So long 2009!

Goodbye 2009. You were a good year. A very good year.

You were the year we set the date, planned a wedding, got married, and enjoyed the first three months of marriage.
You were the year I sweat the small stuff and forgot to look at the big picture.
You were the year of 7 weddings and I'm glad to share my anniversary year with so many dear friends.
You were the year I traveled to the Hill Country, Georgia, Georgia again, Florida, Missouri, Missouri again, Mexico, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island again, Massachusetts, North Carolina, California, Georgia again, Missouri again. And thanks to all that, I earned my very first free flight ever.
You were the year I lost 10 lbs and kept it off for the most part.
You were the year I began cooking with health in mind, not just convenience.
You were the year I joined The Knot, met some lovely ladies who convinced me to start a blog, and began blogging.
You were the year that Mr. H and I kept our jobs despite layoffs at both of our companies and the crumbling economy.
You were the year my mom came to visit us 5 times.

But most of all, 2009 was a year of joy. While we may not have noticed it among addressing save-the-dates, picking out flowers, darting back and forth to dress alterations and venue meetings, joy was always present.

May 2010 be even more joyful! Happy New Year blog world! Thanks for all the support this year.

I like bubbles

Well, for the 2^nd time in a week I’ve had a mimosa brunch. The first being Kelly’s oh-so-fun holiday brunch (as recapped by Jill and Kelly). The second being a new company tradition.

For several years, my company has had a White Elephant gift exchange during the lunch hour. Last year this gift exchange turned into a potluck and just so happened to fall the day after our company holiday party. And one brilliant employee decided to bring mimosa fixings for his contribution. And thus the “Hair of the Dog White Elephant Gift Exchange” was born.

You guessed it. Last night was our company holiday party and this morning was our hair of the dog party. While last night was reasonably tame (until the 6^th Street after party where trays of tequila shots were forced upon unsuspecting souls), this morning’s mimosa and breakfast taco brunch was still fairly entertaining. Oh, and did I mention the 4 (FOUR) mimosas I had over the course of the morning?  Please excuse any grammatical errors in this post. It’s just the bubbly working its magic.

So as I’m polishing off my to-go mimosa (to-go to my desk), the CEO comes around with a bottles of Malbec and Champagne. Now I love me some Malbec, but while drinking champagne, you must choose champagne. Plus, I’ll never buy myself a bottle of the bubbly (why? I don’t know. I should rethink that). And New Year’s is coming up and champagne is a staple for any self-respecting New Year’s Eve party. Though exclaiming, “I love champagne!!!” while drinking champagne directly from the bottle is a fast-track to making you that girl at your gathering. So I will not do that. No, I won’t. But I will say I really like the bubbles.

Like, really like them.

Cheers to you and yours, dear readers!

Photo by WLP

6 Lessons in Stocking Stuffing

I considered taking a cue from the witty and talented Vic to write a How To Tuesday segment, but it isn't Tuesday. It is Thursday. But you already knew that, didn't you? However, on Tuesday I would have benefited from some helpful tips on how to stuff a stocking without spending $60 at Target.

1. Target has mastered the art of suggestive selling. As I wandered down the candy aisle, I was bombarded by other gadgets that are perfect stocking size. LED light keychain? Yes please!

2. Candy that comes with a game beats candy without a game. So what if I bought nerds for my nerd? It came with a fun book! And who can resist that?

3. Themes are good, but due to #1 themes go out the window. Mr. H and I watched Elf on Monday night and I considered a stocking themed by the elves' 4 food groups: candy, candy cane, candy corn, and syrup. But where would the travel sized Scattegories fit into that?

4. Stockings are a good way to give your husband new stockings. Yep. He needs new socks. I'm embarrassed I put that thought out on the internets, but he does. And socks are big. Well, big enough to fill up a stocking without looking like a cheap-o.

5. If your husband asks if his Christmas present is a puppy, a pair of boxers with puppies will suffice. Again, why am I telling you people this?

6. Stockings are an excellent way to boost our economy by spending $60 at Target. Gee I could have used a gift card. Maybe one of the giveaway variety?

Alternate titles for this post:
How to Kiss Vic's Ass Without Even Trying
Why do I Write these things on the internet?
I Should be a Marketer for Target. Oh wait, I don't want to live in Minnesota.

Embarrassing Photo for an Embarrassing Post

Photo by Whitney Lee

Identity Crisis

Mr. H can’t even remember my new name. Yes, my new last name that is also his last name. 

I ordered some wedding photos to include in Christmas presents. Being the efficient engineer that he is, he decided he’d pick up the prints from Walgreen’s since he was going straight home after work and wanted to get a head start on packaging the presents.

Here’s the scene from Walgreen’s in the closest approximation of Mr. H’s storytelling abilities that I can muster.

