has thrown at us, we forged ahead.  

Saul's family being in town was something we were all totally looking forward to.  His cousins stayed with us which was basically a 9-day party at our house (die liver, die!) , and seeing the aunts and uncles was awesome.  It did wonderful things for my father-in-law's spirits, too.  He requested we all go to church together on Christmas Eve, which Saul and I haven't done in years, so that was nice.

Christmas Eve church threw a few of my family's plans out of wack, though.  Nothing that couldn't be shuffled around, but that was part of what made the holiday scheduling wonky.  Every year on Christmas Eve, my mom makes a Japanese dinner.  My g-ma has done it ever since I can remember and it's one of my favorite things about the holiday season.  Sesame noodles, fried rice, sushi, tempura shrimp, and Gyoza - basically, Japanese tacos.  YUM.  It's also pretty much a giant drink-fest at my parent's house.  We planned to do the big dinner on Dec 23, and we invited the cousins to come with.

The 22nd, I started to get super sad that little bro wasn't coming home.  More sad at the thought of him spending the holiday ALONE in Oklahoma - seriously, are there worse places?? - than sad for myself, but sad nonetheless.  I sent him some pretty bleak texts the morning of the 23rd and he reassured me that he was fine and was sad too, but that we'd be able to see each other soon and that we could Skype later that night.  My dad got a call from him that evening and I pulled my laptop out to set up a Skype session.  People had been coming over all day - our friends always drop in to say hi and eat - so when the door opened, I didn't think anything of it.  It wasn't until I heard my dad yell, "NO WAY!" that I turned around.

LITTLE BROTHER WAS HOME!!!!

I immediately started bawling and was just a fucking mess for like 10 minutes.  My mom had known he was sneaking in, but kept it a secret from everyone else.  I was so, so, SO happy that he had made it for Christmas and beyond thrilled that he wouldn't be sitting in his apartment, totally alone on Christmas morning.  My Christmas became amazing in that moment.  And then we all got very drunk.

Christmas Eve church was great - there were 20 of us and we took up 4 pews.  Early Christmas morning was spent at Saul's parent's house, watching the nieces open their mounds of gifts.  The giant family gift exchange came next.  At about 2, we took off to meet my parents and brother at our house, which was awesome because we've never done a big holiday at our house before.  We opened gifts and drank A LOT of wine and ate chicken tacos, a new Christmas tradition.  The cousins came back and we watched some Christmas movies (too toasted to remember which, at that point) and then passed out.

It was definitely an untraditional, but very merry Christmas ;)

Next up, NYE in the frozen tundra...

Life lately

According to my iPhone...

 Bella says HI!

 The best part of waking up...

 Cute blonde nieces love the mac 'n cheese

 Foggy

 Other cute nieces love ice cream and yoga

 Absinthe and cheese?  YES PLEASE.

 Bagel Thin Hawaiian Pizza

So sad you won't be home for Christmas...

Christmas wishes

Answering the "what do you want for Christmas" question is always hard for me.  It didn't used to be - if you'd asked me 6 or 7 years ago, I'd have given you a laminated list.  In recent years, though, I've realized that if I want something I can just go out and buy it myself - so let's be clear that it's not for lack of wanting things - I'm just pretty impatient that way.  Come December, there isn't a whole lot on my wish list that I don't already have.

When in doubt, buy me alcohol.

Saul's mom asked me what I wanted this year, though, and told me I couldn't say NOTHING, so here are a few things I have seen that I wouldn't be angry about receiving...

Top row:  Rhino Mount - ZGallerie.  Sequin Top - Forever21.  Magenta Dress - Lulus.com

Middle Row: Bedding - Anthropologie.  Faux Leopard Coat - Lulus.com.  Silk Sparrow Tank - Forever21.

Bottom Row: Dip Dye Sweatshirt  - Urban Outfitters.  Riding Boot - Urban Outfitters.  Gold Dress - Lulus.com.  Leopard Heels - Forever21.

