The Holidays

Man do I love the holiday season. I love festive smells, wreaths, Snowmen, mistletoe, and Christmas music! I love that after Thanksgiving I am allowed to watch my beloved movies and put up decorations. It's great.

I focus on the spirit rather than the spending. I ask myself regularly where my focus is so I can stay caught up in the giving spirit, not in a material sense but a loving, caring sense.

Deck the Halls people!

Wedding Plans

Brent and I are getting married on June 22, 2008 at the Panola Valley Gardens. I can't wait. It seems to be all I can think about. We are going to keep it simple, but simplicity also requires planning. My goal is classic elegance. Nothing too cheesy and nothing too extravagant.

I usually get what I want, I mean, I got Brent didn't I? (wink,wink)

I will try to keep you posted as plans progress.

The Melting Pot

Last night to celebrate Brent's 29th birthday, we went to the Melting Pot in Minneapolis with Charlie and Jacquie. It was by far the most enjoyable dining experience of my life. Our waiter was excellent. He knew the menu, what sauces were compatible with what meats, and was attentive but not overbearing. Needless to say he got a substantial tip. Both couples ordered what the restaurant calls "The Big Night Out." We started with cheese fondue and dippers. It was a Mediterranean Cheese Fondue that consisted of Fontina and Grùyere cheeses blended with roasted garlic, dates, shallots and a touch of white truffle oil. The dippers were different breads, tortilla chips, fresh vegetables and green apples. I didn't think I would like the apple, but paired with such yummy cheese it was awesome!

Our salads came next. Brent chose the House Salad. It consisted of crisp greens, Roma tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, and Emmenthaler Swiss cheese, served with sweet and tangy House Dressing. Brent was quite impressed with the dressing. I chose the California Salad that had mixed baby salad greens, Roma tomatoes, walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese, with Raspberry Black Walnut Vinaigrette Dressing.

Then the entree. We chose the Fondue Fusion with Coq au Vin as the cooking style. The broth had flavors of fresh herbs, mushrooms, garlic, spices, and burgundy wine. I had no idea that fondue with meats meant that raw meat was served and we cooked it ourselves at the table! Everything essentially took 2 minutes to cook and the Coq au Vin ensured that the food would never burn. My favorite bite was probably the pork tenderloin, it was incredibly tender. Here is what the entree consisted of:

Lobster Tail
Filet Mignon Medallion
Balsamic-Marinated Sirloin
Garlic and Herb Chicken
Citrus Pork Tenderloin
White Shrimp
Wild Mushroom Ravioli
Roasted Red Pepper Rigatoni
Fresh Vegetables

And then desert. At this point we were all so happy and pleased. We had been sitting for over an hour enjoying a leisurely meal and great conversation and then bam!- the chocolate fondue. We chose the Flaming Turtle for the table. It was milk chocolate, caramel and chopped pecans, flambeed table side. The dippers included fresh strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, tasty marshmallows, pound cake and brownies. Let me tell you, I have never experienced something as decadent as a fresh strawberry dipped in such delicious chocolate. I wanted to dip my fingers in by themselves just to get at the chocolate!

I enjoyed the evening so immensely that it stayed on my mind through-out the course of the day. I was pleased to be able to give my fiance such a wonderful memory on his birthday. All four of us had a great time. And if you are wondering why I went into such great detail on the menu, it's because I want you to try it yourself! Let's all fondue!

Here is the website if you are interesed: http://www.meltingpot.com/

Silly Donkey!

I posted this picture over a year ago and in reviewing old blogs was inspired to post it again.It is just priceless. Brent and I still laugh our asses off when we see it. Get it? We laugh our ASSES off! That is a real knee-slapper.

Okay, maybe not!

Much afoot...

There have been many things going on in my life and I have been busy to say the least. We have had mandatory OT for the past six weeks ranging from 4 to 10 hours per week. The extra money is nice, but as a newly engaged woman I would much rather be spending that precious time with Brent. It's hard to work 10 hour days and come home with energy. The sad part is, this will continue until the end of February. Last year, the requirement got up to 14 hours a week. FUN!

Besides that, about three weeks ago my company had a "realignment" and laid off over a hundred people. I am fortunate to still be employed but I did get transferred to a new department. That also entailed obtaining a new location in the building and new boss. Neither of which I minded to be perfectly honest. I love my new desk. It is more private and larger. The atmosphere is also more quiet and focused, which are both positives. I didn't always click with my old boss either so was glad that changed. As Brent says, I got a fresh start and didn't even need to do anything.

Now I am getting special attention from my new manager and feel like I am an "engaged" part of my team again. It's great. Work has become a lot less stressful due to these changes and I am so grateful for that. I was ready to start looking but didn't want to leave my teammates with such full plates. That wouldn't be very nice, would it? ;)

With all of that happening at work, my mom has gotten some bad reports from the doctor and I convinced my sister that I should get married sooner rather than later. So, now we are planning on June of 2008 (instead of 2009). She had initially wanted to wait until she was moved back to the US to help me plan, but she can help me plan via Skype as we proved this past Sunday. Poor Brent about lost it listening to two sisters discussing wedding details! We want to keep it as simple as possible but are waiting for Georgia's vacation dates to cement a location and date.

I have also been thinking a great deal about family as the wedding and holidays approach. It hasn't gotten any easier being away from my parents on Thanksgiving or Christmas. Last year I experienced them both without any immediate family members. I have been welcomed into Brent's family with open arms, but there is nothing like my mom's warm embrace and daddy whispers of "Merry Christmas Little Girl." Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. With work requiring so much overtime, I only get the actual holiday off and will most likely have to work Christmas Eve this year. Maybe not a complete day, but it will be something.

But anytime you have new management, there are questions with no answers as of yet. It all requires patience which I have plenty of. We were dumped on a new team so of course they don't have all of the answers. And believe, we are analysts so we have TONS of questions.

I feel like I have written too much, but is it ever really enough? I am so happy right now despite missing my family and being at work too much. I am so in love. Tonight Brent had dinner waiting on me when I got home at almost 8 pm. What did I do to deserve such a loving man? I haven't always been so fortunate in love and that just further emphasizes what a prize I have now. I am truly loving life.