Mr. H: I’m picking up prints for Emily S****

Photo lady: (looks through all S orders) I’m sorry, we don’t have an order under that name. What is the phone number?

Mr. H: (may or may not have looked in his phone for this) xxx-xxx-xxxx

PL: Could it be under H****?

Mr. H: Uh, yeah. I guess it could be under my name. (looks at package) Oh, that’s her name too…

All this after we’d emailed back and forth and he explicitly asked, “Are the photos under your name?” I responded that yes they were and thought about saying my new full legal name, but I figured if anyone in this world knows who I am now, it would be my husband. Not so, not so dear readers.

Speaking of new names, can anyone else not sign their married name to save their life? I’m blaming the increase in the number of letters. Any other excuses I can use? How was it so much easier to append celebrity crushes’ names to my own when I was a middle schooler?

Mmmm. That's good cake.

photo by Whitney Lee

Time to Celebrate!

The Christmas season is upon us and, well, has been for 13 days now. There is just something about this time of year - twinkling lights on the Christmas tree, stories and songs of love and joy on the radio, shopping for loved ones, and of course the parties. Last week we had one each night.

Monday: Crafting for Friday's party. Turned into more of cooking a delicious strata, eating dinner at 9:30, watching love actually, and painting a Christmas tree on a T-shirt.

Tuesday: My department Christmas party. Last year's was insane - we started at Manuel's, then hit 6th Street hard until about 2 a.m. This year's was tame - happy hour at J. Black's after work followed by dinner at Polvo's.

Wednesday: Yoga party. Long ago I mentioned that I take yoga after work at my office. Our teacher is awesome and invited the class over for delicious treats after class this week.

Thursday: Christmas Pops Sing Along at the Alamo Drafthouse. My favorite Austin Christmas tradition. If you haven't ever gone you are missing out. Plus, there is renegade caroling down 6th Street. This year we circled bike cops and sang "Dick in a Box." Last year we got kicked out of the Omni for making a joyful noise.

Friday: Gaudy Christmas party. I was silly and forgot my camera. Thankfully the hosts had mandatory photos by the tree.

Saturday: We were supposed to go to Mr. H's department party, but it was cancelled. So instead we got to celebrate our 3 month anniversary with dinner at Asti and cupcakes from Quack's.

Adios Evitas!

Last night, Mr. H and I had our farewell dinner at Evita's Botanitas in far South Austin. This restaurant has been around forever, but we didn't discover it until 2 weeks ago. As I was chowing down on my delicious enchiladas mole and lamenting the close of our new favorite neighborhood joint, I asked Mr. H, "Is it better to love and lose than to never love at all?"

About enchiladas.

Yes, they are that good.

Dramatic much?

I'll let you answer that age old question yourself. They close on Dec. 23.

Love Actually Is All Around

Survey time! Thanks Jill for starting this. I watched Love Actually last night which is why the title of this post has nothing to do with the post itself.

What are your middle names?
Me: Now my maiden name, Hubs: Wilson

How long have you been together?
4 years on Jan. 21

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
3 weeks

How old are each of you?
me: 24, hubs: 25

Did you go to the same school?
only during the three months we were on study abroad, but that wasn’t really “school”

Are you from the same hometown?
Not even the same state

Who is the smartest?
equally smart in different ways. I’m the writer and creative one, he’s the math/science/engineering one.

Who majored in what?
me: public relations, minor in sociology, hubs: industrial engineering

Who is the most sensitive?
definitely me.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
this is tough, but probably Trudy’s

Where have you traveled together as a couple?
New Zealand, Australia, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, DC, New York, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Florida, Vegas, Mexico, Texas

Who has the worst temper?
neither of us really has a temper

How many children do you want?
two, but not until I’m 30 at the earliest.

Who does the cooking?
I do, but he cleans.

Who is more social?
definitely me. He calls me his social planner.

Who is the neat-freak?
He is neater than I am, but I would never describe him as a neat freak.

Who is the most stubborn?
I am. I’m a Taurus, so it’s not my fault.

Who wakes up earlier?
During the week, he wakes up 15 minutes before I do and pretty much has to pull me out of bed. On the weekends it’s rare if I sleep later than he does.

Where was your first date?
We never had one. We met and fell in love while studying abroad so we planned activities together and each paid our own way for everything. I didn’t even know his phone number until we’d been together 3 months and were the flight home from Australia.

Who has the bigger family?
definitely me.

Do you get flowers often?
Only when they are on special at Central Market.

How long did it take to get serious?
Maybe 2 months. It was fast.

Who eats more?
He probably eats twice as much as I do. And I like to think I have a healthy appetite for a 5'1 woman.

What do you do for a living?
me: marketing/public relations/event planning, hubs: industrial engineer

Who does the laundry?
mostly hubs. He runs out of socks before I run out of anything, so that must be why.