Saul says he knows what he's getting me and I know what I'm getting him (even though he already knows...I'll have details soon), so Christmas this year will be fun ;)

Also, in the spirit of the day - a little story:

My dad is Japanese.  My mother's family is not.  My mom's dad would jokingly (well, kind of) not allow my dad in his house on December 6th - Pearl Harbor Day.  Playful racism at it's finest, Ganddad!

Happy Hump Day!

Giblets have gristle?

First - thank you so much for the comments and positive thoughts for my father-in-law.  He's making progress (still in the hospital, though), and he knows there are tons of people out there rooting for him, so his spirits are up.  Pancreatic cancer is a scary motherfucker to deal with, though, so keep the good vibes coming!

Needless to say, our Thanksgiving this year was a little, um...different?  FIL was in the hospital, my brother didn't make it home, and my sister-in-law was having neurosurgery.  Yeah - that would be surgery on HER BRAIN.  She's fine - it was surgery to correct a severe facial twitch she's had for like, 7 years - but HOLY FUCKING CHRIST, you guys.

Also, since the normal chefs for the holiday were obviously out of commission, the cooking duties fell to those of us who had not recently been operated on.  I had to cook Thanksgiving.  I was officially freaking out for like 2 weeks.

We planned the menu and divided the food up.  I was in charge of the stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and sweet potatoes - basically my husband's favorite part of Thanksgiving.  No pressure.  Also, he definitely didn't tell me a few thousand times before the 24th that if the potatoes and gravy were messed up, his turkey day would be ruined.  FUCK.

So what did I do, you ask?
I did what any good leader does and delegated the shit out of that shit.

Hey Saul?  Your favorite part of Thanksgiving is the mashed p's?  Then YOU make them!

Oh, and make them he did...13 g'damn pounds of them.  You think I'm joking.  Yeah...I'm 100% serious.  And they were delicious!

The gravy was awesome.  The sweet potatoes were a hit.  The stuffing...well...um...

Ok, so I am a pretty decent cook.  I make stuff up on the fly.  I can follow a recipe and tweak it if I need to omit/substitute something due to Saul's sometimes weirdly picky palette.  I've never made stuffing before, so that was the dish I was sweating the most.  I got my MIL's recipe and followed it word for word.  The only part I thought was kind of odd was the line that specified "boiling the giblets and chopping them up very fine" to add to the dressing before baking, but I've obviously eaten the dressing she has made in years past and I loved it, so I did what it said.

Ok - I'd just like to again reiterate how I HAVE NEVER MADE DRESSING BEFORE.  I've also never worked with giblets/gizzards/livers/other internal turkey grossness.  We're clear on that, right?  NEVER EVER.

Ok, continue reading...

So I boil the contents of the little bag of yuck and pull them out to chop them up.  I was getting some help from a family friend who has done Thanksgiving cooking before, so I assumed she knew what the hell was going on.  Assumption 1, wrong.  As we are cutting them up, they just seem really tough.  I'm like, dang - these suckers are kind of rubbery!  And she's all, well, maybe they'll break down when they bake?  And I'm all, the recipe says to do it, so we do it!  We chopped them as small as we could get them and then added them to the pan.  Bake away, giblets, bake away.

Everything smelled wonderful and the whole family loaded their plates to eat.  We sat down and everyone commented on how great it all looked.  I ate a bite of turkey (YUM!), a bite of mashed potatoes and gravy (DIVINE!), and then dove into the stuffing.

OH MY GOD, WHAT THE FUCK AM I CHEWING?!?

It felt like I was eating turkey gum.  Turkey gum that never got softer, and never dissolved.  Y'all - it was NASTY.  I took a quick look around the table to see what everyone else's reaction was.  Thankfully, no one at the table said anything - I am pretty sure I would have died of embarrassment - but I noticed people kind of pushing the stuffing around.  I ate around the rubbery bits because the rest was legitimately good, but I was really disappointed that I had so fantastically fucked it up.

After dinner was over, I cornered my MIL and asked her what the hell I had done wrong.  She laughed and was all, you didn't cut the gristle out!  I was like, I did not know about the gristle.  Your recipe did not specify.