Who’s better with the computer?
He is. See answer to “Who is smarter?”

Who drives when you are together?
Always him. I hate driving.

What is "your" song?
Our first dance was to The Beatles’ “I Will,” but we also like Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers,” Cat Stevens’ “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out,” and oldie “Oh How Happy You Have Made Me.”

Do you ever argue?
Argue? No. Bicker? Rarely. We’re a pretty easy going couple.

Watching the Dandelions Grow

Several weeks ago, a friend was trying to put together a social sports team. Wiffleball, to be exact. Now I played wiffleball for two seasons when I first moved to Austin 2.5 years ago. Probably because I wanted to get to know my coworkers better and maybe meet a few people from other teams. Those seasons proved 3 things.

1. I hate baseball and everything related to it. Yes this is a tense subject in my house as Mr. H loves baseball and I rejoice when the World Series is FINALLY over. (I mean really, what sport plays an 162 game season anyway?)

2. I hate playing team sports. As a child, I played tennis, swam, danced, and cheered. If there is a ball larger than my palm, I don't want to be involved. (umm... that's what she said?) I even took Individual and Dual Sports for my P.E. credit in high school.

3. Wiffleball is not played with a big red bat, but rather a skinny yellow bat that might weigh a half pound soaking wet.

So then, why did I tell Mr. H that said friend was organizing another wiffleball team? Perhaps love. Perhaps a weak moment in thinking that drinking in a garage that has been converted to a basketball court, er wiffleball field, might not be so bad even if your beverage cannot be in an open cup, koozie, covered waterball or anything that resembles an alcoholic beverage drink container. So we compromised. He signs up to play, I sign up to drink, warm the bench, and be team cheerleader.

Fast forward to last night. The season opener. The season opener double header that friend and hubs conveniently forgot to tell me about. The season opener double header where only two women were present when the game began and you need three to play...and team cheerleader is asked to sub... and wear another teammate's T-shirt... that is a Youth Large...and Emily didn't wear a sports bra or tennis shoes because she didn't think she'd have to play... and Emily has ginormous boobs...and I'll only play right field because nothing ever happens there.

But ya know what? It was fun. I made an amazing catch (with a look of fear in my eyes) to get the third out of the first inning. I didn't realize I had made this incredible feat, so I threw to second to make a play, but whatevs. I did it. I got on base twice. Made it to third once. Scored no runs, but I actually hit the freaking ball with the itty bitty lightweight yellow bat. Go me.

I'll leave you with some Peter, Paul and Mary lyrics to my new Thursday night anthem:

Off in the distance, the game's dragging on,

There's strikes on the batter, some runners are on.

I don't know the inning, I've forgotten the score.

The whole team is yelling and I don't know what for.

Then suddenly everyone's looking at me

My mind has been wandering; what could it be?

They point at the sky and I look up above

And a baseball falls into my glove!

Here in right field, it's important you know.

You gotta know how to catch, you gotta know how to throw,

That's why I'm here in right field, just watching the dandelions grow!

Twins?

Does anyone else think Ryan on this season of SYTYCD looks like a real life version of Mr. Incredible?

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Blogger tips

I'm new to this bloggy world. Ok, 75 posts in 7 months probably isn't considered "new," but I haven't put a whole lotta time into figuring out this thing since I launched the blog that Mr. H still doesn't know about.

Can someone please tell me how to quickly and easily post multiple pictures in a post? My lack of pics on this blog are mostly from laziness, but I gotta believe you all know something I don't. I mean, my "thankful post" took over an hour and that wasn't because of my excellent craftsmanship of the written word. I almost added an additional line item... "I am thankful for the person who tells me how I can put 4 pictures in a post without it taking 45 minutes."

I'm withholding wedding recaps until someone tells me how to do this! Thanks ladies!

Also while we're at it-- footnotes. Those are frequently my favorite parts of posts and I'd like to pack as many witticisms in as I can.

You can call me Mrs. H

Yep, that’s right. I finally did it. I am no longer stuck between my two last names. I’m officially Mrs. H. Now you may ask, “Umm, haven’t you been married 2.5 months? What the heck has taken you so long?” TSA. That’s why. As mentioned previously, I was traveling nearly constantly for most the last 2 months. Well, consistently enough that there was no way I’d have a new license between trips (see also: rant on TX DMV for not having license printers in house like every other state I’ve lived in has) and there was no way I was going to hand a TSA agent a piece of rumpled paper as my (temporary) ID. Would it have worked? Well, technically yes… maybe. But arguing with authority isn’t a hobby I’d like to pursue.

Other little victories:

• · Thank you notes are finally done. Again, no judging.
• · E-pics are up on WLP blog. Will our wedding pics follow?
• · Christmas tree is up, now it’s time to trim it!
• · Successful maiden voyage of my new immersion blender. Broccoli cheese soup – yes please!