She handed me a glass of wine and told me Thanksgiving is about learning something new each year and taking it forward with you to the next.  I drank my whole glass in one gulp and told her I had learned that I am never ever EVER cooking the Thanksgiving meal again.

Well, hello...

So obviously things have been busy since last time we met...

Halloween was a cluster - ask any of us that went out together that night if we actually remember coming home.  That would be a resounding NO.  Saul and I went towards the city, to the Washington area, to meet up with some friends.  

**I'd like to make it clear that this is not an area of the city that we ever go to, except when I am out for a Bachelorette party.  It's a fun strip in the afternoon, but come sundown, the creepers come a'crawlin'.  Basically it's a giant meat-market - lots of muscled-up dudes, short-skirted chicks, and fake IDs.  Not my scene.

Saul dressed as a yodeler, which was awesome for 2 reasons, the first being that HE WAS A FUCKING YODELER, and the second being that he actually already owned everything he wore, down to the feathered cap.  And let me just tell you, that shit looked authentic.

I had no clue what to dress as, so I just took a bunch of crap down with me, and ended up with a crazy bronzed face, sweatband and track suit.  Call me a Guido!  

I found receipts from bars I had literally no recollection of going to, and vaguely remember eating a taco on the street in front of El Rey.  The boys got kicked out of a bar, apparently.  

We felt awesome the next day.

It was a good time, though, I'm sure.

2 days later, life imploded when we were presented with the news that Saul's dad has pancreatic cancer. He was diagnosed Wednesday and was in surgery on Monday, undergoing the famed Whipple procedure to extract the tumor residing on his pancreas.  The doctors have all been really optimistic, telling him that as far as pancreatic cancer diagnoses/prognoses go, this is pretty much a best case scenario.  Needless to say, this rocked our world.

We've been going back and forth to the hospital each day to visit.  He was completely sedated and on a ventilator to regulate his oxygen intake for 6 full days after the surgery.  The breathing tube came out Monday morning and he is becoming more lucid and coherent each day.  His lungs and heart are in excellent condition, which is great because he's got a hell of a road in front of him.  He's still in ICU, being monitored, hopefully getting transferred to a room on a normal floor tonight or tomorrow.  Once that happens we'll all find out more about his recovery and status of the cancer.

Maybe it seems strange to some that this doesn't get it's own post, but I couldn't bring myself to treat this news that way.  To me, cancer is like someone who blows up a shopping mall just so they can get on TV.  I won't give it that attention.  Yes, it is a reality in our lives now.  Yes, we do have to live with the possibilities and uncertainty it presents.  It's scary and unfair and really fucking pisses me off.

I debated even writing about it all, but honestly, it's been what we've been living the last 2 weeks.  Also because I know that while I am not known in the blogging world, I do have a few regular commenters and any good thoughts and positive vibes you all can put out there would be much appreciated.  Maybe tell another friend or two.  I don't pray much, but I don't discount the power of it.

xoxo

Crazy girl...

Weekend before last, my baby cousin got married.  She also turned 22.  It was quite a celebration.

She did things a bit backwards (had a baby, got engaged, got married), but that's how she rolls and I couldn't be happier for her.  She and her husband - ohmygod - are finishing school and are living with my aunt and uncle to save money.  Sad thing - they live in Virginia, so I don't get to see them near as often as I'd like.  They were in town the whole week before the wedding, so lots of wine was consumed (a few glasses broken), and we hung out a lot.  Oh, and I was in the wedding, so there's that.

Her wedding was held at a private residence, and there were probably about 100 people there.  They were married in the front yard, overlooking a pond.

Here comes the bride

All we are are bridesmaids dresses and veils in the wind...



You may kiss the bride



Keep it PG for the kiddos...



Cute kiss from the brother



Sweet family photo op



Baby girl, directing traffic after mommy and daddy tied the knot


The wedding was really pretty and really intimate, with just good friends and family there.  We all had a great time, and even though it rained (poured, really) half-way through the reception, dances were still danced, toasts were made, and drinks were consumed.

A few too many drinks for one individual in particular, if you ask me...  I'm all for boozing it up - hell, that's half the reason I go to weddings!  FREE DRINKS!  (just kidding...kinda)  But one of my cousins bridesmaids was so tanked BEFORE the ceremony, that the 2 girls on either side of her literally held her wasted ass up during the vows.  She stumbled back down the aisle after the bride and groom exited, and proceeded to fall flat on her face before pictures were taken.  Needless to say, homegirl wasn't in any of the bridal party shots after the wedding.  She was so drunk, it wasn't even funny to watch.  I was pretty embarrassed to be in the same color dress as her.  Tacky, tacky.

Moral of the story, folks - a glass of champagne (or 2...lets be honest) before the ceremony is no big thing, but a BOTTLE is a completely different story.  Basically - if you're in someone else's wedding, KEEP YOUR SHIT TOGETHER.  At least until the bride starts doing keg stands, right?  I mean, really...keep it classy.

Happy Tuesday!

So deep in my daydreams, but it's just a sweet, sweet fantasy baby

I'm not what you would consider a "girly-girl."  I don't like pink (much), I have little to no interest in trying to keep my nail polish chip-free, and while I have branched out and I wear more dresses than I used to, it's mostly because it's hot as fucking HADES in Houston and shit needs to breathe, ifyaknowwhatimean...

TMI?  

Go read something else, then!

I've always been into sports and I love me some football and occasionally, I get really into it and even yell at the TV.  However, never have I ever been interested in playing Fantasy Football.

Until this year.

FML.

I didn't understand Fantasy Football - so, what?  You make a FAKE (fantasy...dur) team out of players from all the different teams and then track them to get points?  I just didn't see the point.  I'll just watch teams I like, thanks.  I don't give a shit about what that random running back, playing in the game I'm not watching, is doing right now.

Except now I totally do.  I got suckered into joining a league with some of our friends and, not gonna lie, I'm pretty into it.  I downloaded an app so I can track my player's stats and keep up with my team all weekend.  I get really excited when my guys (they are totally myyyy guys now) score points.  I can actually speak intelligently about players on other teams besides the ones I normally watch.  The flip side of that, though, is that I have become a heartless monster who gets pissed before feeling any compassion towards players on my team that get hurt.  Arian Foster has a hamstring issue?  GET YOUR ASS OF MY BENCH AND SCORE ME SOME POINTS!

Yikes.

So far I'm 2-3 in the league...not terrible, but not awesome considering my brother-in-law drafted his whole team based on players who had double E's in their names, and he is 1-4.  That win was not against me, though, thank God.

I'm curious - any other ladies out there gettin' down with the FF?  If you are, got any super awesome sleeper picks that can up my win quotient?!

See?  I CAN'T TURN IT OFF.

When you scan the radio I hope this song will guide you home...

So this past weekend was full of all kinds of fun events, which I of course have no photos of because even with a sweet new camera I am picture-challanged.  Saul is just beyond thrilled to have spent that money on me and my fickle habit, I'm sure...

Friday night was spent with the madre, going out for early drinks and appetizers downtown, followed by "Giselle," at the Wortham theater.  I love the ballet.  I danced when I was younger and while I was never close to prima-ballerina status, it will always hold a special place in my heart.  I really enjoy watching stuff (sports, dance, competitions) that we all know is just crazy hard, but the performers/contestants make it look stupid simple.  Ballet is so physically demanding, but they all just make it look as easy as breathing.  We had killer seats and had a really good time.  We have tickets to 3 more ballets over the next 8 months, and I am pretty stoked.  So is Saul, because one of the 3 ballets is the Nutcracker, and since I am going with my mom, he knows he won't get roped into going this year.

Saturday was kicked off with an early morning 5K.  Bestie Chandra and I ran for boobies!  Each year I run in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, supporting Breast Cancer.  It's a great run - pretty course, good cause, and TONS of people.  My grandmother and aunt are both breast cancer survivors, so I run in celebration of them, and with the hope that someday, some brilliant person will find a cure for this shitty disease.  There were some really funny t-shirts displaying team names (May the Cure be with you, Bad Mammary Jammas, Save a Titty - Run the City!), but my favorite shirt just said "FUCK CANCER."  It was super inappropriate, as the run is totally advertised as family-friendly, but i really just wanted to go high-five the dude.

The race was followed by breakfast at Onion Creek.  I seriously love that place so much.  I had the breakfast flatbread pizza, which was flatbread covered with pesto, mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, bacon and an over-easy egg.  YUM.  Everything is amazing, but the frozen mimosas are really what seal the deal.  I could drink those bad boys all day long.

Sadly, I could not, as I had to book it back up to the north side to get ready for baby cousin's bridal shower!  She's getting married on Saturday (her 22nd bday, incidentally) and I am a bridesmaid.  I am the oldest bridesmaid by like, almost 7 years, since pretty much all her friends are still in college.  Womp womp.  It's kind of refreshing, though, to see her wedding through the eyes of a bunch of girls who have never been in one before, seeing as how I have been in like, 10, not counting MY OWN.  They're all so excited (not to say, I'm not...I just approach these things as a veteran, y'know?), and I try not to laugh at the questions they ask me - "Does she need a corsage at her shower?  The websites all say she needs a corsage at her shower!!" - and I am doing what I can to guide her Maid of Honor through planning the pre-events without steam-rolling her because I could basically do all this shit with my hands tied behind my back at this point.  The wedding will be beautiful and I can't wait to see my little cousin in a wedding dress.  I changed the chick's diapers, I've held her hair back, and now I'll stand with her at her wedding.  How very circle-of-life-ish ;)

Family starts getting into town on Wednesday, and we'll have a full house this weekend, so yesterday was spent cleaning.  Also, I made banana bread with the suuuuper ripe (read - almost black) bananas in the fruit bowl and I am going to brag for a minute and tell you all that that shit was FUCKING PHENOMENAL.  I don't bake.  I don't have the patience for it - all the measuring and following the recipe...I much prefer to wing it in the kitchen and adjust based on personal preference.  But follow a recipe I did, and for my first ever loaf of bread, it was a winner.

What was an epic FAIL, however, was leaving the loaf of bread on the counter within reach of my asshole, banana bread-loving dog.

Bella ate the shit out of that bread, y'all.

Glad someone enjoyed it.

Happy Monday!  

It's October already?  WTF.

He does dress better than I do...what would I bring to the relationship?

So it's officially Fall blah blah blah...  Kiss my ass, people with seasons - it's still 100 degrees here.  The thought of a hot pumpkin ANYTHING causes me to break out in a sweat.  It won't be cold enough to drink that shizz until at least January.

The big fires are out in our area - FEMA just showed up in the Waller area (good job guys...), and little ones are still popping up all over the place because the whole state is just crispy as shit.

I don't know why I still live in Texas.

In other news, I have become obsessed with Pinterest (actually, I've been into it for a while now, but I haven't blogged, so you wouldn't know that unless you've found me on there) and finding cute outfits for the cooler weather.  Here are some of my favorites:

Are we noticing a trend, here?  Basically, stock my closet up with white shirts, flat shoes, and cardigans of various colors and I am good to go!  The accessories make the outfits different, dangit!

Whatever...give me a pair of jeans and call it a day.

Happy Tuesday!

Deep in the Heart of Texas...

If you pray, please say a prayer for all those effected by the wildfires burning through Texas.

The fire burning in Bastrop hasn't yet been contained, and the fires burning outside of Houston just keep eating more and more acres of land.  We still haven't had any rain, nor is there any in the forecast.  It smells  like a bbq pit outside.

Thankfully, our house isn't threatened.  Saul's sister's house is further west, and is right in the path of the plume of smoke, but she says the fire is still about 15 miles away, which is too fucking close for comfort for me.

We have some friends who have had to evacuate.  There are people all over the area that had minutes notice to pack what they could and leave.  Because the fire is effecting a heavily-wooded area, with lots of pastures and fields, people are desperate to move their animals out harm's way.

THIS is why we couldn't light fireworks on the 4th
of July.

all photos via chron.com